The Left Bank Restaurant Profile Photo - Restaurants in Vail CO
The Left Bank Restaurant

Restaurants
 Vail, 81657

Send Message
Show Phone Number
Do you own or operate The Left Bank Restaurant? Claim this listing now. Claim this listing

About

The Left Bank has been serving French cooking in Vail Village for more than five decades. Since 2006 it has belonged to chef and owner Jean-Michel Chelain, a Grenoble native who apprenticed at 16, cooked in Cannes and on the Côte d'Azur, and worked at Stone Pine in Carmel before settling in Vail. He prepares every dish from scratch. The restaurant is on Gore Creek Drive inside Sitzmark Vail, which presents it as the hotel's restaurant.

It is a place for a long, classic dinner: an anniversary, a celebration, or a couple who want Dover sole deboned at the table. The lounge offers a more relaxed evening over cocktails and wine.

The menu

The house classics come first: French onion soup, escargots in garlic butter, lobster bisque and pan-seared foie gras. The Spécialités de la Maison serve two and are the reason many people come, including Dover sole meunière and whole roasted turbot, both deboned tableside, a dry-aged côte de boeuf and a Colorado rack of lamb. Chocolate and lemon soufflés are made to order, so ask for one when you order dinner. Every entrée comes with the house salad.

Wine and the lounge

The wine list is Jean-Michel's own selection, poured by the glass and the bottle, and the Sitzmark describes it as more than 350 French references. The lounge area pairs it with specialty cocktails for a lighter evening than the main dining room.

Reservations

The restaurant strongly recommends booking, through OpenTable or by phone. It opens for dinner six nights a week and is closed on Sundays; the FAQ has the times.

Take-home and catering

For a night in, the menu includes soups by the quart, kits such as escargots to finish at home, and ready-made entrées. The Left Bank also caters, from dropped-off hors d'oeuvres to weddings and full dinners, with each menu planned over a call with the chef.

Inside Sitzmark Vail

The Left Bank is the restaurant of Sitzmark Vail, a Vail Village hotel on Gore Creek Drive. The hotel's other food and drink option, Archetype Distillery, pours wine-grape gin and vodka cocktails in its tasting room in the same building, an easy first stop before dinner.

Sources: home, dinner menu, Jean-Michel Chelain, catering, Sitzmark Vail food and drink. Checked September 23, 2026.

Get Directions View Larger Map

Contact Information

Company Name
The Left Bank Restaurant
Phone Number
Show Phone Number
Location
183 Gore Creek Dr
Vail, 81657

The Left Bank Restaurant Photo Albums

Posted by The Left Bank Restaurant
The Left Bank Restaurant Photos
The Left Bank Restaurant Photos

Photos of The Left Bank Restaurant.... View More

We may earn a commission from links on this page, at no cost to you. Disclosure

Visit Website Reserve a Table View Menu

About The Left Bank Restaurant

Quick answer: The Left Bank Restaurant is a restaurant at 183 Gore Creek Dr, Vail, CO 81657. The Left Bank has served French cooking in Vail Village for five decades. Chef-owner Jean-Michel Chelain cooks from scratch inside Sitzmark Vail.

Last updated

The Left Bank has been serving French cooking in Vail Village for more than five decades. Since 2006 it has belonged to chef and owner Jean-Michel Chelain, a Grenoble native who apprenticed at 16, cooked in Cannes and on the Côte d'Azur, and worked at Stone Pine in Carmel before settling in Vail. He prepares every dish from scratch. The restaurant is on Gore Creek Drive inside Sitzmark Vail, which presents it as the hotel's restaurant.

It is a place for a long, classic dinner: an anniversary, a celebration, or a couple who want Dover sole deboned at the table. The lounge offers a more relaxed evening over cocktails and wine.

The menu

The house classics come first: French onion soup, escargots in garlic butter, lobster bisque and pan-seared foie gras. The Spécialités de la Maison serve two and are the reason many people come, including Dover sole meunière and whole roasted turbot, both deboned tableside, a dry-aged côte de boeuf and a Colorado rack of lamb. Chocolate and lemon soufflés are made to order, so ask for one when you order dinner. Every entrée comes with the house salad.

Wine and the lounge

The wine list is Jean-Michel's own selection, poured by the glass and the bottle, and the Sitzmark describes it as more than 350 French references. The lounge area pairs it with specialty cocktails for a lighter evening than the main dining room.

Reservations

The restaurant strongly recommends booking, through OpenTable or by phone. It opens for dinner six nights a week and is closed on Sundays; the FAQ has the times.

Take-home and catering

For a night in, the menu includes soups by the quart, kits such as escargots to finish at home, and ready-made entrées. The Left Bank also caters, from dropped-off hors d'oeuvres to weddings and full dinners, with each menu planned over a call with the chef.

Inside Sitzmark Vail

The Left Bank is the restaurant of Sitzmark Vail, a Vail Village hotel on Gore Creek Drive. The hotel's other food and drink option, Archetype Distillery, pours wine-grape gin and vodka cocktails in its tasting room in the same building, an easy first stop before dinner.

Sources: home, dinner menu, Jean-Michel Chelain, catering, Sitzmark Vail food and drink. Checked September 23, 2026.

