Yes, there are breakfast spots in Aspen, and yes, some are better than others. If you remember the Wienerstube, Main Street Bakery and Shlomos then you'll know that it's not what it was, but what is? Ask Bernie Arndt and he'll tell you what it was like back then, to be able to go to your regular spots and know that you would always be guaranteed company at the community tables. I still see Bernie out, in fact, he was just here at Swedish Hill and I spotted him at Clark's Oyster House recently, but he'll be the first to tell you that he misses the days of yore where one could slide onto a counter stool, order two eggs, bacon, crispy hash browns and bottomless coffee, and stay for hours and watch the people come and go.
We miss Jour de Fête, where locals could pop in for an easy breakfast or lunch and inevitably run into someone they knew. And we really miss the old-fashioned greasy spoons.
The good news is that Poppycocks is still here, as is Bonnie's in the wintertime. Silvers has replaced Jour de Fete, and admittedly I haven't been there, but I hear the bagels are delish. There's also 315 East Hyman - and what fun it is to see Aspen local, Liz Savickas take up the lease with her sister. There are always the hotels for a more elegant experience, especially if someone wants you to be their guest. It pays to be charming and to have the ability to liven up any conversation at the table up here in the mountains. It gets you into places you wouldn't normally go on your own, unless you have more than lint in your pockets.
So, here's our list for you to have your brekkie and latte too. As always, if we've missed one of your favorites, email us. We are always editing after we publish, that's why it's always good to keep checking in.
Poppycock’s: The Closest Thing to Old-School Aspen Breakfast
If we're craving a straightforward sit-down breakfast downtown, Poppycock’s is still one of our favorites.
It's casual, familiar and refreshingly unfussy. You can meet a friend for breakfast without feeling as though you've planned an event around it.
We love the Manhattan Eggs and the smoothies, but Poppycock’s also has the pancakes, French toast, eggs and potatoes we want from a proper breakfast place.
It’s one of those increasingly rare Aspen spots where breakfast still feels like breakfast.
Bonnie’s: Oatmeal Pancakes and Strudel on Aspen Mountain
Some Aspen breakfasts require a reservation.
This one requires a lift ticket, unless you can skin up there before 9:00 a.m. Good on ya for those of you who have that motivation for pancakes. There are few things more Aspen than skinning, or skiing to Bonnie's on a cold morning, pulling off your gloves and warming up over pancakes, coffee and strudel while everyone else rushes off for another run.
If you ski Aspen Mountain, breakfast at Bonnie’s is practically a rite of passage. The oatmeal pancakes are legendary, as is the homemade apple strudel, which we fully endorse eating for breakfast. There are no rules in IRL.
Just get there early.
Prospect at Hotel Jerome: Come Hungry
Sometimes you want breakfast to feel like an occasion.
For that, there is Prospect at Hotel Jerome.
The dining room is quite formal for breakfast, so this isn't where we go when we're craving a greasy spoon. But the portions are ample, the service is polished and there's something wonderful about settling into one of Aspen's most historic hotels for a proper morning meal.
This is a good place for a breakfast meeting, a special morning or those days when you want eggs, potatoes, pastries, coffee and juice and don't intend to think about food again until much later.
Come hungry.
Element 47 at The Little Nell: Breakfast at the Base of Aspen Mountain
For another elevated hotel breakfast, there's Element 47 at The Little Nell.
It's polished—as you would expect from The Nell—but breakfast feels relaxed enough that you can arrive in mountain clothes without feeling out of place.
The location at the base of Aspen Mountain is hard to beat, particularly if you're heading out to ski afterward.
We'd choose Element 47 when we want excellent service and a leisurely breakfast with that unmistakable Little Nell Aspen feeling.
West End Social: Breakfast With a View
For one of the prettiest breakfast settings in town, head over to West End Social at Aspen Meadows.
The big windows, mountain views and open landscape surrounding the Aspen Institute campus make it feel miles away from the bustle of downtown, even though you're only minutes from the core.
This is where we go when we have time to linger.
Order breakfast, get another coffee and enjoy the view.
Bear Den: Cozy and Fresh
Bear Den earns its place on the list for being exactly what its name suggests: cozy.
Set inside a little Victorian cottage on Hopkins Avenue, it's particularly good when you want a breakfast burrito made with fresh, quality ingredients rather than something heavy and greasy.
It isn't inexpensive, but it's charming, intimate and an easy place to settle in with a friend.
