I would absolutely recommend Joonas. The atmosphere was amazing, eclectic and unique. The drinks were beautiful. Great wine list. Food was delicious. Perfect place for a romantic date night.
stllady
We really wanted to like this as a new spot. The cocktails were good & unique. Unfortunately, there was only one other table there despite it being Labor Day weekend. The build out is great and with better management might be able to turn a crowd. But, for now, it just does not command the current price point. We split the chicken tandoori entree, which was $$$ and only came with one drum and thigh and was below average. Small touches (like placing our sparkling water far away and then re-filling our glasses with tap) made the lack of experienced oversight and training pretty apparent, especially in a market like Aspen. I hope they figure it out before re-opening for winter. But we unfortunately are not likely to return when there are many good & established restaurants in town.
IraR
Love the ambience. Dark cool wood glass metal downstairs. Variety of seating from big wood tables too high tops to hidden corner rooms with bottles of wine against the wall. But the lighting was such that each table highlighted to have an intimate dinner experience, but good music in the background. The food was excellent, delicate flavors. Lots of tapas options as well as full entrées. The halibut was so tender and perfectly cooked. Chicken Tinga had a great flavor. Even they are Marconi almonds and olives were delicious to nosh on and the lobster appetizer was to savor the flavors!
karlakk
We were totally surprised by the ambience, service and menu selection. All top notch! There is a nice selection of tapas as well as entrees. Excellent selection of cocktails and wines. We had the halibut in banana leaf, which was moist and delicious. The sauce and spices served on the side were outstanding! We also enjoyed several of the salads. This a fairly new restaurant to Aspen (opened six months ago) so still fairly easy to get a last minute reservation. I almost hate writing a good review as I know others will flock to this hidden gem! The ambience is warm and cozy and the service was excellent. We are already planning to return!!
We absolutely loved Joonas. Sexy atmosphere. Service was impeccable, very attentive. Cocktails were amazing and beautifully garnished. Food was delicious. We had such a great, special evening. Ambiance is great for a group or a date, there is music, but it is quiet enough for good conversation.
Jim H.
Definitely avoid this place. When we walked in we loved the atmosphere but were alarmed to be the only party in the entire restaurant. Now I know why. The place is premium priced but the food was absolutely terrible. TERRIBLE. Tandoori chicken was no better than at your local Indian restaurant at a quarter the price. Bap bowl was bitter and nearly inedible. To make matters worse, the server screwed up our order and then lied about it. At least she had the good sense to comp the dish she got terribly wrong. Huge disappointment. This one place won't last.
LeighS
We ordered two starters. The $25 “deviled eggs with lobster” were awful. It features tiny watery tasteless pieces of lobster topped by the tiniest tasteless hard boiled quail egg halves topped by tasteless minuscule dollops of caviar. The “raw fish” at market price ($50) was very tiny oddly cut pieces of tasteless tuna arrayed (not attractively) on a massive bed of ice and a few greens with a massive pile of ginger in the center. Insanely pricey for the most mediocre food. Our waiter ignored us but we determined that going further with additional food would be a mistake. We left. Will not return to this place as there are wonderful restaurants in Aspen.
Robocolo
This was our second visit and we will return again and again. Our server Julia couldn't be more cheery and efficient. The drinks are good and so is the wine pour. We've had the oysters on the half shell, and the pineapple minunet is lovely. The foie gras won ton are so delicious we've had them twice. Same with the halibut in banana leaf. This visit our friend had the chicken wings and I tried one. Nice and a little spicy. She also had the octopus, which I tried. I almost ordered that myself as it was really good. The escargot is a large portion and is a good one to share. My husband had the delicious steak and it came with a grilled medley on top. Nice presentation. The restaurant is a little dark upon entry, but once settled it has a nice ambience. Since I don't remember the noise level, it must have been quiet. Definitely on my Aspen radar.
Arthur Smith
Delightful find, intimate and upscale interior, very welcoming staff. The cocktail was expertly crafted and smoked to perfection in front of me, the smokey flavor wasn't overwhelming at all.
Kent Brown
Limited menu, but everything we had was tasty. Service was very good and had an interesting atmosphere.
Loved the atmosphere, cocktails and food. Try the lobster deviled eggs. Wonderful filet. Tiramisu was incredible as was the homemade ice cream. Certainly will be put into the Aspen rotation! Great date night or special occasion place where being able to hear each other is at a premium. .
luv2dine
The food was just ok and somewhat pricey. However, what stood out was the service. They all were really nice, but the food took way too long to come out. We also had to repeatedly ask for refills of our water, and seemed overwhelmed when the restaurant wasn't even packed. With that said, the wait for food at all of our restaurants in Aspen took way too long. But with Joonas, the food was just OK, and the price not reflective of the food that was presented. Wouldn't go back when we visit again.
LAfoodie
We waited for 45 minutes after ordering for our first dish (bread!!) then another 15 for our other appetizers, which set up the pattern for the evening. Our server, Julia, was lovely and very apologetic but couldn't make up for a poorly run restaurant and kitchen. The food itself was good if overpriced. Perhaps most annoying was the attitude of the manager (shoulder shrug when we politely complained) and the young waiter who gave the table next to us free cocktails and appetizers when they complained. We got nothing so assume he decided they were worth more than us.
gwbell
Our foursome loved the ambiance, the cocktails, the wine and menu selection, and the wait staff. Three of us had the Braised Guancette snd the other had the Halibut. It was all delicious. We will definitely come back again next time we're in Aspen!!
Shindy Lu
Incredible experience from start to finish. Hard for food to stand up to an ambience like the one here at Joonas (you can tell it’s special from the moment you walk in) but it does. We ordered: hamachi, burrata, tagliatelle, lebneh, tiramisu.
