Under the direction of the Little Nell team, this perennial favorite for burgers, truffle fries and some heartier dishes (the veal schnitzel cassoulet has a cult following). Those who care more about the atmosphere than the food are rewarded with a wonderful patio right at the base of Aspen Mountain. People can linger from lunch, through après ski or hike straight on until dinner and watch the sun drop behind the mountains and the stars come out.

Opened by Aspen native and renowned chef Barclay Dodge, Bosq brings fresh, eclectic gastronomy to the glamorous mountain town. With minimalist interiors and a seasonal alfresco patio, the restaurant offers a menu combining familiar flavors and surprising twists. Dishes reflect inspiration from Dodge’s travels across the globe: beef tartare with shitake mushrooms, red mole tacos, traditional Peking duck and roasted lobster with beet root empanadas. A memorable dinner here is best accompanied by one of the bar’s innovative cocktails.

This restaurant consistently serves among the best meals in town on its large patio, a favorite summer gathering spot. The French bistro food is just what you need after a concert or a play, and owner Jodi Larner handles crowds with aplomb. An Aspen classic, Cache-Cache is the place to eat on Friday nights and has been for years.

A cozy yet hip restaurant serving delicious Italian cuisine. It is very popular with locals and visitors, so is usually packed.

Like its sister restaurant of the same name in Miami, this spot offers great Italian cuisine in an elegant setting.

Ski to Aspen Highland’s Cloud Nine around 2 pm on a sunny powder day, and you’ll find a more celebratory lunch experience than the standard mountain fare. Sure, some patrons will be tucked into pots of steaming fondue, but others will be dancing on tabletops as a DJ turns this quaint mountain hut into one of Aspen’s most fun experiences. Thursday evenings, Cloud Nine also offers snowcat dinners, with the Austrian chef serving up elk ragout, osso buco and strudel to candlelit tables. Snowcats depart at 6 p.m., and the dinners are popular so reservations strongly recommended.

Nobu Matsuhisa brings his notable sushi cuisine to Aspen in this basement restaurant. But why hide downstairs when there’s now patio dining right on Main Street, complete with space heaters to keep you comfortable even in cooler temperatures.

When Aspen’s weather warms to outdoor dining levels, one of the mountain’s most fun new traditions begins. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, the Little Nell hosts a champagne bar that pops up at various locations around the mountain. Follow the Nell (@thelittlenell) on Twitter to find where to schedule a drink, or look for the colorful Veuve Clicquot umbrellas. Lounge chairs and a solar-powered sound system make the Oasis the ultimate midslope stop. Weekends only, beginning after Presidents’ Day Weekend.

Proof that steakhouses can be sexy sits in a tiny A-frame cottage in the center of Aspen. It’s called Steakhouse No. 316. Diners cozy up in the curvy red leather banquettes, slicing into locally raised beef beneath the exposed beam ceilings. A wide, marble bar with high-backed chairs offers the ideal perch for a solo martini, although the buzzy atmosphere usually means singles rarely drink alone for long. The menu, created by the same team behind Wild Fig, features steakhouse standards as well as lighter fare for ski bunnies watching their waistlines. Vegetarians, don’t be scared off: Lulu’s kale salad, a popular carryover from the space’s previous occupant, is off-the-charts good.