GOD LIST

Aspen

The 30 best places in Aspen — restaurants, bars, boutique hotels, coffee, wellness, shopping, and culture. Ranked weekly by editorial authority.

Best Serious Dinner

Mountain-town dining rooms with enough polish and local pull to anchor the trip.

  1. 1Matsuhisa Aspen
  2. 2Element 47
  3. 3Cache Cache
  4. 4Casa Tua Aspen
  5. 5Mollie at MOLLIE Hotel
  6. 6Catch Steak Aspen
  7. 7Piñons

Best Brunch In Aspen

Late mornings for ski legs, shopping loops, and sunny mountain patios.

  1. 1Poppycock's
  2. 2White House Tavern brunch
  3. 3Meat & Cheese
  4. 4Element 47 breakfast
  5. 5Hooch
  6. 6Felix Roasting Co
  7. 7Bonnie's

Best Aperitivo Hour

Golden-hour rooms where Ajax Tavern keeps setting the week before the town gets tight.

  1. 1The Living Room at The Little Nell
  2. 2Casa Tua bar
  3. 3J-Bar at Hotel Jerome
  4. 4Element 47 bar
  5. 5Matsuhisa bar
  6. 6Ajax Tavern patio
  7. 7The Caribou Club

Best Omakase And Sushi

Japanese rooms and counters that still feel essential in a small mountain market.

  1. 1Matsuhisa Aspen
  2. 2Kenichi Sushi
  3. 3Madame Ushi
  4. 4Jing
  5. 5Jimoto
  6. 6Takah Sushi
  7. 7Catch Steak sushi side

Best Pizza In Aspen

Pies, slices, and easy tables after a mountain day.

  1. 1Brunelleschi's
  2. 2Mezzaluna
  3. 3Campo de Fiori
  4. 4Ellina
  5. 5Slice
  6. 6Up 4 Pizza
  7. 7Tasters Pizza

Best Italian

The best Italian restaurant in the city — mountain warmth, wine, service, and room tone in balance.

  1. 1Campo de Fiori
  2. 2Ellina
  3. 3Casa Tua
  4. 4Brunelleschi's
  5. 5Mezzaluna
  6. 6Sam's Smokehouse Italian
  7. 7Mollie pasta

Best Tequila And Tacos

Agave, tacos, and casual rooms for a mountain night that loosens up.

  1. 1Las Montañas
  2. 2Venga Venga
  3. 3Mi Chola
  4. 4Escobar
  5. 5Su Casa
  6. 6La Cocina
  7. 7Catch Steak tequila program

Best Cocktail Bar

Bars where the pour, room, and altitude all matter.

  1. 1The Living Room at The Little Nell
  2. 2J-Bar at Hotel Jerome
  3. 3Hooch Craft Cocktail Bar
  4. 4Bad Harriet at St. Regis Aspen
  5. 5The Caribou Club
  6. 6Limelight Lounge
  7. 7Element 47 bar

Best Stylish Scene

Rooms where fashion, fireplaces, and table watching become part of the plan.

  1. 1The Caribou Club
  2. 2Casa Tua
  3. 3Cloud Nine afternoon (WHEN OPEN)
  4. 4Matsuhisa
  5. 5The Little Nell Living Room
  6. 6Ajax Tavern patio
  7. 7Catch Steak

Best Tiny Boutique Hotel

Smaller stays and character properties with a sharper mountain point of view.

  1. 1L'Auberge d'Aspen
  2. 2Hotel Lenado
  3. 3Independence Square Lodge
  4. 4Tyrolean Lodge
  5. 5Innsbruck Inn
  6. 6The Christiania Lodge
  7. 7Hearthstone House

Best Local Scene

Places that still feel like Aspen residents use them when visitors are not watching.

  1. 1The Red Onion
  2. 2J-Bar at Hotel Jerome
  3. 3Hickory House
  4. 4Belly Up Aspen
  5. 5Aspen Tap House
  6. 6Eric's Bar
  7. 7Justice Snow's at Wheeler Opera House

Best Boutique Hotel

Hotels with real Aspen identity, from Hotel Jerome stability to MOLLIE Aspen challenger signal.

  1. 1L'Auberge d'Aspen
  2. 2Hotel Lenado
  3. 3Independence Square Lodge
  4. 4Tyrolean Lodge
  5. 5Hotel Aspen
  6. 6Annabelle Inn
  7. 7St. Moritz Lodge

Best Local Burger

No-fuss burgers with enough local utility for post-mountain hunger.

