Telluride has plenty of upmarket restaurants and bars that are chic and cosmopolitan. For those on more of a budget, the town of Telluride and the Mountain Village also have various inexpensive dining and drinking establishments.
Telluride Restaurants - Town
The town of Telluride has a wide range of restaurants. Here are just a few examples.
The Cosmopolitan at the Hotel Columbia (near the base of the gondola) offers fine cuisine in the lively yet formal dining area, or you can sit in the bar and enjoy appetizers, wines and cocktails. The dishes are really interesting and they have an exceptional wine list.
In town just up from the gondola is 221 South Oak (name of the restaurant as well as the address). This restaurant serves a range of high quality meat dishes. There’s nothing on offer for herbivores, but otherwise the food is top notch. We found the service to be a little interruptive, but can still recommend this as a good restaurant.
A nice casual Telluride restaurant is Brown Dog Pizza.
For breakfast or a quick lunch, try Baked In Telluride (B.I.T.) next to the Village Market supermarket. This bakery doesn’t quite have the same charm as the old B.I.T. but it’s still a must-do. The bakery has all sorts of goodies such as rolls, croissants, bagels, pastries, pizza, sandwiches and coffees.
Restaurants Telluride Mountain Village
Telluride Ski Resort’s signature restaurant is Allred’s. Take the gondola to Station Saint Sophia (the mid-way point between town and the Mountain Village) and at 10,551 feet you can enjoy the fabulous views of the 14ers over a classy après drink. Or in the evenings enjoy the twinkling lights of the town of Telluride below. The cuisine is superbly sophisticated, the wine selection extensive, and the décor very elegant. Better yet, the restaurant is very dimly lit so girls you won’t even need to wear makeup!
La Piazza del Villagio is a delightful authentic Italian restaurant in one of the hubs of Mountain Village. The décor is very cheerful and cozy (except for those brown curtains!) and is topped off with crisp linen tablecloths and impeccably dressed waiters. Meals come at an upmarket price, but the homemade pasta and other Italian fare are to die for, and the refined wine list adds to the experience.
Altezza at Peaks Resort is a large restaurant with a great atmosphere. It’s beautifully decked out with upscale furniture, cow hide seats, and glass cubes with flames rising from them. Some nights they have mellow live music to add to the ambience. The food is exquisite, and they also have an extensive wine and cocktail list.
M Lounge at the Hotel Madeleine also has delightful décor and the food is very good.
For more casual dining, there are a couple of pizzerias and sports bars in the mountain village.
Other Telluride Dining Opportunities
For a special experience, have dinner up at Alpino Vino. A snowcoach takes diners up to the restaurant to enjoy a five course Italian-style meal with wine pairing.
Telluride Bars & Nightlife - Town
The town offers a more diverse and upbeat nightlife than the Mountain Village, although the bars close at 1:30am so Telluride isn’t the place to party into the wee hours.
Telluride has various pubs. The Irish pub provides a wholesome pub experience. Another classic pub is the Smuggler’s Brew Pub.
For a more refined drinking experience there are various options in Telluride. As an example, the Cosmo bar at Hotel Columbia is nice for a drink in an elegant atmosphere.
The only nightclub in town is the Fly Me to the Moon Saloon with live music Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. They even have a spring-loaded dance floor in front of the stage!
Bars & Nightlife Telluride Mountain Village
The Telluride ski resort has a couple of options for après drinks. The finest après is at Alpino Vino near the top of Gold Hill. This is a refined place to perch on the deck, take in the spectacular vistas and sip on a wine. For a more festive atmosphere stop in at the Gorrono Ranch under the Village Express and catch some afternoon rays whilst sitting in a beach chair and scull a microbrew or four.
Tomboy Tavern at the base of the Village Express lift is a popular place to meet for après. Outside is a big yellow umbrella and heated area where you can have après drinks Euro-style and enjoy all the eye candy. Inside is a very classy sports bar with great interior design. You can also get a feed here at very reasonable prices.
The Scratch Bar @ lumiere hotel is a sophisticated wine and cocktail bar, and a great place for a quiet chat. Try the sushi and sashimi – it’s gorgeous! Allred’s and the bar at the Peaks Resort are also delightfully swanky places for an après drink. A little more relaxed but still upscale is the bar at the Hotel Madeline.
Past dinner time there’s generally very little nightlife in the Telluride Mountain Village. Mountain Village is family central, so after dinner most folks are at home and tucked up in bed. One exception is the Poacher’s Pub that occasionally goes off. This is a small sports bar with rather expensive beers.