Smuggler Union Restaurant & Brewery

This was the best meal we had during our stay in Telluride! The cheesy potato tots and meat pies were so good, and the steak frites couldn’t have been better. We also tried the root beer and moscow mule - both were good! We’d definitely come back when we return to Telluride.

77 Capacity 1pm to 4pm line is not to long. Handicap entrance is in the alley on the other side of trash bin. Excellent home made Root beer and Ginger beer. Excellent pear salad, steak and hand cut fries.

Came for lunch and we both got burgers (I got the bacon one) and both were great! House salad was an apple and walnut mix and was surprisingly good! For beer they had flights available with a good mix of options and I liked them all (seasonal pumpkin one was fun).

My wife had the elk bolognese. It was very good. I had the fish and chips and wasn’t impressed. The temperature in the restaurant was very hot and stuffy. I am from Texas and can handle heat. I actually stepped outside for a while to cool off. Want to note there is an extra charge for paying housing for employees. We had two regular dinner items, the wife had a side salad and 1 glass of wine each. Our bill was $132.

Tried their burgers. Awesome taste and perfect fries. Had 2 glasses of red wine and a soda $156 total. Kinda pricey for lunch

This place was amazing, great tacos, ribs as well as their coleslaw! We sat outside in the cool breeze, our server was attentive and polite.

Great beer selection. The fish and chips were delicious!

We walked in on a whim, and we were blown away. The food was delicious, the service was even better. It’s a busy place and we sat at the bar, but were easily able to order food and didn’t feel overwhelmed. The bartender (had a ponytail, baseball hat, didn’t catch his name) was incredibly kind and helpful, and so was the other gentleman who helped us (maybe bar manager). The best food we’ve had in telluride and the best dining experience.

Our server, Justin, was fantastic! He was extremely personable and super knowledgeable about the menu and cocktails, as well as Telluride as a whole. His recommendations were perfect and we really enjoyed our meal thanks to him!

Will have been 5 if it wasn't for the old frier, fish smell in the middle of dinner. I asked our waiter we call him XB for the purpose of the post, if the exhaust was on in the kitchen. XB said yes a bit later, the smell was gone. 10 minutes later back worse than the first time. Other customers unbothered. My quest for the best green chili was almost complete, the pozole was very good, but ruined by the smell of burning frier grease. XB at the end of his rope. Sad! Managers answer not much he can do about it. During the explanation the ratting went from 4 to 1 because of explanation of zero they can do about the frier smell.

The food was great had an app, salad and shared a burger all were above average. Could eat those empanadas all day long. Service was great did check in the front with my service animal and she seemed confused when She told us that it was a 25 minute for outside I asked for inside and she said have to talk to my manager...he instantly said he's a service animal he can sit anywhere inside. Our server was right in everything...the food came out way too quick wasn't done with apps and our main was on the table. It's a big place very loud but nice.

For our first restaurant in Telluride this year, we made the right choice! Levi was gracious, knowledgeable and attentive. The mushroom bisque was a 10/10 and a generous portion. It was stuffed with mushrooms and that perfect blend of sweet/savory. The Caesar salad was excellent from the dressing to the just-grilled chicken. Everything is housemade and you can definitely tell. I prefer shaved or shredded Parmesan, though. Ambiance is rustic cool and cozy.

Dined here in late October with family. One of the employees was very drunk, he put on an intimidating Halloween costume and started scaring people around the restaurant. He even started a physical fight with someone sitting at the bar. The food was ok but the behavior was uncalled for.

Welcome back to Josh Eats Telluride! Unfortunately, this is the final review in this series. However, it ended on a high note! The ambiance was rustic and wooden, the service was friendly, and the Elk Bolognese and Truffle Fries were amazing! Thanks for reading Josh Eats Telluride, and hopefully this series will return next year!

Love the pear salad with chèvre, Salmon on top. Great views from the patio. We eat here every year when we visit.

Just ok. My wife liked the meat pies but my chicken sandwich was not terrific. Just kind of lukewarm on the place overall.

This place was amazing, great tacos, ribs as well as their coleslaw! We sat outside in the cool breeze, our server was attentive and polite.

Long waits in the evening. I recommend making reservations in advance. Staff was friendly and offered us water while we waited for our table. Inside on a busy day, it can be very loud, so it's hard to have conversations at the table. Food and service were good, but prices are a bit on the high side given its average flavor. My partner enjoyed the fish with the upgraded truffle fries and the jalapeño slaw. I had the elk bologenese, which was a good portion but not enough meat. It tasted like a regular spaghetti plate. I also wish it was served with some french bread. Overall, it was very tasty and good service.

