Where To Eat and Drink in Telluride Right Now

Driving into Telluride feels like stepping inside a storybook, where tiered red-rock walls are streaked with ribbony waterfalls and a soaring town-to-resort gondola delivers characters from high-class downtown haunts to slopeside restaurants.

Whether you work up an appetite trekking the boulder-strewn path to Bridal Veil Falls in summer or carving Revelation Bowl in winter you’ll find plenty of delicious fare to refuel in town and at the mid-mountain village. Since it’s impossible to taste your way through both town centers, and on-mountain options, we’ve pulled together a guide to Telluride’s most delectable destinations.

Jump Ahead:

• 221 South Oak
• Allred’s
• Baked in Telluride
• Black Iron Kitchen & Bar
• Brown Dog Pizza
• The Butcher & the Baker
• The Coffee Cowboy
• Kazahana
• Last Dollar Saloon
• The National
• Siam
• Smuggler Union Restaurant & Brewery
• Tracks
• Van Atta

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221 South Oak

• Address: 221 S. Oak St., Telluride
• Cuisine: New American

Step inside this refurbished historic home steps from the gondola and settle in for an intimate Sunday brunch among eye-catching contemporary artwork courtesy of the current featured artist. Treat yourself to an indulgent plate of gluten-free lemon waffles ($19) with maple cream and blueberry compote or soft-shell crab Benedicts ($30) crowned with crisped pecan praline bacon and tangy tomato relish.

Allred’s

• Address: San Sophia Station Telluride Gondola Stop
• Cuisine: New American

As you travel between Telluride and Mountain Village, the gondola crests at San Sophia Station, where knowing visitors dismount for photo-ops and coveted reservations at Allred’s. The dining room offers unparalleled views of the box canyon town and a prix-fixe menu ($109 per person) with plenty of options to pick from. For starters, find salads, crudos, and carpaccios, while entrées, like bone-in lbérico pork chop and king salmon, promise full and happy bellies. Reservations are highly encouraged. Or visit the first-come, first-served bar area and munch on marinated olives and goat cheese-stuffed peppers paired with generous pours of pinot while drinking in the famous peak-loaded vistas. During the summer months, it’s the only on-mountain dining option available, so take advantage.

Baked in Telluride

• Address: 127 S. Fir St., Telluride
• Cuisine: Bakery

This beloved bakery in the heart of downtown slings everything from fresh pasta to pizza to enchiladas. But once you see the pastry case teeming with puffy donuts, fruit-studded scones, artfully twisted fritters, and custard-filled long Johns, you’ll know you aren’t leaving without a sweet treat. Grab a gigantic glazed donut ($2) from the case and a pre-rolled chorizo and egg burrito ($11) or turkey and Swiss breakfast croissant ($8) from the warmer. If it’s later in the day, get the hot deli reuben ($19) on fresh-baked Jewish rye and taste why locals have been flocking to Baked in Telluride since 1977.

Black Iron Kitchen + Bar

• Address: 568 Mountain Village Blvd., Telluride
• Cuisine: New American

The perfect combination of elevated fare in a casual atmosphere, Black Iron Kitchen and Bar lets the adults linger on the covered patio over refined dishes and premium cocktails. Meanwhile, kids scooter around the Mountain Village plaza or play on the Madeline Hotel & Residences, Auberge Collection’s central turf lawn (meaning you can have an actual adult conversation without being interrupted). A kid’s menu gives the mini mountaineers equally top-tier options, like a petit steak ($18), just downsized for portion (and price) control.

Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the menu emphasizes seasonal, regionally sourced ingredients. Breakfast brings cast-iron skillets of cinnamon rolls ($13), eggs Benedict ($29), and house-made juices inspired by local landmarks, like the See Forever ($15). For lunch, summer favorites include burrata with local heirloom tomatoes and Palisade peaches ($26) or a hearty bowl of Rocky Mountain elk chili ($32). Dinner is the time to go big with boards best enjoyed by the whole table: 38-ounce dry-aged Tomahawk ($232), 16-ounce rib-eye steak ($138), herb-roasted chicken ($85), or a 32-ounce porterhouse (MP).

