Will Travel for Food: A Summer Food and Drink Guide to Aspen

With its electric blue skies, beckoning Maroon Bells, Roaring Fork water sports, and sparkly celebrity sightings, Aspen’s summer allure might just outshine all the other Colorado mountain towns. It’s the time to revel in the Silver Queen City’s storied panache and Gucci cowboy glam, but with fewer crowds than winter’s see-and-be-Instagrammed snow scene.

Aspen’s restaurant lineup is a rightful destination in itself. Award-winning local chefs swim in summer and autumn Western Slope bounty—Olathe corn, Palisade fruits, Paonia squashes and greens—creating seasonal menus at their palate-pleasing peaks. Here’s where to eat and drink in Aspen this summer, as well as tasty spots to rest and recreate.

Ellina

Chef Miguel Diaz cut his culinary teeth in his grandmother’s Puerto Vallarta kitchen. Dashes of those Mexican roots meander their way onto Ellina’s modern Italian menu through a special taco lineup that showcases slow-braised short rib birria and crispy pork belly tacos with grilled pineapple salsa. The taco menu may tilt heads, but it somehow lives harmoniously with the truffled artichoke heart bruschetta and house-made mafaldine bolognese—smartly tied together by owner-sommelier Jill Carnevale’s award-grabbing, 2,500-bottle wine list. 430 E. Hyman Ave., Aspen

Cache Cache

There’s a reason Cache Cache has been on the tip of discerning diners’ tongues for nearly four decades. That reason rests upon a classical French foundation bolstered by relationships with Western Slope and North Fork Valley farmers. Dig into heartfelt, unpretentious offerings like chef Chris Lanter’s wild Ecuadorian shrimp with local baby bok choy or Dijon- and herb-crusted Colorado rack of lamb plated with whatever veggie is shining brightest that week. 205 S. Mill St., Aspen

39 Degrees

Helmed by chef Alexis Torres, W Aspen’s signature restaurant delivers a dinner menu as rich and layered as the hotel’s playful interior. Walk through the lobby, following the swirling blue topographic carpeting that mirrors the valley’s favored peaks, and pass beneath the giant suspended DJ booth that emulates the largest silver nugget discovered during Aspen’s mid-1800s mining boom before landing in bold, mountainside 39 Degrees. The retro-inspired menu hits all the worldly bases with Korean fried cauliflower in gochujang sauce, pimento mac and cheese, coconut curry halibut, and a soft pretzel served with miso mustard and sake fondue. Roll right into legendary Aspen nightlife with espresso martinis at the year-round Rooftop pool bar. 550 S. Spring St., Aspen

Bosq

Chef and owner Barclay Dodge builds the five- and 10-course tasting menus at Bosq by plucking mushrooms from moist Independence Pass nooks and watercress from forested stream banks, nudging neighboring growers for luscious melons, and grilling lobster over fragrant juniper branches. The Michelin-starred 35-seat restaurant is a lesson in art and alchemy and an Aspen institution worthy of a lingering summer night indoors. 312 S. Mill St., Aspen

Sway

Sway, an Austin, Texas darling, has nestled its way onto Aspen’s restaurant row and locals’ dinner rotations with its focus on traditional hot and cold Thai bites. The food is communal, seasonal, and regional; dip veggie spring rolls into tangy tomato vinegar jam, note the lemongrass zip in the blue crab fried rice, and savor a fermented black bean baseline in the crispy pork and shrimp dumplings. Set aside space for the Thai tea affogato—the perfect hot-cold encore with a macadamia crumble crunch. 308 E. Hopkins Ave., Aspen

Mawa’s Kitchen

Regulars call her “the queen” and newcomers marvel over her global culinary resumé, delighting in menu picks influenced by proud French and African heritage. Mawa McQueen, an Aspen icon for more than two decades and a James Beard Award semifinalist, continues to impress brunch, lunch, and dinner guests at Mawa’s Kitchen with her West African fonio pancakes, truffled grit croquettes, signature rotisserie jerk chicken, and cool minty watermelon salad. Don’t miss Mawa’s summer guest chef dinner series in which she invites a handful of her nationally acclaimed chef friends to collab on four-course, culturally driven dinners. 305 Aspen Airport Business Center F, Aspen

Play: Aspen Food Festivals and Events

Clink glasses and rub elbows with local and international gourmands at these delicious upcoming gatherings.

Heritage Fire

July 27
Family farms, local chefs, and live-fire whole-animal cooking come together at this interactive three-hour tasting event in Snowmass Village.

Snowmass Wine Festival

September 13–14
Snowmass Village brims with local music, cuisine, and lots and lots of wine in this fundraiser for Roaring Fork Valley nonprofits.

Rock Bottom Ranch Dinners

Various dates
Guided farm tours and an introduction to regenerative agriculture precedes these monthly multi-course farm dinners, which start at 6:30 p.m., curated by local growers and chefs.

Aspen Saturday Market

Saturdays, June through October 5
Score Colorado-grown fruits, veggies, bread, meats, jams, and artisan products at this open-air market, a cherished local tradition since 1998.

Stay: Hotels with Tasty Menus

Eat where you sleep and reap the convenient on-site benefits at these Aspen hotels.

Wake up to incredible views and the best breakfast potatoes you’ll ever eat at Aspen Meadows’ West End Social, snack on the famous truffle fries and wagyu cheeseburger at the Little Nell’s Ajax Tavern, and take in the moonrise over Champagne cosmos from terrace seating at the Mollie. Tip: On summer Sundays from 3 to 9 p.m., W Aspen’s rooftop pool turns into a vibey club with live DJs and craft sippers like the mezcal-spiked Farmer’s Market cocktail made with cucumber, basil, and yellow bell pepper.