The food was good, the kitchen was slow, the server was not good at all. We ordered wings and got tenders instead. The server was shocked. He said it would take a long time to make the wings so we asked for the tenders with buffalo sauce. The food was delicious! Our drinks took forever even though we got wine and beer. The server didn't give us any discounts or apologies for all the mess ups. His name was Josh.

Great brewery and restaurant spot in Telluride! We had our last vacation dinner here with our large group (called ahead for a reservation since there were 12 of us, and they were able to accommodate), and our server, Otto, was awesome. I loved their house root beer and the shishito peppers to start! Great flavor and aioli. The elk bolognese was decent - noodles were a bit overcooked, but the sauce was flavorful and the mascarpone cheese on top is nice. The burgers and fries are pretty solid here - you can't really go wrong with any of them! Overall it was a great spot to visit. Easy access location from the gondola into town, and good vibes. Call ahead for a larger group.

Didn't get any food, but the beer was great! Service was a little slow but we weren't in a hurry. The vibes of the place were great!

First, a little put off by the comments on the menu about absolutely no substitutions or holds of any kind due to staff shortages. Oh, they're also charging a 3% fee for 'kitchen health.' Are restaurants still needing to do this??? BTW, you're paying close to $30 for a hamburger, and if you want a veggie burger or sweet potato fries, that's an up charge as well. So your burger and fries isn't exactly a value to begin with. My mushroom Swiss burger was good. My wife liked the veggie burger version of the hatch green chili burger, even though the patty itself was kind of hard. I ended up eating the rest of her hatch chili pepper after she deemed it to be too spicy. Sweet potato fries were much better than the regular fries, which were limp and kind of tasteless. Service was fine, but like all service we've found in Telluride so far, not particularly friendly. Not sure what it is, but people seem indifferent as to whether we spend our money with them or not. Overall, it was fine, but not really worth the money.

first off the food was mid. came in from another state, and I paid $34 for a burger with fries and h20. I checked my bank statement and they charged me $164!! called them and they told me I had to dispute it with my bank. will not be going back.

I went in to have a Beer and a Burger and was treated to one of the Best Steaks and a Old Fashion cocktail that I Have had this year. Ill be Back!!

Snacks and drinks time Laura our server made us love this place right away helpful on questions about the menu Look how beautifully the food was served Nothing on the website but the Laura the waitress said it is one of the oldest buildings was a bank and the railroad station TVs showing various events music not too loud Good number of taps and you can get a flight or just a taster

We ordered some butter noodles based on seeing a child at the table next to us and our child thought they looked good. When we received them the noodles were hard and our child would not eat them. We asked the waiter if we could substitute them for standard Mac & Cheese. We were stunned when he said no. Really..... :-( the Waiter said you know what you ordered

We were in town few a few days and as always looking for a good place to eat. This was a very busy festival weekend so we knew there was going to be a wait no matter where we went. We didn't expect much from the service after reading prior reviews. It wasn't the best but also wasn't the worst. We weren't snubbed like some other reviews before. Friendly wait staff although there was some time before they would return to the table. Over all great atmosphere. Took 30-45 minutes for a table. The food was really good. Had green chile cheese burgers, truffle fries, tuna wraps and potato soup. Nothing to complain about there. We would definitely return if we are in the area.

Ultimately a nice spot in Telluride, but the service and overall experience led to a 3-star rating for me. We waited nearly 10 minutes just to speak to a hostess. I get it, it's Bluegrass Fest weekend, but the lack of staff to ease our worried minds almost sent us to a different restaurant. Other patrons would grab a seat on the patio without checking in with the restaurant and they would prioritize them prior to people waiting in line to get in via their main entrance. I'm honestly surprised we stayed here and didn't dine elsewhere. Another note for the beer lovers, though the beer is good, it's worth noting Smuggler Union acts more like a restaurant than a brewery. I always appreciate a place making it in house, but to the naked eye there's no way of knowing they make their own stuff. Hatch Green Chili Burger ($24) // Crispy poblano, chopped hatch chile, provolone, and cilantro mayo served with hand cut fries. Very good smoky flavors, but the sticker shock is too much to bear. Burgers at Gordon Ramsay's restaurants aren't even this high. I guess it comes with the territory in Telluride. Like I said, the meal and beers were solid. We came in after a great morning of hiking and the experience was just a buzz kill all around. Confused service and lack of staff during a popular weekend. If the brewery aspect was more prevalent, service was streamlined and lunch prices were adjusted, this would've been a home run for me!

