Entry No. 49 — the Durango file — filed under: basement-bar
Wood Ear Whiskey Lounge & Noodle Bar
The bar at the center of this basement room is hand-carved from walnut and extinct white tiger pine and hasn't moved since the 1880s — the Roma Building was simply built around it. Descend the stairs off Colorado Avenue and you're in a candlelit cave with 150-plus spirits (heavy on Japanese whiskey), steaming ramen bowls, and the faint sense that nobody upstairs knows you're here. The Texas-meets-Japan menu sounds like a dare and reads like it won.
The story
Duck off Colorado Avenue and down a short flight of stairs into the basement of the Roma Building. You’re standing in front of a heavy bar counter hand-carved in the 1880s out of walnut and white tiger pine—a wood species that is now extinct. The counter hasn't moved an inch since the 19th century; the builders constructed the surrounding Roma Building right over top of it.
Below street level, the room stays dim and candlelit while the kitchen runs a subtle culinary experiment: fusing Texas barbecue with classic Japanese ramen. Smoked meats meet steaming bowls of rich broth, backed by a backbar holding more than 150 spirits with an aggressive focus on Japanese whiskies.
While the ski crowds scramble along the bright sidewalks overhead, you're sitting in a subterranean cave drinking rare spirits at a piece of 1880s woodwork. It feels like a quiet pocket of town that slipped through the cracks, which is precisely why you descend those stairs.
What it's like
Head down the basement steps off Colorado Avenue in the mid-afternoon if you want a stool at the century-old bar before the dinner rush packs the room. The space is warm and candlelit with the distinct feeling that nobody upstairs knows where you went. There's no private parking lot, so grab a spot on Colorado Avenue or in a nearby town lot, slide into a booth, and pair a hot bowl of noodles with a Japanese whiskey flight.
The move: Drop into the basement mid-afternoon before the dinner rush, split a bowl of ramen at the century-old bar, and work through the Japanese whiskey flights while the mountain light fades outside.
📍 Before you go Basement entrance off Colorado Avenue — a few steps down from street level; no dedicated parking lot, street parking on Colorado Ave or town lots nearby.
- 📍 Telluride
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 135 E Colorado Ave, Telluride, CO 81435
Hours: Added 2026-06-21 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- The Tunnel Supper Club — Combine Telluride's two best subterranean venues for an evening spent entirely below sidewalk level.
- Telluride Free Box — Rummage through Telluride's famous street-side exchange box on the main drag before retreating downstairs for hot noodles.
- Telluride Historical Museum — Examine 1880s mining artifacts in the old hospital, then head down to drink at a bar counter hand-carved during that exact decade.
- Lone Tree Cemetery — Wander through the high-altitude 1887 pioneer graveyard on the east end of town before warming up with whiskey in a candlelit basement.
Good to know
Where is the entrance to Wood Ear?
Look for the basement entrance off Colorado Avenue in Telluride, situated a few steps down from street level inside the historic Roma Building.
What makes the bar itself historic?
The central counter was hand-carved in the 1880s from walnut and extinct white tiger pine. The Roma Building was actually built around the bar, keeping it anchored in its original spot.
What type of food and drinks are on the menu?
The food pairs Texas barbecue flavors with Japanese noodle dishes, while the bar offers over 150 spirits with a heavy selection of Japanese whiskies.
Is there parking on-site?
No. Plan to use street parking along Colorado Avenue or park in one of Telluride's nearby public municipal lots.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: telluridenews.com · Yelp · telluride.com · telluridediningguide.com · 303magazine.com
last checked: 2026-06-21