I will be staying at the Yosemite Lodge in April. I have read some good things about the restaurant there as well as the one at Ahwahnee. How do they compare as far as atmosphere and food? Are there any other good places to eat within the park?

There is no way to compare the two. Yosemite Lodge is sort of like eating in a high school cafeteria. The Ahwanee is one of the most beautiful dining rooms in the United States. That said, don't expect a five star meal at the Ahwahnee. It was fine, but not fantastic. It's all about the room.
We made the mistake of going for a late seating and were some of the last diners in the room. We were greeted by a continuous clanging as about twenty servers, unset and reset the tables for breakfast, everything going on and off metal trolleys. The noise was not merely annoying, but bordered on deafening.
The best meal you can do there is a picnic out in the beautiful wilderness.

I'll totally agree with Patrick about the Ahwanee. If you chose your restaurant strictly by the ambiance, its dining room would be at the top of the list. But, unfortunately, it's the food that matters most, and we were greatly disappointed with our dining experience there. Definitely not worth the money.

It may be that dinners at the Ahwanee don't measure up to some folks' standards, and yes, as the other posters have indicated, the ambiance is unforgettable. So the value received then becomes a personal assessment.

For my part, I go for the Ahwanee brunches and breakfasts more than the dinners. Frankly, the other restaurant at the lodge has better, and cheaper dinners. Not the cafeteria, but the sit down restaurant, and i can't remember the name of it. Whether you eat at the ahwanee or not, you gotta go see it.

If you're going to Yosemite for the "dining", you're going for the wrong reason!

We're spoiled by Acadia National Park, where we can hike all day, then get a nice dinner in Bar Harbor.

Yosemite is another matter. It's one of the top scenic places I've seen, and I would absolutely go back, but it really annoys me to have to do "subsistance only" food on vacation!

Patrick is right about the food vs. atmosphere at the Ahwahnee. Actually, I liked eating in their bar area better. They did a fabulous potato & leek soup, and the bar is nice. The lodge restaurant really is high school cafeteria. I do, however, love the pizza at Curry Village and, now that I think of it, the Curry Village cafeteria is much better in my opinion than the lodge, and has more of a lodgy (is that a word?!) feel to it.

I'll be staying at the Yosemite Lodge in early February. We plan to dine at the lodge restaurant (the Mountain Room - I think that's what it's called - there's also a cafeteria which is separate) and will post when I return. If the food we had last summer at the Toulumne restaurant is any indication, I will not be expecting much in terms of quality.

From what I've read, I'm not sure if we will have dinner at the Ahwahnee. Is brunch at the Ahwahnee a buffet or table service?

Most other dining options within the park are fast food/cafeteria type places.

Food at the Ahwahnee is not as Fab as it could be, but Curry Company has to make its fat profit!

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I too prefer the Ahwahnee for breakfast. You're still paying for more than the food is worth but

A) Location Location Location
B) The overcharge for breakfast doesn't pack the same whallop dinner does.
C) Its easier to admire both the beauty of the dining room and the beauty through the windows during daylight hours, you would miss this at dinner.

The Mountain Room, the Lodge's sit down restaurant serves perfectly fine, albeit plain food. It's not very vegetarian friendly. It's cheaper than the Ahwahnee and nicer than the cafeteria.

Mtn. room is good and the Awanee overrated. (B'fast or lunch at the Awanee) Pizza in Camp Curry for a change and drive up(to the Wawona for a meal- besides the cafeterias that is about it.

If you want truly wonderful food go to Edna's Elderberry House, but it's bit of a hike from Yosemite. Otherwise, the Ahwanhee is about the best in the valley. I would say it's standard National Park fare, but the room is truly beautiful and the biggest dining room in the U.S., I believe. They do have a nice bar area that serves food as well and they will pack picnics for you.

As I recall the Yosemite Lodge sit down restaurant has pretty good food including some yummy salmon. I never ate at the cafeteria style part though.