We'd eaten there before and it was a magical evening. This time the dinner was OK not great. The dinner was a little too rushed even though it didn't seem that anyone was waiting for our table. the boar was a little over cooked. the vegetables were paltry on the entree plate on the fish The food was good but it was not amazing. Not inclined to return. Why add the gratuity? That is a little presumtous to add the amount. That practice doesn't incent wait staff to really offer excellent service. read more

Amazing views and even better food. All of the staff is delightful and the service is excellent! We did the evening horse ride and it was spectacular. Thank you! read more

Pine Creek Cookhouse - New American Near Me - Aspen, Colorado

TERRIBLE! I'm so disappointed because this place has always been iconic and it has always been worth the drive. The view is the best part and you can get that for free! My daughter and I had THE WORST EXPERIENCE this evening. Last night, when we ate at our favorite restaurant Parc, that is one block away from us, we had so much extra food that we had to bring some home when we shared an appetizer and an entrée, and I left a 25% tip because the service was so amazing. I also left a 25% tip after lunch at Tempranillo in basalt today - fabulous experience as usual. I like to tip well based on good service. Imagine my shock when Pinecreek automatically added 20% to my bill after I had the worst experience ever. First of all, no one greeted us. The person who poured our water was apparently also our waiter, even though he never introduced himself and seemed completely disinterested & looking away when he was mentioning the specials, which I could not even hear. Here is the most ridiculous part: the bread was stale! When I told him the bread was stale, the apparent owner (I found out later) was snarky and said I can bake some more but it will take a while. They then brought over even MORE STALE bread! Literally like cardboard, I can't imagine serving that to anyone ever! I have never experienced this ever. How hard is it to serve at least decent bread? We could drive 35 minutes from Aspen but they can't drive in to get bread? They said "their purveyors not only did not bring bread, but they could not get cloth and napkins," which is why we had crappy paper napkins at our expensive dinner tonight. I am so upset. Leaving the restaurant, coming home and heating up leftovers from the night before, my daughter and I read through recent reviews and if I thought I was going far by disputing my charge with American Express, someone else wrote that they are filing motion and small claims court. What a WASTE OF TIME. Oh, and when I mentioned to the hostess, who was just as disinterested as the rest, that we had stale bread, crappy napkins, and why couldn't they play any music, she tried to tell me that there was music. So neither my 26 year-old daughter nor myself could hear any music, but they were playing it ? I now see why there was hardly anyone there, and hopefully if people read recent reviews before they go, Pinecreek Cookhouse won't have any business at all because they (sadly) don't deserve it. read more

TOURIST TRAP! Was quoted a price of 235 each for sleigh ride and dinner, when I got the final bill it was over 4,100 for 7 of us!!!! Not to mention the meal was INEDIBLE. They start off with a tasteless salad that's nothing but greens and one small tomato, then give you carpaccio that looks like the leftovers from a Subway sandwich counter. The sirloin steak was so tough they should issue you a chain saw to cut it. They then finished with an apple crisp that tasted like a McDonalds fried pie that someone had left out in the cold for two weeks. And after all this they charged a 900 dollar TIP!!!! Yes a "service charge" of 900.00 to go onto this bill for an inedible disgusting meal. The wait staff just rolled their eyes when you complained. DO NOT GO HERE! This is the restaurant equivalent of a nasty grimy topless bar. It was, without a doubt the WORST DINING EXPERIENCE ever. read more

For $600 on Valentine's weekend, we bought the horse sleigh ride and four course meal package for 2 people. The horse sleigh ride picks you up and drops off right at the restaurant entrance, and the ride goes slow so you get to take in the scenery. Very cool. The food wasn't worth what we paid for honestly and cost even more because we opted to upgrade our entrees to pricier meats. But the service was good, ambience romantic, and food still decent. And the wine list, although overpriced, was good. So the memorable experience is worth taking at least once! read more

