Ajax Tavern — Restaurant in Aspen

I have been to this restaurant several times during the winter and summer. In the winter it was busy and the service was OK. Right now it's low season plus the pandemic and for some reason the service is awful. The hostess sat us on a table where all the umbrellas were open so we couldn't see Aspen Mountain, the only reason you go to this place is for the view because the food is ordinary and the service is awful. So we asked the waiter Alexander if we could move to the empty tables in the front, he said he was going to check. He took so long to come back that we sat on another table. Alexander came back and said we couldn't seat anywhere else. Its like 6:30 pm on a Tuesday, the outdoors is empty and there was no need for the open umbrellas since the sun was setting. We just wanted to have a drink so we told Alexander when your reservations arrive just tell us we will give you the table back, he said no. Alexander's attitude is terrible, I don't understand how he is working in a 5-star Hotel. Between all that we had ordered a rose wine and a drink which never came. In order for a restaurant to have a 5-star rating, you need to serve a drink within 4 minutes of the guest's being seated. We also asked for a blanket because it was cold but never received. We got so frustrated so we asked Alexander to please bring our drinks and bill downstairs to the pool area. We walked downstairs, which is part of the Little Nell Hotel, the same property as Ajax, but Alexander never brought us the drinks. Noone was downstairs to welcome us. We sat in front of the fire pit for 15 minutes, there were 4 waiters and a manager talking to each other and no one came to serve us. Finally, we asked if someone could serve us. The firepit was broken, they have 2 awful rose wines by the glass, I mean if you are going to charge $25 for a glass of wine at least have Miraval, Whispering Angel, or Domaine Ott. When I go to a 5-star restaurant I expect 5-star service, food, and drinks, this is for sure not 5 star. This establishment is down in service. I will write another review telling you what happened downstairs, which...

We (Hubby and I) visited Ajax Tavern during our visit to Aspen and we liked the overall experience. Great après ski restaurant!

What did we like?

Beautiful location(Right at the foot of Aspen mountain). Amazing views if you are seated in the right spot. Good selection of wine and cocktails. Bartender made very refreshing cocktails. Great options for vegetarians and non-vegetarians - Unique food choices. Truffle fries are spot on. Prompt service - Our waitress was great. She took great care of us. Patiently answered all our questions and kept checking on us. Ample quantity - A lot of food for 2. We couldn’t complete even 50% of what we ordered.

What could be improved?

Our seating options were not great - Though we reserved our spot a week ago, we were asked to choose a table close to washroom or high chair table close to bar. We were told all other seats are reserved but we saw some of them empty as we wrapped our dinner and left the restaurant. Dessert - We tried a peanut chocolate dessert and was not very impressed. An area of improvement for dessert lovers like us.

We loved the overall experience and will definitely visit again on our next...

Went to the Little Nell Christmas tree lighting prior to dinner (took them 4 tries but finally they got the lights on…that should have set the scene for dinner at Ajax tavern). The restaurant afterwards was mostly empty if that give you any idea of how popular it is. We were seated quickly and the waiter was initially pleasant enough. But after that it was all down hill. The food is mediocre at best. The famous truffle fries are disgusting (I best thing I did was tell them to box them up and I used them in an omelette the next morning). We inquired about the wines and got not just subpar recommendations but the waiter was condescending about the majority of their wines unless it was over $200. Also when I stated I was planning on looking at the wine list there was no offer of having the supposed sommelier come over. After ordering wine they brought us what was the complete opposite of what we ordered. When it comes to the food I’d rather have Burger King than what they serve. We ran into a friend at a high end boutique and she confirmed this as well. Ajax tavern may have BEEN a good place but it was the worst restaurant in aspen...