Named for a city in the Italian Alps, when it opens in the former Almresi space this December, Aosta will celebrate regional cuisine “famous for Fontina, Bleu d’Aoste cheese, cured meats with mountain herbs, wild-boar ragú, fresh pasta, veal, pizza, polenta,” says Samantha Cordts-Pearce of CP Restaurant Group, which owns The Monarch across Durant Avenue. Also expect osso buco, tableside cacio e pepe in a Parmesan wheel, prosciutto sliced in the 70-seat dining room, and Italian apéritifs and wine. 

Another arrow in Austin, Texas-based MML Hospitality’s local quiver, Swedish Hill at the Aspen Art Museum (AAM), opened quietly in June. Refreshing AAM’s panoramic rooftop cafe with a new layout and furniture, Swedish Hill (it’s named for a landmark sister venue in Austin) serves breakfast dishes, bagels, and pastries supplied by Louis Swiss Bakery, which MML Hospitality purchased in 2022. 

In December, restaurateur Raphael Derly and partner-chef Cédric Vongerichten, along with wife and Jakarta native Ochi Vongerichten, will open Wayan Aspen—the Colorado cousin of a popular French/Indonesian restaurant in New York City. Wayan’s unique Indonesian-French fusion guides signature dishes, such as lobster noodles, Colorado lamb satay and trout with sambal tomato sauce, nasi goreng (fried rice, Indonesia’s national dish), and crispy pandan French toast. 

Billed as a modern French-American bistro, ZigZag Aspen debuts in the gently renovated space where Mezzaluna Aspen thrived for more than 30 years. Co-owner Romain Pavée, a Lyon native, and longtime locals Scott and Carly Weber (Aspen Snow Ball, The Regal) preserved the iconic horseshoe-shaped bar and Aspen’s last remaining wood-burning oven while adding a moody ambience. Chef Sam Talbot (LA’s Lemon Grove, Top Chef season 2) presents a bar menu, lunch, brunch, après-ski, and dinner (wood-fired onion soup, crispy duck confit, tarte flambée). 

Named for the notoriously rugged, double-black-extreme trail on Snowmass and celebrating coastal cuisine within the Colorado mountains, Rock Island Oyster Bar & Grill opened upstairs on the Snowmass Village Mall in August. The Burkhardt family (Ken, a Snowmass ski patroller; his cousin Jacob, chef-owner of two-year-old Hominy Southern Kitchen in El Jebel, and Jacob’s wife Sarah) transformed the former Big Hoss Grill with a cool-blue color palette, a calming octopus mural, and a rock-ready entertainment stage. Menu must-haves include New England clam chowder (their grandmother’s recipe), shrimp and grits, buttermilk fried chicken, Cajun shrimp po’ boys, fresh oysters, and poke from the raw bar. Bargain item: $38 bistro steak frites.

At press time, Heather’s Savory Pies, a local favorite since 2012, had announced plans to open a satellite venue at the slopeside Stonebridge Inn in mid-December. Owner and longtime caterer Heather Lujan brings “Mama’s kitchen” here with hearty, “homemade gourmet” fare: savory pot pies, Colorado lamb chops, pot roast, five-spice salmon, and nightly specials (striped bass, red snapper). Baked in: live music (Wed–Sat) and sleight-of-hand master Doc Eason every Tuesday. 

Last January, Domingo Sausage Co opened Bodegón, a casual sit-down spot with a menu focused on Argentinian comfort food, including composed dishes served in cast-iron pans (Colorado lamb chops, beef ribs, Spanish tortilla) as well as signature sausage or pork shoulder sandwiches and house-made empanadas with herby chimichurri. “In Argentina, Bodegón is the place where you get homemade food, national food,” says Silvina Rodriguez, who runs the restaurant with partner Lucas De Cesco. (Her grandfather Domingo was also in the sausage business.) Also find ravioli by La Pastaiola, vegetarian and gluten-free options, Wednesday evening jazz, regular tango nights, and Gnocchi Day on the 29th of every month, just like in Argentina. 

3 B’s Bakery, a sweet Southern bakeshop that opened on Main Street in May 2024, “doesn’t do bread,” says owner Lauren Poleski McCourt, a Texas native who runs the confectionery with her husband, Peter. What it does do splendidly is breakfast pastries, cookies, cupcakes, brownies, and bars baked fresh daily, with custom orders for cakes, pies, and dessert platters always welcome. Anything may be made gluten-free by request, with select features in the display case daily.