Vail’s The Little Diner is for big appetites

If you follow Chef Brian Little on social media, you’ll observe the way he and his wife and business partner, Peggy, exercise the spirit of abundance when they’re traveling, their two young daughters in tow. Whether it’s soup dumplings and fried chicken in New York City or barbecue and hot tamales in Tennessee, the photos are captivating and you might see a caption like, “We couldn’t decide what we wanted, so we just ordered everything!”

And that same appetite for food and flavor is omnipresent at their Lionshead restaurant, The Little Diner. The neighborhood joint is tucked into a storefront in the Concert Hall Plaza building, where an open kitchen dominates the space. A horseshoe bar surrounds the kitchen, and booths line the walls. It’s cozy, intimate and usually pretty lively between the staff and the patrons.

From the extensive lists of breakfast platters, omelets, crepes and Southwestern favorites, to lunch options full of piping hot sandwiches, cold classics and burgers galore, the menu offers a tantalizing generosity underscored by the portions and products. And fresh off a win in the Vail Daily Readers’ Choice poll for Best Breakfast and Best Bloody Mary, it’s not a secret.

Most everything on the menu has some sort of familial or local connection, such as Brian’s dad’s legendary hollandaise sauce or a German pancake from his childhood. All of them are delicious. It’s hard to beat the robust spirit of a Taxi Driver Special, which starts with crispy hash browns sauced with pork green chili and two sunny-side-up eggs. Or perhaps pork chops & eggs, biscuits & gravy or the corned beef hash, which begins with house-steamed corned beef every day.

Add in a breakfast cocktail. With the Hatch Green Chile Bloody, guests can decide if they want it as a Mary (vodka) or Maria (tequila). Both include a kick from New Mexico’s famous Hatch green chiles.

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“We doctor it up,” said Chef Brian. “People like what we call the salad bar up top — the pickled okra, the Sweety Drop peppers and a gherkin pickle. I like that it features ingredients local to the region, with the Hatch green chile.”

Other cocktail favorites include the mimosas, with choices like passion fruit, blood orange and guava added to the standard Prosecco and OJ. A few craft beers, a small selection of wines and even more “brunchy” cocktails round out the list.

While breakfast is served all day, lunch items are rolled out at 11:30 a.m. The Reuben has a strong following, and the Cincinnati Chili comes two-, three- and four-way (if you know, you know). Order a cheesesteak and Brian can tell you why he puts it on a seeded Liscio’s roll, with fried onions and white American cheese. But nothing tops the popularity of the burgers: The Little Burger (think big!), The Expert Burger (fried jalapeños and pepper jack cheese), The Greasy Nick (caramelized onions and American cheese).

“One of the cool things about the diner: It’s the great equalizer,” Chef Brian said. “Everybody likes diners, everybody likes diner food.” And in Vail, everybody likes The Little Diner.