The 40 Best Restaurants in Vail, Colorado: Top 12 Ranked, Then by Occasion

The best restaurant in Vail is Sweet Basil: it has cooked on Gore Creek Drive since 1977 and is one of two Vail restaurants, with Osaki's, on the 2026 MICHELIN Guide Colorado recommended list (no star). For a classic French dinner, book The Left Bank. For Japanese, book Nobu Matsuhisa's Matsuhisa at Solaris. Tavernetta at the Four Seasons is the Northern Italian pick. For a relaxed lunch by the creek, go to Mountain Standard, and for a cheap bite, a $3.75 slice at Pazzo's. Most of Vail's restaurants are in Vail Village or Lionshead, a 10 to 15 minute walk apart.

Hours, prices and booking details were checked against each restaurant's website, menu or booking page on September 28, 2026 (see the full entries below). Several kitchens change hours or close in October and November.

The 12 best restaurants in Vail, ranked

If you only book a few meals, start here. The full 40, grouped by occasion with prices and hours, follow below.

1. 1. Sweet Basil

   Best for: The special-occasion dinner (MICHELIN-recommended) · Where: Gore Creek Drive, Vail Village

   New American cooking since 1977, with a covered deck over Gore Creek. Recent dinner mains include a Creekstone filet at $66. Tables open on OpenTable a month ahead.

2. 2. The Left Bank

   Best for: Classic French, made from scratch · Where: Sitzmark, Gore Creek Drive

   Chef-owner Jean-Michel Chelain's dining room serves French onion soup, escargots and steak au poivre, plus a chocolate soufflé made to order. Open Monday to Saturday from 5 p.m.

3. 3. Matsuhisa

   Best for: Japanese, with mountain views · Where: Solaris, East Meadow Drive

   Nobu Matsuhisa's Vail restaurant opened in 2011. Its signatures are yellowtail jalapeño and black cod with miso, and the bar and sushi bar take walk-ins. Reservations open 30 days ahead.

4. 4. Tavernetta

   Best for: Northern Italian and handmade pasta · Where: Four Seasons, Vail Road

   From Boulder's Frasca Hospitality Group. Dishes include rigatoni with lamb ragù ($42) and lobster linguini ($54), with dinner nightly and the Spritz Window for a seasonal spritz.

5. 5. Russell's

   Best for: Steak and seafood dinner house · Where: Bridge Street, Vail Village

   Opened in November 1989. The menu names each ranch, from a 7-ounce Montana filet ($65) to a 32-ounce tomahawk for the table. Dinner nightly from 5 p.m.

6. 6. Montauk Seafood Grill

   Best for: Seafood by the Eagle Bahn Gondola · Where: Lift House, Lionshead

   Montauk has served seafood in Lionshead for 37 years by its own count. The rare-seared ahi has been on the menu since 1995, and the raw bar runs from $5 oysters to a seafood tower. Dinner nightly 5 to 9 p.m.

7. 7. Mountain Standard

   Best for: The best lunch: wood-fired, creekside · Where: Gore Creek walkway, Vail Village

   The Sweet Basil team's creekside tavern cooks over a wood fire. A steak burger or wood-grilled octopus is $24 at lunch, and the kitchen runs straight through the afternoon. The 18-seat bar is walk-in only.

8. 8. La Nonna

   Best for: Dinner for two, house-made pasta · Where: East Meadow Drive, Vail Village

   Chef-owner Simone Riatti cooks from his grandmother's recipes, and all the pasta is made in house daily (gemelli alla vodka $35). It is a small room, so it suits a dinner for two better than a big group. Open Monday to Saturday from 5 p.m.

9. 9. Pepi's

   Best for: Austrian classics and Vail history · Where: Gasthof Gramshammer, Vail Village

   Pepi and Sheika Gramshammer's family restaurant since 1964. Wiener schnitzel is $30 at lunch and $41 at dinner, and the heated deck stays open in winter.

