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Up The Creek

Restaurants
 Vail, 81657

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About

Up The Creek sits down a flight of stairs from Gore Creek Drive, right on the bank of Gore Creek, and claims the only creekside patio in Vail. Peter Stadler and his friend Jim Slevin opened it in 1988 and picked the name at the last minute, joking they would be up the proverbial creek without one. It has been family owned and operated ever since.

It suits a relaxed lunch or dinner in Vail Village, especially in summer when the deck is the draw, as well as families (there is a kids' menu) and groups planning a rehearsal dinner by the water.

The food

The kitchen describes its cooking as farm to plate and sources locally and sustainably where it can, with a seasonal menu. Lunch runs to salads, a Colorado beef burger, a bison burger, fish tacos and lobster ravioli; dinner moves to trout, Scottish salmon, braised short rib, a bone-in pork chop and Black Angus tenderloin, plus a list of seafood specials.

All-day hours

Lunch and dinner are served daily, and dinner service starts in the late afternoon, so there is no long gap between them. That makes it one of the easier sit-down options when you come off the mountain hungry at an odd hour. Service times are in the FAQ.

Drinks

Signature cocktails and a long, mostly Californian wine list, with a good run of Napa cabernets and Oregon pinot noirs, suit a slow evening on the deck.

Events

The dining room seats 80, and the restaurant hosts rehearsal dinners, wedding receptions and corporate groups, with cocktails on the creekside deck before a sit-down meal. Enquiries go through the events form on its website.

Finding it

Vail Village is pedestrian only, so drivers park in the main village parking structure and walk. Cross the Covered Bridge toward the mountain, turn right at the first intersection by Pepi's, and take the stairs between Axel's and Fuzziwig's candy shop down toward the creek. Takeout can be ordered online.

Sources: home, about, dinner menu, lunch menu, events, find us, reservations. Checked September 23, 2026.

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Contact Information

Company Name
Up The Creek
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Location
223 E Gore Creek Dr Ste 103
Vail, 81657

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About Up The Creek

Quick answer: Up The Creek is a restaurant at 223 E Gore Creek Dr Ste 103, Vail, CO 81657. Family-owned since 1988, Up The Creek serves seasonal lunch and dinner on Gore Creek in Vail Village, with what it calls Vail's only creekside patio. As of October 2026 it is closed for the off-season and reopens Saturday, November 28, 2026, per its website.

Last updated

Up The Creek sits down a flight of stairs from Gore Creek Drive, right on the bank of Gore Creek, and claims the only creekside patio in Vail. Peter Stadler and his friend Jim Slevin opened it in 1988 and picked the name at the last minute, joking they would be up the proverbial creek without one. It has been family owned and operated ever since.

It suits a relaxed lunch or dinner in Vail Village, especially in summer when the deck is the draw, as well as families (there is a kids' menu) and groups planning a rehearsal dinner by the water.

The food

The kitchen describes its cooking as farm to plate and sources locally and sustainably where it can, with a seasonal menu. Lunch runs to salads, a Colorado beef burger, a bison burger, fish tacos and lobster ravioli; dinner moves to trout, Scottish salmon, braised short rib, a bone-in pork chop and Black Angus tenderloin, plus a list of seafood specials.

All-day hours

Lunch and dinner are served daily, and dinner service starts in the late afternoon, so there is no long gap between them. That makes it one of the easier sit-down options when you come off the mountain hungry at an odd hour. Service times are in the FAQ.

Drinks

Signature cocktails and a long, mostly Californian wine list, with a good run of Napa cabernets and Oregon pinot noirs, suit a slow evening on the deck.

Events

The dining room seats 80, and the restaurant hosts rehearsal dinners, wedding receptions and corporate groups, with cocktails on the creekside deck before a sit-down meal. Enquiries go through the events form on its website.

Finding it

Vail Village is pedestrian only, so drivers park in the main village parking structure and walk. Cross the Covered Bridge toward the mountain, turn right at the first intersection by Pepi's, and take the stairs between Axel's and Fuzziwig's candy shop down toward the creek. Takeout can be ordered online.

Sources: home, about, dinner menu, lunch menu, events, find us, reservations. Checked September 23, 2026.

