Vail Valley Restaurants

Unlike the nearby Summit County ski resorts, which pride themselves on standard "mining fare" like surf and turf, Vail has a distinctly European dining style. This is the town in which to sample creamed pheasant soup or bite into a good cut of venison. For the most romantic options, look into a slope-side restaurant like Beano's, where the fixed-course menus and unique transportation (horses in summer and sleighs in winter) make the experience more than just a meal. The farther down-valley you move, the more the prices drop.

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  • 1. Atwater on Gore Creek

    $$$$ | Cascade Village | Modern American

    With generous floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Gore Creek, this airy restaurant in the Vail Cascade Resort serves up the best views in town along with an organic, locally sourced menu, an extensive craft beer menu, and thoughtful beer–cuisine pairings. The huge, seasonal menu includes highlights like a high-end Colorado Kobe steak served with asparagus spears and bleu cheese fritters, a crispy pork shank with a sherry-apricot glaze, and a variety of delicious sandwiches, pizzas, and lighter, tapas-style plates. Meals are rounded out with expert wine and beer pairings that make this somewhat out-of-the-way restaurant well worth the free shuttle from the village.

    Vail Cascade Resort, 1300 Westhaven Dr., Vail, Colorado, 81657, USA
    970-479–7014
  • 2. Beano's Cabin

    $$$$ | Modern American

    One of the memorable experiences during a trip to Beaver Creek is traveling in a sleigh to this former hunting lodge. In summer you can get here on horseback or by wagon. During the journey, your driver will undoubtedly fill you in on some local history. The pine-log cabin, warmed by a crackling fire, is an unbeatable location for a romantic meal. On the prix-fixe menu, choose from entrées such as potato dumplings with bing cherries and chanterelles, or a wood-grilled Rocky Mountain elk chop with sweet corn–rabbit belly hash. The menu changes seasonally.

    Larkspur Bowl, Beaver Creek, Colorado, 81620, USA
    970-754–3463

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: Closed mid-Apr. and Oct. to mid-Nov., depending on snowfall, Reservations essential, Lunch for members only in winter
  • 3. Grouse Mountain Grill

    $$$$

    The stately appearance of this Pines Lodge restaurant belies its friendly, welcoming attitude. The fresh, farm-raised, cage-free food philosophy makes for quality ingredients, and the chef here truly knows how to make the food sing. There's live music most nights. If you get chilly on the patio the waitstaff brings out blankets.

    141 Scott Hill Rd., Beaver Creek, Colorado, 81620, USA
    970-949–0600

    Known For

    • Pretzel-crusted pork chop with sweet mustard sauce
    • Farm-fresh ingredients
    • Lovely patio with blankets if you get cold

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No lunch
  • 4. Bart and Yeti's

    $ | Lionshead

    Grilled portobello-mushroom sandwiches, spicy southwestern green chile, and Mulrooney's Irish stew are among the choices at this laid-back, rustic restaurant. If you want a full meal, try the most popular entrée, barbecued baby back ribs. The deck is a gathering spot in warm weather. The place is in Lionshead, just north of the Eagle Bahn Gondola.

    553 E. Lionshead Circle, Vail, Colorado, 81657, USA
    970-476–2754

    Known For

    • Dog-friendly patio
    • Local pub favorite
    • Great value
  • 5. Mountain Standard

    $$$$

    This casual lunch and dinner stop prepares its meat and fish with a deft hand and the age-old way—over an open wood fire. The menu changes often, but usually includes popular dishes such as the spring pea bruschetta, a fall-off-the-bone pork chop with charred okra succotash and cornbread crumble, and a whole Rocky Mountain trout with grilled pole bean salad and smoked almond milk. For dessert, splurge on a s'mores pie. From the dining room, you can watch chefs prepare your food in the open kitchen, but summer has the better view, with foodies and families alike congregating on the patio overlooking Gore Creek.

    193 Gore Creek Dr., Vail, Colorado, 81657, USA
    970-476–0123

    Known For

    • Wood-fired Rocky Mountain trout with chimichurri
    • Creative, seasonal menu
    • Casual, lively setting
  • Recommended Fodor’s Video

  • 6. Spago

    $$$$ | Modern American

    At the Ritz-Carlton, Wolfgang Puck's restaurant is housed in an expansive dining room whose vegetable-dyed wood paneling and enlarged black-and-white photographs achieve a sleekly modern look without contradicting the resort's rustic mountain sensibility. Puck's seasonal menu often favors Asian accents and regional ingredients. In late autumn the menu's butternut squash soup is deliciously intensified with cranberry chutney, spiced cream, and pumpkin-seed brittle. The Colorado lamb chops spiced with Hunan eggplant and cilantro-mint vinaigrette is not to be missed and for dessert the kaiserschmarren, a souffléd crème fraîche pancake with strawberry sauce, is otherwordly. Service is impeccable, if a touch formal; those who prefer a low-key (or less bank-breaking) meal might consider dining in the bar area.

    Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch, 0130 Daybreak Ridge, Avon, Colorado, 81620, USA
    970-343–1555

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No lunch spring–fall; closed Mon. and Tues. in summer, Reservations essential
  • 7. The 10th

    $$$$

    Find respite from the usual mountain fare at this high-end, high-up restaurant at the base of Look Ma run. A favorite lunch spot for skiers, there are spectacular views of the Gore Range, a cozy bar and lounge with fireplace, a south-facing outdoor deck with heated tables, and hearty pasta and popular meat dishes.

    At the base of Look Ma run, Mid-Vail, Vail, Colorado, 81658, USA
    970-754–1010

    Known For

    • On-mountain location
    • Luxury amenities like slippers and hair dryers cater to cold skiers
    • Very popular so can be packed

    Restaurant Details

    Rate Includes: No dinner, Reservations essential

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