  1. 1White House Tavern
  2. 2Ajax Tavern double cheeseburger
  3. 3CP Burger
  4. 4Bonnie's burger
  5. 5Hickory House burger
  6. 6W Aspen burger
  7. 7Aspen Tap House burger

Best Coffee Stop

Coffee counters that make a morning walk through town feel intentional.

  1. 1Ink! Coffee
  2. 2Felix Roasting Co
  3. 3Spring Café
  4. 4Bonfire Coffee
  5. 5The Big Yellow Cab Coffee at Limelight
  6. 6Aspen Coffee Co
  7. 7Gorsuch Café

Best Bakery

Bread, pastry, and mountain-town sweets worth starting early for.

  1. 1Annette's Mountain Bake Shop
  2. 2Louis Swiss Bakery & Café
  3. 3French Pastry Café
  4. 4Paradise Bakery
  5. 5Daily Bread
  6. 6Spring Café pastries
  7. 7Bonfire Coffee pastries

Best Seafood Classic

Oysters, sushi, and seafood rooms that travel well in a mountain town.

  1. 1Clark's Oyster Bar
  2. 2Matsuhisa Aspen
  3. 3Grey Lady
  4. 4Element 47 seafood specials
  5. 5Catch Steak seafood
  6. 6Pinons seafood specials
  7. 7Cache Cache seafood features

Best Rooftop View

Terraces, decks, and rooms where the mountain view changes the plan.

  1. 1W Aspen WET Deck
  2. 2Ajax Tavern patio
  3. 3The Sundeck
  4. 4Cloud Nine deck (WHEN OPEN)
  5. 5Bonnie's deck
  6. 6Element 47 outdoor
  7. 7Highlands Alehouse patio

Best Date Night

Firelight, wine, and rooms with enough intimacy to slow the night down.

  1. 1Cache Cache
  2. 2Element 47
  3. 3Matsuhisa
  4. 4Pinons
  5. 5Casa Tua
  6. 6Cloud Nine Snowcat Dinner
  7. 7Mollie at MOLLIE Hotel

Best Hidden-Gem Dinner

Lower-noise rooms and valley finds that reward a sharper local read.

  1. 1Mawa's Kitchen
  2. 2French Alpine Bistro
  3. 3Bosq
  4. 4Wild Fig
  5. 5Pinons
  6. 6Krabloonik
  7. 7Lynn Britt Cabin / Snowmass Cabin Snowcat Dinner

Best Fashion And Design Stop

Where Aspen edits ski, fashion, books, objects, and mountain taste.

  1. 1Hyman Avenue + Galena Street + Hopkins Avenue cluster
  2. 2Prada Aspen
  3. 3Brunello Cucinelli
  4. 4Ralph Lauren Aspen flagship Western
  5. 5Kemo Sabe
  6. 6Loro Piana Aspen
  7. 7Moncler Aspen

Best Reset Day

Spa, art, trails, and quieter rituals between dinners and lifts.

  1. 1The Spa at The Little Nell
  2. 2Remède Spa at St. Regis Aspen
  3. 3The Spa at Hotel Jerome (Auberge)
  4. 4The Spa at W Aspen
  5. 5Iron Mountain Hot Springs
  6. 6Glenwood Hot Springs Pool
  7. 7The Spa at Limelight Aspen

Best Mountain-Day Table

Lunches, decks, and après stops where Ajax Tavern keeps the mountain-day board honest.

  1. 1Cloud Nine Alpine Bistro champagne afternoon (WHEN OPEN, currently closed 2025-26)
  2. 2W Aspen WET Deck
  3. 3Glenwood Hot Springs Pool
  4. 4Iron Mountain Hot Springs
  5. 5The Little Nell pool
  6. 6St. Regis Aspen pool
  7. 7Hotel Jerome pool

Best Quick Lunch

Fast, useful, local, and easy to repeat between mountain and town.

  1. 1White House Tavern bar lunch
  2. 2Big Wrap
  3. 3Ajax Tavern bar
  4. 4JUS
  5. 5Hickory House lunch
  6. 6Meat & Cheese counter
  7. 7Felix Roasting Co lunch

Best Off the Beaten Path

The places locals whisper about — discoveries that reward curiosity over convenience.

  1. 1Woody Creek Tavern
  2. 2Slow Groovin' BBQ
  3. 3Penny Hot Springs
  4. 4The Pour House
  5. 5White House Pizza
  6. 6Steve's Guitars
  7. 7Yampah Spa Vapor Caves

Best Clean Lunch

Bowls, vegetables, juices, and reset energy that still feels Aspen-specific.

