Vail's lifts close in the afternoon, but the village stays open well after dark. Dinner kitchens mostly finish between 9 and 10 p.m.; a handful of bars and restaurants run to midnight, and Vendetta's on Bridge Street stays open until 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Below, the mountain comes first, then the village by how late each place goes, then live music and the ride home.
The mountain: where lift hours are posted
Vail does not have a single closing time. Hours are set lift by lift and shown on the Lift & Terrain Status page and in the My Epic app, so the lift you plan to take last matters more than the one you start on. The hours of operation page carries the summer 2026 schedule: the mountain open Friday to Sunday from September 11 to 27, Mid-Vail Grill at the top of Gondola One serving 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the Vail Village and Lionshead ticket offices open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For the afternoon side of a ski day, see what time Vail's lifts close; for lunch on the hill, where to eat on Vail Mountain.
Dinner and late food in the village
The table runs from the latest close to the earliest. Kitchen and bar hours are not always the same: a bar can be open long after the kitchen stops, and hours shrink in the shoulder seasons. Zuma Vail, for instance, is closed October 18 to November 15, and the Gambit Bar moves to Thursday through Sunday on October 12.
| Venue | What it is | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Vendetta's | Italian restaurant and pizza bar, 291 Bridge Street | Sunday to Thursday 11 a.m. to midnight; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. |
| Root & Flower | Wine and cocktail bar, 288 Bridge Street | Daily 4 p.m. to around midnight; happy hour 4 to 6 p.m. |
| The Remedy Bar | Four Seasons lounge with a patio | Daily 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; late night Thursday to Saturday 9:30 to 11:30 p.m. |
| The George | Pub and bar, 292 E. Meadow Drive | Daily from 5 p.m. to close; kitchen 5 to 9:30 p.m.; happy hour 5 to 8 p.m. |
| The Gambit Bar | Lobby bar at The Sebastian, 16 Vail Road | Daily 3 to 10 p.m.; Thursday to Sunday only from October 12 |
| Zuma Vail | Japanese izakaya at The Sebastian | Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday 5:30 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 5 to 10 p.m.; closed Monday and Tuesday |
| Sweet Basil | New American, 193 Gore Creek Drive | Dinner Sunday to Thursday 5 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 5 to 10 p.m.; lunch Wednesday to Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
| La Tour | French, Vail Village | Daily 5 to 9:30 p.m. |
| Mountain Standard | Wood-fire tavern at Sweet Basil's address | Lunch 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; dinner 5 to 9 p.m. |
| Garfinkel's | Sports bar, 536 E. Lionshead Circle | Kitchen Monday to Thursday noon to 8 p.m., Friday noon to 9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. |
If dinner runs late
Vendetta's is the only place in the table open past midnight, and only on Fridays and Saturdays; it is a family-owned restaurant established in 1983. Its hours are for the venue, so ask when the kitchen stops. The George is the better bet for a hot meal after a late start: the kitchen is open until 9:30 p.m., seating is first come, first served, and the pub has been open since 1996. At the Four Seasons, The Remedy adds late-night service from 9:30 to 11:30 p.m. Thursday to Saturday to its modern mountain menu. Root & Flower is a drink stop rather than a dinner one: over 20 wines by the glass, cocktails, walk-ins welcome for any party size, and reservations only for groups of five or more.
If you want a proper dinner
Fine dining winds down earlier. La Tour, a chef-owned French restaurant across from the west end of the Vail Transportation Center, seats until 9:30 p.m. and recommends reservations; Sweet Basil, in the village since 1977, closes at 9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday. Zuma Vail takes reservations and finishes at 10 p.m. Mountain Standard, the creekside wood-fire tavern from the Sweet Basil team, serves dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. Whichever you choose, a table before about 8 p.m. is the safer plan.
Live music and dancing
Bridge Street Bar, at 304 Bridge Street, runs live music and DJs in separate rooms. Winter open nights are generally Tuesday to Saturday and summer open nights Wednesday to Saturday, with doors at 9 p.m., or 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday in winter. Shakedown Bar, a 198-person live music venue at the top of Bridge Street, publishes its show calendar online. The Red Lion, open since February 1963, mixes a food menu with live entertainment and takes no lunch or dinner reservations; two bar tables can be reserved for adult groups of 8 to 12 during live music, with a food and beverage minimum. Live music returns to the Gambit Bar in December for the 2026/2027 winter season. More ideas for after dark, from skating to summer concerts, are in things to do in Vail at night and the Vail nightlife directory.
Getting home
The Town of Vail runs free bus service year-round throughout the town. Evening and late-night times are on the Town of Vail bus page and the RideVail real-time map, and worth a look before a midnight plan. Lunch is covered in where to eat lunch in Vail.
