Park City has the greatest concentration of good restaurants in Utah. The five blocks of historic Main Street alone offer many fine places to eat, and each of the resorts, hotels, and lodges offers more options. Note that many of the restaurants close in May and November—the so-called mud season. During ski-season weekends, dinner reservations are strongly recommended for all but the most casual restaurants.

Main Street

A favorite place for a traditional breakfast is the Morning Ray Cafe (255 Main St., 435/615-6951, www.treasuremountaininn.com, 7 a.m.-10 p.m., $5-10) in the Treasure Mountain Inn complex. Fresh pastries, omelets, and hotcakes are served for breakfast till 1 p.m. For lunch and dinner, there are salads, sandwiches, and items from the grill.

At the top of Main Street, Wasatch Brew Pub (250 Main St., 435/649-0900, www.wasatchbeers.com, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. daily, $9-20) is a good place for a casual, inexpensive pub-style meal and excellent beers and ale; in good weather, there's a patio for outdoor dining.

One of Park City's most noted restaurants is Chimayo (368 Main St., 435/649-6222, www.chimayorestaurant.com, 5-10 p.m. daily in winter, hours vary seasonally, $28-40), the area's leading purveyor of contemporary Southwest cuisine. Halibut is pan-seared with chipotle and served with a mango salsa, spaghetti squash, and roasted broccolini. Chimayo's sister restaurant, Grappa (151 Main St., 435/645-0636, www.grapparestaurant.com, 5-10 p.m. daily, $27-38) is at the top of Main Street; here you'll find distinctive approaches to Italian standards, such as polenta with herb-encrusted rainbow trout or prosciutto and sage-wrapped shrimp. In the summer, there's a lovely deck.

One of the most romantic restaurants in Park City is Wahso (577 Main St., 435/615-0300, www.wahso.com/07, 5-9:30 p.m. Sun.-Thurs., 5-10 p.m. Fri.-Sat., $28-40). Its name is both Chinese and French (from oiseau, meaning "bird"), as is the cuisine at this stylish, slightly formal restaurant. French sauces meet Chinese cooking techniques, and vice versa.

The inspiration for the food at pleasant Cafe Terigo (424 Main St., 435/645-9555, www.cafeterigo.com, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Mon.-Tues., 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 5:30-10 p.m. Wed.-Sat., $20-30) is Italian, but dishes such as porcini-dusted scallops on sweet corn risotto with roasted red pepper and arugula puree show that ingredients and techniques have been substantially updated. The atmosphere in the restaurant and on the side patio is simultaneously calming and fun.

Another signature Park City restaurant, The Riverhorse Cafe (540 Main St., 435/649-3536, www.riverhorsegroup.com, 5:30-10 p.m. daily, $25-40) in the old Masonic building, serves carefully prepared American standards with a few restrained flourishes; after a day of skiing, splurge on the mixed grill here. The Riverhorse also features live musical entertainment.

New American cooking is the order of the day at Zoom (660 Main St., 435/649-9108, www.zoomparkcity.com, 5:30 p.m.-9 p.m. Tues.-Thurs., 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 5-9 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Sun., $18-36). The grilled meats are excellent, as is the trout. Zoom has perhaps the nicest patio dining in Park City. Zoom is housed in an old railroad depot at the foot of Main Street and is owned by Robert Redford.

Tucked into an odd space around the corner at the foot of Main Street, Jean Louis (136 Heber Ave., 435/200-0260, www.jeanlouisrestaurant.com, 5 p.m.-midnight daily, $19-32) serves a broad range of classic French dishes as well as the Normandy-born chef's take on traditional American fare.

Prospector Square and Vicinity

A good, reasonably priced, and healthy bet for any meal of the day is Good Karma (1782 Prospector Ave., 435/658-0958, http://goodkarmarestaurants.com, 7:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 5-9:30 p.m. daily, $9-14), a sweet but tiny spot with a variety of Asian dishes (standard American fare is served at breakfast); go for the Persian-Indian food. In the summer, sit out back in the courtyard.

Hungry budget-conscious travelers can also head to Prospector Square, where El Chubasco (1890 Bonanza Dr., 435/645-9114, www.elchubascopc.info, 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Sun., $5-9) is a casual, kid-friendly Mexican restaurant with reasonably good food and a variety of very good salsas.

One of Park City's best restaurants is the Blind Dog (1781 Sidewinder Dr., 435/655-0800, www.blinddoggrill.com, 5-10 p.m. Mon.-Sat., $15-55). Don't let its bland setting fool you; the food here is seriously good, and though crab cakes ($32) are favorites here, the Dog also makes a mean meatloaf ($20). Right next door, the Blind Dog runs a sushi restaurant (same phone and hours, $6 and up), capitalizing on their good sources of fish.

For a Western steakhouse atmosphere, go to Grub Steak Restaurant (2200 Sidewinder Ave., 435/649-8060, www.grubsteakrestaurant.com, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5-9 p.m. Mon.-Thurs., 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. and 5-9:30 p.m. Fri., 5-9:30 p.m. Sat., 5-9 p.m. Sun., $17-40) in the Inn at Prospector Square. The steaks, prime rib, grilled chicken, and seafood are excellent, and dinners come with a trip to the salad bar.

On Park Avenue at Kearns Boulevard is Squatter's Pub (1900 Park Ave., 435/649-9868, www.squatters.com, 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Sun.-Thurs., 8 a.m.-11 p.m. Fri.-Sat., $8-22), a brewpub with above-average pub grub. Vegetarians should check out the charbroiled tofu tacos.

Off the beaten path but worth searching out, the sweetly romantic Chez Betty (1637 Short Line Dr., 435/649-8181, www.chezbetty.com, 6-11 p.m. daily Dec.-Mar., closed Tues. the rest of the year, $11-34) in the Copperbottom Inn, serves lovely French-inspired dinners, including an excellent four-course chef's tasting menu ($48, $68 with wine). Several of the entrées are available in "petite" portions.

Even when ski season comes to a halt, it's worth checking out the Baja Cantina (1284 Lowell Ave., 435/649-2252, www.bajaparkcity.com, 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. daily, $12-16) at the main base of the Park City Mountain Resort lifts for zippy, full-flavored Mexican lunches and dinners in a colorful and bustling dining room. It's one of Park City's best budget choices.