10. 10. El Segundo

    Best for: Tacos and tequila on the creek · Where: Gore Creek Drive, Vail Village

    From the Montauk team. It has more than 100 tequilas, street tacos from $9 and a creekside patio. Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily with no reservations; join the online waitlist.

11. 11. The 10th

    Best for: A sit-down lunch on the mountain · Where: Mid-Vail, top of Gondola One

    Vail Mountain's full-service restaurant faces the Gore Range. Non-skiers can ride up with a scenic ticket. Lunch is daily in ski season, and reservations are through vail.com.

12. 12. Pazzo's Pizzeria

    Best for: Cheap eats: $3.75 slices · Where: Across from Solaris, Vail Village

    The original of three Pazzo's. A thin cheese slice is $3.75, and whole pies and Sicilian squares feed a family. Opens daily at 11 a.m.

How we picked

From the 40 restaurants in this guide, which were picked for a clear reason to go (a signature dish, a long history, a setting on the creek or slopes, or good value), we ranked the 12 that best cover what visitors ask for: one special-occasion dinner, the main cuisines, a great lunch, the mountain and a cheap bite. All facts come from each restaurant's own website, menu or booking page, checked on September 28, 2026. We did not use review scores, and no restaurant paid to be included.

We chose them for a clear reason to go: a signature dish, a long history, a setting on the creek or the slopes, or simply good value in an expensive town. Every hours line, price and booking note was checked on September 28, 2026 against the restaurant's own website, menu or booking page, or Google Maps where the text says so. Menus change with the seasons, so treat prices as a guide.

Before you book: the shoulder season

Late September to mid-November is Vail's quietest stretch, and several kitchens change hours or close for a few weeks. Swiss Chalet closes October 12 to November 17. Blue Moose's Lionshead shop closes October 25 to 27. Alpenrose had posted only its summer hours in late September. The three on-mountain restaurants reopen with the ski season, and Vail Mountain plans to open November 13, 2026. If a place matters to your trip, call ahead in October and November.

The 40 at a glance

Price is a guide to a main course on each restaurant's latest posted menu: $ mostly under $20, $$ $20 to $35, $$$ $35 to $55 and $$$$ over $55.

Special-occasion dinners

For an anniversary or a last-night dinner, these are the tables worth booking ahead.

Sweet Basil

Sweet Basil has cooked on Gore Creek Drive since 1977, and it is the one restaurant in this guide selected by the MICHELIN Guide Colorado (recommended, without a star). The New American menu changes with the season: recent dinner mains include a Creekstone filet at $66 and lobster risotto at $64, and the whipped feta starter is billed as the dish that started it all. Lunch runs Wednesday to Sunday and dinner nightly until 9 p.m. (10 p.m. Friday and Saturday). Tables open on OpenTable a month ahead.

The Left Bank

Chef-owner Jean-Michel Chelain runs The Left Bank, in the Sitzmark on Gore Creek Drive, as a classic French dining room and makes every dish from scratch. Expect French onion soup ($19), escargots ($28) and steak au poivre ($74), with Dover sole and côte de boeuf served for two. Order the chocolate soufflé with your dinner, because it is made to order. It opens Monday to Saturday at 5 p.m.; book on OpenTable or call 970-476-3696.

Tavernetta

Tavernetta is the Northern Italian restaurant inside the Four Seasons, from the Frasca Hospitality Group behind Boulder's Frasca Food and Wine. Pastas such as rigatoni with lamb ragù ($42) and lobster linguini ($54) sit next to mains like Alaskan halibut ($70). Dinner runs nightly from 4 to 9:30 p.m., breakfast is served every morning with a Sunday brunch, and the Spritz Window pours seasonal spritzes through a Tuscan-style wine window. Book on OpenTable.

Russell's

Ron Riley opened Russell's on Bridge Street in November 1989 and named it after his father. It is a steak-and-seafood dinner house where the menu names each ranch: a 7-ounce Montana filet is $65, a Wyoming New York strip $64, and a 32-ounce Piedmontese tomahawk for the table $175. Dinner starts at 5 p.m. nightly, and parties of five or more have a 20 percent gratuity added. Book on OpenTable or at 970-476-6700.