The food was delicious. We enjoyed trying a couple of great adult beverages. Parking is an issue. Just so you are aware.

Amazing food, great views and inviting service. Perfect walking distance from the parking garage.

Came for lunch while in Telluride. Otto was awesome! He was very attentive. Had a flight of beer, bison chili, and the pear and Gorgonzola salad. I forgot to get a picture of the salad was delicious

Fantastic flavors. It was raining and quite cold outside so we came to warm up and relax. We each had a small bowl of soup, sourdough toast, and my husband had a beer. Great beer. Server was friendly and service was fast. Our biggest disappointment is this place is outrageously priced for a brewery.

To start with the positive, staff was warm and welcoming. However, after a day of hiking - the food was not what we had hoped for. We ordered the Mahi tacos and chimichurri steak. The Mahi tacos were topped with pineapple and slaw, which was a nice topping, but the fish itself was overcooked. The steak chimichurri dressing was also disappointing. Prices are what you would expect in Telluride it seems, but food did not quite justify them.

We came here for my birthday. Got three dishes and a mocktail. Total was $147 including tip. It is pricey for three dishes. We had leftover pasta so we took it with us. Overall, nice vibe and nice server.

Went here twice in one weekend. Great recommendation from hotel and went back here after service was awful somewhere else. Great service, friendly staff, great food and drinks.

Very very good high quality food, really great and informative service, and nice outdoor porch seating. The drinks are great, and so was the soup, salad, and pasta.

Wow! This was great. Stopped in to grab a beer and a Coke and ended up staying for lunch. The fish and chips was delicious as well as the side salad. Great atmosphere and friendly staff. Say hi to Barone at the bar.

Food service and ambiance are great! Beer was very good. I had the Barata pesto grilled cheese which was excellent!

Worst bartender ever !!! Lady at the bar gave us the worst attitude from the beginning and still expected a big tip! Not everyone in telluride is rich or the rest of the world so she's not used to a $20 tip(even though she didn't deserve it) if she's not happy where she's at she needs to find a different job cause she's gonna ruin that restaurant!

We were greeted by friendly and accommodating staff. Extremely helpful waitstaff. Awesome food- we were in Telluride for a week and went twice. It was so good the first time that we wanted to go back and try other menu items.

The food and staff are amazing! A Telluride must! Sit in Drew's section, he'll take care of you! A++

SERVICE: 4 FOOD QUALITY: 5 DRINK QUALITY: 4 ORDER TIME: 5 AESTHETICS: 5 NOISE LEVEL: 5 MENU SELECTION: 5 OVERALL EXPERIENCE: 4.71 While visiting telluride in Colorado we decided to try some local beer and food. After talking with many locals we chose to come here. They have a beautiful space with lots of indoor and outdoor seating. We got a table inside near a window looking out at the mountains. For some reason the hostess didn't seem to be in a good mood, and gave a bad first impression but that was just my opinion and I could be wrong. Every other encounter was great in terms of service. For late lunch/dinner I ordered the chicken sandwich with sweet potato fries. Everything about the sandwich was perfection. The bun was grilled and was so fresh. The chicken was so juicy and fried to perfection. The pickle with their hot sauce was fire. The sauce was so good I used it with my fries too. Best food I ate in all of Colorado on our National Parks tour. As for the beer, I thought it was ok. I did enjoy one of the beers, and the others weren't really what I prefer. The beer was definitely quality, and they have so many options so I'm positive if I didn't have to drive I could of sat there and found many amazing options that I would absolutely love. Overall, this place was such a great experience. Amazing food, beer, and beautiful space to just sit back and relax. We also noticed that all the people sitting outdoors had their dogs so they are clearly dog friendly.

Definitely go here for dinner when you're in town! We entered wanting to eat well, and left so happy. We started out with the croquettes, which were so creamy and delicious. I got the hatch green chilli burger with sweet potato fries on the side, which was a huge portion and was all-around perfect. My husband got a side of the broccollini and their famous elk rigatoni, which - yes, it's a lot of carbs - but he was full and still raving about it. You couldn't go wrong with either one. We finished with the panna cotta. It was the silkiest, richest flavor! Probably the best meal we had in town. Still thinking about it two weeks later!