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If you're the type of person that likes to check out every place on a trip in case someone asks if you went to such and such restaurant - then by all means go. I completely believe that there exist those that have glorious experiences here. Riding in on horseback, dog sled or what have you. And that makes me happy. But we merely drive up, parked in a muddy parking lot, got seated up front near the bar, ordered a specialty to be told it wasn't available, tried our best to be cordial and understanding of any service shortfall and of course paid dearly for the 'experience'. If you are prepared to spend the money it's ok because you've been to this restaurant before. There's at least one in every tourist town. They own the land, they own the reputational currency and they continue to trade off that for years without really earning the continued hype. This is just my experience because to be fair I have met and talked to many people who wax and wane over this place like it's the holy grail. So if you go...keep your expectations in check, get your check book out, attempt to score a nice table and enjoy a lovely view. read more

Food Service and Ambiance were all amazing. A must if you're in town - the horse drawn sleigh is the way to go! read more

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What a great place for a weekend lunch! This remote restaurant offered beautiful scenery, good food and great overall atmosphere. Their soup of the day was an amazing Tortilla soup, which had just enough spicy kick to make me smile. Then moved on to an ahi tuna open faced melt. I would definitely go back...and I'm looking forward to a winter visit when you have to take a horse drawn carriage to get there. read more

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I have never in my life been treated with such disrespect. My husband and I are local to Colorado and spend a lot of time in Aspen. We walked into Pine Creek for lunch on Friday and we were wearing nice athleisure attire. We are in our young 30s, and looked put together nonetheless. I went up to the host stand to request a table and was behind another party of 2 girls. They did not have a reservation, and the host told them he could sit them inside immediately or they could wait 20-30 minutes for an outdoor table. When I approached the host stand and requested the same, he said the patio is reservation only. He was extremely rude and "matter of fact", barely making eye contact. We were needing to sit outside since we had our dog with us and mind you, the patio was full of other dogs. While we were walking out, I asked another party who was leaving the patio if they had a reservation, and they said they did not. Lack of availability vs reservation only are two very different things. Horrible customer service and clearly just worried about being "sceney." The only reasoning I could think is we were wearing athletic attire. Spend your money at one of the many other Aspen restaurants that do not treat their customers with disrespect based on appearance. We will never be back. read more

What a special experience to have lunch at this fabulous restaurant. We were greeted by a friendly hostess. She took us to a beautiful outside table. Our server was efficient and knowledgeable about the menu. She made excellent suggestions. We loved the fancy grilled cheese sandwich. The trout sandwich was delicious. We ordered the blueberry cobbler and it was amazing. What a gorgeous setting for a fabulous meal! read more

They called us the morning of to tell us no sleigh ride due to lack of snow and instead a snowcat ride. Snowcat ride was noisy, crowded. You couldn't see much or experience the beauty inside large machine. Starter soup was way to peppery. Starter salads were good. Entree Ceasar salad for main was two heads of Romain lettuce that were wilting and brown on the edge. It had odd topping of bacon what tasted like raddish in dressing. It was inedible for me. When the server asked if I wanted a to go box I told her it was not what I wanted she offered nothing not even apology. Trout and elk were good. Kids meal of chicken strip, chips and mango and tomatoe soup for $95 was way overpriced and ridiculous considering our daughter who is 5 yo only ate a few nibbles. My meal of cup of soup and Cesar salad of $130 was outrageous! We were not aware of prices being prefixed at $130 per person and 95 for kids and mandatory %20 gratuity for subpar service. Also hot cocoa was just sitting in a coffee pot the entire time to be poured. Not made fresh. No whip cream or marshmallows. Tasted burnt.. restaurant itself was extremely hot and uncomfortable considering we dressed heavily for ride outside. No seats available to eat outside, tables were covered in snow. Outside had foul odor of rotten eggs. read more

The views are incredible. The food is good. Restaurant is set in a Log cabin setting.

