We really enjoyed the atmosphere, service, and meal. The first night was so delicious that we came back again a day later with our vegan friends. Delighted to find a restaurant that offers a nice variety of vegan and vegetarian dining. We will be back!

I had a wonderful time at 221 South Oak, because I was with a wonderful group of people, but was not very impressed by the food and there were odd glitches in the service. We came early and the hostess seated us near the bar...and offered to take our drink orders, but then never came back. When our friends came, we joined them. One of my companions wanted to taste a particular wine before purchasing a glass, and the server accommodated her. We ordered two small plates to start and share—a salad and fried green tomatoes. The fried green tomatoes were presented beautifully. Both it and the salad were very nice, but hard to share as we were not given any implements other than our place settings, to share the salad. I ordered a glass of the Gruner Veltliner, which was delicious. I had the trout with micro greens and two ravioli. The trout was good, although a touch too salty. The ravioli were disappointing. The dough was very thick and seemed uncooked. I like my ravioli cooked al dente—this was almost uncooked. Or the problem might have been with the dough. They were nothing like the handmade ravioli I have eaten in Italy. I tasted one of my companions’ rack of lamb, which was very nice and a huge portion. But the vegetable accompaniment was not too good. For dessert, we had blueberry sorbet and mango sorbet—both wonderful. This restaurant charges Telluride prices, but even so…..a very expensive place that is having trouble with some of the basics.More

When we arrived, the hostess gave us a choice of three different options to dine. We chose the greenhouse, which is located behind the back patio. Trang, our server, was not only personable and attentive but knowledgeable regarding the dishes. In addition to the regular...menu, a vegetarian/ vegan menu is offered with many options.. I started with a grey goose martini and my dining partner had the mocktail consisting of watermelon, thai basil, and pepper floating on the top. She loved the unique combination. The chef exceeded our expectations. We started by ordering the haloumi and toasted zucchini bread off the vegetarian menu. It was delish. Our main entrees were the elk T-bone steak cooked perfectly medium rare served with polenta and candied pink peppercorns, and sesame crusted tofu with peas, asparagus and freekeh. The attention to detail and flavoring make this restaurant a must dining experience when visiting Telluride.More

We're sorry to report that one of our favorite restaurants (named 221 S. Oak) in Telluride (we called it the "best restaurant in Telluride" in our review five years ago) has gone downhill. A $300 dinner for two, without even a bottle of wine, should...be an excellent experience, but it was only "good" with lapses. Due to Covid, we opted for the patio, which we've often dined in before. But, in the past year, the ambience has changed for the worse, some not the restaurant's fault, but others the restaurant's own doing. New construction immediately next-door blocks what were good views of the mountains southeast of Telluride. The number of totally outdoors patio tables has shrunk to three. Two new constructions of enclosed dining buildings (one a "greenhouse") now dominate the patio area. Instead of a serene space next to the flowering bushes, our table was right next to where countless servers and diners walked past, stepping on and slightly tipping a paver stone so that my chair jolted with each one of their steps. I had to move my chair around the table to a different location, but then I partially blocked a delivery person's route from the alley to the kitchen so he squeezed past my wife's chair. The restaurant’s cuisine was generally not up to previous standards. The bread was dry. The soup duo was ordinary. The peach and ice cream dessert was dominated by oats. The expensive scallops were good but not exceptional. Worst was the service, which should have been excellent at such a venue. Our waitress took away our wine list before we had a chance to order. We asked her to have it back. After 15 minutes, it was clear that she had forgotten so we asked another server for the list, which was eventually brought. My wife's sparkling water came in a large bottle, which she couldn't finish, so we asked our waitress for the cap so we could take it back with us to our condo. She said she didn't know where a cap was, but she would hunt for a cork or something else to cap the bottle. Then she forgot and never mentioned the matter again. We stuffed a lime into the bottle top to preserve its effervescence. I asked for a standard cocktail, a rusty nail, and a server -- who had never heard of the beverage -- returned to say that the bartender had no Drambuie but he had offered to add some honey to the whiskey to make it sweeter. Substituting honey for Drambuie is a suggestion totally lacking in class and elementary knowledge of classic cocktails. We think that, under 221 S. Oak’s present management, we will not return.More