This is the place to be in Telluride! We came in at 7:45 on a Sunday, and we were immediately seated at the bar. Our food came out within 15 minutes of us ordering! The price didn't kill us either. The bruschetta had lots of fresh tomatoes, and the crisp crunch is delightful. The bolognese had plenty of meat and sauce with the pasta! Pork tacos were super fresh and were over flowing with toppings. The fish and chips was a LARGE helping and tasted amazing!

We went here for lunch today. Had the grilled mahi mahi tacos. Others had the chicken tenders. Fish tacos were just as good as Florida.

Very friendly staff, calm and cozy atmosphere and very tasty food. Portions are big, food is made from scratch and it is definitely a tastebud experience.

Levi, our waiter greeted us for our drink order going and the made some good recommendations for dinner. Our group ordered Fish & Chips, Elk Bolonese and I ordered the Ribs with Mac & Cheese. All was excellent along with the service. Will be back. Rated 4 stars only because we didn't get dessert. Need to leave room for another star.

Stayed in Telluride for a week and found ourselves coming back to Smuggler almost on the daily! Great bartenders and great food for your buck! Indoor and outdoor seating depending on your preference. The wings are on the expensive side but they are meaty and delicious! The Mexican Mule is the best in town. Great sweet potato fries. Stay away from chef tots because that's the one thing we found was bland and not worth the cost. 4.75/5 stars!

Another great dining spot in downtown Telluride! The owner is from New Orleans and owns a couple of restaurants in town, but this is his signature and most well known. Lots of tasty items on the menu to choose from, but the pork chop stuck out to me and it didn't disappoint! Friend got the elk pasta dish which was very large for one person and also tasty! Got the meat empanadas for an appetizer that had a lot of flavor. Overall A+ atmosphere, service and food quality!

Great place for lunch just off the slopes. Awesome beer selection but the real winner was the food. HUGE potion of fish and chips pairs nicely with the Palmyra German style pils. Friendly service and good ambiance

We had an enjoyable meal and some nice brews while in Telluride. Definitely worth going if you're in town.

We had the BEST dinner here while visiting Telluride! It's always a struggle deciding where to eat with a wild toddler and 5 month old, but Smuggler was a perfect fit for our family. Great atmosphere, that was loud and tolerated small children. I ordered a glass of rosé and my husband had one of their beers and he loved it! We split the caprese salad with burrata and arugula to start which was delicious. For my entree, I had the steak w/chimichurri and a horseradish dipping sauce and truffle fries and it was INCREDIBLE!!!! I was literally the happiest camper. These were all of my favorite flavors on one plate. The best truffle fries that I've ever had in my life. They have a good kids menu (portions are large!) and my toddler loved the chicken tenders, but the fries really stole the show for him... ha! My husband brought his own growler and filled it to-go, and we were all happy campers. Note: They don't sell the actually growler bottles here, but if you bring your own, they'll fill it. We'll absolutely be back on our next trip!

The service was super nice and I recommend the wings and the classic burger. Amazing portions as well would definitely come back

Literally one of the best burgers I've had in forever (hatch green chili burger)! My friend and I were discussing it for days after and said we'd drive all of the way back to telluride just to have this burger again! (And it's a 7 hour drive so that's saying a lot)

This place did not disappoint. Friendly service, lovely calm professional atmosphere, and my waiter was so helpful and suggested the best bacon cheeseburger burger I've had in a long time! You must try when in Telluride.

Tourist Trap!! stay away!! they over charge the menu prices and the locals boycott it, new type of management system nobody ever heard of before..

Stopped in around noon on Friday for a snack and beer. We enjoyed sitting outside since it was not too hot and a tad overcast. Plus, they had umbrellas. They had 3 flights to choose from so we were able to sample quite a few brews. I really enjoyed the Clean and Crisp flight. It had all the non-IPAs I wanted to try. My favorite was the Shred Betty Raspberry Wheat. Light, a tad fruity but not mellow or flat... Definitely had a "crisp" to it. You could definitely taste the raspberry but it was not sweet nor overpowering. I could easily have had a few of these, but at altitude that certainly would not have been a good idea. Remember... The town of Telluride sits at like 7500' elevation. So, alcohol definitely hits a bit different. We also enjoyed the sausage board and tomato toast (like a bruschetta). The sausage was elk sausage and it was soooooooooo yummy! I'd go back just for that. Note, not cheap .... 2 appetizers, 2 flights and 1 additional glass of beer came to $88 before tip.