Colorado Eats guide · checked fall 2026
Colorado ski town restaurants
46 restaurants in Colorado's ski towns, from slopeside lodges to downtown institutions, each checked in fall 2026 against a 2025–26 source. On-mountain places that only open in winter are marked.
Eating in the mountains
Colorado's resort towns have more good restaurants per resident than anywhere else in the state, and many keep their own schedule: on-mountain lodges open only in ski season, and lots of town restaurants close for a few weeks of "mud season" in spring and fall. Those closures are not permanent, and the list marks seasonal places when they say so.
By town: Aspen (7), Telluride (6), Vail (6), Durango (5), Breckenridge (4), Crested Butte (4), Avon (3), Steamboat Springs (3), Winter Park (2), Edwards (2).
Our method: we matched each place to a 2025 or 2026 source, usually its own site or menu or a dated story in the mountain-town paper, and dropped the places we couldn't. MICHELIN Guide Colorado restaurants in these towns are on it. Places run by region and town; no rating decides the order.
Other guides: Colorado green chile guide, Colorado brewpubs, Colorado game & steakhouses, MICHELIN & James Beard restaurants, Oldest restaurants, Boulder County restaurant inspections. City pages: Denver, Colorado Springs, Aurora, Fort Collins, Boulder, Pueblo, Lakewood, Longmont, Greeley, Golden, Grand Junction, Durango, Aspen, Breckenridge, Steamboat Springs, Vail.
Jump to a region
- Mountain towns (41)
- Southwest Colorado (5)
Mountain towns
41 restaurants, by town.
Ajax Tavern
685 E Durant Ave, Aspen
On the menu: truffle fries, Wagyu double cheeseburger
Slopeside bistro and après patio at the base of Aspen Mountain's gondola, known for its truffle fries.
Bosq
312 S Mill St, Aspen
1 MICHELIN StarJames Beard semifinalist
Element 47
675 E Durant Ave, Aspen
MICHELIN Recommended
J-Bar
330 E Main St, Aspen
On the menu: burger, Aspen Crud milkshake · Since 1889
Wood-paneled bar in Aspen's 1889 Hotel Jerome, a silver-era saloon turned après hangout known for its burger.
Mawa's Kitchen
305 Aspen Airport Business Center F, Aspen
MICHELIN Recommended
Pine Creek Cookhouse
12500 Castle Creek Rd, Aspen
Game & steak On the menu: Rocky Mountain elk chop, elk-stuffed mushrooms, ruby red rainbow trout, smoked trout dip
Cookhouse up Castle Creek Road near the Ashcroft ghost town, serving elk chops, elk-stuffed mushrooms and rainbow trout.
Prospect
330 E Main St, Aspen
MICHELIN Recommended
Mirabelle
55 Village Rd, Avon
MICHELIN Recommended
Splendido at the Chateau
17 Chateau Ln, Avon
MICHELIN Recommended
Vin48 Restaurant & Wine Bar
48 E Beaver Creek Blvd, Avon
On the menu: Colorado bison tartare, wood-fired steaks, meatballs
Locally owned Avon wine bar and restaurant below Beaver Creek, cooking wood-fired steaks and Colorado bison tartare since 2007.
Briar Rose Chophouse & Saloon
109 Lincoln Ave, Breckenridge
Game & steak On the menu: Cervena elk medallions, buffalo cowboy ribeye, Colorado double-cut lamb chops, wild game sausage trio, filet, New York strip
Downtown Breckenridge chophouse and saloon pairing aged steaks with elk, buffalo and Colorado lamb.
Gold Pan Saloon
103 N Main St, Breckenridge
On the menu: Breckie burger, lamb French dip with goat cheese · Since 1879
Breckenridge's longest-running saloon, in its 1879 building on Main Street, now pouring drinks and serving burgers and lamb French dips.
Radicato
137 South Main St, Breckenridge
MICHELIN Recommended
Rootstalk
207 N Main St, Breckenridge
MICHELIN RecommendedJames Beard winner
Secret Stash
303 Elk Ave, Crested Butte
On the menu: Notorious F.I.G. pizza, wings, pizza
Crested Butte pizza house on Elk Avenue known for its fig-and-prosciutto pie and grilled wings.
