Cloud Nine Alpine Bistro
Alpine$$$$
Order: Raclette and fondue
A ski hut at the top of a lift, booked months out.
Best for: a ski-day lunch · Reserve: book ahead
Aspen Highlands, Aspen
North America · United States
Where to eat in Aspen
Four mountains and a Victorian town: raclette at the top of a chairlift, truffle fries at the foot of the gondola, a Michelin star in a former mining town, and Italian-American red sauce after the last run.
Aspen at a glance
- What to eat
- Cheese fondue; Raclette; Truffle fries; Apple strudel; Buffalo burger.
- When to go
- Best: January–March and December. Also good: June–September. Hardest: April–May and October–November.
- Top tables
- This guide lists 4 award-winning restaurants, starting with Bosq, Element 47, Mawa's Kitchen and Prospect.
- Where locals eat
- Local favorites off the prestige lists include Cloud Nine Alpine Bistro, Bonnie's, The Sundeck and Elk Camp.
- Markets
- Aspen Saturday Market.
A ski town
On the mountain, and après
Eat on the hill at lunch, not after: Cloud Nine on Highlands and Bonnie's on Aspen Mountain are the two reservations people plan a ski day around. After the lifts close, the town walks from Ajax Tavern at the gondola to the J-Bar and on to dinner.
- Aspen Mountain (Ajax) · Right above town; Bonnie's and the Sundeck
- Aspen Highlands · Cloud Nine Alpine Bistro
- Snowmass · Elk Camp and The Cabin; Venga Venga at the base
- Buttermilk · The gentle one, for beginners
On the mountain
On-mountain bistro
Cloud Nine Alpine Bistro
Order: Raclette, then the fondue
A ski hut at the top of the Cloud Nine lift with Pyramid and Maroon peaks out the window; two seatings, and a new east deck since 2025-26.
On-mountain café
Bonnie's
Order: Pancakes in the morning, apple strudel after
Mid-mountain on Ajax, the lunch locals still argue about.
On-mountain lodge
The Sundeck
Order: A bowl of ramen
At the top of the gondola, the warm-up stop with the whole range in view.
2 more on the mountain
On-mountain lodge
Elk Camp
Order: Lunch with the kids, then back on Elk Camp lift
The big Snowmass lodge at the top of the Elk Camp gondola.
On-mountain restaurant
The Cabin
Order: Lunch on the deck
Mid-mountain at Snowmass, renovated for 2025.
Après
Après
Ajax Tavern
Order: Truffle fries and a glass of rosé
On the patio by the Silver Queen Gondola, the first stop after the last run.
Après and dinner
Mt. Rubirosa
Order: The tie-dye vodka pie and the meatballs
The mountain sibling of Rubirosa in New York, opened Dec 7 2025 at the foot of the gondola: Italian-American red sauce for skiers, open for the season.
Après bar
J-Bar
Order: The Aspen Crud (a bourbon milkshake)
The Hotel Jerome's 1889 bar, where the town ends up.
3 more for après
Après bar
Chair 9
Order: Champagne and a DJ
The Little Nell's après room at the base, loud by 4pm.
Après
MooserWirt
Order: Beer and dancing on the tables
The Austrian après party, brought over from St. Anton.
Cantina
Venga Venga
Order: Tacos and a margarita
Richard Sandoval's cantina at the bottom of the Snowmass slopes.
The dish to eat here
Cheese fondue
Melted Gruyère and Emmental with white wine, for dipping bread, potatoes and apple.
The best three: Creperie du Village, Cloud Nine Alpine Bistro, 39 Degrees.
22places in Aspen, ready to save to your trip
9Eat tonightChef's picks, the well-known and the discoveries6Dishes to tryWhere to eat each one, and how to cook it at home
What is in the 22
4 award-winning15 local favorites1 markets9 chef's picks4 breakfast spots7 dish spots
What to eat in Aspen, and where
Each dish comes with the places that do it best. Tap Add to my trip on the ones you want, or find them on the map above.
Cheese fondue
Gruyère in a pot with bread, potatoes and apple, on the mountain or in a town bistro
The 3 best places to eat it in Aspen
- 1Creperie du Village
Order: Cheese fondue
The fondue people call the best in town.
- 2Cloud Nine Alpine Bistro
Order: Fondue at lunch
Fondue in a ski hut at the top of a lift.
- 339 Degrees
Order: Fondue at après
The Sky Hotel's après lounge.
Raclette
Melted cheese scraped onto potatoes and pickles, the Highlands lunch
The best place to eat it in Aspen
- 1Cloud Nine Alpine Bistro
Order: Raclette
The Highlands lunch.
