We recently kicked off our vacation with a celebratory dinner at 221 South Oak. It was a near perfect experience. Service: 5/5 - Attentive and spot on with recommendations. We interacted with 3 different waitstaff, 1 food runner and the person who seated us. All were very professional, friendly, knowledgeable and exhibited anticipatory service. Food: we started with the octopus and it was very good, nicely charred. We selected the Salmon and the Elk T-bone for our entrees. The salmon was a generous portion perfectly seasoned and cooked. The accompanying sauces added to the overall dish. But the star of this show was the sweet potato mochi. Ahhh, those were dreamy. The Elk was very tender, however, it was requested at medium rare and about 70% of it was, the remaining portion was very undercooked especially near the bone. This portion seemed a bit on the smaller side as well. A lot of bone to meat ratio. The accompaniments to this dish were very tasty. We finished with the tres leches cake. Although not a traditional rendering, the chocolate sauce the moist cake was swimming in was sooooo good! Ambiance: the restaurant has a lovely patio, unfortunately we did not score at spot outside. However, the interiors are very nice and inviting, so in general you can't go wrong seated inside....unless you are seated at the table for 2 nearest to the kitchen entrance. It is impossible to really relax and enjoy your meal in this spot. The speed of service is intense and they shoot like bullets in and out of that entrance inches away from you. It is both startling and unnerving. We would have asked to move but as there were no empty tables it would have been in vain.The only thing that would have made it worse would have been a swinging metal door! All in all, the meal and the service would draw us back to 221 South Oak, but we would call in advance to reserve our table and not go through OpenTable. read more

221 South Oak - Salmon w/Sweet Potato Mochi 7/9/24 - New American Near Me - Telluride, Colorado

See all

We had the trout and bison short rib--both very good with a bottle of wine. Dessert was interesting as menu said macaroons, but was actually macrons. read more

Went here for a birthday dinner and food was great servers knew the menu and recommended things on I would like and it didn't disappoint.

Our experience at 221 South Oak was nothing short of exceptional. My family and I drove in from Denver and decided to stop by as walk-ins, not knowing quite what to expect--but from the moment we stepped inside, we were completely taken in by the beautiful, warm ambience. The space feels intimate, welcoming, and thoughtfully designed, setting the perfect tone for a memorable evening. The menu is truly delightful--creative, exotic, and clearly crafted with high-quality ingredients and care. Every dish felt intentional and elevated without being pretentious. A huge part of what made the night so special was our server, Nicolai, who is originally from Hawaii. He did an amazing job from start to finish. Nicolai was incredibly knowledgeable about the wine list, offered great recommendations, and was genuinely interested in our conversation, which made the service feel personal and relaxed rather than transactional. Most importantly, he took my wife's dairy allergy very seriously and made sure her wagyu steak was prepared perfectly and safely, which we deeply appreciated. For my main course, I had the bison short rib, and it was absolutely to die for--tender, rich, and packed with flavor. One of those dishes you think about long after the meal is over. We almost tried to escape without dessert, but Nicolai convinced us otherwise--and thank goodness he did. The chocolate tart and bread pudding were outstanding and the perfect ending to an already incredible meal. We will absolutely be returning to 221 South Oak and recommending it to all of our friends and family. This was a standout dining experience in every sense. read more

Our server knew his way around the menu and gave us a great base knowledge to work from. There are many vegetarian options. The Whole Wheat Noodles with Cashew Bolognese is very good. The restaurant is in a small house but feels cozy rather than cramped and I found the decor very much to my liking. read more

In Telluride for July 4th and wanted a nice dinner. The chef at 221 South Oak is the most noted chef in town with cookbooks, tv appearences and Iron Chef praise according to locals. The decor is cute in a small old house, brightly colored and displaying nice art work. The patio is comfortable and it is very inviting. Reservations are highly encouraged and the maitre de was very engaging. We sat inside and ordered the fried green tomatoes with crispy speck for an appetizer. I also ordered the flank steak with potato gnocchi. The fried green tomato was very tasty and unique in the flavor profile. The steak was good but not remarkable. Overall, the food is good but not sure amazing. It is a nice option for dinner read more

