Basalt’s New Flavor: A Local’s Guide to the Town’s Newest Restaurants

Basalt's New Flavor:

A Local's Guide to the Town's Newest Restaurants

Basalt has always punched above its weight when it comes to food, but this year the lineup of new restaurants in town is giving longtime locals plenty to celebrate. From handmade pasta to street tacos, here's what's new and worth a visit.

La Pastaiola has finally landed in the heart of Old Town Basalt at 355 Gold Rivers Court. The family-owned pasta shop spent a few years building a following at the Basalt Business Center off Willits Lane before moving downtown, and the new location feels like a natural next step. Their Classic Sandwich remains a standout, but it's the handmade pasta and lasagna that earn La Pastaiola a permanent spot on my regular rotation — the kind of food that reminds you someone in the kitchen actually cares about the noodles.

Across town in the Basalt Business Center, Momo's Chinese Restaurant has taken over the old Open Sesame space. Chef Sandy Hall, an award-winning chef who named the restaurant after his husky, has built a menu that punches well above what you'd expect from a strip-mall storefront. The General Tso's chicken alone is worth the trip — my wife says it's the best she's had, and that's a high bar in our house.

Just down the way, Toppers Takeaway and Pan Asian Street Food opened a few months back, also in the Basalt Business Center. Long-time local Gregg Topper teamed up with Mike Ziemer to build a menu that covers a surprising amount of ground under one roof. The lasagna take-away is hearty enough to feed two on its own, and on the Pan Asian side, the Brisket Sandwich is the order I keep going back for.

Also located in the Basalt Business Center right in front of Woody Creek Distillery, El Taco Express has become a reliable stop for fast, fresh Mexican food. You can call ahead for pickup or grab a seat and eat in — either way, the ingredients taste like they were prepped that morning. My go-to is the Beef Burrito.

Down in Willits, The Wild Fig has moved into the former Oceans space with a complete remodel that turned the room into one of the better bar scenes in the valley. The Chicken Milanese is my pick on the menu, but the real draw on a summer evening is the expansive patio, especially on nights when there's music in the park just steps away. It's quickly become a go-to for a relaxed dinner.

There's also a new Italian restaurant on the way, opening across the street from Scotty's in the Basalt Business Center. It's being brought to life by the sister of one of the chefs from Campo, which is reason enough to keep an eye out for an opening date of early July. If the family connection is any indication, this one's worth the wait.

What strikes me most about this wave of openings is how much they reflect Basalt itself: family-run, unpretentious, and built by people who've chosen to plant roots here rather than just open a storefront. Whether it's a downtown pasta counter, a Chinese restaurant named after a dog, a two-concept take-away counter, a taco stand by a distillery, or a patio built for long summer evenings, these are the kinds of places that make a town feel like home.

For those of us who've spent years in this valley, watching a small business center storefront turn into a destination restaurant is its own kind of local pride. Basalt's food scene is growing up, and it's doing it without losing what made it worth moving here in the first place.