The Vermont Restaurant You Have To Ride A Gondola To Get To

If you love stunning mountain scenery and out-of-the-ordinary dining experiences (like actually eating breakfast at Tiffany's in New York City), you'll want to add the Cliff House in Stowe, Vermont, to your restaurant bucket list. Located 3,625 feet up on Mount Mansfield, Vermont's highest peak, the restaurant features floor-to-ceiling windows with panoramic views of neighboring Spruce Peak, and is only accessible by taking a scenic gondola up the mountain.

The restaurant is part of the skiing hotspot Stowe Resort and is accessible to resort guests (including non-skiers) who want to take in the view and a good meal. The mountaintop restaurant is open daily for lunch (11 a.m-2:30 p.m.) when the Mountain Gondola is running (in both winter and summer seasons). While they do take walk-ins, it's recommended that you make a reservation at Cliff House. To access the restaurant, diners must purchase a Gondola Skyride ticket or have a ski pass (tickets are not included in your reservation). 

If the idea of enjoying a cocktail and leisurely lunch while perched thousands of feet above a winter wonderland sounds like something out of a James Bond movie (in the best way possible), here's what you need to know before you take a gondola up the mountain.

Described as "American cuisine with a rustic Vermont flair," the menu awaiting you at the top of the mountain features upscale comfort food with plenty of maple-inspired dishes like maple bacon chicharrónes and crispy fried chicken wings tossed with a sweet and smoky maple chipotle sauce. (Doesn't maple syrup belong in every meal?)

But is taking a gondola up a mountain for lunch really worth it? Well, it depends. If you don't have a ski pass, a return gondola ride costs $40 for adults (age 13+) and $26 for kids (ages 5-12). Depending on what you order, the cost of the gondola is as much, if not more, than the lunch itself. But some people feel the journey might be worth it to enjoy dishes like Cliff House's decadent mac and cheese made with smoked gouda and topped with bacon, green onions, and garlic bread crumbs — something I never knew I needed, but now absolutely must try. (Seriously, who doesn't want to try smoked gouda cheese sauce?) So, while the gondola ride will set you back, it might be worth adding to your bucket list.