I would absolutely recommend Joonas. The atmosphere was amazing, eclectic and unique. The drinks were beautiful. Great wine list. Food was delicious. Perfect place for a romantic date night.
We really wanted to like this as a new spot. The cocktails were good & unique. Unfortunately, there was only one other table there despite it being Labor Day weekend. The build out is great and with better management might be able to turn a crowd. But, for now, it just does not command the current price point. We split the chicken tandoori entree, which was $$$ and only came with one drum and thigh and was below average. Small touches (like placing our sparkling water far away and then re-filling our glasses with tap) made the lack of experienced oversight and training pretty apparent, especially in a market like Aspen. I hope they figure it out before re-opening for winter. But we unfortunately are not likely to return when there are many good & established restaurants in town.
Love the ambience. Dark cool wood glass metal downstairs. Variety of seating from big wood tables too high tops to hidden corner rooms with bottles of wine against the wall. But the lighting was such that each table highlighted to have an intimate dinner experience, but good music in the background. The food was excellent, delicate flavors. Lots of tapas options as well as full entrées. The halibut was so tender and perfectly cooked. Chicken Tinga had a great flavor. Even they are Marconi almonds and olives were delicious to nosh on and the lobster appetizer was to savor the flavors!
We were totally surprised by the ambience, service and menu selection. All top notch! There is a nice selection of tapas as well as entrees. Excellent selection of cocktails and wines. We had the halibut in banana leaf, which was moist and delicious. The sauce and spices served on the side were outstanding! We also enjoyed several of the salads. This a fairly new restaurant to Aspen (opened six months ago) so still fairly easy to get a last minute reservation. I almost hate writing a good review as I know others will flock to this hidden gem! The ambience is warm and cozy and the service was excellent. We are already planning to return!!
We absolutely loved Joonas. Sexy atmosphere. Service was impeccable, very attentive. Cocktails were amazing and beautifully garnished. Food was delicious. We had such a great, special evening. Ambiance is great for a group or a date, there is music, but it is quiet enough for good conversation.
Definitely avoid this place. When we walked in we loved the atmosphere but were alarmed to be the only party in the entire restaurant. Now I know why. The place is premium priced but the food was absolutely terrible. TERRIBLE. Tandoori chicken was no better than at your local Indian restaurant at a quarter the price. Bap bowl was bitter and nearly inedible. To make matters worse, the server screwed up our order and then lied about it. At least she had the good sense to comp the dish she got terribly wrong. Huge disappointment. This one place won't last.
We ordered two starters. The $25 “deviled eggs with lobster” were awful. It features tiny watery tasteless pieces of lobster topped by the tiniest tasteless hard boiled quail egg halves topped by tasteless minuscule dollops of caviar. The “raw fish” at market price ($50) was very tiny oddly cut pieces of tasteless tuna arrayed (not attractively) on a massive bed of ice and a few greens with a massive pile of ginger in the center. Insanely pricey for the most mediocre food. Our waiter ignored us but we determined that going further with additional food would be a mistake. We left. Will not return to this place as there are wonderful restaurants in Aspen.
This was our second visit and we will return again and again. Our server Julia couldn't be more cheery and efficient. The drinks are good and so is the wine pour. We've had the oysters on the half shell, and the pineapple minunet is lovely. The foie gras won ton are so delicious we've had them twice. Same with the halibut in banana leaf. This visit our friend had the chicken wings and I tried one. Nice and a little spicy. She also had the octopus, which I tried. I almost ordered that myself as it was really good. The escargot is a large portion and is a good one to share. My husband had the delicious steak and it came with a grilled medley on top. Nice presentation. The restaurant is a little dark upon entry, but once settled it has a nice ambience. Since I don't remember the noise level, it must have been quiet. Definitely on my Aspen radar.
Delightful find, intimate and upscale interior, very welcoming staff. The cocktail was expertly crafted and smoked to perfection in front of me, the smokey flavor wasn't overwhelming at all.
Limited menu, but everything we had was tasty. Service was very good and had an interesting atmosphere.
Restaurantji Recommends
Loved the atmosphere, cocktails and food. Try the lobster deviled eggs. Wonderful filet. Tiramisu was incredible as was the homemade ice cream. Certainly will be put into the Aspen rotation! Great date night or special occasion place where being able to hear each other is at a premium. .
The food was just ok and somewhat pricey. However, what stood out was the service. They all were really nice, but the food took way too long to come out. We also had to repeatedly ask for refills of our water, and seemed overwhelmed when the restaurant wasn't even packed. With that said, the wait for food at all of our restaurants in Aspen took way too long. But with Joonas, the food was just OK, and the price not reflective of the food that was presented. Wouldn't go back when we visit again.
We waited for 45 minutes after ordering for our first dish (bread!!) then another 15 for our other appetizers, which set up the pattern for the evening. Our server, Julia, was lovely and very apologetic but couldn't make up for a poorly run restaurant and kitchen. The food itself was good if overpriced. Perhaps most annoying was the attitude of the manager (shoulder shrug when we politely complained) and the young waiter who gave the table next to us free cocktails and appetizers when they complained. We got nothing so assume he decided they were worth more than us.
Our foursome loved the ambiance, the cocktails, the wine and menu selection, and the wait staff. Three of us had the Braised Guancette snd the other had the Halibut. It was all delicious. We will definitely come back again next time we're in Aspen!!
Incredible experience from start to finish. Hard for food to stand up to an ambience like the one here at Joonas (you can tell it’s special from the moment you walk in) but it does. We ordered: hamachi, burrata, tagliatelle, lebneh, tiramisu.