Chef Mark Fischer’s award-winning restaurant in Glenwood Springs has been a mainstay for almost a decade. The menu changes frequently and focuses on fresh, innovative dishes like braised local goat and truffled goat cheese agnolotti and roast Berkshire pork shoulder with grits and apple butter.

This classic 1950s-style greasy spoon is a Vail Valley favorite, with menu items like a breakfast burrito smothered in green chili, biscuits and sausage gravy, and BLTs. Filled with memorabilia like vintage advertising, formica tables, and checkerboard flooring, this classic American joint has been around for almost 20 years.

Edwards, a short drive from Vail, may just be the best place to grab lunch in the valley. Chris and Janelle Schmidt draw on years of industry experience to bring not just flavorful food and drink, but a convivial community atmosphere to the area. Small plates like deviled eggs, Brussels sprouts, and red lentil hummus are shareable. Customers can pair satisfying sandwiches like a Cubano or hot chicken with craft whiskeys and beers from Colorado breweries like Fort Collins’ Funkwerks. Add in vinyl and shuffleboard, and afternoon: made.

H&H is a market, cafe, bakery, and bar rolled into one. They use local ingredients from Western Slope farmers whenever possible for breakfast burritos, farm breakfasts, and bowls (like the one with lamb meatballs, Fruition Farms award-winning sheep’s milk feta, polenta and brodo). They have a full coffee menu, cocktails and beer, cider and wine on tap. They also have produce, bakery, and grab & go options.

Restaurateurs often worry about waning interest after the five year mark. But The Rose in Edwards, which opened in 2013, has fought such fatigue by expanding on their fifth birthday to bring even more delicious baked goods, craft cocktails, and healthy, sustainably-sourced and affordable meals to locals and visitors alike. Think buffalo cauliflower, beef barbacoa tacos, and homemade ramen bowls in a super-hip atmosphere.

From the creators behind Vail icon Sweet Basil comes Mountain Standard, bringing fire-roasted fare to the table. Rotisserie Piri Piri chicken, pork loin, flatiron steak and other flame-kissed creations grace the menu.

Like wandering into a Bavarian cottage, this rustic-looking restaurant serves traditional German, Austrian, and Swiss dishes (with sister restaurants in Aspen and Metzingen, Germany). On the menu: schnitzel, bratwurst, short ribs with spaetzle and red cabbage and other Alpine specialities.

Post-slopes pizza is a must, but Piante brings something different to the table: it’s 100 percent vegetarian. Find delicious and vegan wood-fired pizzas like the pesto with kale-walnut pesto, Piante “mozzarella” blend, sun-dried tomatoes, red onions, and artichoke hearts.

The married owners of Bread + Salt, Michal Ulehla and Joyce Delatorre, hail from the Czech Republic and Mexico, respectively, but are Colorado proud at both their breakfast joint and their Bagalis Italian restayrant across the street. Bread + Salt offers tantalizing breakfasts made with fresh ingredients, like chilaquiles, challah french toast, and a classic eggs Benedict. One look at the menu explains why there’s always a wait.

Everyone knows Idaho Springs for the Tommyknocker Brewery and Beau Jo’s Pizza. But in 2015, the hungry ski gear-donning hoards got another spot in Idaho Springs to stop: Westbound & Down. Producing award-winning brews like the Westbound Double IPA and the Double Barrel Louie, they have a menu of solid bar favorites with a twist, like their classic bison burger or the fried green tomato BLT, plus vegan options like the BBQ jackfruit sandwich or falafel. Westbound and Down was also heavily awarded at this year’s Great American Beer Festival.

The Coney Island Hot Dog Stand has been around in some form since the 1960s. Located near Bailey on Highway 285, the hot dog-shaped diner has both indoor and outdoor seating. Three years ago, it was gutted, renovated, and reintroduced to the public with a totally revamped menu that includes locally-sourced gourmet dogs and brats from Continental Sausage, Elevation Ketchup, and Rocky Mountain Soda.

This funky Western dive bar makes for a perfect stop along 285 for live music, beer served from deer antler tap pulls, and bar classics like loaded burgers and baked potatoes, and nachos all in an atmosphere where visitors roar up on their Harley and chow down, tack a dollar bill on the wall, and ride off into the sunset.

Easily the most notable barbecue joint in the foothills, Switchback uses cherry and apple woods to smoke brisket, duck, salmon, chicken, pulled pork, sausages and ribs to be ordered ‘meat and three’ style or on sandwiches or salads. The Rooster Booster features pulled chicken with lettuce, tomato, remoulade, and fried pickles or fried onions.