ITALIAN CUISINE
Due to COVID-19, some of the information below may be temporarily different as restaurants navigate these uncharted times. Please visit each establishment's website for their most up to date information, how they are responding to COVID-19, and short term changes in services offered. Thank you for supporting our community!
FAVORITE SPOTS
La Nonna — This beautifully re-designed restaurant serves excellent Northern Italian cuisine in a fun, upbeat atmosphere. It is a favorite of locals and guests alike. It is owned by the former Executive Chef & GM of one of Vail’s most popular restaurants of years past, and features house-made pastas & the freshest ingredients. Just like Nonna makes!
Pazzo’s Pizzeria — This local‘s favorite pizza parlor offers great New York style pizza along with other Italian dishes in a casual and relaxed atmosphere. Pazzo’s has 3 locations in Avon, Vail Village, and Eagle. It was founded by 3 ski bums who skied all day and made pizza all night, and is still a favorite of the mountain community now as it was when it opened in 1990. Please note, Pazzo’s does not accept reservations, so if you are visiting during a busy time, please allow for additional wait time.
Ti Amo — Tucked away in the middle of the commercial district of Eagle Vail you’ll find Ti Amo, an established family favorite serving Northern Italian cuisine. Ti Amo explores often overlooked flavors of Italian cuisine, including strawberries, oranges, celery, and gorgonzola (not all together, of course!). Don’t forget to save room for their beloved cannolis for dessert!
Ticino — I guess there’s something about tucking Italian restaurants in quaint nooks, because Ticino is also located nestled in the heart of Avon’s town center. It’s a small restaurant with flavors which pack a big punch! This family owned and operated restaurant serves homestyle Italian cuisine with a modern flair, and makes their pastas in house.
Toscanini — Located in Beaver Creek overlooking the Black Family Ice Rink, Toscanini is loved for their Italian wine list and options for not only contemporary pasta dishes, but delicious segundis as well, served from their open kitchen. Weather dependent, they have a fabulous rink-side patio, and fantastic aprés ski options for unwinding.
Zino Ristorante — Zino was founded by the greats behind Sweet Basil. It closed for a few years, and was missed so much it was reopened in 2010 (including their Mussels Madness Night, a crowd favorite!). Their pasta is made from scratch, their burrata hand pulled, their prosciutto sliced to order, and their gluten free options are so good my sister sent it back because she was convinced she was given the “real thing.” The owner came back with her dish and the Italian GF pasta he special orders for her to believe what tastes so good actually contained zero gluten! It’s a story I love sharing with my GF guests, because many of them haven’t had delicious pasta since diagnosis (if ever).
RESERVATION INFORMATION
From the casual pizzeria to the more elegant white tablecloth del tutto dining, there are Italian options for your entire party.
It is especially important to make your dining reservations in advance for Italian establishments because they are among the most popular restaurants in the valley and there are not as many options for Italian as there are in bigger metropolitan districts, despite it being one of the most requested type of cuisine by travellers.
Please keep in mind prime dining hours for dinner are 5:30 – 8:00PM. Peak season is considered the entirety of the winter season or during the height of the summer season (mid-June through Labor Day). It’s difficult to “wing it” for these preferred hours, and cancellations are rare. Don’t be surprised if a restaurant has a 24 hour cancellation policy and request to hold a credit card for the reservation—this is to help protect themselves against last minute cancellations and to be able to staff accordingly. These popular restaurants may also have a booking policy (whether booking by phone or online) so ensure you are familiar with the policy when you are booking. You can be charged if you no show or if you cancel within 24 hours and they are unable to rebook the table. Remember, many of the restaurants in the Vail Valley are very small, especially in comparison to larger cities.
If you are travelling during the winter, I would recommend booking your reservations for Christmastime in October/November (depending on when the restaurant opens), and for the rest of the winter you can begin in December. For summertime, you can begin making your reservations approximately 1 month prior to arrival, unless you are coming for 4th of July weekend—if so, I’d start calling when the restaurants open in May! It’s always better to have a reservation and cancel it than it is to risk not being able to get into your favorites because you waited too long. It’s counterintuitive, especially in this day and age of instant-everything, however our valley is small and popular restaurants fill up quickly. All of the restaurants listed here accept reservations unless noted (mainly Pazzo’s).
Remember—if you can’t find the restaurant on OpenTable, just call them! Not every restaurant out here utilizes OpenTable, and if they do, not every restaurant puts every table on the platform so it’s always worth a call.
