Experiential dining in the Vail Valley

Editor’s note: This story originally appeared in the Winter 2025 issue of EAT Magazine. This is one in a two-part series; part one focuses on Vail Village options.

Whether it’s your friendly neighborhood joint or an upscale affair with all the trimmings, the restaurant industry is an integral part of the Vail Valley lifestyle. From the incredibly educated servers and sommeliers to the dedicated and creative kitchen staff, our local restaurants are something to sing about. But even in this delicious landscape, our appetite for something a little extra grows. And several local restaurants have accepted the challenge to provide experiential dining: dining that takes us out of the normal restaurant and adds another level — a theme, an atmosphere, something immersive. 

Alpine charm in Alpenrose’s private gondolas

In a town renowned for its cuisine, the Gondolas at Alpenrose are elevating Vail’s dining experience. More metaphorical than literal — the gondolas are resting on the patio rather than soaring through the air — these formerly high-flying cabins glow like a row of tiny Alpine chalets, just waiting to welcome groups of friends and family into a picturesque winter wonderland. 

Step inside and the outside world disappears. Instead, guests cuddle up against wood-paneled walls and plush blankets; a stone-topped table is set with polished raclette tools and fondue pots. What used to be a means to transport skiers to mountain tops now transports guests into an unforgettable evening.

These aren’t generic gondolas: They have lived several lives before coming to rest in Vail. Originally purchased in Italy, they were sent to Austria for custom interior work, then to Germany for exterior finishing before finding their permanent home in Vail. Alpenrose, now celebrating 50 years in Vail, added the gondolas to extend its signature hospitality beyond the dining room walls, turning a backyard patio into a cluster of private experiences. Each gondola has its own color palette, its own mix of warm textures and its own personality.

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The experience centers on a two-course, prix fixe feast (the regular menu is also available), beginning with Alpenrose’s signature German pretzel, served with mustard — the cheese dip is an addition that can make a good thing even better. Then comes the main event: raclette, fondue, or both depending on your party’s size. New this season is the raclette melter, which allows guests to warm a generous block of imported Swiss raclette cheese beneath a dedicated melter until it’s toasty and bubbly: It’s an updated version of the classic method over a roaring fire. When the edges turn golden, the cheese is scraped in a molten ribbon over potatoes, bread, cherry tomatoes or anything else on the table that begs to be smothered. In addition to the raclette, the fondue is also an option — choose from beef or cheese and prepare your own gourmet meal to your specifications. The result is part dinner, part adventure that adds up to an unforgettable experience. 

– Katie Coakley, EAT Magazine

Themed nights and events at Chasing Rabbits

Take a trip down the rabbit hole into a world of flavors, colors and immersive experiences. Chasing Rabbits is a whimsical 13,000-square-foot facility boasting four uniquely themed spaces, each with its own food and flair. 

Take a journey with a dash of drama down a red-lit, mirror-lined glam hallway. At the end, you’ll find the Moon Rabbit, a hidden speakeasy draped in modern Asian decor and imported liquors. Cocktails are an artistic and interactive experience that are as delicious as they are intricate. They’re concocted with Japanese flavors and served out of sailboats or on a gold platter held by a rabbit in a spacesuit.

Guests settle into plush red velvet seating, surrounded by dark walls and elegant Eastern-inspired floral patterns set under soaring ceilings and moody lighting. A 150-inch projector screen spans the back wall, setting the stage for local arts and cultural events, including movie premiers and live streams of the Metropolitan Opera. 

Saturdays are pure magic — literally. Mystics in the Moon Rabbit brings magicians and tarot card readers to your table for up-close, interactive performances that will leave you marveling. On one Saturday, a magician dazzles you with sleight of hand tricks; on another, a tarot card reader unveils your destiny with a custom-designed tarot card when you order the Sage Advice.

“It’s our spin on the Chinese fortune cookie, but in an elevated way,” said Thea Knobel, vice president of the Solaris Group.

Fancy solving a murder mystery? Give it a try with clues and characters served alongside dinner. Or, indulge in a risqué treat with a burlesque show. Every night here has its own vibe. Whether you’re looking for magic, music or an unforgettable night out, Chasing Rabbits is your ticket to wonderland. Ready to tumble down the rabbit hole? 

– Jennifer Weintraub, EAT Magazine

Tableside flourishes at The Antler’s Room at Pepi’s

It’s impossible to talk about the history of Vail without including the Hotel Gasthof Gramshammer and its authentic Austrian restaurant and bar. Opened on Bridge Street in 1964 — the town itself was incorporated in 1966 — Pepi’s Restaurant and Bar and the European-style inn not only are a staple still today in Vail, but a pillar on which this community was built on.

The main dining area specializes in Austrian cuisine and the bar area is a festive hot spot for live music and après skiing. But for those looking for a uniquely Vail experience unlike any other, dining in the Antler’s Room at Pepi’s is where memories that last a lifetime are made.

Internationally known for its wild game dinners — cooked and prepared tableside — The Antler’s Room is where you can get all of the customary offerings that Colorado has to offer. And it’s only open during the winter, so don’t wait.

Among the tableside offerings exclusive to The Antler’s Room at Pepi’s include steak tartare, with hand-chopped sirloin and traditional accompaniments; and the classic Caesar salad, made right in front of your eyes.

But it’s the entrees that are the real show-stoppers. Wapiti elk steak medallion bring the flame to your fine dining experience; and the rack of caribou (for two or more people) is even carved at your table.

While Pepi’s also offers its classics like wiener schnitzel and jäger schnitzel, the Antler’s Room elevates any dining experience. And its name comes from the dozens of animal antlers hanging around the intimate room, where an old, old rifle is also displayed, adding to the wild game feel.

– Ross Leonhart, EAT Magazine

Find your type at Archetype Distillery

Each visitor to the Archetype Distillery cocktail lounge in Vail Village receives a blue card, a navigation aid for their cocktail encounter. One side prompts a choice from three different scales, dry to sweet, mellow to strong and frothy to smooth, while the other displays a colorful wheel with flavors from savory to fruity, floral to sharp, along with a color-coded list of Archetype’s full range of vacuum-distilled spirits.

“You can use those as a base to any cocktail,” said Michael Chapyak, Archetype’s co-owner and master distiller. “You can combine them with the vodkas or the gins, and the guidelines off that menu help us design your cocktail, textures and intensity. We can riff on everything from whiskey-style drinks to margaritas and all the rest.”

A mezcal-inspired margarita could start with Archetype’s Archrebel alderwood-smoked gin, with orange spirit, fresh lemon and lime juices and cane sugar simple syrup. Crank up the heat with the addition of jalapeño or habanero bitters, all made at Archetype’s distillery in Gypsum.

“We can craft you a cocktail from a martini all the way to as crazy as you’d like, a Singapore or London-style cocktail,” co-owner Wade Murphy said.

Gin or vodka martinis can be embellished with traditional lemon or lime, as well as more unconventional olive and bleu cheese-infused spirits. Have a beer drinker in your group? Archetype has something for them, too.

“For IPA drinkers, we use the lemon spirit and vodka with our tonic, a lighter, spicier beer,” Chapyak said. “For a regular beer drinker, a vodka tonic pleases that palate.”

Archetype’s house-made tonic is the real deal, a brewed elixir made with quinine extracted from cinchona bark with a natural amber color. A quaffable jar of the bark, along with others containing blends of herbs, teas and other ingredients used to make the distillery’s many spirits, adds to the sensory experience. 

“We try to be as natural as possible,” Chapyak said. “If you see an ingredient on the list, it’s purely that ingredient in alcohol form.”

– Krista Driscoll, EAT Magazine