Four Aspen restaurants receive recognition in the 2025 Michelin Guide Colorado

The Michelin Guide Colorado published its 2025 list on Monday, with four Aspen restaurants included in the prestigious lineup.

Bosq, which received a Michelin star in 2023 and is one of only nine Michelin-starred restaurants in Colorado, received the “Michelin Sommelier Award” this year for Nick Heilman. Of the four 2025 Michelin Special Awards, Bosq is the only restaurant located outside of Denver to receive recognition. Bosq remains the only Colorado mountain town restaurant with a Michelin star — all other restaurants are in Denver and Boulder.

This is also the second year in a row that an Aspen sommelier received a “Michelin Sommelier Award” — in 2024, Chris Dunaway of Element 47 was named.

The Little Nell’s Element 47, Mawa’s Kitchen, and Hotel Jerome’s The Prospect all maintained their status as Colorado’s 2025 Recommended restaurants. The three restaurants have been listed as recommended since 2023, the guide’s inaugural year in Colorado. 

“We’re thrilled that all previously recognized Aspen establishments have retained their designations for the MICHELIN Guide’s third annual Colorado selection,” Eliza Voss, vice president of Destination Marketing at the Aspen Chamber Resort Association, said. “This recognition is a significant and wonderful way to celebrate the wine programs in our town on a national, and even global, scale.” 

There are currently 31 “recommended” restaurants in the guide, with three Denver restaurants new to the list this year: Alteño, Ukiyo, and Wildflower. Restaurants from the mountain towns of Vail and Beaver Creek are also listed.

“The selection is full of talent and a wide array of cuisine types, proving Colorado is an international culinary destination for travelers both near and far,” Gwendal Poullennec, the International Director of the MICHELIN Guide, said in a statement. “Congratulations to this year’s chefs and restaurant teams for your dedication and passion.” 

This year also saw a Denver restaurant, The Wolf’s Tailor, become Colorado’s first two-starred restaurant. Three Denver restaurants also earned their first star: Kizaki, Margot, and Mezcaleria Alma.

Michelin Stars identify restaurants “serving exceptional cuisine that’s rich in flavor, remarkably executed, and infused with the personality of a talented chef,” according to the guide. All restaurants in the Guide are recommended by Michelin’s anonymous inspectors, trained to apply the same time-tested methods used by Michelin inspectors for decades across the world to ensure a uniform, international standard of excellence. 

Michelin inspectors pay all their bills in full to maintain objectivity, only evaluating the quality of the cuisine. The five criteria for inspectors defined by Michelin are product quality, mastery of cooking techniques, harmony of flavors, the personality of the chef as reflected in the cuisine, and consistency over time and across the entire menu. 

With Michelin recognition, ACRA’s website emphasizes that Aspen continues to evolve as a culinary hotspot alongside its reputation as a world-class skiing destination. 

“These Michelin recognitions elevate the culinary landscape in Aspen,” Voss said, “while simultaneously fostering ingenuity and workforce development in the local dining scene.”