Ajax Tavern

Located at the base of Aspen Mountain Ajax Tavern is prime real estate for people watching. I go there on many a sunny winter day to snack on truffle fries as I watch the flow of skiers and snowboarder's drift by. It's relaxing and fun and the truffle fries, my god, they're just incredible. Two distinct visions of Ajax Tavern coexist in my mind. One is the cozy hot chocolatey cabin at the end of a long ski day, and the other is an elegant professional establishment with ostentatious dishes like fresh raw oysters, or poached rabbit tagliatelle. It's whatever you want it to be. The wait staff is flexible and devoted to customer service. I went with my dad once and he was dismayed to discover they had temporarily taken the mussels off the menu. Our waitress was perturbed and disappeared inside. Moments later she came out with the owner of the restaurant and we received a personal apology and a promise to reinstate the dish. Next time we went to the restaurant the mussels were indeed back on the menu, much to the delight of my dad. This time around my friend and I escaped the sheeting rain and were immediately seated at a table looking out toward the mountains. While ordering a man leaned over from the adjacent table and told me to look outside. A bear was lumbering across the patio sniffing the air, and looking longingly into the restaurant. The restaurant was vibrating with laughter; happy to be inside and eating the food poor beary only got to smell. My friend and I ordered the mussels and a side of breaded mac and cheese. While we chatted the waiter brought us a mini baguette straight from the oven and an artichoke asparagus dip that was delicious. The mussels were delicious. They were cooked in a traditional white wine sauce and came with a side of fries. The portion was plenty big for two people. By the end of the meal we were both stuffed. The mac and cheese was lightly toasted on top and the noodles were thick and creamy. It was very reasonably priced but being the broke children we are there was no money left over for dessert. We teased ourselves with the dessert menu anyways and the dishes looked original and tasty. We left with the glowing happy feeling a good meal gives you, barely noticing the rain. I hold Ajax Tavern in the highest regards. I've never had a disappointing meal there. I highly recommend it for any occasion, and remember you must get the truffle fries. Read more reviews by Catherine

Good Apres Ski Scene with a good size patio at the base of Aspen Mountain. $15 Burger & Beer Deal. Look for live music in the spring.

I read in Food & Wine Magazine that the Ajax Tavern at the Little Nell was -revamped; -whatever that means. It certainly seemed the same to us; thin, aging and sagging blondes without wedding rings, lots of fries, salads and iced tea, and that beautiful view of Ajax and the Harley-Davidson -boys on bikes - in descent. Colette had a neutral-tasting gazpacho (recall, Colette is the Queen of gazpacho in Europe and the US) with chunks of neutral-tasting avocado; I, the neutral-tasting Colorado lamb Bolognese ragu over tagliatelle, which as usual didn't come close to that of Luigi Buitoni at the Locanda Della Rocca in Paciano, Perugia, Umbria (see prior posts.) Our bill with a bottle of California Cab was $65.46. John Talbott's Paris

We ate at Ajax Tavern on 7/13/09. Unlucky date. It took 20 minutes for the server to even approach us. She then delivered a petrified bagette, followed by completely indifferent fish and lamb pasta. Inattentive waitstaff, overpriced poorly executed food. All in all, very disappointing experience. Try Wild Fig for a much better experience. We will never set foot in Ajax again!

We had an amazing lunch at the Ajax Tavern - we can definitely recommend the burger. Service was quick, efficient and friendly. Also try the fries with truffle!

Best Lunch in Aspen. If your don't go here at least for lunch you will miss out on the best in Aspen......new management makes this the best food in Aspen for lunch and while I haven't had the dinner , that must be as good or better....very reasonably priced and extremely prompt and courteous service

New refurbished interior,new menu ,very good service,moderate prices (for Aspen) very delicious food.Had Tasmanian salmon ,excellant. Royle Freund

My god, the scene here! It's Aspen, and it's famous, I guess. But still, the scene. I've seen it written up so many times, I had to see what the hell it was all about. Elbow past the posers, pretty people, millionaires, etc. Grab a table. It's even worth a little bit of a wait. Here's why - 1. the location - wow. literally ....mountainside. sun, sun, sun, a huge outdoor deck and an international crowd. i felt like i died and went back to the slopes in Europe - really not a bad thing. 2. the menu - it's an excellent, authentic french bistro menu. well executed. quality ingredients. pretty damn good. 3. the service - i'm thinking not so much crappy as international with a bit of potential for language barrier issues - but this is Aspen, this is who works here. it makes it interesting. suck it up order the cheese fondue and re-apply your SPF, darling.