221 South Oak - Fried green tomatoes with crispy speck - New American Near Me - Telluride, Colorado

See all

One of our best meals while in Telluride! This place is super cute and looks like a residential home on the side of the street. We checked in and were quickly escorted to our table in a yurt behind the main dining room. It was equipped with multiple heaters and was very warm! The host staff was amazing throughout the night including our server! We ordered a bottle of En Route Pinot Noir for drinks and the manager quickly brought it over and served us. It was delicious! For starters we got the ceviche special which was striped bass and the sausage plate! Both were delicious but the ceviche was my favorite of the two! For entrees, we got the salmon, lamb, elk t-bone, scallops, and trout w/ ravioli! Everything was delicious! I loved my trout. The carrot ravioli was to die for!! We ended with the chocolate tart and buttermilk cake. Buttermilk cake was my favorite but the tart was good too just a little too rich for me. Overall, I cannot speak more highly of this place. Do yourself a favor and eat here! read more

See all

This place is excellent. The details are what matters here. The bartender is a second degree sommelier. A delight. A woman from Wisconsin. The owner is present and also appreciably involved. Women run the place... as they should and it shows in the details...they care. The dining is comparable to anything I've found abroad or in Cali. Kudos to the crew! The wine list is affordable and top notch.... A good blend of French, Italian and American from Oregon, and Cali. An eclectic menu of classic French meets Asian fusion with some interesting touches like a ramen waffle with duck confit. Very good. It was the Sunday brunch menu. Would like to try other items when I come back. They're thinking out of the box here. Beyond the box. You will be well served to visit here if you like fine dining and fine wine and happen to be in this beautiful area. The place is cozy and everyone is friendly and accommodating to the point of absurdity. I love the Midwest. I don't want to go back home to California . read more

Excellent food and very charming old house with patio in the back. Seasonal Cocktail choices were so appealing, we ordered the Watermelon smash. So refreshing and good! Salad and the entrees were unique preparations and very tasty. We had the Elk T-bone and trout, both cooked perfectly. The strawberry rhubarb dessert with honey lavender ice cream was the perfect finisher. Super cute and quiet patio in the back under trees. Only downside with our seats on the patio were that we had ants and green tree bugs falling on us the entire evening. read more

See all

Had a wonderful breakfast. The staff and atmosphere make the experience so lovely. Had a lavender spritz which was so light and refreshing. read more

221 South Oak - New American Near Me - Telluride, Colorado

The food was great. Everyone was very nice but our particular server was very very mediocre. It really *almost* ruined the meal. Definitely affected our feeling of the place. read more

What a charming atmosphere with beautiful art. There was a very friendly greeting at the hostess stand and we just had to wait a few minutes to be seated for our reservation. We really enjoyed our food at drink. The challenge was the very slow service. It looked like our server had quite a few tables so it was somewhat understandable but frustrating. There were times she walked right past us and we ended up not ordering the dessert we wanted because we didn't see her. read more

See all

The food was alright. The crispy Brussels sprout with chickpeas on the vegan menu was flavorful. The trout was good, very tender albeit a bit plain, and the duo ravioli were interesting company. They were a bit jarring in terms of taste, but I applaud the chef for daring to be creative. The service was lacking. I did not see the waitress until 25 mins into sitting. Towards the end, she tried very hard selling additional ice cream on top of a buttermilk cake, which I did not concur with. But when the cake arrived, a scoop of ice cream (and the flavor was the one that I like the least) sat at the top. Since she did not come to check on me until I left the restaurant, I did not even get a chance to reconcile with her. Therefore the 2 stars. read more

