When the Minturn Saloon reopened in September after a lengthy renovation, the first question out of everyone’s mouths was, “Is it the same?” Yes, assures Connie Mazza, who co-owns the icon with her stepbrother, Kipp deVeer. It’s the same while also being cleaner, fresher, and updated. But what really matters is that it feels the same.

Decades of memorabilia (including signed photos of John Wayne) still decorate the walls, wagon wheel lights and tin ceilings hang overhead, and the buffalo head still holds court (albeit now over the mantle, which honestly feels like his rightful place). Margaritas and Tex-Mex remain the draw. And, yes, you can still clomp around in ski boots after a day on the slopes, a badge of honor  if you’ve arrived directly from the exit of the Minturn Mile.

The Saloon’s legacy looms large, and not just because the building hails from 1901. The place is wrapped in the collective story and memory of everyone who has ever passed over its threshold. The Mazzas wanted to get it right. 

Even before they bought it, the couple were part of the Saloon. Connie, who began coming to the Vail Valley as a child (she moved here permanently in 2010), spent nearly every winter holiday going to the Saloon. She had her 21st birthday there, brought all her CU friends in for margs, and had one last meal with her mom there before she died. She and Anthony even had their engagement party at the Saloon.

So, when deVeer called Connie in November 2021 after seeing that the Saloon was for sale, his reaction was simple: “This place means as much to us as it does to so many; we have to do it,” Connie says, recalling the conversation. Her husband Anthony, a professional chef, restaurateur, and forever a go-getter, said, “Tell him to do it. We’ll f–ing crush.”

By this time, the Mazzas had already established themselves as restaurant people. They had opened Village Bagel—a concept dreamt up by Connie, who has an undying love for the perfect bagel—in Edwards in 2018. (They added a second location in Gypsum this past July) Although the couple already had their hands full with a restaurant and a growing family, they took over the Saloon and ran it for the remainder of the 2022 ski season. “We did it to keep staff employed and learn how to do what Steve Campbell and Andy Kaufman did for the last 30 years,” Connie says. It was a crash course in everything Minturn Saloon and “it was rough,” she laughs.

They learned what worked and, even more important, what didn’t. In the end, they put in brand-new equipment behind the bar and in the kitchen. They invested in a new sound system so that—hopefully—the Saloon will draw musicians making their way from Red Rocks to Belly Up in Aspen. Nothing is halfway, Connie explains, paraphrasing her husband’s motto: “We’re gonna do this, but let’s do it the best in the universe.”

Their team is populated with longtime locals who have been around the industry. The Tex-Mex is still gooey and cozy, but it’s made from scratch with fresh ingredients. “You should see our walk-in,” Connie says. “It’s practically empty because we’ve gotten away from premade junk.” Even the margarita got a facelift, thanks to fresh-squeezed lime juice instead of prefabbed stuff. “We’ve brought it back to basics, back to a simpler, old-fashioned time,” she continues. “That’s what we love about food, simplicity and doing things the right way. It’s so nice to put that into the Saloon.”