Great ambiance! I wish we had a bit more time to explore the area but the weather turned on us. I heard that they had "slow service" but once we got a server everything was very fast! Few drinks + prix fixe and an additional course and we were in and out in and hour +15 min. The food was great, soup was a califlower asparagus, which I could have eaten a gallon of. The salad was tasty with a good choice in bleu cheese in my opinion. We added on the Nepalese dumplings which reminded me of a goyza with a red sauce and cilantro slaw. The trout was great, well cooked and it was probably an entire fish! Apple crisp was a perfect ending and the mango sorbet was very fresh and not too sweet. Would recommend! read more

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Not even worthy of 1 star. The snow shoe to the restaurant was prob the best part. The minute we got into the restaurant we had a weird feeling. Service was so slow and horrible ( little did we know you will automatically get charged 20% regardless so that explains why the service was terrible ). We paid over $900 for 4 peoplefor a dinner that was over cooked ( we had the dried, overcooked and tasteless Oso bucco) read more

This is our tradition in the last 17 years that we come here once a year to cross country and lunch. Over the years the menu changes and so the staffs, but most likely we have a good meal and good services here. My favorite used to be the quails dish but they don't have it anymore, so now my other top choice is the mushroom crepe is delicious! I know the price is expensive here, but it's very special and so romantic. This place is a perfect place for day trip with friends, family or just with the loved one. This restaurant is located about 14 miles from Aspen and its take around 25/30 minutes drive in the scenic area. Reservation is necessary because it's filled up quickly consider it's the only restaurant out there, that's why it's so special. read more

If I could give this zero stars, I would. We never made it to the restaurant due to a hiking injury of one of the guests. When I called to inform the restaurant, I was told I would still be charged $200 for canceling within 48 hours... even though I made the reservation just about 20 hours ago. Ridiculous! The food may be good, but with a completely uncaring and absent sense of customer service, I'm genuinely appalled. You can take my $200 and shove it. read more

Great views! Incredible drive and great views. Good service too. Food was good. For the price... well we are paying for the view and experience as much as the food. I will say the Trout Dip appetizer (extra cost from pre fixe) was delish. Totally worth it. The soups and salads were good. Soup was forgettable. The entrees were fine. Duck sandwich was a bit dry - same with the elk. The quinoa salad with an addition of trout was really good - but the extra cost for the addition of protein makes it eh. It was a very expensive lunch... and it was good - but for the price it should aim higher for great. read more

Beautiful day, we enjoyed the great atmosphere, attentive service, wonderful food and cocktails.

This was such a fun experience for our first full day on vacation! We parked in Ashcroft Ghost town, paid the $5/person admittance, and walked through the town on the 1.25 mile hike to the restaurant. It was a beautiful hike along the river with amazing views. You can drive to the restaurant, but walking was fun. I made reservations a week in advance on Yelp, it was super easy to navigate and them confirmed with me over texting. We sat outside looking at the great views but we were getting eaten by mosquitos, and some younger kids were running around screaming and trying to grab a little snake so it was kind of distracting. So we moved inside. Our waitress was very accommodating and so nice. My brother has a lactose allergy and she was more than accommodating. We had 2 appetizers, smoked trout and the momos. The buffalo momos were just average but the trout was great. I had the smoked trout sandwich, sort of like a trout salad sandwich, it was delicious! Some other people at our party had a chicken sandwich, salmon chowder, elk sausage sandwich and beet salad. No one complained because we all loved it! The goat cheese on the beet salad was ridiculously fresh. Our waitress was quick and efficient, always refilling our drinks and asking if we needed anything. The inside is beautiful, lots of wood and rustic decor, antlers/hides. It was an amazing experience and started our trip off wonderfully! read more

Pine Creek Cookhouse - View from the hike to the restaurant. - New American Near Me - Aspen, Colorado

We were extremely excited to visit Pine Creek. We have nothing but great things from our friends. Unfortunately, we ran in to flight cancelations the day of our reservation. They were very flexible and understanding of our situation. Because of the way they handled it, we will be sure to find another time to visit. read more

Incredibly RUDE staff and very inferior food - but the ambiance is great - disappointing -

