The 5 Best Places For Oysters Around Vail Valley

From the briny flavor of a freshly shucked oyster to the satisfying crunch of a golden-fried preparation, this seafood delicacy offers an impressive range of tastes and textures. Across the Vail Valley, restaurants serve oysters on the half shell, incorporate them into elaborate seafood towers and create inventive dishes with sauces, herbs and regional influences. The Best of Vail Valley recognizes restaurants that bring distinctive seafood experiences to mountain dining.

Drunken Goat

Drunken Goat in Edwards combines a wine bar, cheese shop and restaurant, offering oysters alongside its selection of cheeses, charcuterie and shareable dishes. The restaurant's daily happy hour features oysters for $2 each, giving guests an opportunity to enjoy fresh shellfish with a glass of wine or another beverage. Its menu also includes dips, sandwiches and carefully assembled cheese boards that encourage a relaxed, social dining experience. With a walk-in-friendly atmosphere and an emphasis on food meant for sharing, Drunken Goat provides a casual setting for an oyster outing.

Montauk Seafood Grill

Montauk Seafood Grill has brought ocean-inspired dining to Vail since 1987, with a raw bar that features rotating selections of oysters on the half shell. The restaurant serves them with cocktail sauce, Champagne mignonette and lemon, while its chilled seafood tower combines East Coast and West Coast oysters with lobster, shrimp, crab and ahi tuna poke. Guests can also order an oyster shooter featuring citrus vodka, horseradish cocktail sauce and a serrano-spiced finish. The extensive seafood menu and curated wine list make Montauk a destination for diners seeking a traditional raw bar experience in the mountains.

Mountain Fish House

Mountain Fish House & Oyster Bar in Edwards places oysters at the center of its coastal-inspired dining experience. Founded by Brian Nolan and Lily Doran, the restaurant specializes in seafood dishes that bring the flavors of the coast to Colorado's mountain communities. Guests can enjoy oysters alongside seafood favorites such as lobster rolls, fish and chips and other fresh catches, with cocktails and wine complementing the menu. Its neighborhood atmosphere provides a welcoming setting for gathering over shellfish and a leisurely seafood dinner.

Colletta

Colletta in Avon blends Italian culinary traditions with contemporary American influences, offering oysters as part of its antipasti selection. Its crispy oysters arrive with verde aioli, lemon and chives, giving the shellfish a crunchy texture and a bright, herbaceous finish. Diners can follow the appetizer with handmade pasta, wood-fired preparations or other Italian-inspired dishes, including mussels fra diavolo and risotto arancini. The restaurant's emphasis on handmade cooking and thoughtfully composed plates offers a distinctive alternative to the traditional raw oyster bar.

Tavernetta Vail

Tavernetta Vail brings an Italian-inspired approach to oysters through its antipasti menu, where the dish appears under the name Ostriche. The restaurant features Island Creek oysters prepared two ways: chilled with smoked roe and dill or roasted with Calabrian chili and fennel pollen. These contrasting preparations highlight the shellfish's delicate flavor while introducing smoky, herbal and spicy accents. Guests can pair the oysters with Italian wines before exploring a menu of handmade pasta, seafood and other dishes rooted in regional Italian cooking.

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