See all

We had our wedding welcome dinner here as well as our post wedding brunch. All of my guests were blown away by the food and service. The entire staff was friendly, professional, and accommodating. The staff was polite and accommodating to individual guests needs/requests. Music, special seating arrangements, you name it. They were on top of it. Where we received slow response from other wedding vendors, Eliza was always quick to respond, and helpful. read more

221 South Oak - Brown Butter Pound Cake - New American Near Me - Telluride, Colorado

See all

We loved our experience in the greenhouse at 221 South Oak. The room was very comfortable for our group of 17. Everyone was please with both the food and service. I highly recommend the seared scallops. Wine list was a bit pricey, but we found a nice Sangiovese for $58 per bottle that was a great accompaniment for most meals and a nice California Sauvignon Blanc at $80 per bottle that was dry and crisp for the folks eating seafood. All in all a lovely ambience, great food and wonderful experience. Will return! read more

See all

This restraint is so good! They definitely have the best chicken fingers in the whole USA. Their food is definitely more mature because some basic kid options. The service is great and I would definitely recommend getting the chicken fingers. The restraint has great paintings on the wall that are beautiful. Next time you come to Telluride you should come here. read more

221 South Oak will always be special to us, as my fiancé proposed to me earlier in the day, and we had our celebratory dinner here that night. It looks like a small house from the outside, and the seating is intimate inside. The staff from the hostess to servers and bartenders were all extraordinary and went out of their way to make our night special. Not only was the food absolutely out of the world, but the chef, Eliza Gavin (from Top Chef), brought our meal out to us and even sat down to talk to us for a little bit. Even though they were busy, she was so sweet and truly made our night even more memorable. On top of all of that, they brought us complimentary champagne, too! We had the best meal and service of our trip to Telluride here! read more

See all

Extremely disappointing meal. The server was fabulous, she deserves 10 stars. I had heard great things about the quality of the food served at this place, so we were eager to try it. We had an epic birthday meal the night before at Allreds, so the bar was set pretty high... unfortunately this experience did not deliver what we thought it should have. We started with the Burratta appetizer. Whenever I see this on a menu, I have to try it. This dish was odd, it had peanuts and a weird beet sauce, it sounded kind of disjointed and it tasted that way as well. Absolutely no flavor, disappointing. Then we split the heart of romaine and Kale salad with chick pea croutons and sardines. Gross! The salad was old tasting and mealy. The croutons we had were odd, had a stale, soft texture, once again NO Flavor!! And then we split the bison short ribs. The bison meat was super tender, cooked well, but had a very pot roast type of flavor and consistency, and once again, just not a ton of flavor! It was served on a mushy pile of, what looked like bird's eye frozen veggie medley, the kind you get in a bag at the freezer section, the gorgeous Bison was just plopped on a pile of the mushy vegetables...???? What? There was a small amount of sauce and a lot of dry, pink peppercorns. What a sub par meal... this place used to be known for some of the best food in Telluride. Then we had the chocolate tort for desert, we didn't even finish it, once again, it just wasn't good. Kind of dry, not very interesting. I've never not finished desert!!! I wonder who is in the kitchen these days, is Eliza the chef/owner still there? She is supposed to be amazing, if she is, I don't know what's going on, the food we had did not taste like an award winning chef prepared our dishes. They all tasted very, meh... maybe she isn't as hands on as in the past. if I were to guess by the quality of the food. These days most cooks are Latin Americans. They are very hard working, and have taken over the restaurant scene in many mountain towns. I get it. They show up for work and work hard, but they need better training!!! People around us were also murmuring the same reactions. Too bad, but we'll go to Allreds next time. read more

Super cute location with awesome local art. We dined in the beautiful yurt. Enjoyed the foie gras (warmed and chilled foie), honey fried quail, salmon taretare, and duck confit. All were very tasty! I've had better foie but the other items were all such unique and flavorful takes on more classic dishes. I recommend trying if you're in the area! read more