Slogar Bar & Restaurant
517 2nd St, Crested Butte
On the menu: family-style skillet fried chicken, Sunday brunch
Crested Butte dinner house serving family-style fried chicken with all the sides, plus a Sunday brunch.
Soupçon
127 Elk Ave A, Crested Butte
On the menu: French tasting menus
Small French dinner house in a cabin in the alley behind Kochevar's, with two seatings a night and tasting menus.
Uley's Cabin
12 Snowmass Rd, Crested Butte
Game & steak On the menu: elk skewers, wild game entrees, Wagyu burger · Season: winter, ski season
Rustic ski-in cabin on Crested Butte Mountain serving sit-down lunches with wild game and elk skewers off the grill outside.
Fiesta's Cafe & Cantina
57 Edwards Access Rd, Edwards
Green chile On the menu: pork green chile, smothered burritos, stuffed sopapilla, chile rellenos, green chile plate
Family New Mexican cafe in Edwards that smothers its burritos, sopapillas and chicken-fried steak in pork green chile made with Colorado-grown chiles.
Juniper Restaurant
97 Main St, Edwards
On the menu: halibut, pork chop
Edwards dinner restaurant on the Eagle River, a locals' pick between Vail and Beaver Creek.
Butterhorn Bakery & Cafe
408 E Main St, Frisco
On the menu: scratch-baked pastries, breakfast
Frisco Main Street bakery and breakfast cafe that has baked from scratch for over four decades, a locals' stop before the lifts.
Ski Tip Lodge
0764 Montezuma Rd, Keystone
On the menu: four-course prix fixe dinner
Former stagecoach stop that Keystone founders Max and Edna Dercum turned into a ski lodge in the 1940s, now a candlelit four-course prix fixe dinner house.
Old Dillon Inn
325 Blue River Pkwy, Silverthorne
Green chileGame & steak On the menu: pork poblano green chile, breakfast burrito smothered in green chile, huevos rancheros, Prospector elk stew, tacos and enchiladas
Revived Summit County saloon, reopened in 2026 after nearly 20 years dark, serving poblano green chile, smothered burritos and elk stew.
The Historic Mint
347 Blue River Pkwy, Silverthorne
Game & steak On the menu: grill-your-own steaks, seafood, salad bar
Steakhouse in a relocated mining-era saloon building where diners grill their own steaks over a lava-rock grill.
Freshies
145 Trafalger Dr, Steamboat Springs
Green chile On the menu: breakfast burrito smothered in pork or veggie green chile, pork green chile, Southwest skillet, huevos rancheros, Southwestern Benny
Steamboat breakfast-and-lunch spot that offers both pork and veggie green chile over burritos, skillets and Benedicts.
Mazzola's Italian Diner
917 Lincoln Ave, Steamboat Springs
On the menu: pizza, pasta
Downtown Steamboat Italian spot open since 1970, serving pizza and pasta.
Ore House at the Pine Grove
1465 Pine Grove Rd, Steamboat Springs
Game & steak On the menu: peppered elk loin, bison ribeye, Rocky Mountain ruby red trout, steaks, salad bar, cinnamon rolls · Since 1971
Steamboat steak and game house in an old ranch barn since 1971, with elk loin, bison ribeye and trout alongside its salad bar.
Allred's
Telluride
Game & steak On the menu: elk striploin, elk carpaccio, Colorado rack of lamb, dry-aged bison ribeye, dry-aged ribeye · Season: open for dinner in the summer and winter seasons; closed between seasons
Dinner spot at the gondola's St. Sophia mid-station above Telluride, reached only by gondola, serving elk, bison and Colorado lamb.
La Marmotte
150 W San Juan Ave, Telluride
On the menu: French bistro dinners · Season: closes for the spring and fall off-seasons
French bistro in a restored former Telluride icehouse, a dinner fixture in town for decades.
