Up The Creek
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.
Contact Information
Vail, 81657
Up The Creek
Up The Creek
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About Up The Creek
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.