Bars American restaurants restaurants/american restaurants/lunch restaurants/fine-dining restaurants/vail-village

Quick Snapshot

Neighborhood: Vail Village
Cuisine: American / Farm-to-Table
Service: Lunch • Dinner
Established: 1988
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Business Hours

Closed for the season · Reopens Nov 28

Amenities at Up The Creek

  • Creekside patio
  • Full bar
  • Kids' menu
  • Takeout (ChowNow)
  • Wheelchair access
  • Private events and buy-outs
  • View

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the hours of Up The Creek, and is it open in the off-season?
Lunch and dinner daily in season, in a split day: lunch from noon to 4 p.m. (the restaurant's own FAQ and Instagram give noon; OpenTable, TripAdvisor, and Google show an 11 a.m. opening, so arrive after noon to be safe) and dinner from 4 p.m.; dinner's closing time circulates as both 10:00 and 10:30 p.m., and the restaurant publishes none. The seasonal fact diners most need: Up The Creek closes between the summer and winter seasons. In fall 2026 it is closed until Saturday, November 28, 2026 ("Thanks for a great Summer Season, we will reopen Saturday, November 28", in the official site's words), while listings keep showing normal hours. No spring closure dates are published anywhere; check the official site or call (970) 476-8141 before a shoulder-season trip.
How do I make a reservation at Up The Creek?
Dinner reservations book online on OpenTable (the same widget embedded on the restaurant's own site) or by phone at (970) 476-8141. Two exceptions are phone-only: all lunch reservations, and any table for more than six people. Reservations are worth making for the creekside patio in summer, which is the room everyone asks for.
What should I order at Up The Creek?
The kitchen calls its cooking farm to plate, sourcing locally and sustainably where it can, on a seasonal menu. The dishes diners converge on are the braised short rib (served with bacon-smoked Gouda mac and cheese) and the Pan Roasted Ruby Red Trout; the dinner menu also runs to Scottish salmon, a bone-in pork chop, Black Angus tenderloin, and seafood specials, with elk and bison appearing in the game dishes reviewers name. At lunch, order the Reuben, the Colorado beef or bison burger, fish tacos, or the lobster ravioli. Prices at the last menu check (September 2026): lunch sandwiches and burgers about $17 to $28, dinner entrées about $36 to $68. The full menu is at vailupthecreek.com/menu/food.
What do reviews say about Up The Creek?
Reviews are strong, and the setting is the story. As of October 2026, Google rates Up The Creek 4.2 out of 5 from 533 reviews; OpenTable rates it 4.6 from 1,174 verified diner reviews (food 4.6, service 4.6, ambience 4.6, value 4.3); TripAdvisor rates it 4.3 from 682 reviews. Diners praise the creekside patio above all, then the short rib, the seafood ravioli, the trout, and named, attentive servers; the recurring criticisms are slow service at peak times and a dinner menu with little for vegetarians.
What does a meal cost at Up The Creek?
On the menus as last checked (September 2026), lunch sandwiches and burgers run about $17 to $28, dinner entrées about $36 to $68, and the kids' menu $14 to $25. That spread is why the web's labels differ: OpenTable's "$31 to $50" describes a main course, and Google's "$30-70" describes the fuller menu range. Budget roughly $50 to $90 per person for dinner with a drink, before tax and tip.
Does Up The Creek really have Vail's only creekside patio?
That is the restaurant's own claim, and the setting backs the spirit of it: the dining room and deck sit below street level directly on the bank of Gore Creek in Vail Village, reached by the stairs between Axel's and Fuzziwig's candy shop, and the patio is the seat every reviewer recommends, especially at sunset. Events begin there too, with cocktails on the creekside deck before a sit-down meal. Treat "only" as the restaurant's framing rather than a surveyed fact, and book ahead in summer, because the creekside tables go first. Note the patio is a warm-season draw; the creekside room itself, with floor-to-ceiling windows, is the winter version.
Is Up The Creek good for kids and families?
Yes. There is a dedicated kids' menu (chicken tenders, mac and cheese, grilled cheese, a cheeseburger, and a kids' steak, $14 to $25 at the last check), highchairs are listed by TripAdvisor, and families are a visible part of the room at lunch and early dinner, with children and dogs playing by the creek outside. The full menu is moderately priced for Vail Village, which is part of why families land here.
Does Up The Creek have vegetarian or gluten-free options?
Vegetarian, yes, but plan on lunch for the best of it. Vegetarian dishes are praised at lunch (the veggie burger is called the best one a reviewer had ever had), and salads run all day; at dinner the menu centers on meat, game, and seafood, and a verified OpenTable diner in September 2026 reported no vegetarian entrées and built a meal from a salad and a side.
Can Up The Creek host an event, and where do I park?
Yes. The dining room seats 80, and the restaurant hosts rehearsal dinners, wedding receptions, and corporate groups, with cocktails on the creekside deck before a formal meal; OpenTable adds that the whole restaurant is available as a private buy-out. Enquiries go through the events form at vailupthecreek.com/events. For the visit itself: Up The Creek is at 223 East Gore Creek Drive, Suite 103, in Vail Village. Vail Village is pedestrian only, so park in the main Vail Village parking structure, cross the Covered Bridge toward the mountain, turn right at the first intersection by Pepi's, and take the stairs between Axel's and Fuzziwig's down toward the creek. If stairs are a problem, OpenTable publishes handicap access and drop-off at the International Bridge; ask when you book.

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