I"m a local and I used to really love this place since it is located in a beautiful setting and the hike, cross-country ski or sleigh ride to get to the restaurant make for a fun and memorable experience. However it has severely slid downhill. I believe they lost their chef (Chris Keating? ) during covid who used to make an awesome burger. Now they just serve absolute garbage quality food for very high prices. They clearly didn't want to pay for, or couldn't attract, talent in the kitchen, and it just feels like the whole operation is set up to fleece tourists at this point. The food is now like faux haute cuisine where all the flavors and textures are disjointed. It's overly complicated food that destroys the sometimes local ingredients. Hopefully as the bad reviews pile up they get serious about trying to turn the place around and restore it to its former glory. They should start by finding a chef that can make food that actually tastes decent, and then work on understanding why their front of house staff seem miserable and adversarial. When meals can easily run above $1,000 with drinks, poor food and service are not acceptable. read more

Nice destination lunch. They do need a way to control the flies better indoors. Be sure to make a reservation several weeks in advance. read more

I went here a few months ago while I was visiting a friend in Aspen. It was snowing pretty heavily outside and this place offered a safe & warm refuge while we waited for the snow to die down. The place had a great lodge atmosphere, the food was absolutely delicious, and the staff was very friendly. My friend and I didn't have reservations, but were able to sit at the bar. Would highly recommend the momos! read more

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Terrible customer service and management! We had made reservations for four persons on December 21, 2022, but had to cancel due to COVID. We called the restaurant several times to explain our situation and were assured by Jennifer that we would receive a refund of $680. We never received the refund, and Jennifer denied ever assuring us that we would receive it. The restaurant management was rude and pretty much hung up on us. They didn't even try to offer other solutions. We are pursuing this with Small Claims Court. read more

Arrived on a beautiful summer day for lunch. Views are amazing. We ordered a Bloody Mary which was one of the best we have tried. Wine was great too. Entrees were trout and steak sandwich which was huge. I love sitting on the patio with a view of the mountains and great food. read more

Pine Creek Cookhouse isn't a meal, but an experience! It receives 4 stars because it's extremely expensive, had slow service at the start of the dinner, and it's supposed to be a 4 course meal, but they charge you for dessert! Also, I realized later, we never even received our salads. Just so you know! Other than that, it was a fabulous experience! The sleigh ride was so amazing!! The night sky was incredible. The blankets kept us warm and cozy. The horses were beautiful. We saw so many stars and even a couple shooting stars! The menu items were very tasty and fun to try. We loved the food. The elk was soooooo good! The buffalo was also tasty. Even though it was far from perfect, the overall experience completely outweighed the not so great!! read more

AVOID! Super-salty Elk (had large salt pellets still on the meat), inattentive server, unresponsive management, jacked the prices, added the tip without notice. This place has gone down hill - good news is it was super easy to get last-minute Saturday night reservations (maybe business is down?). Been going there for years - we will not not be going back. The end of an era read more

Such a wonderful experience! It is expensive, their cancelation policy is strict so be careful, but it is totally worth it. I can't wait to go back! read more

The dishes we ordered were Pete', green salad, roasted pepper soup, and trout! The soup were good. All the rest of the dishes were poorly prepared. Disappointingly, quail dish is no longer on the menu! We have been coming up summer after summer for 30 years. Your food has decidedly gone down hill in the past several years, this year in particular!!! Very disappointing! read more

This is probably one of the most beautiful food venues in the lower 48. We were lucky to be here for a pre-wedding meal, and the entire restaurant was closed to outside custom for the evening. I loved the rustic decor, the view to the south of the Elk mountains, the flower gardens around the patio tables and chairs. It's a very windy dozen miles or so from Aspen on Castle Creek Rd. Beautiful. Breathtaking. The food and service was outstanding. I would desperately love to come back here again. read more

Pine Creek Cookhouse - View of the Elk Range from the patio - New American Near Me - Aspen, Colorado

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Pine Creek is a beautiful experience in any season. Whether you hike there from Ashcroft, bike there from 82, or drive there in the summer or you take the horse drawn sleigh or cross country ski there in the winter, an absolute delight awaits you at the end of your journey. Must haves: Elk Bratwurst, the patty melt burger, THE TROUT!, and the cook house salad. Make sure to order a lovely glass (or two) of wine from their well balanced wine list as you soak up the unparalleled majestic views surrounding you. A "must do" for any trip to the Aspen area!! read more

