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Yosemite National Park has a couple of moderately priced restaurants in lovely (which almost goes without saying) settings: the Mountain Room at Yosemite Lodge and Wawona Hotel's dining room. The Ahwahnee hotel provides one of the finest dining experiences in the country.
Otherwise, food service is geared toward satisfying the masses as efficiently as possible. Yosemite Lodge's food court is the valley's best lower-cost, hot-food option; Curry Village Pavilion's offerings are overpriced and usually fairly bland, but you can get decent pizzas on the adjacent outdoor deck. In Valley Village, the Village Grill whips up burgers and fries, Degnan's Deli has made-to-order sandwiches, and Loft Pizzeria has a chaletlike open dining area in which you can enjoy pizza, salads, and desserts.
The White Wolf Lodge and Tuolumne Meadows Lodge—both off Tioga Road and therefore guaranteed open only from early June through September—have small restaurants where meals are competently prepared. Tuolumne Meadows also has a grill, and the gift shop at Glacier Point sells premade sandwiches, snacks, and hot dogs. During the ski season you’ll also find one at Badger Pass, off Glacier Point Road.
Delaware North Yosemite has been the official park concessioner for the last 15 years, operating nearly all restaurants, lodgings, activities, and services throughout the park. As of March 2016, Aramark will take over as official park concessioner, and changes in services may occur.
Gaze at Yosemite Falls through this dining room's wall of windows—almost every table has a view—as you nosh on steaks, seafood, and classic California salads and desserts. The Mountain Room Lounge, a few steps away in the Yosemite Valley Lodge complex, has about 10 beers on tap.
The name, decor, and menu at this lively brewpub pay homage to California's Gold Rush era and the year the state and county were officially established. Many of the craft beers on tap come from the owners' 1850 Brewing Company, and dishes include everything from traditional Bavarian pretzels and hearty baked mac and cheese to ahi nachos and salmon cakes.
In a central dining tent beside the Tuolumne River, this restaurant serves a menu of hearty American fare at breakfast and dinner. The red-and-white-checkered tablecloths and a handful of communal tables give it the feeling of an old-fashioned summer camp.
Watch deer graze in the meadow while you dine in the romantic, candlelit dining room of the whitewashed Wawona Hotel, which dates from the late 1800s. The American-style cuisine favors fresh ingredients and flavors; trout and flatiron steaks are menu staples.
Those fueling up for a day on the trail or famished after a high-country hike will appreciate the all-you-can-eat, family-style breakfasts and dinners in this tiny dining room. Mashed potatoes, big pots of curried vegetables, and heaps of pasta often grace the tables in this cozy out-of-the-way place.
If you're coming into Yosemite via Route 120, you'll pass by the Iron Door, one of the oldest saloons in California, established in 1852. Stop in for a drink and a hearty meal in the saloon or the attached dining room, which is quieter but lacks the wacky rustic charm of the bar, where photographs and other memorabilia line the walls.
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