The restaurant is in a converted home, that is very nicely appointed. They have a great selection of cocktails including a non-alcoholic one; something nice to see. The soup and grilled octopus were excellent, as were the mains; a duck dish and a scallop dish...on black rice. For dessert I topped things off with an espresso; expertly drawn that included a rough cut dark sugar cube and a chocolate espresso bean - nice touch. Service was excellent paired with the food made for a delightful evening. Highly recommend a stop if your in Telluride.More

Perhaps one of the biggest dining disappointments I've ever experienced - except the dining experience part. The atmosphere was perfect - charming restored Victorian, window table with a cool mountain breeze and an excellent glass of tap water. We have followed Chef Eliza for some...time and looked so forward to making this meal a part of our first trip to Telluride, and I was certain it would be a perfect birthday dinner for my partner. We arrived right on time for our 5:30 reservation and were promptly greeted and seated and the gentleman who seated us seemed professional. We are fine with tap water and that was promptly delivered. We read over all the cocktail, wine and dinner options - we had plenty of time, as we would sit for a little more than 20 minutes with not one of the 6 staff we counted showing up to our table, though they had plenty of time to pass by and notice us, but never make eye contact and time to congregate. We had an event we had to be at at 7:00 and we knew, given the way things were going, that we would not have time to enjoy the meal we'd hoped for. We chose to leave quietly, not wanting to make a scene and possibly ruin someone else's dining experience, and out of respect for the well-regarded chef/owner, Eliza Gavin. When I called to let them know, the manager Luke let me know he was aware and that our server was very busy and arrived at our table just as we were leaving - yet we left completely unnoticed… If Chef Gavin reads this, I hope you know how incredibly disappointing this whole experience was and we will remain fans from afar, for now. And once we sort how we feel about this evening, we will consider making another reservation on our next trip. Meanwhile, I highly recommend the tap water. And you couldn’t drink it in a lovelier place.More

The quality of the food was terrible. The Bison dish tasted old and spoiled. I was sick to my stomach and only had a couple of bites. The Salmon was also old and spoiled to the point that the member of my party that had...the salmon got sick right after we arrived to our condo.More

This is our third visit to the restaurant. It continues to exceed our expectations. Trang was a terrific server, the kitchen was fabulous in working with my allergy issues, Chef Eliza stopped by our table to chat and we let her know how appreciative we...were of the kitchen turning out a spectacular dish for me. Everything is so creative and tasty. We love the location, food quality, bartender, staff and everything about this little place. A must try if you visit Telluride!More

In a converted house in Telluride near the gondola station. The ambience, staff and food were all outstanding. The scallops were amazing as was the bison. Definitely eat here when in Telluride!!!

221 S. Oak is a great place to go for a special, gourmet meal. While pricey, it is a wonderful place to eat. My trout was excellent. And the service was very good. I've been here twice and both times I was glad I came.

221 South Oak was the last meal of our trip, and after incredible dinners at There and Alpino Vino it had very tough acts to follow. The service and kitchen absolutely crushed it, and it could not have been a better sendoff. I had the...sausage appetizer (featuring beef, chicken, duck, elk and venison) and trout entree. It was the most distinctively Colorado meal I’ve had (although trout was from Idaho). If you don’t have much room for desert, get a scoop or two of the ice cream which is incredible. Our meal was perfectly paced and proportioned, and the wine service was excellent. BravoMore

I guess this wasn't as good an experience as I was hoping for. Perhaps I am not a fine dining connossiour but for all the amazing flavors and presentation (which were amazing for sure) some of the basics weren't there. The Elk T-Bone initially was...overcooked (though it was re-cooked and the second cook was perfect) and the Scallops dish was warm but not hot - cold plate and the accompanying vegetables were, as I said warm not hot - as if they had been waiting a while. All told (with wine) the meal cost north of $200 for 2 people. For that, I expect better.More