New Sheridan Chop House & Historic Bar
231 W Colorado Ave, Telluride
Game & steak On the menu: elk shortloin, dry-aged bison ribeye, Colorado rack of lamb, prime New York strip, prime filet mignon, dry-aged tomahawk · Since 1895
Telluride's 1895 hotel bar with its original back bar, next to a steakhouse that grills elk, bison and prime beef.
The Butcher & The Baker
201 E Colorado Ave, Telluride
On the menu: breakfast burrito with Happy Hog Farm sausage, Sunday brunch
Telluride cafe on Colorado Avenue cooking breakfast, lunch and brunch from local farm ingredients.
The National
100 E Colorado Ave, Telluride
MICHELIN Recommended
Van Atta
101 W Colorado Ave, Telluride
James Beard semifinalist
Osaki's
100 E Meadow Dr #14, Vail
MICHELIN Recommended
Pepi's Restaurant & Bar
231 Gore Creek Dr, Vail
Game & steak On the menu: wild game dinners (Antlers Room), Austrian dishes · Since 1964 · Season: Antlers Room game dinners run in the winter season
Austrian-style hotel restaurant in Vail Village from the town's first years, with a wood-paneled Antlers Room known for wild game dinners in winter.
Sweet Basil
193 E Gore Creek Dr, Vail
MICHELIN Recommended
Long-running Vail Village restaurant on Gore Creek, open since 1977 and still a fixture of the town's dining scene.
Swiss Chalet
20 Vail Rd, Vail
On the menu: cheese fondue, raclette, schnitzel
Cozy Swiss dining room in Vail Village's Sonnenalp Hotel built around fondue, raclette and schnitzel.
The 10th
Mid-Vail, Top Of Gondola One, Vail Mountain, Vail
On the menu: truffle fries, flatbreads, winter vegetable ratatouille · Season: winter, ski season (lunch); select Sunday brunches in summer
Full-service lunch room at Mid-Vail named for the 10th Mountain Division; lift access required.
Vail Chophouse
675 Lionshead Pl, Vail
Game & steak On the menu: prime steaks, filet and frites, Mountain Burger, lobster mac and cheese
Slopeside steakhouse in Lionshead with an après crowd and live music; a sister room sits in Beaver Creek.
Deno's Mountain Bistro
78911 US-40, Winter Park
Game & steak On the menu: steaks, elk, bison, trout
Winter Park's long-running chophouse and bar on the main drag, open since 1976 and serving steaks, elk, bison and trout.
Hernando's Pizza Pub
78199 Main St, Winter Park
On the menu: hand-tossed pizza, pub pasta
Winter Park pizza pub dating to 1967, its walls covered with more than 35,000 decorated dollar bills.
Southwest Colorado
5 restaurants, by town.
Diamond Belle Saloon
699 Main Ave, Durango
On the menu: green chile burger, filet mignon, burgers · Since 1957
Victorian saloon inside Durango's 1887 Strater Hotel, revived in 1957, with live music nightly and a burger-and-entree menu.
Durango Diner
957 Main Ave, Durango
Green chile On the menu: green chile by the cup or bowl, The Cure (smothered in green chile), Diner Burrito, huevos rancheros, chile relleno omelet
Main Avenue breakfast-and-lunch counter whose green chile is so popular it is sold by the jar in local grocery stores.
Macho's Fast Mexican Food
1485 Florida Rd, Durango
Green chile On the menu: green chile burrito, green chile pork plate, green chile tacos, green chile smothered enchiladas
Quick Durango Mexican counter on Florida Road with a pork green chile burrito and green chile pork plate.
Mahogany Grille
699 Main Ave, Durango
Game & steak On the menu: elk stroganoff, rack of lamb, ribeye, tenderloin filet
Dinner room in Durango's historic Strater Hotel with braised elk stroganoff and rack of lamb on the 2026 menu.
Zia Taqueria
2977 Main Ave, Durango
Green chile On the menu: pork green chile, vegetarian green chile, burritos, bowls
Durango-only taqueria, around for two decades, where pork or vegetarian green chile can fill any burrito, taco or bowl.