Elway's

Upstairs in The Lodge at Vail, a short walk from Gondola One, Elway's serves USDA Prime hand-cut steaks: an 8-ounce filet is $61 and a 20-ounce bone-in ribeye $92, and any steak can take a Maine lobster tail. Lamb chop fondue with green chili cheese is the house starter. It suits a group that wants a lively room. Dinner runs 5 to 9 p.m. nightly; book on OpenTable.

Lancelot

Lancelot has slow-roasted prime rib by the Children's Fountain since 1969 and calls itself Vail's original prime rib house. The 8-ounce house cut is $42 and the 12-ounce King Arthur's cut $62, and the Austrian-born chef-owner keeps a Wiener schnitzel ($50) on the menu. It serves dinner only, Tuesday to Saturday from 5 p.m. Book on OpenTable, or call 970-476-5828 for six or more.

Sushi and Japanese

Three very different rooms: a celebrity chef's dining room, a lively izakaya and an Edomae sushi counter west of Lionshead.

Matsuhisa

Chef Nobu Matsuhisa's Vail restaurant opened at Solaris in 2011, with floor-to-ceiling windows facing Vail Mountain, a stone fireplace and a patio with fire pits. The menu is his new-style Japanese, made for sharing: yellowtail jalapeño and black cod with sweet miso are the signatures, and an omakase is offered. It serves dinner nightly from 5 p.m., the bar and sushi bar take walk-ins, and reservations open 30 days ahead through its website or at 970-476-6628.

Zuma

Zuma, the Vail outpost of the international group that began in London, serves an izakaya-style sharing menu inside The Sebastian from three kitchens: the main kitchen, a sushi counter and a robata grill, with counter seats facing the open kitchen. The signature black cod in saikyo miso ($54) comes wrapped in a hoba leaf. It suits a group that likes a busy room. Dinner is Wednesday to Sunday, 5:30 to 10 p.m.; book on OpenTable.

Makoto

At the Grand Hyatt in Cascade Village, west of Lionshead, Makoto is chef Makoto Okuwa's first Colorado restaurant, built around Edomae-style sushi with robata dishes and steaks. A classic sushi sampler of six nigiri and a roll is $60, and miso sea bass is $55. Dinner is served daily from 5 to 9 p.m. Diners get complimentary valet at the hotel, which helps, because it is the only restaurant in this section outside the walking villages.

Seafood and steak in Lionshead

Both sit by the Eagle Bahn Gondola, so they work for a Lionshead stay or the end of a ski day.

Montauk Seafood Grill

Montauk has served seafood in the Lift House building by the Eagle Bahn Gondola for 37 years, by its own count. The rare-seared ahi tuna ($55) has been on the menu since 1995, the herb-crusted halibut is $59, and the raw bar runs from $5 oysters to a $198 chilled seafood tower. Dinner is nightly from 5 to 9 p.m. Book on OpenTable, call 970-476-2601 for seven or more, or walk into the bar.

Vail Chophouse

Vail Chophouse sits at the base of the Eagle Bahn Gondola with a large slopeside patio, and it serves steak straight through from lunch to dinner, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. An 8-ounce filet is $64 and Scottish salmon $48, and there is live music at select times. Of the steakhouses here it is the closest to a lift, so it doubles as a lunch or après stop. Book on OpenTable or at 970-477-0555.

Italian

A small pasta room, a patio favorite and a late-night slice.

La Nonna

La Nonna is a small room on East Meadow Drive where chef-owner Simone Riatti cooks from his grandmother's recipes and all the pasta is made in house every day. Gemelli alla vodka is $35 and wild boar tagliatelle $36. It does not take large parties, so it suits a dinner for two better than a big group. It is open Monday to Saturday from 5 p.m.; book on OpenTable or call 970-393-5959 after 3 p.m., up to 30 days ahead.