Brown Dog Pizza

• Address: 110 E. Colorado Ave., Telluride
• Cuisine: Pizza

Always a crowd-pleaser, this buzzy Colorado Avenue sports pub is a Telluride staple. Brown Dog Pizza—an ode to the owners’ chocolate Labrador retrievers—holds celebrity status for its rectangular Detroit-style pies ($16 for a small square) with red sauce on top and mozzarella caramelized into the edges. Load up the kids’ pockets with quarters to pump into the old-school Pac-Man console while you order another Telluride Brewing Co. Face Down Brown Ale ($5) on the lively outdoor patio.

The Butcher & The Baker

• Address: 201 E. Colorado Ave., Telluride
• Cuisine: Bakery and deli

It wouldn’t be weird to end up here for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And locals often do. In the morning, the line is long—but moves fast and offers sweet rewards, like the irresistible buttermilk-glazed carrot cake ($5). There’s an emphasis on homemade and locally sourced food here, from the fresh-baked pastries and bread to the house-smoked meats for entrées and sustainably sourced fish for sandwiches. In the evening, the townies gather around the full bar, quaffing local brews and spirits.

With no wrong time to hit the foodie favorite, let the menu pick your meal. Get there early for a breakfast sandwich stuffed with eggs from a nearby farm, Happy Hogs breakfast sausage, and house-made pepper jam, on a fresh-baked English muffin ($16). Or swing by between 11:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. for Rocking W’s cheddar cheese curds ($10), a fishwich ($19), or Colorado-raised flatiron steak ($24). Whenever you arrive, there’s something fresh, local, and worth coming back for…maybe later that same day.

The Coffee Cowboy

• Address: The Cart: 300 W. San Juan Ave., Telluride; The General Store: 151 S. Willow St., Telluride
• Cuisine: Coffee

What began as an old horse trailer turned charming coffee cart in the Gondola Plaza has grown into one of Telluride’s most beloved cornerstones for caffeine. Recently, it expanded with the opening of the Cowboy Coffee General Store on Telluride’s Pacific Avenue, giving the business room for more merchandise, grab-and-go snacks, a new menu of breakfast and lunch sandwiches ($8 to $14), and, of course, the same exceptional coffee.

The beans are still sourced from local outfits like Telluride Coffee Roasters, Desert Sun Coffee Roasters, and Easy Coffee Roasters, while pastries arrive fresh from Golden Crumb Bakery in nearby Ophir. For a house favorite, order the Annie Oakley ($5.25)—a latte with caramel and cinnamon.

Kazahana

• Address: 126 E. Colorado Ave., Telluride
• Cuisine: Japanese

Fresh sushi in the middle of the San Juan Mountains sounds improbable. But a nearby airport with direct flights to Denver makes it possible, bringing in fish from Tokyo for chef Naoki Takahashi, whose Nobu training shows in every precise dish. Come for the popular happy hour (5 to 6 p.m. daily) at the upstairs whiskey bar, where menu items are half off and there’s a $10 drink special, settle in downstairs for an à la carte dinner in the dining room, or go all in with an omakase meal at the chef’s counter. The menu leans closer to Japanese traditional than American fusion with clean sashimi ($36 to $60), simple rolls ($24 to $45), cooked izakaya-style appetizers ($8 to $28), and noodle dishes ($30 to $35).

For drinks, look to the selection of floral sakes (knowledgeable servers here provide excellent recommendations), smooth Japanese whiskey, and the specialty Kazahana Lager, a house-exclusive brew made by the neighbors, Smuggler Union.

Last Dollar Saloon

• Address: 100 E. Colorado Ave., Telluride
• Cuisine: Bar

When in Telluride, there’s an unspoken rule: You have to grab a drink at the Last Dollar Saloon. Saunter through the watering hole’s historic doors and order a Prost pilsner ($8). The Buck (what locals call it) is a straight-up bar, so no kids of any age are allowed. Grab a seat on the coveted rooftop and watch golden hour illuminate the box canyon walls while sipping.

