The Red Onion

The Red Onion
South elevation and partial east profile, 2010
Location within Colorado
Restaurant information
Established	1892 (1892)
Current owner(s)	Brad Smith and Michael Tierney
Chef	Michael Fiske
Food type	American
Street address	420 E. Cooper St.
City	Aspen
State	Colorado
Postal/ZIP code	81611
Country	United States
Coordinates	39°11′17″N 106°49′9″W / 39.18806°N 106.81917°W / 39.18806; -106.81917
Website	RedOnionAspen.com

The Red Onion is a restaurant located on East Cooper Avenue in Aspen, Colorado, United States. It is the oldest restaurant in the city, housed in a three-story red brick Italianate building dating to the late 19th century. In 1987 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as "New Brick–The Brick Saloon", along with other historic properties in the city.

It began as a saloon opened by an early city alderman; at one point its upper floors were reportedly home to a brothel. In its early years it was one of three dining establishments in Aspen. It retains much of its original interior, including a bullet hole in the bar. As the city became a popular ski resort, it hosted musical performances by, among others, Billie Holiday and John Denver. It continued operating under various owners for 115 years until closing for structural renovations for three years in the late 2000s.

The Red Onion is located on the north side of East Cooper, midway between South Galena and South Mill streets. That block of the street is a pedestrian mall, with brick walkways on either side and mature trees on either side of a small tributary of the Roaring Fork River. Tables are often located in front of the restaurant in warmer months.

Around the building, the surrounding neighborhood consists primarily of a mix of historic and modern commercial buildings, most one or two stories high. Rubey Park is to the west, a large open area between South Mill and South Monarch streets. The Wheeler Opera House, an Aspen landmark also listed on the Register, is around the corner at South Mill and East Hyman. A block to the southeast is the base station and gondola of the Aspen Mountain ski area.

The building itself is a three-bay, two-and-a-half-story brick structure topped with a roof sloping gently to the north. Its south (front) facade has a three-section glass storefront with wooden dividers. The main entrance is at the east. Above each section is a rectangular transom, eight panes in the larger western section and four in the other two. It is topped with a wood dentilled and modillioned cornice.