La Bottega

La Bottega serves Northern Italian food in a dining room, a wine bar and a sunny patio on East Meadow Drive, with stone-oven pizzas in 6- or 12-inch sizes (a 12-inch margherita is $22) alongside pastas such as carbonara ($26.50) and a separate truffle menu. Every check carries a 20 percent discretionary service charge plus a 3 percent culinary team charge, so budget for it. Hours are not posted online; call 970-476-0280, or book up to six months ahead on OpenTable.

Vendetta's

Family owned on Bridge Street since 1983, Vendetta's is the late option. Its pizza bar sells slices, including house pies such as the Snow Pig, until midnight most nights and 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays by its posted hours, which vary by season. In the dining room, pappardelle Bolognese is $22 and chicken parmigiana $29. Book through its website for up to 10; in winter, dinner reservations are seated downstairs.

Alpine, Austrian and French

Schnitzel, fondue and French classics, several from families who have run their kitchens for decades.

Alpenrose

The Almresi family took over Alpenrose on East Meadow Drive in 2018 and shipped its interior and china from Europe. The cooking is Alpine: schnitzel with spätzle ($38), veal goulash ($36) and a Brotzeit board for two ($32), with weekend brunch on the patio. Its summer 2026 hours ran Tuesday to Sunday with Mondays closed, and winter hours were not yet posted in late September, so check before you go. In winter it also runs private gondola dinners with raclette and fondue.

Swiss Chalet

Inside the Sonnenalp, Swiss Chalet is the place for fondue night: cheese fondue, meat fondue and raclette made with cheese imported from Switzerland, plus a veal schnitzel ($46) and a filet pepper steak ($68). The wine list runs past 1,000 selections and holds a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence. It closes October 12 to November 17, reopens Wednesday to Sunday on November 18, and serves daily from December 16. Book on OpenTable or at 970-479-5462.

Pepi's

Pepi's is the restaurant of the Gasthof Gramshammer, the hotel Austrian ski racer Pepi Gramshammer and his wife Sheika opened steps from Gondola One in 1964; the family still owns it. The Wiener schnitzel is $30 at lunch and $41 at dinner, and Pepi's Bar has live music for après. Lunch runs 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., a bar menu from 3 and dinner from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Book on OpenTable or at 970-476-4671.

Ludwig's

Also inside the Sonnenalp, Ludwig's does two different jobs. Every morning it serves the hotel's European breakfast buffet on Ludwig's Terrace (Monday to Saturday 7 to 11 a.m., Sunday until noon, no reservation needed). From December 16 to March 28, Ludwig's Elevated Dining adds winter dinners Wednesday to Sunday, 5 to 10 p.m., with a menu by executive chef Joshua Marshall, plus Christmas and New Year's Eve buffets. Dinner needs a reservation, on OpenTable or at 970-479-5429.

La Brasserie

La Brasserie brings brasserie classics to Bridge Street: French onion soup ($19), moules marinières ($29), poulet à la diable ($38), oysters and steak frites. The kitchen runs straight from lunch into the evening, noon to 8 p.m. daily on its fall hours, which makes it a good choice for a long, late lunch after a morning in the village. Book on OpenTable.

Creekside, casual and après

Relaxed places for a patio lunch, an after-ski drink that turns into dinner, or a night out with the group.

Mountain Standard

The Sweet Basil owners opened Mountain Standard in 2012 on the creekside lower level of the same building, and cook most of the menu over a wood fire and rotisserie. Lunch is the easy way in: a steak burger or wood-grilled octopus is $24, while dinner mains such as the jerk-spiced short rib reach $47. Lunch runs 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., a between-meals menu until 5 and dinner from 5; the 18-seat bar is walk-in only.

Up the Creek

Family owned since 1988, Up the Creek sits on the bank of Gore Creek with a creekside patio and a seasonal, locally sourced menu. Lunch is the value, with the UTC burger at $24; at dinner, ruby red trout is $36 and entrées run up to $68. Lunch is served from noon to 4 p.m. and dinner from 4. Book dinner on OpenTable, and call 970-476-8141 for lunch or for groups larger than six.

