Après-ski is the great high-altitude equalizer: Regardless of whether you’ve spent the day pizza-wedging down a green run or exploring the backcountry, everyone comes off the mountain looking forward to that first bite of food.
From Austria to New Mexico, every mountain area has its own unique flavor (pun intended). Shoot post-shred oysters at a swanky seafood spot in British Columbia. Walk off the mountain to tequila and chile relleno in Taos. Refuel with gooey raclette at a stylish hotel restaurant in Zermatt, Switzerland.
Gather, drink, and dine at these standout spots to rehash your day on the slopes. Here are the 12 après-ski restaurants around the world that are on our bucket list this winter.
EUROPE
Hospiz Alm – St. Anton am Arlberg, Austria
It doesn’t get more classic than Hospiz Alm. Nestled mid-mountain in the Austrian Alps, the postcard-perfect chalet building boasts views for days. Grab one of the tables on the large patio to soak in the sun and dine on traditional Austrian fare such as cheese spätzle with cabbage salad or wiener schnitzel, which the staff pairs expertly with a wine from one of Europe’s largest cellars. Bonus: there are no awkward walks in ski boots to reach the downstairs restrooms—simply hop on the slide that was originally built to send cases of wine to the cellar.
Naked Indigo – Innsbruck, Austria
Innsbruck serves as a gateway to the alps. As Austria’s fifth-largest city, it’s also a great homebase for casual skiers who want to split their time between the mountains and the historic, pastel-colored town center. If you’re vegetarian, or simply craving a plant-based meal, go to Naked Indigo, one of the city’s newer spots in an airy, riverside space. Fuel up with internationally inflected bowls that begin with a base of quinoa and cauliflower rice, then top them with vegetarian chili, red lentil coconut daal, and more.
The Omnia – Zermatt, Switzerland
After you’ve cruised the wide, groomed runs of Zermatt, head downtown to The Omnia. Set in a stylish hotel that’s perched in front of the iconic Matterhorn peak, the restaurant boasts a roaring fireplace, sleek modern furnishings, and floor-to-ceiling windows. The menu plays with Alpine ingredients in both traditional and modern ways, serving classics such as raclette (melted cheese typically served with potatoes and cornichons), plus original creations including a cabbage filled with roasted onions, kimchi, and topped with radish and fermented garlic.
CANADA
Walliser Stube – Banff, Alberta
Just 10 minutes from Lake Louise Ski Resort, you’ll find Walliser Stube, a cozy, wood-paneled restaurant inside the Fairmont Château Lake Louise. Drawing heavily from various European traditions, the menu features wintery comfort fare such as fondue, a mushroom tart, Alpine-inspired beers, and wines from all over the world. If you’re lucky, you might end up at one of the tables set against the large arched windows that look out over the turquoise waters of the glacial lake.
Wild Blue Restaurant + Bar – Whistler, British Columbia
This seafood and steak restaurant opened in 2022 with three restaurant heavyweights at the helm, including Alex Chen, the chef at Vancouver’s Boulevard Kitchen and Oyster Bar, which currently sits at number nine on Canada’s 100 Best list. This is where you want to go for après-ski oysters and chilled seafood towers, most of which come from the Northern Pacific. For the hungrier skiers, there’s also a steak frites menu, with a variety of cuts available with the choice of béarnaise sauce, Madeira jus, or yakiniku sauce, a sesame-forward Japanese barbecue dip.
UNITED STATES
The Aerie – Snowbird, Utah
Go for the 500 inches of average annual snow, stay for the top-notch food. Located on the 10th floor of The Cliff Lodge at Snowbird, this contemporary restaurant boasts a menu that highlights local ingredients accented with global flavors and an award-winning wine program. Sit in the lounge and enjoy a bison and elk burger topped with blue cheese and port-caramelized onions. For a more formal setting, head to the dining room for options such as Faroe salmon with smoked yogurt.
Allred’s Restaurant – Telluride, Colorado
Since 2000, people have jumped on Telluride’s gondola to dine at Allred’s, the restaurant beloved for its San Juan mountain views and extensive, award-winning wine collection. Book a seat in the dining room to experience the three-course tasting menu, featuring dishes such as Colorado rack of lamb with tomato-eggplant jam, smoked feta, parsnip escabeche, and watercress. Or, perch at the bar to order snacks including country-fried cauliflower from the a la carte options, paired with a glass of wine that has held a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence since 2014.
Sakaba – Bachelor Gulch, Colorado
There are a few ways to make it to Bachelor Gulch on the western shoulder of Beaver Creek: Grab a room at The Ritz-Carlton, know someone who lives in the exclusive enclave, or ski over from the main runs of Beaver Creek. Any route works, as long as you make it to Sakaba, a luxe Japanese spot where you’ll be rewarded with fresh nigiri, sashimi, and prepared plates such as tuna crispy rice with spicy aioli or miso black cod.
Aurum Food & Wine – Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Whether you’ve been wading through Champagne Powder® at Steamboat Resort or skiing town mountain Howelsen Hill, make your way to Aurum when the lifts stop spinning. Dishes range from snacks such as Korean fried chicken with gochujang hot sauce to refined mains including juniper- and peppercorn-crusted elk loin over wild rice. For dinner and a show, grab a bar stool with a view of the Howelsen ski jumps, where you’ll have a front row seat as future Olympians perfect their form.
Westward Social – Big Sky, Montana
When you’re looking for a truly casual après-ski setting and don’t want to battle for seats, use OpenTable to hop on the waitlist at Big Sky’s Westward Social. The restaurant is just steps from the lifts in the heart of the resort’s village—roll in from the mountain and straight to your table. Choose from craft cocktails and local beers to pair with sophisticated gastropub fare such as French onion dip and smoked ribs. Don’t forget to save a little energy so you can dance to the daily live DJ sets.
Alchemist Brewery – Stowe, Vermont
You can’t ski in Vermont without stopping by at least one brewery, and unlike many local operations, you can actually reserve a seat for afternoon après at Stowe’s Alchemist. The cult-favorite brewery opened a small adjacent café, where on any given afternoon you’ll find long underwear-clad skiers enjoying hand-pulled pints of the Alchemist’s famous Heady Topper double IPA paired with stuffed pretzel rolls or beer cheese dip spiked with the Focal Banger IPA.
Doc Martin’s – Taos, New Mexico
Skiing in Taos is unlike skiing anywhere else. There’s the stunning mountain itself, which boasts the local slogan, “Taos, a four-letter word for steep.” Then there’s the experience of walking off the mountain into a scenic town filled with adobe buildings. One of those is home to Doc Martin’s, a local stalwart in the historic Taos Inn. The restaurant is beloved for Southwestern classics such as a famous chile relleno platter, where blue corn-battered Anaheim chiles are stuffed with pinto beans, rice, and green chile, then covered in chevre cream. After dinner, pop in next door to the Adobe Bar, a live music hotspot.
Marion Brewer is a content strategist at OpenTable who doesn’t get to ski as much as she’d like to.
