Wolf's Motor Inn

'I've driven past this little cafe before that we can hit,' I told Matt, cranking a U-turn to head east on Colfax.  We were in Aurora, returning from a night out and looking for a quick bite.  After a couple blocks, to the point where we were in danger of getting out in the sticks, the sign for Wolf's Motor Inn glowed on the left, happily adjacent to a seedy motel.  The parking lot was packed.  I had no idea it was such a popular late-night food spot.  As we approached, hip hop music could be heard bumping inside, which was not at all what I expected coming from a diner at 11 pm.

Some folks might be deterred by a homemade sign posted to the front door stating 'NO WEAPONS OF ANY KIND ALLOWED!'.  For us, however, it was only a slight inconvenience, as Matt had to return to the car to drop off his nun-chucks.  A sign reading 'No Weapons' obviously leads one to assume that there had been weapons brought to the party at some point in the past, and with less than desired results, or else why would Wolf's be asking for people to refrain?  And the fact that it clearly specified weapons of any kind made me picture someone trying to get in the door with a flame thrower.  'Seriously,' he would say. 'It's a cigarette lighter.'   The sign was a slight cause for uneasiness, but we were already standing on the stoop.

Not the Least Bit Ominous

Inside was a big surprise.  While we were hoping for bacon and eggs, or a burrito with green and red, instead we got drafts, shooters (of the alcoholic variety), and a couple pool tables.  It was extremely well it by any standard, which helped to alleviate some of the uneasiness.  There were booths lining the windows, which suggested that Wolf's may actually have played a diner during the day, and that I may have to make a return at some point.  The crowd kind of caught me off guard as well, as it seemed a pretty low-key, happy bunch, packed with folks blowing off a little stream after a week of working hard - not at all what I had expected of a place worried about its patrons bringing in different varieties of weapons.

Wolf's did have other charms as well.  It appeared as if someone on the staff really enjoyed using their dot-matrix printer, as the printed signs were tagged all over the bar area like it was a telephone pole.  Posted specials, Christmas parties long past, and the ubiquitous 'No credit' sign.  A box of wine sat proudly in one corner of the back bar, I assume only for that special night out at Wolf's.  Speaking of special, Malibu sat prominently on the top shelf with all the best liquor, and why wouldn't it?  Rum with coconuts should be only be enjoyed once and awhile, for obvious reasons.  We grabbed a cheap beverage from the barkeep and sat back, enjoying our stay.

Then the cops showed up.  Maybe the sign on the door had revealed an ominous undertone to Wolf's that was obscured by the bright lights and jovial atmosphere.  It made me think of that scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark, where Indy is sitting in a bar somewhere in Cairo with the hated Bellock, and unbeknownst to our hero the other patrons of the bar are secretly passing pistols back and forth.  Maybe this was going on right now over at the booth in the corner and Matt and I didn't even know it.  Whatever the true identity of Wolf's, I could feel my stomach quietly telling me to give it some love, so we finished our drinks and moved off in search of that late night bite to eat.

Wolf's Restaurant & Lounge is located at 15691 E. Colfax in Aurora.  For all of you closet Tesla fans, head on over and hum to yourself about all the signs.  Just leave your crossbow in the car.