The Top 21 Places to Eat Near Vaquera House

The name nods to silver, the element on Aspen's mining-town coat of arms, and the room inside the Little Nell lives up to the metaphor: sleek and modern, with a fireplace in the lounge and a wall of bottles behind glass that signals the wine program's seriousness. It holds a spot in Wine Enthusiast's Wine Restaurant Hall of Fame. Fine dining at altitude, with a contemporary menu that runs from duck to Wellington when the sun goes down.

1. Forbes Travel Guide Forbes Four Star
2. AAA Four Diamonds
3. Wine Enthusiast The Wine Restaurant Hall of Fame

Juniper wood smoke on New England lobster is the kind of detail that tells you exactly how seriously this Michelin-starred tasting menu restaurant takes its work. The room is dim and a little moody, but the staff talks you through everything with genuine warmth, and the wine list earns its own attention. Foraging, fermentation, and local farms set the rhythm, with miso, koji, and house preserves woven through dishes that feel rooted to the Rockies.

1. Michelin Guide 1 Star
2. James Beard Awards 2024 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Chef · Barclay Dodge
3. Eater The Best Aspen Restaurants

Tucked into an airport business park (yes, really), this contemporary restaurant from a chef who grew up in Côte d'Ivoire brings West African-inflected cooking to a town that usually runs on truffle butter and expense accounts. Wildflower vases, bare tables, and a breezy terrace set an unfussy tone. The food follows: bold spicing, real technique, prices that don't assume you're on a ski-week budget. The chef was a James Beard semifinalist in 2022.

1. Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant
2. Eater The Best Aspen Restaurants
3. James Beard Awards 2022 · Semifinalist · Best Chef: Mountain · Mawa McQueen

Tucked inside the Hotel Jerome, this all-day restaurant runs from bagels with house-smoked salmon at breakfast to Colorado lamb with caponata by dinner, swinging through Mediterranean territory somewhere in the middle. The room is colorful and a little eclectic, which fits Aspen's particular brand of studied casualness. Local producers supply the kitchen, and the bar handles the rest.

1. Michelin Guide Selected Restaurant

1. 5280 Denver's 25 Best Coffeeshops

1. Eater The Best Aspen Restaurants

1. Eater The Best Aspen Restaurants

1. Eater The Best Aspen Restaurants

1. Eater The Best Aspen Restaurants

1. Eater The Best Aspen Restaurants

1. Eater The Best Aspen Restaurants

1. Eater The Best Aspen Restaurants

1. Eater The Best Aspen Restaurants

1. Eater The Best Aspen Restaurants

1. Eater The Best Aspen Restaurants

1. Eater The Best Aspen Restaurants

1. Eater The Best Aspen Restaurants

1. Eater The Best Aspen Restaurants

1. Eater The Best Aspen Restaurants

1. Eater The Best Aspen Restaurants

1. Eater The Best Aspen Restaurants