Which Yosemite Restaurant?
Sep 14th, 2010, 05:06 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,313
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Which Yosemite Restaurant?
The Yosemite website lists the following as great places for dinner:
Mountain Room at the Lodge at the Falls
Ahwanee Dining Room
Wawona Dining Room at the Wawona Hotel
Has anyone had lunch or dinner at these places. I know Spirobulldog mentioned his family ate at Wawona and the pictures from a previous post looked scrumptious. I also read good things about the other two places. Which of the three would you choose?
Mountain Room at the Lodge at the Falls
Ahwanee Dining Room
Wawona Dining Room at the Wawona Hotel
Has anyone had lunch or dinner at these places. I know Spirobulldog mentioned his family ate at Wawona and the pictures from a previous post looked scrumptious. I also read good things about the other two places. Which of the three would you choose?
Sep 14th, 2010, 05:46 PM
#3
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 11,983
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Mountain room at the Lodge is a pleasant restaurant with good food. I would not characterize it as creative cuisine or elegant dining, but it's several steps up from your typical NationalPark dining experience.
The Ahwanee dining room is over the top spectacular to see. I've only ever had brunch there, which was very good, and even more expensive.
Wawona is about 45min to 1hr drive away from the Valley - I'd only ever eat there if I were staying at the Wawona.
For lunch my preference is always to grab and go, or pack a picnic and go. The beauty of Yosemite is being out and about in the park during daylight hours, not sitting in a restaurant. Save the restaurant meal for dinner when you're done with nature for the day.
The Ahwanee dining room is over the top spectacular to see. I've only ever had brunch there, which was very good, and even more expensive.
Wawona is about 45min to 1hr drive away from the Valley - I'd only ever eat there if I were staying at the Wawona.
For lunch my preference is always to grab and go, or pack a picnic and go. The beauty of Yosemite is being out and about in the park during daylight hours, not sitting in a restaurant. Save the restaurant meal for dinner when you're done with nature for the day.
Sep 14th, 2010, 05:53 PM
#4
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 10,965
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
When we stay at Yosemite, we dine at the Mountain Room. The food is "just fine" and the view is pleasing.
We also once, with great anticipation, had lunch in the Ahwanee Dining Room. (There was a big fuss about getting a dinner reservation.)
The room is huge but the crowd was small. I don't remember anything about what I ate. I was glad to see the room, but I felt like a button lost in the corner of a dresser drawer.
The Ahwanee Hotel is well worth a visit and, at lunch time, I'm sure you could look around the dining room even if you are eating there.
Enjoy, HTTY
HTTY
We also once, with great anticipation, had lunch in the Ahwanee Dining Room. (There was a big fuss about getting a dinner reservation.)
The room is huge but the crowd was small. I don't remember anything about what I ate. I was glad to see the room, but I felt like a button lost in the corner of a dresser drawer.
The Ahwanee Hotel is well worth a visit and, at lunch time, I'm sure you could look around the dining room even if you are eating there.
Enjoy, HTTY
HTTY
Sep 14th, 2010, 07:53 PM
#6
I've eaten dinner at the Ahwahnee twice and lunch once-- and believe me I didn't feel like a button in a drawer. Last time I ate there was in March and I was solo -- and was VERY lucky to get a table. There were only two open spots over the two nights I had available.
Food was very good--not earthshaking over the top fab -- but really very good and not disappointing. The room is amazing -- and the service was spot on.
The Mountain Room is fine - but not at all in the same league as the Ahwahnee.
Here is the description from my trip report:
<blue>Caught a shuttle about 7:30 and got to the Ahwahnee about 15 minutes later. Sat in front of a roaring fire in the Great Lounge which is an absolutely enormous room (but not as enormous as the dining room).
They called me to the dining room exactly at 8:30 -- and even on a tues. night in March, every table was full! Several starters sounded really scrumptious -- but since I decided on the loin of venison for my main, thought I'd skip a starter and have a champagne cocktail aperitif instead. Ordering the cocktail 'off menu' w/o prices, I assumed it would be pretty steep. But what the heck - I have that $20 credit
Then I ordered a glass of (I think) Syrah to go w/ my loin of venison, cranberry relish, braised red cabbage and spaetzle. That sounds like a really heavy meal -- but it was absolutely fabulous. I assumed it would be a fairly small presentation, but it was a huge serving. 7 slices of venison loin cooked perfectly and fork tender. The cranberry and cabbage gave it a slightly sweet tang. All of the desserts sounded amazing - but I was just too full. The waiter offered to comp a dish of ice cream or sherbet/cookies just to round off the meal so that is how I ended my dinner -- w/ a kiddie sized bowl of ice cream.