El Segundo

El Segundo is a tacos-and-tequila room on Gore Creek Drive with a patio overlooking the creek and, by its count, more than 100 tequilas behind the bar. Street tacos start at $9 and the quesabirria taco is $13. It is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day and takes no reservations, so join its online waitlist before you walk over.

The Red Lion

The Red Lion has held the top of Bridge Street since 1963 and is still a classic après stop: nachos ($25), half-pound Harris Ranch burgers ($26), red and green chili, and live music in the bar. Lunch and dinner seating is first come, first served, though two bar tables can be booked by email for adult groups of 8 to 12 during live entertainment. Google lists daily hours of 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Bully Ranch

Bully Ranch is the casual restaurant inside the family-owned Sonnenalp, serving American and Southwestern food straight through from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. The hotel bills the Bully Bourbon burger ($29) as the best burger in Vail, Weihenstephaner lager comes by the liter, and the Mudslide is the house cocktail. Walk-ins are welcome, or book on OpenTable or at 970-479-5460.

Slope Room

Slope Room is the restaurant inside Gravity Haus on East Meadow Drive, open to non-guests, and it names its Rocky Mountain purveyors, such as Fitch Ranch beef and lamb. Dinner, from 5 to 9 p.m. daily, brings Idaho trout ($46) and Colorado lamb ragù with house pappardelle ($42). In the mornings the same room runs as Unravel Coffee from 7 a.m. Book dinner on OpenTable.

Chasing Rabbits

Chasing Rabbits packs four venues behind one door at Solaris: The Restaurant, a library lounge, the Rabbit Hole arcade bar and the members-only Moon Rabbit speakeasy. The Restaurant serves modern Mediterranean dinners, including braised rabbit bolognese ($35) and salmon crudo ($26), Tuesday to Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday until 10; it is closed Sunday and Monday. Book on OpenTable, then carry on to the arcade bar.

Deca + Bol

Deca + Bol pairs an elevated American restaurant with Bol, a bowling alley of 10 custom white lanes, at Solaris Plaza. A smashed burger is $25 and a prime New York strip $50. Its hours are uneven, so check the day: closed Tuesday, 4 to 10 p.m. Monday and Wednesday, 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Thursday, and noon to 10 p.m. Friday to Sunday. Book dinner on OpenTable and lanes through SevenRooms.

On the mountain

These three serve skiers and riders on Vail Mountain and are closed until the lifts reopen. Vail Mountain plans to open November 13, 2026.

The 10th

The 10th is Vail Mountain's full-service, sit-down restaurant at Mid-Vail, at the top of Gondola One, looking across to the Gore Range. In ski season it serves lunch daily from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. You need lift access to reach it (an Epic Pass or a scenic gondola ticket), reservations are made online through vail.com, and walk-ins are seated when there is room.

Bistro 14

Bistro 14 is the full-bar bistro at Eagle's Nest, at the top of the Eagle Bahn Gondola from Lionshead, hung with fine art by photographer Gray Malin. Non-skiers can ride up with a lift ticket, so it works as a sit-down lunch with a view for a mixed group. In winter it serves from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Vail lists no reservations.

Wildwood Smokehouse

Wildwood Smokehouse sits at nearly 11,000 feet at the top of Wildwood Express, the lift hub for the Back Bowls, and you need to ski or ride to reach it. Meats are smoked on site. The last posted menu (winter 2024-25) had a brisket sandwich with a side at $25.99 and a half rack of ribs at $28.99, with Epic Pass holders paying about 20 percent less. Lunch runs 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in winter.

Breakfast and quick bites

For the morning before the lifts, or a fast lunch between runs and shops.

Big Bear Bistro

At the top of Bridge Street near Gondola One, Big Bear Bistro serves breakfast all day at the counter, with Lavazza coffee and a patio along Mill Creek. On its 2025 menu a breakfast burrito is $12.50 and a strawberry and chocolate crepe $14.75. Google lists 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily; order online to skip the line on a ski morning.

