Restaurant in Telluride, United States
High Pie Pizzeria & Tap Room
100Pearl PointsPost-slope pizza, no reservation needed.
About High Pie Pizzeria & Tap Room
High Pie Pizzeria & Tap Room on Colorado Avenue is Telluride's most practical post-mountain stop: walk-in friendly, casual, and delivering quality that outperforms its tier. Skip the reservation stress and head here for pizza and a draft beer. Peak season brings waits, so arrive early or take a bar seat.
The Verdict
High Pie Pizzeria & Tap Room is the right call after a day on the slopes when you want something satisfying without a reservation or a dress code. It sits on Colorado Avenue in the heart of Telluride, making it one of the most accessible stops in town. If you've been once and stuck to the obvious choices, it rewards repeat visits with a tap room selection that pairs better with the pizza than you'd expect from a walk-in spot at this price tier.
What to Know Before You Go
This is a casual, walk-in-friendly venue in a mountain town that fills up fast during ski season and festival weekends. The booking window is short by necessity: most diners show up without a reservation, but if you're visiting during Telluride Film Festival, Bluegrass Festival, or peak winter weekends in February and March, plan to arrive early or expect a wait. Mid-week and off-season visits are significantly more relaxed. The tap room format means you can eat at the bar, which is the leading move if you're solo or a pair and don't want to wait for a table. The room itself is unpretentious and visually in line with what Telluride does well — mountain-casual with enough energy to feel lively without being loud enough to kill a conversation.
For a town where a dinner bill at a sit-down restaurant can climb quickly, High Pie holds its own as a value proposition. It delivers quality that punches above the category. Compare it to fine dining options in Telluride like 221 South Oak or La Marmotte and the gap in formality is obvious, but for the nights when you want pizza and a cold draft beer rather than a tasting menu, High Pie is the more rational choice. It's also meaningfully more approachable than chasing reservations at some of the country's harder-to-book restaurants like The French Laundry in Napa or Atomix in New York City — not a fair comparison in category, but a useful reminder that not every great meal requires weeks of planning.
If pizza is your specific focus in Telluride, Brown Dog Pizza is the direct local competitor and worth knowing about. Both venues serve the same functional role in the market. The choice between them usually comes down to proximity and who has the shorter wait on a given night.
Reservations: Walk-ins accepted; advance booking recommended during peak festival and ski weekends. Dress: Mountain casual, ski gear and après-ski attire are the norm. Budget: Pizza and tap room pricing consistent with a casual mid-range Telluride stop. Location: 100 W Colorado Ave, Telluride, CO 81435.
For a fuller picture of where to eat and drink in the area, see our full Telluride restaurants guide, our full Telluride bars guide, and our full Telluride experiences guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does High Pie Pizzeria & Tap Room handle dietary restrictions?
High Pie is a pizzeria, so options for serious dietary restrictions depend heavily on crust and topping customisation. Gluten-free and vegetarian builds are common at mountain-town pizza spots in this category, but confirm directly at 100 W Colorado Ave before arriving with strict requirements. Don't assume a full allergen protocol without checking.
Can I eat at the bar at High Pie Pizzeria & Tap Room?
Yes, and during peak ski season or festival weekends in Telluride, the bar is often your fastest route to a seat. The tap room format at High Pie is set up for exactly this — order a beer, grab a stool, and eat without waiting for a table. It's a practical move when the place is running full.
What should a first-timer know about High Pie Pizzeria & Tap Room?
Walk-ins work here, but not always quickly during Telluride's ski season and summer festival runs. Arrive early or be ready to wait — this is a casual spot at 100 W Colorado Ave with no reservation buffer. Budget your time accordingly if you're catching a gondola or show later.
What should I wear to High Pie Pizzeria & Tap Room?
Ski gear, hiking clothes, or jeans are all fine. High Pie is a pizzeria and tap room in a mountain resort town — nobody is checking your outfit. Come as you are off the slopes.
What should I order at High Pie Pizzeria & Tap Room?
The pizza is the reason to be here — that's the format and the focus. Pair with something on tap rather than skipping the tap room element, since the beer selection is part of the value proposition. Specific pies and rotating taps aren't documented in available data, so ask what's fresh when you arrive.
Location
100 W Colorado Ave, Telluride, CO 81435
Telluride, United States
Compare High Pie Pizzeria & Tap Room
| Venue | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|
| High Pie Pizzeria & Tap Room | Easy |
| Brown Dog Pizza | Unknown |
| 221 South Oak | Unknown |
| La Marmotte | Unknown |
| Siam | Unknown |
| Side Work Restaurant | Unknown |
A quick look at how High Pie Pizzeria & Tap Room measures up.
Also Consider
- Brown Dog Pizza, American Pizza, American Pizza
- 221 South Oak, Notable alternative
- La Marmotte, Notable alternative
- Siam, Notable alternative
- Side Work Restaurant, Notable alternative
How It Compares
High Pie sits in a different category from most of Telluride's named restaurants. 221 South Oak and La Marmotte are the town's serious dinner options, harder to book, more expensive, and appropriate for occasions where the meal is the point of the evening. High Pie is not competing with them. It's the venue you choose when you want something reliable, fast, and satisfying after a full day outdoors, without committing to a two-hour sit-down dinner.
Against its direct pizza competitor, Brown Dog Pizza, High Pie's tap room format gives it a slight edge for groups who want to drink and eat in the same place without moving venues. Siam and Side Work Restaurant offer different cuisines entirely and are worth knowing about if your group wants variety across multiple nights in Telluride. For a broader view of the market, our full Telluride restaurants guide covers the complete picture.
The practical decision is straightforward: if you want the best dinner in Telluride and you've planned ahead, book 221 South Oak or La Marmotte. If you're deciding at 5 PM after skiing and want pizza, a beer, and no complications, High Pie is the right answer. It's also worth noting that Telluride's overall dining scene, while limited in volume, punches above its size, for context on where casual Colorado dining sits nationally, restaurants like Smyth in Chicago or Lazy Bear in San Francisco represent the ceiling of the category. High Pie operates at the other end of that spectrum, but for what it is and where it is, the value holds.
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