The National

• Address: 100 E. Colorado Ave., Suite B, Telluride
• Cuisine: Mediterranean

Executive chef Chris Thompson has returned to his hometown after decades roving the world, studying at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa, and rising to the top at San Francisco’s Spruce. The National’s menu pulls from Thompson’s time in Morocco, Italy, Israel, and beyond, introducing bold flavors to the 120-year-old space that was once the National Club, a beloved bar for billiards, dancing women, and debauchery. Dredge warm focaccia ($12) through sweet ricotta and black truffle honey, slice into grilled filet mignon ($64), and twirl squid ink spaghetti with spicy lobster ($46).

Siam

• Address: 200 S. Davis St., Telluride
• Cuisine: Thai

This comfort food hot spot doesn’t rest on its flavorful, traditional recipes, but instead transcends the typical pad Thai and green curry joint with textured scratch dishes that gently detour into France, Malaysia, and sometimes India. The kitchen crew is classically trained in the art of Thai cooking, splitting time between Thailand and Telluride and impressing mountain town guests with rich duck breast ($48) swimming in exotic banana curry, short rib khao soi ($49), and grilled deep sea scallops ($39) in a Thai brown garlic and ginger sauce. Yes, Siam is busy, but for good reason. Nab a reservation to be on the safe side.

Smuggler Union Restaurant & Brewery

• Address: 225 S. Pine St., Telluride
• Cuisine: New American

This popular local brewery has a corner patio that’s always popping. Overflowing flower baskets, enough umbrellas to create a welcome canopy from the sun, and a tucked-away location off the main thoroughfare—meaning no traffic noise—make it one of the area’s best spots for alfresco dining. A line forms before opening (even on weekdays in the summer) for the elevated pub fare. Sure, you can stick to the classics and order a house-brewed ale ($9), jumbo wings ($16), and a burger ($24), or branch out with the Moscow Mule made with the brewery’s house-made ginger beer ($14), a refreshing Thai-inspired glass noodle salad ($23), and steak frites ($37).

Tracks

• Address: 670 Mountain Village Blvd #9520, Mountain Village
• Cuisine: Casual American

Steps from the Mountain Village Gondola station, Tracks offers a casual, shaded patio with a view of the main slope, where mountain bikers streak down in summer and skiers and boarders in winter. The menu consists of well-packed sandwiches and healthy rice bowls ($11 to $17), nachos ($9 to $18), and kids meals ($8 to $10). You’ll see many people stopping by for a scoop of ice cream, challenging one another to a game of foosball, catching sports games on the big screens, and enjoying the happy hour deals (3 to 6 p.m. daily) from the full bar: $3 beers, $5 shots, $8 wine, and $10 blood orange margaritas.

Van Atta

• Address: 101 W. Colorado Ave., Telluride
• Cuisine: Cocktails and upscale bar bites

One of Telluride’s newest additions, Van Atta takes a historically driven, yet unmistakably chic, approach to its design. The result is a bar where both a cowboy and someone in cocktail attire would feel right at home. A crystal chandelier casts a warm glow beneath an embossed tin ceiling. Antique mirrors, sconces mimicking gas lamps, and vintage glassware evoke an old Western saloon. Yet expertly crafted cocktails arrive with nuance, depth, and subtlety you’d expect from a modern, major city cocktail lounge. The menu is divided between stirred cocktails—classics like a dirty martini, old fashioned, and negroni—and shaken creative concoctions. Take for instance, the Little Hawaii No. 2 ($20), a well balanced mai tai that adds their take on the legendary Maui’s Monkeypod liliko’i foam.

Van Atta is open all day and offers three food menus (daytime, happy hour, and nighttime) full of complex dishes you would never expect to find at a bar: matcha chia pudding, pork belly and peaches, wagyu tri-tip, barbecue quail, and more. In its short time since opening in 2025, it has already caught the attention of the James Beard Foundation, earning a semifinalist nod for Best New Bar in January.