The Little Diner

Brian and Peggy Little opened The Little Diner in Lionshead on April 8, 2008, and still serve breakfast all day from its open kitchen. The breakfast burrito is $13.95 and huevos rancheros $16.95. It is open 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily and walk-in only. Go while you can: its building, Concert Hall Plaza, is due to be torn down starting May 1, 2027, and the owners are raising money to return in the rebuild.

Westside Cafe

Westside Cafe in West Vail has served big breakfasts since December 24, 2002, with a menu section titled The World's Best Egg Benedicts (the classic is $19.95, and one uses bison tenderloin) and a Big Ass Bloodys drinks list. Breakfast and lunch run 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily, and it stays open for dinner Monday to Saturday until 9 p.m. Join its Yelp waitlist on busy mornings.

Joe's Famous Deli

Joe's Famous Deli on Bridge Street makes its own ice cream, and a single cone with two flavors is $7.25. The sandwiches carry the lunch trade: the Reuben ($16.74) and a Philly made with beef roasted in house are the signatures, and the Powder Day Burrito ($14.50) covers breakfast. Google lists 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., later on Friday and Saturday; order ahead online for pickup.

Boychik

Boychik is a Mediterranean counter in the Avanti F&B food hall at the base of Golden Peak, open daily from noon to 8 p.m. Dips are $9 each or three for $26, and a chicken shawarma hummus bowl is $18. Most of the menu is marked vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free, which makes it an easy stop for a group with mixed diets. Order at the counter or online for pickup.

Easy on the budget

Vail is expensive, but these keep a family dinner or a quick meal affordable.

Pazzo's Pizzeria

Pazzo's, the original of three (Vail, Avon and Eagle), sits at the west end of the Vail Village parking structure across from Solaris. A thin cheese slice is $3.75 and the meat lasagna $18.95, and whole pies and Sicilian squares feed a family. It opens daily at 11 a.m. and, according to Google, closes at 9:30 p.m. (10 p.m. Friday and Saturday). Call 970-476-9026 for to-go orders.

Blue Moose Pizza

Blue Moose brings New York-style pizza to Lionshead from its Beaver Creek original, founded in 1995. A 12-inch cheese pie is $18.95 and an 18-inch $24.95, and slices are sold too. Fall hours run from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. through November 9, with the Lionshead shop closed October 25 to 27, 2026. It takes no reservations, but has a group form for 20 or more.

La Cantina

La Cantina, in the Vail Village Transportation Center on the South Frontage Road, bills itself as the cheapest place in town to eat or drink, with San Diego-style burritos, tacos and platos and a free salsa bar with any purchase. Order at the counter or online. Its website lists daily hours of 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., while Google shows an 8 p.m. close, so call if you are heading over late.

Annapurna

Annapurna, in the Evergreen Lodge on the South Frontage Road between Vail Village and Lionshead, pairs Nepali dishes such as momo dumplings (vegetable momo is $20.95) and chau chau noodles with North Indian curries and tandoori, and has a long vegetarian section. Google lists lunch from noon to 2:30 p.m. and dinner from 4:30 to 9 p.m., closed Tuesday. Book by phone at 970-476-7812.

Grill on the Gore

Grill on the Gore is the Vail Recreation District's restaurant in the Vail Golf and Nordic Clubhouse on Sunburst Drive, open to the public, with a patio looking across the golf course. In summer the menu runs to a $20 burger and a $34 lobster roll; in winter, lunch becomes a bottomless soup and chili buffet ($17, or $10 for kids 12 and under). It is open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and takes no reservations.

More places to eat

For a Lionshead-only list, see where to eat in Lionshead Village. To browse every restaurant in the directory, including ones not in this guide, see Vail restaurants.

Hours, prices and booking details were checked against each restaurant's website, menu or booking page, and Google Maps where noted, on September 28, 2026. Prices come from each restaurant's latest posted menu and change by season. Confirm hours before you go, especially in October and November.