Silvers: The New Generation in the Old Jour de Fête Space
We were genuinely sad to say goodbye to Jour de Fête. For years, Olivier and his little French café next to City Market were part of the rhythm of local Aspen life, a place to grab breakfast or lunch without making a production of it.
Today, that space is home to Silvers Bagel Bar & Peak Provisions.
It's a different concept, but we're happy that the corner remains a useful neighborhood breakfast stop.
Silvers specializes in hand-rolled New York-style bagels, egg-and-cheese sandwiches and more elaborate bagel creations, along with breakfast burritos, oatmeal, granola and prepared foods to take away.
And here's the fun part: their bagels are actually boiled using New York City water, with the recipes adapted for Aspen's altitude.
We still miss Jour de Fête, but we're glad there's once again somewhere to pop in for a quick breakfast in this familiar little spot.
Sant Ambroeus: Breakfast, Italian Style
Some mornings don't call for a plate of eggs. They call for a really good coffee and pastry. Sant Ambroeus is our pick for an Italian-style breakfast when we want something quick but still delicious.
We particularly like the already-prepared savory pastries filled with egg, essentially your breakfast neatly wrapped in pastry and ready to go. Add a cappuccino and you're set.
It's chic, decidedly Aspen-priced and not remotely a greasy spoon. But it's a taste of Italy, and, we met the owner at Clark's and he was quite charming. Like I said, it pays to be charming.
Petit Trois at MOLLIE: A Little Paris in Aspen
Petit Trois inside MOLLIE Aspen brings a French bistro breakfast to the mix.
Chef Ludo Lefebvre's menu ranges from croissants and omelettes to croque monsieur and croque madame, along with some decidedly more indulgent French-inspired breakfast dishes.
We like it because it lands somewhere between café and formal hotel breakfast. You can have a proper sit-down meal without breakfast feeling overly precious.
And if you're short on time, MOLLIE's lobby café is another option for coffee, pastries and something quick before heading out for the day.
73 Café at The Gant: Casual Is Back
If you remember breakfast at The Gant, there's a new reason to return.
The old Pepperjack's is gone, but 73 Café opened at The Gant in 2026, bringing breakfast, coffee and grab-and-go food back to the property.
This is the kind of place Aspen needs more of: casual, convenient and useful.
Stop in before skiing, after a workout or whenever you finally decide it's time for breakfast.
No occasion necessary.
Mawa’s Kitchen: A Local Favorite at the AABC
We can't talk about breakfast in Aspen without including Mawa’s Kitchen.
Chef Mawa McQueen has been part of Aspen's culinary community for years, and her restaurant at the Aspen Airport Business Center offers something particularly important in today's Aspen: a locally owned restaurant outside the hotel and downtown dining scene.
Mawa brings international influences and a wellness-minded approach to her cooking, so you'll find plenty of fresh, flavorful choices alongside more indulgent breakfast options.
Bonus: you can usually park.
What Aspen Is Still Missing
Now, about that greasy spoon.
Where is the counter with spinning stools? Where are the short-order cooks cracking eggs onto the griddle right in front of you? The properly crispy hash browns? The bacon? The toast? The coffee that magically gets refilled before you even realize your cup is empty? The place to go after a night out?
Where can we walk in wearing whatever we slept in, sit down and order breakfast without first considering the ambience, provenance of the eggs or price of the freshly pressed juice?
Aspen has gained beautiful hotel restaurants, French bistros, Italian cafés and sophisticated coffee shops, but Shlomo, where are you?
When we really want counter cooking, we head downvalley to Breakfast in America in El Jebel. Sit at the counter and watch the cooks work the grill right in front of you. Order eggs, pancakes, bacon, potatoes and coffee. It's bustling, unpretentious and exactly what we want from a breakfast joint. No scene. No fuss. Just breakfast. And we'd very much like Aspen to have one again.
Until then, we'll take our mornings however Aspen serves them: Manhattan Eggs and smoothies at Poppycock’s, oatmeal pancakes and strudel at Bonnie’s, a breakfast burrito at Bear Den, bagels at Silvers, an Italian pastry at Sant Ambroeus, mountain views at West End Social or, when we're feeling fancy, a long breakfast at Hotel Jerome or The Little Nell. Because even if breakfast in Aspen has changed, there are still plenty of delicious reasons to get up and get at 'em before that corduroy run.