French Steakhouses Cocktail Bars

Quick Snapshot

Neighborhood: Vail Village
Cuisine: French
Service: Dinner
Established: 1970
Show Phone Number

Business Hours

Closed · Opens 5:00 PM Wed

Show all hours
Mon–SatClosed
5:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Sun
Closed

Amenities at The Left Bank Restaurant

  • Full bar
  • Lounge
  • Gluten-free-marked dishes
  • Vegetarian dishes
  • Take-home quarts and kits
  • Catering
  • Tableside preparation

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the hours of The Left Bank in Vail, and does it close in the off-season?
Dinner only, Monday to Saturday from 5 p.m.; closed on Sundays. The restaurant does not publish a closing clock time (OpenTable and Google show 9 p.m., best read as the last seating window). The Left Bank closes for the spring off-season: in 2026 the Town of Vail's spring restaurant list recorded it closed from April 12 to June 10, roughly eight and a half weeks, and no fall closure was documented for 2026 (it seated diners through October). Always check before an April-to-early-June trip, because listings keep showing normal hours while it is closed.
How do I make a reservation at The Left Bank?
Book on OpenTable or call (970) 476-3696. Reservations are highly recommended: this is a small, celebration-driven dining room and prime times go early. The restaurant publishes no booking window or cancellation policy, so book through OpenTable's flow or ask when you call. The Left Bank is at 183 Gore Creek Drive in Vail Village, inside Sitzmark Vail; OpenTable's parking note is the Vail Village Parking Garage, and the nearest in-town bus stop is Solaris.
What should I order at The Left Bank?
Start with the classics the kitchen is known for: escargots à la Bourguignonne ($28), the lobster bisque ($34), and the pan-seared foie gras ($42). The center of the menu is the Spécialités de la Maison, dishes for two prepared and finished at the table: the Dover Sole Meunière ($154, deboned tableside), the whole roasted turbot, the 30-day dry-aged côte de boeuf, and the Colorado rack of lamb, the rest at market price. Every entrée comes with the house salad. Order a soufflé when you order dinner (see question 8). The full menu is at leftbankvail.com/menu/.
What do reviews say about The Left Bank?
As of October 2026, reviews are excellent, and the OpenTable record is one of the largest in Vail: 4.9 out of 5 from 1,121 verified diner reviews, with Diners' Choice awards for Best Overall, Best Food and Romantic in the Mountains region. Google rates it 4.3 from 171 reviews. Diners praise the Dover sole, the seared foie gras, the soufflés, the deep French wine list and the service; the recurring criticism is price, and a minority of recent reviews report the occasional off night on service.
What is the dress code at The Left Bank?
Smart casual. OpenTable lists the dress code as Smart Casual and the dining style as Casual Elegant, and the official site sets no dress rule of its own. This is a classic, celebration-leaning dining room: polished but relaxed is the right read, no jacket required, no ski boots either.
What does a meal cost at The Left Bank?
Starters run $19 to $57, fish mains $49 to $71, and meat mains $65 to $79, with every entrée including the house salad; the dishes for two are at market price except the Dover sole at $154. Desserts are $19 to $21, wines by the glass $15 to $59, and cocktails are printed at $19 on the dinner menu and $23 on the restaurant's own cocktail page, so carry the range. That is why the web's two labels differ: OpenTable's "$50 and over" is a per-person floor and Google's "$100+" describes a full evening. Budget roughly $90 to $160 per person for two courses and a glass of wine, before tax and tip.
What are the dishes for two at The Left Bank?
The Spécialités de la Maison, each serving two: Dover Sole Meunière ($154), whole roasted Turbot Rôti, the 30-day dry-aged bone-in Côte de Boeuf, and the Carré d'Agneau Rôti, a Colorado rack of lamb in a Dijon and Provençal breadcrumb crust. The sole and the turbot are de-boned tableside. All but the sole are priced at market, so ask when you order. The Baked Alaska follows the same sharing pattern, at $39 for two or $59 for four, flambéed tableside.
Do I need to pre-order the soufflé at The Left Bank?
Yes. The menu's Délices de la Maison section states that, because of the extra preparation involved, these desserts should be pre-ordered when you place your dinner order. The soufflés are a Valrhona chocolate soufflé and a lemon soufflé with Grand Marnier crème anglaise, $21 each, and both are marked gluten-free on the menu. The same rule covers the rest of the dessert section, including the Baked Alaska.
Does The Left Bank have gluten-free or vegetarian options?
Gluten-free, extensively, and marked on the menu itself: most of the classics carry a (GF) mark, including the French onion soup, escargots, lobster bisque, seared foie gras, the Dover sole, the côte de boeuf, the turbot, the steak au poivre and both soufflés. Vegetarian options are real but narrower, marked (V): the homemade pasta with fresh summer truffle ($55), the onion and tomato soups, the artichoke, avocado and hearts of palm plate, and the endive and apple salad. No dish is marked vegan. Call (970) 476-3696 before booking if either is a hard constraint, and note the catering side plans around dietary requirements by design.
Can I take food home from The Left Bank, and does it cater events?
Both. The menu carries a take-home section: soups by the quart (French onion $24, lobster bisque $60), Build Your Kit items to finish at home (escargots in the shell $3 each, foie gras terrine, tartares, crab cakes), ready-made entrées (coq au vin $18, beef bourguignon $23, Beef Wellington $30, lobster au gratin $65), sauces by the half quart, sides, breads and fresh-cut meats and seafood. There is no delivery service. For events, The Left Bank caters custom menus, from dropped-off hors d'oeuvres trays to weddings, corporate functions and full in-home dinners with staff, each planned over a call with the chef: Jean-Michel Chelain at (970) 390-0203 or the restaurant at (970) 476-3696. OpenTable separately lists private parties at the restaurant for groups up to 95 people; confirm capacity with the restaurant directly.

Winter in Vail

Book a Vail winter extra

See all Vail tours

More restaurants on VailVacay