A Colorado Kitchen with 40 years of History: Charter Steakhouse

Some restaurants chase a trend. Charter Steakhouse, tucked inside The Charter at Beaver Creek, is doing something quieter and arguably harder: figuring out what a genuinely Colorado steakhouse should taste like.

The Charter itself has been a fixture at the eastern end of Beaver Creek Village for 40 years, and a $22 million property renovation completed in 2023 gave the restaurant a full refresh — new look, new menu, new energy. Leading the kitchen is executive chef Matt Good, a Gunnison native who took the "Colorado" part of the concept seriously. Rather than default to generic steakhouse suppliers, he went looking for ranches and farms across the state, landing on partners like Fitch Ranch Artisan Meat Company on the Western Slope (a family operation that won a 2022 USDA Rangeland Ingenuity Award), along with Colorado bison, trout, and cheese producers. He's since become enough of a local character to be developing his own hot sauce, aptly named "Damn That's Good."

The menu leans into that sourcing without taking itself too seriously — think fig-glazed lamb, pan-seared scallops, a well-loved shrimp cocktail, and a Bison New York Strip that keeps showing up in regulars' reviews as the thing to order. The dining room's big west-facing windows make it a genuinely nice spot to watch the sun drop behind the mountain, and the cocktail bar has its own following for anyone looking to start (or end) the night there instead.

Beyond the regular menu, Charter Steakhouse has been building a nice calendar of one-off events — a Craft & Cue beer pairing dinner with Outer Range Brewing Co. and Fitch Ranch, seasonal prix fixe nights with wine and beer specials, and a well-attended Thanksgiving buffet with turkey, prime rib, and all the sides. It's worth keeping an eye on their calendar if you like a reason to make a reservation beyond "just because."

It's not a hidden secret — reviews run largely excellent, with the occasional gripe about pricing or a steak that came out a touch off, which is a fair trade for a kitchen this ambitious at 8,100 feet. Chef Good himself has a habit of coming out to talk to tables, which says something about how personally invested he is in the place.

Charter Steakhouse is open Wednesday through Sunday, 3–9pm, at 120 Offerson Road in Beaver Creek. Call 970-445-5995 or reserve online through OpenTable.