"Vail's loudest après deck since 1992 — fish and chips, wings and $3 beers under the Lionshead gondola. Go for the scene."
Garfinkel's — "Garf's" to locals — sits at 536 E Lionshead Circle in Vail, at the base of Lionshead beneath the Eagle Bahn Gondola. It anchors part of our Vail coverage as the village's defining après-ski bar, the first stop off Chair 8 when the lifts close.
It has held that corner since 1992, outlasting most of Lionshead's turnover. The draw has never been refinement; it is the slopeside deck, the noise, and a kitchen that feeds a hungry ski crowd until late.
The kitchen runs a classic American sports-bar grill. Fish and chips and Buffalo wings are the headline orders, with Baja fish tacos, burgers, nachos and a Buffalo chicken salad rounding out an all-day menu. A hand-cut steak and prime rib appear at dinner.
Pricing stays honest for a resort: starters and shared plates run roughly $7 to $15, dinner entrées $17 to $23, and the beer starts around $3 — rare value in a village where most kitchens chase the steakhouse tier.
The room is built around the deck overlooking Chair 8 and the Eagle Bahn Gondola, with ample indoor seating, screens for the game, and live music on busy nights. It fills the moment the lifts stop and stays loud through the evening.
This is a walk-in bar, not a reservations room. Come straight off the slopes in your gear; the crowd is half ski boots, half locals settling in for the night.
Garf's suits a team dinner after a day on the mountain, a low-key first date over wings, or a loud birthday round. For other Lionshead tables, compare Tavern on the Square, Mountain Standard and Sweet Basil.
Not for a quiet, design-led dinner or a special-occasion splurge — this is a busy slopeside sports bar built for noise, screens and après energy, not a hushed evening.
Garfinkel's, or "Garf's," is Vail's Lionshead sports bar and après-ski institution since 1992. It is known for fish and chips, Buffalo wings and Baja fish tacos on a slopeside deck at the base of the Eagle Bahn Gondola.
At 536 E Lionshead Circle in Vail, Colorado, at the base of Lionshead beneath the Eagle Bahn Gondola, with a deck overlooking Chair 8.
No — Garfinkel's is a walk-in sports bar. Come straight off the slopes for après; expect a wait on busy ski-week afternoons when the lifts close.
It is affordable by Vail standards: starters and shared plates run about $7 to $15, dinner entrées $17 to $23, and beers start around $3.
Garfinkel's has been at the base of Lionshead since 1992, making it one of Vail's longest-running après-ski bars.
Garf's is walk-in; no reservations for the bar and deck. Find it at 536 E Lionshead Cir, at the base of the Eagle Bahn Gondola.
Affiliate disclosure: Restaurants for Kings may earn a commission when you book through our reservation links, at no cost to you. Our scores are editorial and never paid for.
Garfinkel's anchors the après-ski end of our Vail guide — the Lionshead sports bar since 1992, from fish and chips to a $3 beer on the deck under the gondola.
See the Vail guide →