Discover the best new restaurants in Aspen, offering a delightful dining experience in this vibrant mountain town. There will be magnums of champagne. 11-course tasting menus are expected. This is Aspen, baby. The reputation is glamorous, yet there’s a year-round community with vibrant arts, culture, and restaurants. We are biassed, but a lift ticket gets you access to Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, and Snowmass, the world’s best skiing.
It’ll require some forethought (and maybe even a phone call) to acquire a reservation during the winter and summer peak seasons. But there are still plenty of places to go inside for crispy chicken sandwiches, enormous seafood towers, French Alps-style cheese fondue, and more.
10 Best New Restaurants In Aspen
French Alpine Bistro
Walking down the steps and through velvet curtains to French Alpine Bistro puts you in Chamonix (French Aspen). Like a European ski resort, this dark room has sheepskin-draped seats, candles, antique lights, damaged mirrors, and vintage paintings. The cuisine is intimate with silky gras terrine, bubbling cheese fondue, and sweet and savory crêpes. This one fills up quickly—reservations open 60 days in advance, making it one of the best new restaurants in Aspen to visit.
Meat & Cheese
Meat & Cheese, an Aspen all-day eatery, continues serves its renowned roasted chicken and steak platters under new owners. First-timers must have the bossam Korean pork plate with butter lettuce, kimchi, ginger scallion sauce, and white rice. Try the daily taco special for lunch or stop by their store for cured chorizo, gourmet gouda, and personalized gift baskets or party trays. It’s one of the best new restaurants in Aspen for a casual meal.
Las Montañas
Visit Las Montanas for a post-ski lunch or supper, with sizzling steak arrachera and almonds chicken fajitas with warm corn tortillas, garlic jalapeño butter, and cheese fundido. They offer more than 60 whiskey and tequila varieties plus a machine that makes cold drinks if you’ve chilled out. Winter warmers such tabletop fajitas, chile combination platters, Baja-style oysters, ceviches, and aguachiles are served in a pleasant setting with arched doorframes, aged wood, colorful tiling, and rustic furnishings. Mix and combine from a large mezcal and tequila selection, solidifying its place among the best new restaurants in Aspen.
Matsuhisa
Even though you can now book a table 48 hours in advance in the upstairs bar and lounge, Matsuhisa is one of the hardest reservations in Aspen to get. The scene is worth it, and the sushi is always good. You’ll see billionaires with black cards, ski bums with trust funds, and celebrities with entourages alongside regular people having a good time.This hotspot remains one of the best new restaurants in Aspen.
Casa Tua
Casa Tua is connected to a private club in Miami and Paris, but you can eat here or chill at the back outdoor bar without a membership. Basically, it’s Soho House for skiers, but smaller and chicer. At this impeccably designed chalet, you’ll see plenty of people in Moncler cozying up with wooly throw pillows, browsing the coffee table books, and eating piles of antipasti and handmade pastas. You should join too. Share the Mediterranean full branzino or veal milanese and the expensive but huge $30 pistachio gelato for dessert. Casa Tua is definitely among the best new restaurants in Aspen.
White House Tavern
You’ll find Houston’s, R+D Kitchen, Honor Bar, and other Hillstone Restaurant Group favorites in Aspen. The line outside this miner’s cottage-turned-bistro starts before lunch every day, which will explain why. To reserve a seat for the crispy chicken torta with Swiss, tomato, and spicy slaw with sides such fries and creamed corn, arrive 10 minutes early. You will be able to fit into the noisy bar later, but the best seats are by the stone fireplace. White House Tavern is a must-visit, making it one of the best new restaurants in Aspen.
Duemani
Duemani, which means “two hands” in Italian, serves a refined Mediterranean-inspired menu with flavors from the Italian and French coasts. In 2022, Carlos Solorzano-Smith, a managing partner at Aspen Hospitality Group and longtime local sommelier, hired Aspen native Jesus Alvarado as executive chef. His winter menu draws on his 10 years at Matsuhisa. Must-orders include scallop crudo, tuna tartare, and grilled octopus salad. Duemani is easily one of the best new restaurants in Aspen.
Steakhouse No. 316
When you enter this Victorian home, you’ll notice that things have changed since the 1800s. Sit in a red velvet booth and order lobster tails, a tomahawk ribeye for two, and steak toppings like crab oscar and blue cheese bone marrow butter at this dark and sensual restaurant. Allow space for Lulu’s kale salad and béarnaise-dripping cubed potato pavés. Plan ahead for a special occasion dinner here at one of the best new restaurants in Aspen.
Element 47
Element 47 offers tasting menus with caviar service and tableside truffle shaving. You will have homemade sourdough rigatoni with uni and lobster and one of six wagyu cuts with a thick steak sauce. You should also make time for Ajax Tavern, which is situated in The Little Nell hotel and features double cheeseburgers, truffle fries, and a great après-ski atmosphere.
Spring Cafe
Spring Cafe Aspen is popular for breakfast, brunch, and late lunch, and is the only vegan- and gluten-free option in town. Vitamixes blast fruits and vegetables upon entry, and the counter line is a fashion show. We recommend the ginger tofu phở bowl and sweet potato gnocchi with roasted vegetables, romesco sauce, and goat cheese.
Conclusion
Aspen’s newest restaurants offer sophisticated fine dining, cozy comfort food, and innovative dishes that push the boundaries of traditional cuisine. They boost the town’s reputation as a foodie destination and add to its vibrant and dynamic atmosphere. For an amazing stay, visit Asheville after tasting Aspen cuisine. Check out our guide on Unique Places to Stay in Asheville, NC.