Aspen's fall off-season is a set of separate closing dates that pile up over about three months. Mawita closed on September 6. Mawa's Kitchen, on the same Aspen Airport Business Center block, doesn't close until November 2. Between those two dates, closures land on a different week for each restaurant. Most of downtown is shut at the same time only for the three weeks before Thanksgiving.
That timing affects how the next seven weeks go. Early October is still a working dinner town, with reduced hours. Two days are set: Aspen Mountain and Snowmass are projected to open November 26, and Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk on December 12. Many reopening dates sit close to those two.
How the Closures Stack Up
The fall 2026 schedules posted on eatAspen show the closing dates in order:
- September 6: Mawita closes through December 13.
- September 29: Duemani closes.
- October 3: Bosq closes, and Cache Cache serves its last summer dinner.
- October 11: PARC Aspen closes through December 15.
- October 18: The Wild Fig closes.
- October 21: French Alpine Bistro serves its last night.
- October 25: Aosta and The Monarch close.
- November 1: Mawa's Kitchen serves its last brunch. Its last dinner is October 31, and the closure starts November 2.
ZigZag at 624 East Cooper Avenue is also listed as closed for the off-season. Its replacement, Le Cafe, is due in December 2026 in the former Mezzaluna space. Red Mountain Grill at the Aspen Golf Course plans a two-week closure in early November but hasn't set dates.
Several places that stay open still cut back in the same weeks. Yuki closes Tuesdays and Wednesdays from October 6 through November 18. Matsuhisa closes its upstairs room from October 6 to December 11, except on Mondays. Las Montañas stopped lunch after October 5 and won't serve it again until mid-December.
Three Weeks With the Most Doors Closed
When the dated closures are lined up, the deepest overlap runs from November 2 through November 24. Every restaurant in the table below is closed for that whole stretch.
| Restaurant | Address | Closed through |
|---|---|---|
| Aosta | 219 East Durant Ave. | 11/26 |
| The Monarch Steak House | 411 S. Monarch St. | 11/26 |
| The Wild Fig | 305 South Mill St. | 11/26 |
| French Alpine Bistro | 400 E. Hopkins Ave. | Reopens 11/25 |
| Duemani | 216 S. Monarch St. | Reopens 12/4 |
| Mawa's Kitchen | 305 F AABC | Brunch 12/10, dinner 12/15 |
| Bosq | 312 S. Mill | 12/10 |
| Cache Cache | 205 S. Mill St. | Reopens 12/11 |
| Mawita | 305 AABC | 12/13 |
| PARC Aspen | 620 E. Hyman Ave. | Reopens after 12/15 |
Yuki's midweek closure lasts into the same stretch and ends November 18. The table includes only restaurants with posted dates. Many other listings in the fall directory show no status at all, so whether they are open or closed is unknown.
One Address, Three Schedules
The building at 205 S. Mill St. shows how uneven the season is. Cache Cache, Campo de Fiori and Las Montañas all list this address, and each one runs on its own fall schedule.
Cache Cache served its last summer dinner on October 3 and reopens December 11. Campo de Fiori stays open all off-season, opening at 6 p.m. from October 4. Starting October 11 it serves Tuesday through Saturday only and closes Sundays and Mondays. Las Montañas has happy hour from 3 to 5 p.m. and dinner from 5 p.m. every night, as usual.
So for most of November, this one building still has dinner on five nights a week at Campo de Fiori and every night at Las Montañas, while the French dining room next to them is dark.
Where the Year-Round Week Runs
Several other places list themselves as open, and their reduced hours set the basic weekly routine:
- Morning: Crepe Therapy Cafe at 401 E Cooper Ave. is open daily from 7 a.m., until 5 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Explore Books at 221 E Main St. runs its cafe from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the bookstore until 5 p.m., seven days a week.
- Midday: CP Burger at 433 East Durant Avenue shortened its hours as of today, October 5. It now runs 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
- Dinner: Acquolina Trattoria at 415 E. Main St. opens at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Steakhouse No. 316 and Woody Creek Tavern are listed as open. On Mondays, Matsuhisa's upstairs room opens for Monday Night Football specials, which are also served at the downstairs bar.
- Groceries and quick meals: Clark's Market and Phatt Pho in Clark's Market Plaza are listed as open. So are New York Pizza at 409 E Hyman Ave., Little Ollie's at 308 S. Hunter St., Limelight Lounge at the Limelight Hotel and Roxy's Market & Cafe in the Aspen Airport Business Center.