  1. 1Pyramid Bistro
  2. 2Spring Café
  3. 3JUS
  4. 4Mawa's Kitchen lunch
  5. 5Meat & Cheese
  6. 6Felix Roasting Co healthy lunch
  7. 7The Butcher's Block deli

Best Steak Scene

Clubby rooms, mountain power tables, and high-commitment beef nights.

  1. 1Catch Steak Aspen
  2. 2Steakhouse No. 316
  3. 3Element 47 steak features
  4. 4Mollie steak menu
  5. 5Jimmy's American steak
  6. 6Casa Tua bistecca
  7. 7Cache Cache steak features

Best Speakeasy Mood

Lower-light rooms, listening nights, and after-dinner Aspen energy.

  1. 1Bad Harriet at St. Regis Aspen
  2. 2The Caribou Club
  3. 3Hotel Jerome Library / Living Room
  4. 4The Living Room at The Little Nell
  5. 5Hooch back room
  6. 6Wheeler Opera House bar
  7. 7Mollie cocktail nook

Best Hotel Lobby Bar

Hotel bars that work before dinner, after dinner, or as the whole plan.

  1. 1White House Tavern late bar
  2. 2Hooch late
  3. 3Bad Harriet late
  4. 4The Red Onion late
  5. 5J-Bar late
  6. 6Belly Up Aspen bites
  7. 7Bootsy Bellows late food (winter only)

Best Cultural Errand

Art, books, music, institutes, and tasteful stops between meals.

  1. 1Element 47
  2. 2Cache Cache
  3. 3Victoria's Espresso & Wine Bar
  4. 4Casa Tua wine
  5. 5The Caribou Club wine cellar
  6. 6Pinons wine list
  7. 7Matsuhisa sake/wine

Best Sweet Finish

Ice cream, pastry, chocolate, and mountain-town sugar after dinner.

  1. 1The Aspen Meadows Resort lawn dining
  2. 2Glenwood Hot Springs Pool deck dining
  3. 3Iron Mountain Hot Springs concession
  4. 4Penny Hot Springs picnic (free wild, no service)
  5. 5Maroon Bells / Maroon Lake picnic (no service)
  6. 6Crater Lake hike picnic
  7. 7Independence Pass scenic stops

Why these rankings

Best Serious Dinner: Matsuhisa Aspen leads because it consistently delivers what the category demands — mountain-town dining rooms with enough polish and local pull to anchor the trip. The full Top 20 includes Element 47, Cache Cache, Casa Tua Aspen, and Steakhouse No. 316 and Kenichi Sushi as rising challengers.

Best Brunch In Aspen: Poppycock's leads because it consistently delivers what the category demands — late mornings for ski legs, shopping loops, and sunny mountain patios. The full Top 20 includes White House Tavern brunch, Meat & Cheese, Element 47 breakfast, and Annette's Mountain Bake Shop and Spring Café as rising challengers.

Best Aperitivo Hour: The Living Room at The Little Nell leads because it consistently delivers what the category demands — golden-hour rooms where ajax tavern keeps setting the week before the town gets tight. The full Top 20 includes Casa Tua bar, J-Bar at Hotel Jerome, Element 47 bar, and Felix Roasting Co aperitivo and Hooch as rising challengers.

Best Omakase And Sushi: Matsuhisa Aspen leads because it consistently delivers what the category demands — japanese rooms and counters that still feel essential in a small mountain market. The full Top 20 includes Kenichi Sushi, Madame Ushi, Jing, and Crown Block sushi side and Aspen Sushi Express as rising challengers.

Best Pizza In Aspen: Brunelleschi's leads because it consistently delivers what the category demands — pies, slices, and easy tables after a mountain day. The full Top 20 includes Mezzaluna, Campo de Fiori, Ellina, and Casa Tua pizza and Il Poggio as rising challengers.

Best Italian: Campo de Fiori leads because it consistently delivers what the category demands — the best italian restaurant in the city — mountain warmth, wine, service, and room tone in balance. The full Top 20 includes Ellina, Casa Tua, Brunelleschi's, and Il Poggio and Aurum pasta as rising challengers.

Best Tequila And Tacos: Las Montañas leads because it consistently delivers what the category demands — agave, tacos, and casual rooms for a mountain night that loosens up. The full Top 20 includes Venga Venga, Mi Chola, Escobar, and The Hot Dogger at Spider Sabich tacos and Mountain Bayou as rising challengers.

Best Cocktail Bar: The Living Room at The Little Nell leads because it consistently delivers what the category demands — bars where the pour, room, and altitude all matter. The full Top 20 includes J-Bar at Hotel Jerome, Hooch Craft Cocktail Bar, Bad Harriet at St. Regis Aspen, and Mollie cocktail program and Catch Steak bar as rising challengers.