W/ my $20 credit my total bill came to just $44 plus tip. And the champagne cocktail ended up only $9 which was about $4 less than the glass of wine - heck, I should have had two
By then it was just after 10PM and the last shuttle leaves -- at 10PM! Spoke to the hotel front desk and they said 'no problem, we'll call a van for you. No charge . . . '
They said it would be about 10 or 15 minutes so I popped into the cocktail bar just off the lobby. Saw a bottle of Macallan 18 year old on the back bar and decided -- 'now THAT'S the way to end dinner'. Ordered a shot and then realized the van may come before I could finish it. The bartender was really a kick and offered to put the Macallan in a coffee cup so I could take it on the van. Terrif!
Now, I know this 18 yo single malt will be pricey - I figured maybe $20 or $25 -- but what's money - after all, I saved $20 off dinner and got free dessert! (I'll go broke 'saving' money like that). So - he pours that beautiful, smooth whisky into a paper cup and rings up the sale -- thirty-five freaking dollars!!! He laughed when I didn't flinch (I was flinching but hid it well ) W/ tip, my after dinner drink cost nearly as much as my whole dinner!</blue>
and the link to the whole report
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...rt-getaway.cfm
Food was very good--not earthshaking over the top fab -- but really very good and not disappointing. The room is amazing -- and the service was spot on.
The Mountain Room is fine - but not at all in the same league as the Ahwahnee.
Here is the description from my trip report:
<blue>Caught a shuttle about 7:30 and got to the Ahwahnee about 15 minutes later. Sat in front of a roaring fire in the Great Lounge which is an absolutely enormous room (but not as enormous as the dining room).
They called me to the dining room exactly at 8:30 -- and even on a tues. night in March, every table was full! Several starters sounded really scrumptious -- but since I decided on the loin of venison for my main, thought I'd skip a starter and have a champagne cocktail aperitif instead. Ordering the cocktail 'off menu' w/o prices, I assumed it would be pretty steep. But what the heck - I have that $20 credit
Then I ordered a glass of (I think) Syrah to go w/ my loin of venison, cranberry relish, braised red cabbage and spaetzle. That sounds like a really heavy meal -- but it was absolutely fabulous. I assumed it would be a fairly small presentation, but it was a huge serving. 7 slices of venison loin cooked perfectly and fork tender. The cranberry and cabbage gave it a slightly sweet tang. All of the desserts sounded amazing - but I was just too full. The waiter offered to comp a dish of ice cream or sherbet/cookies just to round off the meal so that is how I ended my dinner -- w/ a kiddie sized bowl of ice cream.
W/ my $20 credit my total bill came to just $44 plus tip. And the champagne cocktail ended up only $9 which was about $4 less than the glass of wine - heck, I should have had two
By then it was just after 10PM and the last shuttle leaves -- at 10PM! Spoke to the hotel front desk and they said 'no problem, we'll call a van for you. No charge . . . '
They said it would be about 10 or 15 minutes so I popped into the cocktail bar just off the lobby. Saw a bottle of Macallan 18 year old on the back bar and decided -- 'now THAT'S the way to end dinner'. Ordered a shot and then realized the van may come before I could finish it. The bartender was really a kick and offered to put the Macallan in a coffee cup so I could take it on the van. Terrif!
Now, I know this 18 yo single malt will be pricey - I figured maybe $20 or $25 -- but what's money - after all, I saved $20 off dinner and got free dessert! (I'll go broke 'saving' money like that). So - he pours that beautiful, smooth whisky into a paper cup and rings up the sale -- thirty-five freaking dollars!!! He laughed when I didn't flinch (I was flinching but hid it well
) W/ tip, my after dinner drink cost nearly as much as my whole dinner!</blue>and the link to the whole report
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...rt-getaway.cfm
Sep 16th, 2010, 01:12 PM
#8
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 7,443
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We really enjoyed the Wawonna for dinner. We had Sunday Brunch at the Awahnee and it was great! If I had to pick just one, I would go for the brunch. However, If it were for an evening meal, I might lean more toward the Wawona. I haven't eaten at Awahnee for an evening meal, I am basing this solely on looking at the menu. Do realize that if you eat at The Awahnee for an evening meal that there is a dress code(no dress code for brunch or lunch). The Awahnee is more upscale. You might enjoy a lunch meal just as much at The Awahnee and you will save $$.
