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$$$$ | Cascade Village | Modern American
With generous floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Gore Creek, this airy restaurant in the Vail Cascade Resort serves up the best views in town along with an organic, locally sourced menu, an extensive craft beer menu, and thoughtful beer–cuisine pairings. The huge, seasonal menu includes highlights like a high-end Colorado Kobe steak served with asparagus spears and bleu cheese fritters, a crispy pork shank with a sherry-apricot glaze, and a variety of delicious sandwiches, pizzas, and lighter, tapas-style plates. Meals are rounded out with expert wine and beer pairings that make this somewhat out-of-the-way restaurant well worth the free shuttle from the village.
Vail Cascade Resort, 1300 Westhaven Dr., Vail, Colorado, 81657, USA
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$$$$ | | 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
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed mid-Apr. and Oct. to mid-Nov., depending on snowfall, Reservations essential, Lunch for members only in winter
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Elevated pub food, rotisserie meats, duck-fat fries, and creative craft cocktails somehow marry perfectly on this modern menu. Warm wood paneling and vibrant ski photography decorate the cozy dining room centrally located in Vail Village.
232 Bridge St., Vail, Colorado, 81657, USA
Known For
- Hearty meals for après-skiers
- Trendy cocktail menu
- Central location
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Getting to this restaurant is certainly half the fun, as you must catch a gondola up the mountain, then hop on a snow cat to get across Game Creek Bowl during the winter, or shuttle or walk in the summer. The Bavarian-style lodge is members-only for lunch, but open to the public for dinner all year and for an outstanding Sunday brunch in summer. Be prepared to linger over a multicourse meal as you enjoy spectacular views of the slopes and the mountains beyond. Park at the Lionshead parking garage to catch the gondola.
395 S. Frontage Rd., Vail, Colorado, 81657, USA
Known For
- Spectacular mountain views
- Gondola ride to the chalet-style dining room
- Chef's tasting menu
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. year-round, Sun. in winter, and Tues. and Wed. in summer., Reservations essential
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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
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
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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In the heart of Vail Village, this contemporary French restaurant has been a local favorite for years and shouldn't be missed. Chef and owner Paul Ferzacca demonstrates his modern take on French cuisine with dishes like succulent bacon-wrapped pork with roasted cauliflower and a black-fig mostarda and chicken paillard with a beurre blanc sauce, crème fraîche potato puree, asparagus, cherry tomatoes, and capers. For dessert, try the chef-original peanut butter mousse with peanut brittle and grape sorbet. The service is top-notch, and the behemoth wine list is dominated by French and Californian labels. When the restaurant is busy in the summer, grab a seat on the patio for a quieter, breezier meal.
122 E. Meadow Dr., Vail, Colorado, 81657, USA
Known For
- Truffle French onion soup
- Expansive wine list great for all budgets
- Local and organic ingredients
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch
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Run by the Thoma family, originally from Germany’s Black Forest region, Almresi offers authentic German, Austrian, and Swiss dishes in a Rockies-meets-Alps rustic dining room, served by staff outfitted charmingly in lederhosen. Popular dishes include the griebenschmalz (a bread made with pork), Alpler macaroni (a Swiss favorite with pasta, bacon, onions, and potatoes and topped with cheddar cheese), and Black Forest cake, all washed down with European wines and German beers.
298 Hanson Ranch Rd., Vail, Colorado, 81657, USA
Known For
- Cozy wood-cabin dining room
- Hearty German fare and large portions
- Kaiserschmarr, Austrian pancake-like pieces with caramelized sugar and cherry compote
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Mon. and Tues. No lunch
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$ | 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
Known For
- Dog-friendly patio
- Local pub favorite
- Great value
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$$$ | | Seafood
Dive is all about seafood, flown in daily from Hawaii and both coasts. This oyster and crudo bar also offers the likes of Carolina grits and charred tomato sauce, and calamari and squid ink pasta with lemon beurre blanc cioppino. Check out Wednesday's "hump day" oysters and champagne special, all night long.
56 Edwards Village Blvd., No. 230 , Edwards, Colorado, 81632, USA
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. and Mon. No lunch
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Combining an upscale atmosphere with cozy Italian charm, this Vail Village spot makes its pasta daily using real Pivetti flour from Italy. The flavors are bold and authentic, complemented best by a bottle of wine from the restaurant's expansive cellar. Try the Ravioli Tre Funghi, made with fresh pasta and coated in a light cream sauce featuring the perfect hint of truffle oil.