See all

We retuned back to an ole fav for dinner this evening. We have been skiing Telluride for quite sometime! Always enjoy the art work that's displayed around the establishment. We started our evening with some cool cocktails. We got the "train to Mexico" and the " old fashion #9". We then were quickly seated and enjoyed the molasses bread and butter. We indulged with the octopus and the for dinner had the elk t bone and beef short rib. Shared the pyramid chocolate dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. All wonderful! read more

See all

My experience at 221 South Oak was beyond memorable & one I haven't had in a long, long time. I am so appreciative of all the amazing food, staff, time, and energy put into creating such an incredible environment and experience for everyone who comes through their door. Not only was I able to enjoy delightful dishes, filled with flavor and seasonal colors, the cocktails & paired wines complemented my meal perfectly. A special note for all the staff that were present, the warm hostess, incredible waiters, waitresses, & bartenders, and the confident, bubbly manager, Sophie, who moved seamlessly through the night attending to each and every person. I couldn't recommend 221 more for people living in or passing through Telluride for a lively, delicious, and absolutely unforgettable night on the town. read more

221 South Oak - New American Near Me - Telluride, Colorado

See all

This is my first bad review ever. I tried very hard to rectify the situation before writing this. I'm in town with my family for a week. I made a reservation at this restaurant. Somehow on open table I made 2 reservations a half hour apart by mistake. I canceled the reservation 24 hours in advance hoping to go back later in the week not knowing I had another reservation. They charged my card $300 for the reservation no show. It was an honest mistake but they wouldn't here it. Now I could never go there because mistakes happen and Eliza, the owner, is so condescending, rigid, and unyielding that I wouldn't want to. I could only imagine getting a dish I didn't like and them still charging me for it. Never going there and will make sure my friends and family don't who frequent Telluride often. read more

I'll start off by saying the food was definitely better than most of our dining experiences in Telluride. I had the Scallops, which were supposed to come with a chili oil, but when I tasted no spice and asked them, they forgot to add the chili oil and had to bring it out on the side for me to pour myself. The dish was very tasty and I enjoyed it. My Husband got the Elk Steak, which he regretted. The overall winning dish on the table seemed to be the Bison. They had a good wine selection however the bartender was rude when we were trying to get a drink while we waited for our reservation/ table to be ready. The standard pour for a glass of wine (especially one that costs $20) is 5 ounces. I watched her pour out the last drop in the bottle and instead of opening another bottle to complete the pour she served it to me and it was no more that 3.5-4 ounces. We went to our table and after a lot of push back the server finally agreed to top off my wine. Overall the service and attitude of the staff was poor but the food was good for Telluride standards. read more

221 South Oak - Elk - New American Near Me - Telluride, Colorado

See all

Perhaps one of the biggest dining disappointments I've ever experienced - except the dining experience part. The atmosphere was perfect - charming restored Victorian, window table with a cool mountain breeze and an excellent glass of tap water. We have followed Chef Eliza for some time and looked so forward to making this meal a part of our first trip to Telluride, and I was certain it would be a perfect birthday dinner for my partner. We arrived right on time for our 5:30 reservation and were promptly greeted and seated and the gentleman who seated us seemed professional. We are fine with tap water and that was promptly delivered. We read over all the cocktail, wine and dinner options - we had plenty of time, as we would sit for a little more than 20 minutes with not one of the 6 staff we counted showing up to our table, though they had plenty of time to pass by and notice us, but never make eye contact and time to congregate. We had an event we had to be at at 7:00 and we knew, given the way things were going, that we would not have time to enjoy the meal we'd hoped for. We chose to leave quietly, not wanting to make a scene and possibly ruin someone else's dining experience, and out of respect for the well-regarded chef/owner, Eliza Gavin. When I called to let them know, the manager Luke let me know he was aware and that our server was very busy and arrived at our table just as we were leaving - yet we left completely unnoticed... If Chef Gavin reads this, I hope you know how incredibly disappointing this whole experience was and we will remain fans from afar, for now. And once we sort how we feel about this evening, we will consider making another reservation on our next trip. Meanwhile, I highly recommend the tap water. And you couldn't drink it in a lovelier place. read more

