Conveniently located across from Rio Grande Park with a spacious patio, Yogi’s, by local hospitality veteran Brendan Berl, opened in December 2024. Winning a bid to take over the city-owned Taster’s Pizza, Yogi’s offers a pick-a-nick basket brimming with affordable, craveable fare—fried chicken, pulled pork, sandwiches, creative sides, and Rob’s Burger ($12 double patty, plus two slices of cheese for an extra buck)—in a kid-friendly setting. Even adults love the chalkboard tabletops, four TVs, and free arcade games.   

Vacant for nearly nine years on the corner of Aspen and Main, the 1889 Main Street Bakery building was resurrected in February as Sant Ambroeus Aspen Restaurant. Infused with Milan modernism akin to its sister coffee shop on Hyman Avenue (which remains open), the compound, designed by Milan-
and Los Angeles-based Giampiero Tagliaferri Studio, is twofold: a chic dining room in the historic stucco building and the cabin-like Il Baretto (bar) across a breezy courtyard, opening this summer with a robust cocktail program. Both spaces are, the designers say, “rooted in the Alpine brutalist design movement … with sexy references to the 1970s” with decadent Italian fare (osso buco, veal Milanese, langoustine agnolotti) to match.  

Translating as “yes yes” in Japanese and Spanish (while also referencing the ocean), Hai Si is an underground izakaya concept by acclaimed chef Yoshi Okai (of Austin’s Otoko) and Aspen-based Infinite Hospitality, opening on Restaurant Row in June. The Kyoto-born and 2017 Food & Wine magazine Best New Chef’s punk-rock roots (he’s a singer in bands) inspire Okai to create “a playground of bold flavor” with seafood (hamachi, octopus, uni from Hokkaido) and Spanish ingredients (Ibérico pork, jamón, padrón peppers) in hot and cold menus alongside extensive wine and sake lists. The cozy dining room with cocktail bar, sushi bar, and private dining salon evokes “quiet drama” through velvet upholstery, marble, wood, ceramic, and a frosted mirror.  

In May, The Wild Fig—one of Aspen’s most cherished restaurants for over two decades—expands to offer midvalley dining at The Wild Fig Willits. Find a well-curated boutique wine list and signature dishes for dinner (and weekend brunch, eventually), showcasing “sun-drenched flavors of the Mediterranean, food from Spain, France, Italy, Greece, and a touch of the Middle East,” says Samantha Cordts-Pearce of CP Restaurant Group. A complete overhaul of the space (formerly Ocean Seafood) replicates the Wild Fig vibe, “like stepping into a brasserie in Paris,” she adds. Extra credit: Samantha and her husband and partner, Craig, years ago acquired the zinc-topped bar that Manhattan restaurateur Keith McNally imported from France to Schiller’s—the couple’s once-beloved date-night spot.