Casual · Dining
Where locals eat in Aspen
The places people who live here go on an ordinary Tuesday: sandwiches, wraps, dim sum, ribs and a tavern down valley. Casual, good value and mostly no reservations.
The places people who live here go on an ordinary Tuesday: sandwiches, wraps, dim sum, ribs and a tavern down valley. Casual, good value and mostly no reservations.
Not every Aspen meal is a Michelin table. Locals live on Grateful Deli sandwiches, Big Wrap wraps, dim sum at Little Ollie's, ribs at Hickory House and the drive to the Woody Creek Tavern, a locals' joint since 1980. Most don't take reservations, which is part of their charm. We live here and eat at these places too. For the nights that need a table held, ask us.
Hours below are what each restaurant publishes, checked October 2, 2026. Aspen restaurants shorten hours or close for parts of the spring and fall off-season, and set winter hours around ski-area opening day, so confirm the week you arrive. We describe value only in general terms; menus and prices change, so we don't quote them.
Paul Montiel · Aspen · Updated October 2026
Most of this list is walk-in. For the dinners that do need a table, and a driver to Woody Creek and back, tell us the nights. We know the restaurants and the people who run them.
233 E. Main St. Sandwiches, paninis and daily specials; repeatedly voted the locals' choice for best sandwich shop. Monday–Saturday daytime; closed Sundays.
520 E. Durant Ave. Wraps, salads, breakfast burritos and smoothies, and a past winner of the Aspen Times' best cheap eats. Its own website no longer loads, so check current hours locally.
Boards and sandwiches, 11 a.m.–9 p.m. daily. First-come, first-served; no reservations.
Sandwiches in an 1883 miner's cottage at 302 E. Hopkins Ave., 11:30 a.m.–9 p.m. No reservations: they take your name for the waitlist, and the bar is first-come.
A birthday or anniversary at the residence: the table, the chef, the flowers and a photographer.
From the aircraft door to a warm, stocked house, with nothing to carry and nothing to chase.
For the special-occasion tables, see where to eat in Aspen and Aspen's Michelin restaurants; Mawa's Kitchen at the Aspen Business Center is both Michelin-recommended and a locals' favorite.
Modern Chinese and dim sum at 308 S. Hunter St.; lunch 11:30 a.m.–3 p.m., dinner 4–10 p.m. daily. Reservations, takeout and pickup.
Ribs and barbecue at 730 W. Main St., breakfast through dinner. Call for hours in the off-season.
Oysters, chowder and the burger at the bar, "favorites with both locals and visitors". Walk-in lunch; dinner takes reservations.
Down valley in Woody Creek since 1980, its walls papered in Polaroids. Open from 11 a.m. daily under its posted summer hours; the waitlist can close early, so confirm winter hours. Take a driver.
Many of Aspen's better kitchens are easier and calmer at lunch. Dinner is when you book.
Walk-in places fill at 12:30 and 6:30. A 5:30 dinner or a 2 p.m. lunch usually means no wait.
Late fall and spring are quieter, but some places close for a few weeks. Check before you go.
For lunch, Grateful Deli, Big Wrap, Meat & Cheese and White House Tavern. For dinner, Little Ollie's, Hickory House, Clark's Oyster Bar and the Woody Creek Tavern down valley.
Sandwich and wrap shops such as Grateful Deli and Big Wrap are the best value in town; lunch at sit-down places is usually better value than dinner. We don't quote prices because they change.
For the atmosphere, yes: a locals' joint since 1980, about 15 minutes down valley. Its waitlist can close early, so go early and arrange a driver.
Many don't: Meat & Cheese and White House Tavern are first-come, and Clark's lunch is walk-in only. Little Ollie's and Clark's dinner take reservations.
Tables held on the nights that matter, a driver for Woody Creek, and a chef for the nights in.
A car and driver on call for dinner and the night out, so nobody hunts for a taxi at midnight.
Dinner at the house, menu agreed in advance.
The kitchen stocked to your list before you land.
Come in from the mountain to the fire lit, something warm to drink and a spread laid out: set up while you ski by our chef or caterer, from groceries already in the house.
New openings and the tables to book: a short email when a local favorite opens, closes or changes hours.
Written from Aspen by Paul Montiel. A few letters a season, only when something matters. Leave any time; we never share your address.Aspen Chamber / Colorado.com: Grateful Deli · Meat & Cheese · White House Tavern · Little Ollie's Aspen · Hickory House: Aspen hours and menus (breakfast, kids) · Clark's Oyster Bar Aspen · Woody Creek Tavern — checked October 2, 2026.
Tell us your dates and the nights that matter. We'll book the tables, send a driver and arrange a chef for the nights you stay in.
Plan the dinners