100 E. Meadow Dr., Vail, Colorado, 81657, USA
Known For
- Homemade pasta
- Long Italian wine list
- Friendly, warm service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No lunch
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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
Known For
- Wood-fired Rocky Mountain trout with chimichurri
- Creative, seasonal menu
- Casual, lively setting
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With spacious glass windows, this sleek, sophisticated space in Gravity Haus looks as if it belongs in a big city, with only the fireplace reminding you that this is Vail. The menu puts a modern spin on the classic steak house, featuring food from Rocky Mountain ranchers and farmers.
352 E. Meadow Dr., Vail, Colorado, 81657, USA
Known For
- Central location in Vail Village
- Modern dining room
- Excellent local steaks
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$$$$ | | Modern American
At the Ritz-Carlton, Wolfgang Puck's restaurant is housed in an expansive dining room whose vegetable-dyed wood paneling and enlarged black-and-white photographs achieve a sleekly modern look without contradicting the resort's rustic mountain sensibility. Puck's seasonal menu often favors Asian accents and regional ingredients. In late autumn the menu's butternut squash soup is deliciously intensified with cranberry chutney, spiced cream, and pumpkin-seed brittle. The Colorado lamb chops spiced with Hunan eggplant and cilantro-mint vinaigrette is not to be missed and for dessert the kaiserschmarren, a souffléd crème fraîche pancake with strawberry sauce, is otherwordly. Service is impeccable, if a touch formal; those who prefer a low-key (or less bank-breaking) meal might consider dining in the bar area.
Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch, 0130 Daybreak Ridge, Avon, Colorado, 81620, USA
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch spring–fall; closed Mon. and Tues. in summer, Reservations essential
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$$$$ | Beaver Creek Village |
With elegant marble columns and clean Italian linens, this posh eatery is the height of opulence. The tasting menu is a perfect sampling of the chef's new American cuisine improved only by the on-site sommelier's perfect wine pairings. Retire for a nightcap to the classically elegant piano bar.
17 Chateau La., Beaver Creek, Colorado, 81620, USA
Known For
- Elegant dining room
- Dover sole with parsley-lemon brown butter
- Piano bar
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed mid-Apr.–June, mid-Oct.–mid-Nov., and Mon. and Tues. in summer. No lunch
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The freshest seasonal ingredients available are used here, so the menu changes about once a month. You might find grilled Muscovy duck breast with pistachio salsa verde and smoked-cherry gastrique, or Berkshire pork rib eye with tapioca corn pudding and chanterelle mushrooms. Pair these entrées with one of the thousands of wines from the restaurant's expansive cellar, which you can view from the dining room. Tables also overlook Gore Creek. Leave room for the luscious desserts.
193 E. Gore Creek Dr., Vail, Colorado, 81657, USA
Known For
- Creative menu
- Impressive glass wine room
- Top-notch service
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch Mon. and Tues.
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The large sunny patio in the center of Lionshead Village is the perfect slope-side location for people-watching while enjoying stellar Bloody Marys and poutine, or heartier après-ski fare like the coffee-cured elk, Colorado striped bass, or the Cubano sandwich. Ingredients are locally sourced and the menu aims for an elevated take on comfort food.
675 Lionshead Pl., Vail, Colorado, 81657, USA
Known For
- Elevated comfort food
- Central location near the base of Eagle Bahn Gondola
- Large, lively patio
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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
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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Good vino is not hard to find at Vin48, a casual, upscale wine bar in Avon. Enjoying the benefits of Vin48's Enomatic preservation system, you can explore wines by the glass or half glass (with help from an on-staff sommelier) as you go. Choose from a selection of small plates, or sink your teeth into heartier fare that complements the wine. A wall of glass doors folds open in the summer for fresh air, and young and old wine enthusiasts can savor their pours on the outdoor patio.
48 E. Beaver Creek Blvd., Avon, Colorado, 81620, USA
Known For
- Carefully curated wine list with on-site sommelier
- Indoor/outdoor dining with large windows that open during warm weather
- Pork du jour with surprising preparations
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun. No lunch
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Zino has earned a loyal fan base for its house-made pastas and wood-fired pizzas. The two-story restaurant has a large bar, ideal for lighter bites or a cocktail. In summer, dine alfresco on the riverside patio or keep busy with a game of bocce on the regulation-size court.
27 Main St., Edwards, Colorado, 81632, USA
Known For
- Rotating seasonal pizzas
- Colorado elk sausage rigatoni
- Alfresco dining in the summer
Restaurant Details
Rate Includes: No lunch
