New Restaurants and Bars at North America Ski Resorts

Next to skiing or riding, arguably the most important part of a ski day is what, or rather where, to eat and drink. And this year has brought a lot of new food and drink options to ski resorts across North America. Check out the latest and greatest restaurants at North America ski areas.

New Ski Resort Restaurants and Bars

East

The Summit Cafe at Mount Sunapee, in New Hampshire, reopens this season after last year’s closure. Located right off the Sunapee Express in a classic New England ski lodge with a stone fireplace, it’s open for breakfast and lunch.

Vermont’s Okemo Resort is bringing back three of its classic dining spots: Robin’s Roost Restaurant  at Summit Lodge; 43 North at Solitude Village, and The Taphouse, serving curated beers, local spirits, craft cocktails, and boutique wines. Enjoy flatbreads, sandwiches, salads, cheese and a kid’s menu.

Snowshoe has three new restaurants including Al Dente Ristorante and The Basin both located in the Mountain Lodge. Al Dente features Italian favorites, with generous portions ideal for families and groups. The Basin serves lighter fare with pizza, burgers, sandwiches and more. You’ll find the third option, Burger Bus, at the base of Ballhooter Lift, offering sliders, fries and more.

Midwest

The former Iron Kettle at Wilmot Mountain, in Wisconsin, returns with a new name and menu. Now known as Walt’s Tavern, it’s serving beers, brats, Bloody Marys, and tots for lunch and dinner on weekends. Walt’s Tavern features a bar and daily grab-and-go options. In Minnesota, Lutsen‘s Papa Charlies at the Midwest’s most Western-style ski resort has been enlarged and turned into a family restaurant for what’s billed as casual fine dining.

Rockies

Steilhang at Arapahoe Basin, Colorado is a brand-new alpine hut offering a selection of German food and beverages. Try German sausages, soup, Colorado-brewed German beer, soft pretzels and strudel. You’ll find it at the top of the Lenawee Parks frontside terrain with stunning views of the East Wall and Continental Divide. The newly added building features a deck. Steilhang has no lift access, so you must be able to ski or ride a blue run to eat there.

Crested Butte’s new Rooster Run restaurant, adjacent to the Butte 66 dining room, offers a quick option for dine-in or take-out. The all-new menu specializes in chicken and fries (with a vegetarian option).

Steamboat Colorado’s Full Steam Ahead project includes four new food service options in the Range Food and Drink Hall on the main floor. The 2-story building, next to the ice skating rink, opens mid-winter. Food options include Sunshine Bowl Ramen, Twister Tacos, Why Not Sweet Spot, and Pioneer Pie (as in pizza). The second floor features an outdoor deck space overlooking Steamboat Square and the resort’s lower mountain. The main floor and second floor each have full bars.

Look for Vail Colorado’s two new ice and snow bars in celebration of the ski resort’s 60th anniversary, operating alongside the resort’s two new ski lifts. The bars will require a re-sculpting after every winter storm. They include a fully stocked bar, seating,  360-degree views and a small food menu. The bars will be erected at Wildwood, at an elevation of 10,981 feet and only accessible to skiers and riders, and at Eagle’s Nest, at 10,350 feet where non-skiers/riders and skiers and riders alike can reach the bar via the Eagle Bahn Gondola, which departs from Lionshead Vail Square.

Returning this season is Vail’s Dawg Haus after a one-year hiatus. Located in Blue Sky Basin, it’s the place to go for hot dogs and brats. Simba’s Cafe makes its mountain spot debut serving ice cream, cocoa and coffee at some 10,000 feet. The cafe got its name after the Vail Mountain dedication ceremony way back when when a lion named Simba rode the resort’s new gondola out of Lionshead Village.

In Breckenridge, The Overlook at Breckenridge makes its first re-appearance since 2020. You’ll find it off the top of Beaver Run and Mercury Super Chairs on Peak 9. Try their ramen bowls and rice bowls.

New at Ski Cooper, Colorado, way up the 10th Mountain Division’s famous Tennessee Pass, is the Timberline Taproom, located in the base area. Choose from Colorado craft beers, BBQ pulled pork sandwiches and hearty chili with a sawmill-themed decor. Meat is smoked onsite. Additional seating can be found outdoors by the fire pits.

Deer Valley, Utah checks in with the new Cast & Cut Restaurant, located in the Snow Park Lodge. On the menu are steakhouse classics such as the dry-aged Porterhouse and locally-sourced lamb. Freshly caught fish entrees including blackened bone-in King salmon and whole Thai sea bass. Don’t forget to try one of their desserts like the 11-layer chocolate cake and s’mores fondue. Guests can indulge in a tableside Absinthe drip experience, or order  specialty cocktails like Orange Smoke, Flower of the Sea, beer or wine.

The Redtail Grill at Park City Mountain Resort has a new outdoor patio area for lunch, dinner and après. You’ll find it near the Orange Bubble Express and Red Pine Gondola in Canyons Village. It seats 100 in  a variety of seating options from traditional patio tables to soft seating around fire pits, a large hearth fire and bar-style seating. 

Far West

The Sunrise Lodge at Arizona’s Sunrise Park Resort is having its exterior deck rebuilt, and the stairs and entries are being replaced. The Apache Peak Lodge deck is also being rebuilt, and the kitchen is being repaired.

Bryan and Michael Voltaggio, a pair of San Francisco brothers and chefs, are opening a new restaurant called Vulcania at the Village of Mammoth, a condominium hotel, opening in January 2023. The restaurant will be serving “modern Italian America” food including dishes like rigatoni arrabbiata with basil and brown butter sauce. The space will combine mid-century modern elements with “the flare of Italy in the 1980s,” they say.

Northstar California’s Summit Deck & Grill reopens after closure last season. It’s at the top of the new Comstock Lift.  Also returning will be the traditional Tōst at Lake Tahoe’s only ski-up, mountain-view bubbly experience. Tip: get in line by 1:30 p.m. to partake in the 2 p.m. tōst as glasses are first come, first serve.

Another reopening this season is Kirkwood California’s Sunrise Grill, the iconic backside burger shack. Grab an Adirondack chair and chill.

Up in Canada, Vancouver Magazine called Wild Blue Restaurant + Bar at Whistler in BC, Canada, “The Most Important Whistler Restaurant Opening in a Decade.” The fine-dining restaurant focuses on elevated Pacific Northwest cuisine, sustainable seafood, and local ingredients, along with an extensive wine selection and cocktail menu. The fine-dining concept also has a private dining room and raw bar. You’ll find the restaurant in the Village of Whistler adjacent to the Whistler Conference Center.

Header image: Snowshoe Mountain