From the team behind Frasca Food & Wine, Tavernetta in the Four Seasons Vail puts an upscale Alpine twist on Italian trattorias. This is a spot that's tailor-made for date nights or special occasions, with red banquettes ideal for celebrating big life milestones—or just a successful day on the mountain. Start with burrata and prosciutto or beef carpaccio, then dig into rigatoni with lamb ragu, or perfectly al dente linguini with lobster and Calabrian chili.

It’s rare when something continues to improve after being around for almost 50 years, but Sweet Basil is doing just that in Vail Village. Continuous updates both to the menu and dining room since its opening in 1977 have kept the restaurant from being outdone by any Vail newcomers. And while the space and cocktails are great, the real reason it’s a Vail institution is the food.

Walking down bustling Bridge Street, it would be easy to miss Root & Flower, tucked into a nook set a few feet back from the sidewalk. Start with a meat and cheese board, truffle popcorn, or a dozen oysters, and dive into the exceptional wine list. If you’re looking for something more substantial after a day of powder chasing, try the marinated steak skewers served with tender confit spring onions and the Saved by the Bell mezcal cocktail.

This is the Vail outpost of the Nobu empire, so make a reservation here when you want some reliably high-quality fish. Go with the omakase for an uni shooter, some salmon and scallop sashimi, and other Nobu specialties like king crab tempura and black truffle sea bass.

La Nonna is a Vail date night staple, built on olive oil-dipped focaccia and sips of housemade limoncello. Try for a spot on the top level of the dining room, or grab one of the coveted bar seats to feel like a regular. Order the grilled Spanish octopus, and always tack on some pasta, like the tagliatelle with braised wild boar ragu or a mushroom ravioli swimming in cream sauce and white truffle oil. They have a great wine-by-the-glass menu.

This lively taqueria stays packed from lunch through dinner, with the après-ski hours drawing a particularly energetic crowd. Beyond the long list of tacos, we love the grilled fajitas, carnitas burrito, and the borracho burger with tequila-braised bacon, green chilies, and jalapeño aioli. Hang out at the bar, or if it happens to be a balmy afternoon, head out to the patio. It’s the perfect spot to down a spicy margarita and a steaming bowl of posole while taking in views of Gore Creek.

Mountain Standard is more laid back than its sister spot, Sweet Basil, but it’s still ideal for a special occasion dinner. Picture a mountain tavern by the river, with draft microbrews and aged bourbon, alongside hearty comfort food. Share some wood-roasted bone marrow and Wagyu carpaccio, warm pimento cheese, and a wedge salad. Then, move on to entrees like the rotisserie chicken with cheddar grits, and corned pork shank with gruyere potato puree.

Montauk has been a constant in Lionshead Village since 1987, with excellent seafood like ahi tuna tacos and miso Chilean sea bass beckoning shivering patrons for generations. The highlight is undoubtedly the raw bar menu, specifically the seafood tower, stacked with East and West Coast oysters, Alaskan king crab legs, and Maine lobster tail. Montauk also does delicious meatier options, like a black angus New York strip steak and filet mignon.

La Tour is your best bet for French food in town. We always get excited about the escargot in a garlicky sauce persillée that begs to be soaked up by a baguette, raviolo with foie gras and butternut squash, and the incredible pernod creamed spinach. They have a social hour from 3-5pm, where you can get great wine by the glass starting at $7, $3 oysters, and mussels for just $9, all while you stare at the bright paintings and blown glass pieces throughout the dining room.

There are a lot of restaurants, bars, and spaces in Vail that try to emulate the Alps. Alpenrose, a German-Austrian restaurant that opened in 1974, does it most convincingly. It’s still going strong with a great list of Oktoberfest steins and Paulaner pils, fresh-baked pretzels, weisswurst, and plates of rosti. In the winter, reserve a private gondola cabin outside the restaurant for a raclette and fondue dinner.

At Osaki’s, seating and reservations are extremely limited. You can only reserve by calling or stopping by in person, after 5:30pm, for the night of and the next night. While this might seem high maintenance, the fish is worth the effort. You can pick from one of the daily sashimi or nigiri specials on the whiteboard, but the omakase is the way to go.

Avanti shakes up Vail's dining scene by giving you everything under one roof, from sushi, pizza, and burgers, to Mediterranean eats, ramen, grab-and-go snacks, and a lively après-ski energy that doesn’t break the bank. No reservations needed: park out front, wander (or ski) in, pick up what you want—might we suggest a bowl of spicy miso ramen from Glo, a saucy smash burger at Backyard Burgers, or mezze and pita from Boychik? Grab a seat by the fire pits or on the patio overlooking the slopes.

Chasing Rabbits is located in a 12,000-square-foot space that also holds a movie theater, cocktail lounge, speakeasy, and an arcade. Before seeing some jazz or playing a round of Ms. Pac-Man, come here for a Mediterranean dinner that’s fueled by delicious buttermilk ricotta on sourdough with chili garlic crunch, braised rabbit bolognese, and vegan eggplant moussaka. Make a point to visit Moon Rabbit—their cocktails are exceptional.

Slide into one of their velvet booths and order a center-cut filet with Yukon Gold puree alongside a ramekin of whiskey au poivre sauce. Or post up at the bar, where a plate of heirloom cornbread, a Hamachi crudo starter, and a Japanese whiskey cocktail can make for an especially cozy après scene.