Truffle fries
The après plate at the foot of the Silver Queen Gondola
The best place to eat it in Aspen
- 1Ajax Tavern
Order: Truffle fries
The après plate by the gondola.
Apple strudel
Bonnie's mid-mountain strudel, a ski-day ritual
The best place to eat it in Aspen
- 1Bonnie's
Order: Apple strudel
Mid-mountain on Ajax.
Buffalo burger
Woody Creek Tavern's, down valley
The best place to eat it in Aspen
- 1Woody Creek Tavern
Order: Buffalo burger
Hunter S. Thompson's local.
Seen in Aspen Chamber, spring dining
Italian-American red sauce
Vodka pie and meatballs after skiing
The best place to eat it in Aspen
- 1Mt. Rubirosa
Order: Tie-dye vodka pie, meatballs
Rubirosa's mountain room.
The most celebrated tables
The top 4 restaurants in Aspen, per 2026.
More award winners
Bosq
Michelin 1★ (2026)
Aspen's starred kitchen since 2023, cooking with what the valley and its foragers bring in.
Element 47
Michelin Recommended (2026)
The Little Nell's dining room, at the foot of the gondola.
Mawa's Kitchen
Michelin Recommended (2026)
Mawa McQueen's family restaurant out by the airport; brunch is a local favorite.
Prospect
Michelin Recommended (2026)
The Hotel Jerome's dining room, upstairs from the J-Bar.
When to go and what is in season
Aspen food calendar: month by month → What is in season, what to eat and the food festivals each month.
JFMAMJJASOND
Peak Jan–Mar, DecShoulder Jun–SepHard Apr–May, Oct–Nov
Why these months
Ski season runs late November to mid-April; June to September is hiking, the Saturday Market and the Food & Wine weekend crowd.
In season
- Raclette and fondue Jan–Mar, Dec Cloud Nine and Creperie du Village.
- Colorado produce at the Saturday Market Jun–Oct Downtown, mid-June to early October.
Food events
- Aspen Saturday Market Jun Saturdays, mid-June to early October, downtown.
Closures to plan around
- Mud season: many kitchens close or cut hours from mid-April to late May and from mid-October to Thanksgiving; check before you go.
- Cloud Nine seats two lunch seatings; book well ahead.
From published guides and tourism boards. Months are our mapping of how guides describe the seasons; 2027 event dates are expected, not confirmed. Prices come from single sources of varying age, so treat them as a rough guide. Compare cities by month
Secret discoveries
Locally loved places that are not on the big prestige lists.
French-Swiss bistro
Creperie du Village
Order: Cheese fondue or raclette for the table
A rustic room with an open kitchen; the fondue people call the best in town.
Bakery
Paradise Bakery
Order: A muffin the size of your fist
The corner bakery every skier walks past on the way to the gondola.
Sandwich shop
Johnny McGuire's
Order: A sandwich to take up the mountain
A tiny deli with a long menu and a ski-town crowd.
Tavern
Woody Creek Tavern
Order: The buffalo burger and a margarita
Hunter S. Thompson's local, papered with photos and still a drive out of town.
Food markets in Aspen
Plan a food trip to Aspen
All 131 food citiesExplore the 250 food markets
More in North America
Awards come from the guides named on each listing (2026). Researched November 7, 2026. Restaurants change; confirm hours, reservations and current stars before you go. Some addresses, phone numbers and websites come from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), so call ahead to confirm. Local favorites are editorial picks, not rankings.
Chef Amazing’s lists for Aspen: where locals eat, new openings, romantic dinners, ice cream, cooking classes and more, each place with what to order. Cooking classes in Aspen: who teaches, what you cook, how long and how to book.
Every place in this guide, A to Z (22)
- 39 Degrees Sky Hotel
- Ajax Tavern Base of Aspen Mountain
- Aspen Saturday Market
- Bonnie's Aspen Mountain
- Bosq Downtown
- Chair 9 The Little Nell
- Cloud Nine Alpine Bistro Aspen Highlands
- Creperie du Village Downtown
- Element 47 The Little Nell
- Elk Camp Snowmass
- J-Bar Hotel Jerome
- Johnny McGuire's 730 E Cooper Ave
- Mawa's Kitchen Aspen Business Center
- MooserWirt Base of Aspen Mountain
- Mt. Rubirosa The Residences at The Little Nell, 501 E Dean St
- Paradise Bakery 320 S Galena St
- Prospect Hotel Jerome
- Spring Café 119 S Spring St
- The Cabin Snowmass
- The Sundeck Top of Aspen Mountain
- Venga Venga Snowmass base
- Woody Creek Tavern Woody Creek, down valley
Chef Amazing · Will Travel for Food · Food cities · 250 food markets · The Best 100