DO NOT EAT THE VEGETARIAN SPINACH AND MUSHROOM CREPES! There is a high probability it will make you sick. I know several people who have had serious gastrointestinal problems after eating it. We are in touch with the restaurant about this ongoing problem. They are aware of the issue but have not removed this option from the menu. read more

We had a fantastic day ! We met Kelly and saddled up on horses to ride for an hour to and from the Pine Creek Cookhouse. The scenery is breathtaking and our guide Kelly was super friendly and knowledgeable about the area and horses! We absolutely loved our lunch on the patio, a new chef is back and the food was great! read more

Unfortunately, this was NOT the experience I expected nor deserved for the cost and time involved in getting there. My three best girl friends and I arrived on their first night of summer service, and it was very quiet and relaxed. Good so far. We ordered drinks and appetizers and then put our dinner order in. Three of us ordered the NY Strip ($40 each, but we understood it would be pricey for the location etc.). The fourth lady has some food restrictions (basically GF vegan) that should be pretty easy for a kitchen of substance to deal with. However, our waiter did not seem to know or understand the difference between vegan and vegetarian, nor whether menu items were one or the other. She settled on their vegetarian dish with no tikka masala sauce and asked for a plate of veggies alongside. Meat and cheese tray was lovely and delicious! Then the meals came out and were plated very nicely. Unfortunately, I noticed that my sides were incorrect, and noted to the waiter that I had no artichokes and mushrooms instead of potatoes. He insisted the mushrooms were potatoes, but reluctantly mumbled off to find some artichokes. We realized at last that they had served us elk chop instead, due to a glitch in the ordering system. Lucky us, right? $68 elk chop at a $40 NY strip price. Except that none of us really wanted the elk, and didn't enjoy the mushrooms and grits that accompanied. No one ever offered to replace our dinners, just said they wouldn't charge us for the elk. Our friend got a nice entree but a miniscule portion of side veggies. The waiter never even noticed that he served us the wrong entrees. How is this possible??? He had, no doubt, seen the plated entrees less than an hour before. Dessert was good all around, the wine was fair, but $12 for a so-so glass of Pinot Grigio was a little much. All in all we paid nearly $100 per person for some pretty steep errors. I think the biggest of all is that the manager, who was otherwise very nice, never offered to get us the food we ordered! Sorry Pine Creek, but I won't go back. read more

Awesome place for a "destination lunch". For an easy hike-to dining affair, start in Ashcroft Ghost Town (google maps it) just down the street 1.3 miles. Park your car there in the lot, walk through the restored mining town, and continue on the path along Castle Creek till you arrive at Pine Creek Cookhouse. Now you're a local! (pics posted from the short walk to the cookhouse - my pregnant wife did it, so can you!) read more

Pine Creek Cookhouse - New American Near Me - Aspen, Colorado

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Such a fun day - started in Ashcroft ghost town, then hiked the 30ish minutes along the creek to Pine Creek Cookhouse. Really good food (Buffalo Momos were great, trout was great) and wine list. Beautiful views then a hike back to Ashcroft. Recommended for a nice afternoon! read more

So fortunate that someone at our hotel told us about the Pine Creek Cookhouse. We stopped for lunch after a hike. We were seated right next to the incredible garden where our super fresh salad was picked that morning. Had the smoked trout and it was absolutely incredible. Highly recommend, double thumbs up!! read more

Pine Creek Cookhouse - Smoked trout. - New American Near Me - Aspen, Colorado

This was a slice of heaven on earth! The hike bf hand to this gem was almost as great as the spot. Oh, you can horseback ride here too! (You May have to sell your first born first; however. I think the prefixed lunch was about $59/$69 pp and it was worth every penny. I looked into riding up by horse instead of driving/hiking but it was something like another $350!?!? Seriously!? Let's not take advantage of the people keeping you guys afloat. If it were $75/85 pp you'd get a steady flow of customers to the restaurant- in any event- we LOVE Pine Creek read more

Shocked they got rid of their amazing steak-knife hamburger. They said they couldn't source decent beef? In Colorado??? They offered a duck sandwich as a replacement. So dry and nearly inedible. Their trout is still quite good but they overcooked half of the orders at our table. This place has gone way downhill. read more