Fabulous little gem in the heart of Telluride. Food is upscale and delicious. Service is top notch and they are knowledgeable about the menu and wine selections. This is an old house converted some years back into a quaint little restaurant. Make a reservation. You won't be disappointed read more

Fantastic! Everything about this restaurant was superb! The owner/chef sat us and was so delightful. We had the octopus appetizer that was delicious and perfectly prepared. The seared tofu with vegetables and noodles in a coconut broth was amazing and the trout with duo ravioli was very tasty! We had a peach crumble with ice cream for dessert which ended this fabulous meal. The ambiance was nice, I look forward to returning to this gem of a restaurant!! read more

Great dinner!! Our waitress Isabella was very attentive and kind.The braised short rib was excellent. We would definitely go back.

221 is a busy place so make sure to book in advance. We enjoyed all the dishes but did not have a "wow" dish hence the 4 stars. Maybe if I have to choose a favorite it would be the dessert, banana cream cake. The only thing I would change would be remove the rum which was adding sour/spicy taste. Here are the dishes we ordered and I think all of them are good: Seated foie gras: 8/10 Bone marrow: 8/10 Kale salad: 7/10 Elk: 8/10 Rack of lamb: 8/10 Banana cream cake: 8/10 read more

See all

Food was great. Staff were pleasant and attentive. Bison short ribs were falling off the bone.

Disclaimer: came here just for a pre-dinner drink without a reservation. But nonetheless, it shouldn't take 10 minutes for someone to greet you, especially in a small restaurant. Probably 3 or 4 different employees walked past my boyfriend and I standing at the hostess stand before one half stopped to say the host would be with us shortly. Five minutes later, the host was with us. Mind you, this was a Wednesday night and the place was not packed by any means. While waiting for the host, we just asked the bartender if we could sit in two of the four empty seats to grab one quick cocktail before a dinner reservation elsewhere in 30 minutes. He said they had to be saved for reservations coming in. Ok, sure that's fine. Until the host finally greeted us and told us we were more than welcome to have a seat at the bar. Not a good look when the staff is not on the same page. We both ordered a glass of wine, don't even remember what but it was red and it was good. In short, based on this one experience I am not eager to come back here if I'm ever in town again. read more

Loved this place. I'm a vegetarian so I was so happy to find a place with an entire vegetarian menu. They also have a wide selection of vegan options, as well as vegetarian options that can be made vegan upon request. The veg menu was similar to the regular menu with thoughtful substitutions (tofu, mushroom, etc). Also I didn't put a photo of the appetizer but we got the grilled halloumi with strawberry rhubarb dust. We were amazed by everything we tried. 10/10 would highly recommend read more

See all

Food here is always superb! Friendly staff and welcoming environment. It is pricey, but worth it! read more

221 South Oak - Ordervs - New American Near Me - Telluride, Colorado

This is a nice restaurant off the main strip in Telluride. Ambiance is better in main dining area. Due to Covid we were seated in their outdoor tent. It had heaters and they tried their best to make it comfortable. Service was friendly and attentive. Appetizers were pretty good. I had the duo of soup which is an interesting way to serve soup I have not seen anywhere else. Both soups were good by themselves but it really shined when you mixed them. My wife had the fried green tomatoes. They were nice and crisp and the cucumber coulis added a good balance. The only negative was the prosciutto on the top. I think it was prepared dried and had almost a jerky consistency which made it tough to cut and chew. Main course for me was the trout. Tasty, a touch overcooked for my taste but the pillow ravioli's were delicious. I could have had a dish of just them! My wife had the Elk T-bone. This was good as well. Meat was tender and the fruit compote paired nicely. It could have been served on a larger plate as all the components were stacked so it looked nice when served but as soon as you tried to eat it everything got smashed around and quickly became a mess. Dessert was the profiteroles stuffed with ice cream. It provided a nice cooling finish to the meal. 4.5 stars and I would recommend it. read more

See all