The most recent addition to this group opened about six weeks before the closures peak. ThreeFifteen, at 315 E. Hyman Ave., held its grand opening on September 17. The Aspen Daily News described it as a locally focused multi-use space with Eddy's Market, the sit-down Eddy's Sit and Stay, local businesses and community event space. Eddy's Marketplace lists daily hours of 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eddy's Kitchen, Sit & Stay is open Thursday through Monday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. Déjà Nu, which sells one-of-a-kind upcycled clothing, opened its first downtown shop at the same address and takes appointments through the winter.
Two other updates apply to these weeks. The Aspen Recreation Center reopened October 1 after summer work on the pool deck, drainage, mechanical room and sewer, and regular programming has resumed. Yuki is offering fall 2026 menus with specially priced dishes, cocktail and wine specials, and a shareable-food menu at the bar only. Limelight Aspen offers Colorado residents up to 30 percent off Deluxe rooms and above, plus free parking, for stays through December 16. Guests need booking code LCOLOR and a valid Colorado ID.
The Evenings Between
While restaurant nights are limited, Aspen's cultural calendar stays full. Here are the dated events through Thanksgiving:
- October 8: The Aspen Art Museum hosts "Architecture for the Next 150," 4 to 6 p.m.
- October 9: Belly Up holds a locals night with Disco DJs Verduzco, a Roaring Fork Valley resident.
- October 11: Last day of Arch Connelly's "Straighten Your Wig and Pray" at the Aspen Art Museum.
- October 16: The Shining Mountains Film Festival opens at the Wheeler Opera House with "Dream, Touch, Believe."
- October 17: Aspen Words holds its Fall Writing Workshop on query letters with Kristin Nelson at Pitkin County Library.
- October 24: The Vienna Boys Choir performs at the Wheeler at 7 p.m.
- October 27 to November 8: The Aspen Art Museum's rooftop Community Ofrenda is open for contributions. It ends with a Día de Los Muertos celebration on November 8 from 3 to 6 p.m.
- October 30: Anderson Ranch hosts its free Spooktacular Creepy Crafts, with trick-or-treating through the artists' studios and a costume contest.
- October 31: The Wheeler hosts a free, RSVP-required screening of "Aspen Advance Look: The Lost Stop," followed by a community trick-or-treat in the Vault Bar Lobby. In the evening, MOLLIE stages "Murder at the Rattlesnake Saloon" at its Roof Terrace Bar.
- November 16: The United States Navy Band Commodores Jazz Ensemble plays a free concert at the Wheeler. Advance RSVP is required.
- November 19: Foy Vance performs at the Wheeler with Bonnie Bishop and Ryan McMullan.
- November 24: MOLLIE hosts a Thanksgiving-table floral workshop.
Four of these fall within the November 2 to 24 stretch, when the most restaurants are closed.
The Reopenings Follow the Lifts
The reopening dates line up closely with the ski calendar. French Alpine Bistro reopens November 25, the night before Aspen Mountain and Snowmass open. Aosta, The Monarch and The Wild Fig all list closures that end November 26, which is also Thanksgiving. Matsuhisa closes completely on Thanksgiving Day, and Yuki is closed that day too. MOLLIE has Thanksgiving football at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., plus a kids' craft table from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The second group reopens around the December 12 opening of Highlands and Buttermilk. Duemani reopens December 4. Mawa's Kitchen brings back breakfast and brunch December 10, and Bosq's closure ends the same day. Cache Cache and Matsuhisa's upstairs room both reopen December 11. Mawita's closure runs through December 13, Mawa's Kitchen resumes dinner December 15, and PARC Aspen's closure ends December 15. Le Cafe is due on East Cooper sometime in December.
Next Fall Runs on a Different Clock
This is the last fall with the usual schedule for a while. Aspen/Pitkin County Airport is set to close completely for runway reconstruction from 11 p.m. on Sunday, April 4, 2027, until 7 p.m. on Friday, November 19, 2027. The closure covers all commercial and general aviation flights. That means the airport will be shut for all of the 2027 off-season and will reopen one week before Thanksgiving. The Aspen Times reported that the Aspen Chamber Resort Association held listening sessions with 165 businesses and employers. Among them, 14 plan to partially shut down operations and 10 expect to close for the entire closure.
Closer to home, airport-area road work is wrapping up. Highway 82 lane closures near ASE are expected Monday through Saturday through October 10. The road stays in its normal setup on Sundays and during the 6 to 9 a.m. commute. Owl Creek Road and its trail should be in their new two-lane layout by November 2026.
The same detailed tracking that maps a quiet November also helps with longer-term decisions about a home in Aspen. To talk through what the 2027 airport closure could mean for your time in the valley, or for a property you're weighing, Brendan Brown is available. Schedule a confidential consultation.
