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Well, the snow hasn’t been great, but the food still hits. And let’s be real, whether you’re surfing through powder or clinging to your edges on a ribbon of ice, skiing and snowboarding work up a beastly appetite. (Just jamming our feet into ski boots and schlepping gear to the lift leaves us winded at 10,000 feet.) Ski resort hospitality folks know and live this truth and that’s why the cool taps and cozy booths at mountain restaurants rank right up there on the priority list with early-season snowmaking and swift shuttle routes.
Sure, you can find a mediocre $25 cheeseburger and some lukewarm fries at almost any bathroom break spot on the mountain. But you don’t have to settle for the same old heat-lamped slice or uninspired cup of chili. Colorado ski resort menus have come a long way. We’ve done the excavating: These are the newest deals and delicacies worth unclicking and racking your skis and boards for.
Grab-n-Go Sushi
- Where: Loveland Ski Area
- Find it: Loveland Basin Lodge, inside the cafeteria
Loveland’s quick-grab sushi rolls and poke bowls were an unexpected hit last season (and perhaps one of the best on-mountain lunch deals around—rolls start at $12.50). Loveland brings them back this season, along with ramen, which you can find at specific stations inside the base area cafeteria. Popular options include the teriyaki shrimp roll and spicy tuna roll, hand-built same day, in house. In the mood for something steamy? Visit the ramen station, where a bowl of marinated pork and veggies in tonkotsu broth will warm you up—and only set you back $12.
Chimichurri Beef Tacos
- Where: Snowmass
- Find it: Slope & Hatch, inside the Collective Snowmass in Snowmass Base Village
Known for its next-level natural hot dogs and unorthodox taco fillings—such as tender carne asada doused in herby chimichurri with a fried egg and yellow coconut curried lamb—this Glenwood Springs and Eagle institution opened a third outpost down valley in December. Snowmass skiers can schuss to Base Village and chow down on mountainous tacos served in pairs with homemade chips and salsa. Stay for the Collective’s ball pit and game room and head outside for a spin around the ice rink.
Champagne Toast
- Where: Arapahoe Basin
- Find it: Il Rifugio, at the top of the Beavers and Lenawee Express lifts
Alterra Mountain Company, the ski resort conglomerate behind the Ikon Pass, has been upping Arapahoe Basin’s party vibe since acquiring the mountain in 2024. Taco Tuesdays ($10 plates of tacos and tamales, 50 percent off margs and specific beers) and Wine Wednesdays ($5 off all glasses of vino, 50 percent off an appetizer when you purchase a bottle) highlight the new offerings at 6th Alley Bar & Grill (at the base area). But for the vibiest special, ski up to Il Rifugio, North America’s highest-elevation restaurant at 12,456 feet, for complimentary champagne toasts every Saturday at 10:30 a.m.
Chocolate & Banana Stuffed French Toast
- Where: Breckenridge Ski Resort
- Find it: Bar Down Tavern, inside the Grand Lodge at the Peak 7 base area
Satiate your inner eight-year-old and bypass the bagel and lox for a plate of puffy challah French toast dressed in Nutella, sliced bananas, warm maple syrup, and whipped honey butter at Bar Down, the recently revamped former Sevens restaurant. This desserty breakfast will set you up to rip down Boundary Chutes and cruise Peak 7’s squeal-worthy rollers. When your quads are cooked, scoot back in for happy hour (3 to 5 p.m. weekdays) for $9 wings and $7 drafts.
Après tip: As you unload the BreckConnect Gondola back in town, you won’t have to trudge too far in ski boots to get a bite and a stiff drink. The Shifty Lifty opened this past July, and locals are raving about the Italian sandwiches (our fave: the Drip, with meatballs, pepperoni, salami, and marinara).
Gargati Sicilian Rabbit
- Where: Copper Mountain
- Find it: Forage & Feast, inside the Aerie Lodge at the top of the American Eagle lift
Copper’s first on-mountain restaurant debuted during the 2o23 winter season, and chefs are on a mission to showcase its hearty, wintry culinary prowess. Tuck into this braised rabbit dish served over house-made gargati egg pasta tubes—one of two new Italian noodle offerings at Forage & Feast this season—swirling in blistered tomatoes, caramelized onions, fresh rosemary, red wine, and oyster mushrooms. It’s an elevated—and a hell of a lot tastier—alternative to that cup of noodles stashed in your ski locker. Pair it with the Copper Smash (made with Laws rye whiskey and house bitters) for a core-warming meal. Tip: Bust out your Copper Mountain or Ikon season pass and snag 15 percent off lunch.
Read More: 5 Things You Need to Try at the New Aerie Lodge in Copper
BBQ Lamb Benedict
- Where: Beaver Creek Resort
- Find it: Citrea, in Beaver Creek Village, steps from the Centennial Express lift
The new-this-winter brunch menu (Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) at Citrea is worthy of a midday break. Executive chef Ryan Little recommends the Benedict with barbecued Colorado lamb and Basque piperade (a traditional chunky tomato sauce made with onions and peppers) served with house-made pita and hollandaise. Pair it with a hand-crafted cocktail at this Mediterranean beauty to provide a little courage for your afternoon laps.
Cubano
- Where: Aspen Mountain
- Find it: Eleven212, at the top of the Silver Queen Gondola or Ajax Express chair lift
Pair your Aperol spritz with a pork confit and rosemary ham Cubano and toast to Aspen’s latest glitterati après-ski party. At the tippy-top of Aspen Mountain at—you guessed it—11,212 feet and wrapped in Elk Mountain views with high-energy DJ sets, Eleven212 opened in January 2025 with plenty of exclusive vibes and plush upgrades. The bar area is first-come, first-served and fur-cloaked fireside Adirondacks can be reserved for $50 (and come with a flute of bubbles). Groups of six can shell out $600 for a private A-frame cabin and enjoy two bottles of Veuve Clicquot alongside a charcuterie board.
French Fried Potatoes
- Where: Steamboat Ski Resort
- Find it: Storm Peak Brewing Company Bus Stop Taproom + Kitchen, across the street from the Gondola Transit Center
Pop into Storm Peak Brewing Company’s new craft food kitchen, now behind the resort’s Steamboat Grand hotel, for an après snack and a pint of the Talk is Sheep New Zealand-style pilsner. The IPA-brined charbroiled chicken wings are a crowdpleaser, but the $5 plate of salty, piping-hot fries hits the spot after a day of shredding—especially when dunked in some of the eatery’s 17 house-made sauces. We’re fans of the hot honey ranch and the secret sauce (a Chick-fil-A copycat).
