Carnelian Bay Vacation Rental Home
Where should we eat?
Our family has been dining around Lake Tahoe for ten years or so. There are many good restaurants on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe, in all price ranges, and you don’t have to drive far to reach them. The restaurants we’ll talk about here are ones we like, rather than knocking the ones we won’t be going back to (and there are a number of those).
Our comments are written in summer 2022, and we have visited each restaurant at least three times. We aren’t going into detail about dishes on the menus; we’ve included links to their Web pages for that. All times and directions are from house at Carnelian Bay.
The Top Five
Based on food quality and service
1. Souele Domain
9983 Cove Street
Brockway
(530) 546-7529
15 minutes, across from the casinos at Crystal Bay
Intimate dining room in historic log cabin. Wood-burning fireplace. Small patio in summer; no view. Long-time (1985) owner/chef Charlie Soule prepares a seasonal menu with the highest quality ingredients. Experienced and knowledgeable staff. Carefully selected wines. Reservations are always necessary. Zagat rates this place “extraordinary to perfection” and we agree. Ask for main room with fireplace. $$$
2. Manzanita
At the Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe (Northstar)
13031 Ritz-Carlton Highlands Court, Truckee
(530) 562-3000
www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/LakeTahoe
30 minutes (not advised in bad weather). Valet parking only.
Famed San Francisco chef Traci Des Jardins was the founding chef/partner at the Ritz-Carlton’s premier dining spot. Large, beautiful bar and huge, contemporary dining room with open kitchen. Tables by the windows look at the ski slopes, but the view isn’t special. The French-inspired California cuisine is impeccable at dinner, as is the service. Cocktails and small plates at the bar will give you a feel for the place if you’re not ready to make a commitment. Lunch is served daily but seldom seems busy, even in ski season. Big-time wine cellar. Reservations necessary in ski season and always a good idea before you make the drive up here. $$$$
3. Wolfdales
640 North Lake Blvd. Tahoe City
530-583-5700
10 minutes, downtown Tahoe City
The owner/chef has been cooking here since 1978, and he still keeps the menu fresh. The large, handsome bar is popular with up-scale locals; comfortable, white-tablecloth dining room with some lake-view tables; large deck with full lake-view, bocci ball in summer. Menu changes seasonally; not a lot of nightly specials. Asian-inspired dishes, fresh fish, pastas, wonderful duck. Good, reasonably priced wine selection. Reservations advised all year long. $$$
4. Christy Hill
115 Grove Street
Tahoe City
(530) 583-8551
10 minutes, downtown Tahoe City
This long-time, lake-front restaurant is a sure winner. Small wine bar, modest contemporary dining room with lake view; large, lake-front deck in summer (bears occasionally visit). Seasonal California menu has a nice collection of small plates, pastas and some classic entrees, all well-prepared. Big wine list for a smaller place. Usually busy in season; reserve. $$$
5. Lone Eagle Grill
At the Hyatt Hotel
111 Country Club Drive,
Incline Village, NV 89451
(775) 886-6899
20 minutes
With maybe the finest beach on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe, the Hyatt is a great place to enjoy a view while you dine. Go there for lunch on your boat for the full experience. The menu is pricey, and lunch closes promptly at 3:00 even in the summer. High-end service, above average (but not great) food and a very posh, comfortable environment. Dinner in the handsome dining room is the classic lake-front expereince. $$$$
Others you will want to try –
We list these in no particular order. Many of these are really good restaurants even if they didn’t make our top five.
Gar Woods
North Lake Boulevard
5000 North Lake Blvd.
Carnelian Bay
(530) 546-3366
5-8 minutes; the closest restaurant
Gar Woods is iconic on the North Shore. Always busy. Big-time lake views. Large bar area with fireplace, sports on multiple TVs; airy, comfortable dining room and huge deck (summer). The bar (and its famous Rum Runner cocktail) is very popular with locals and Cal Bears fans. Good dinner service in 2022. We’ve always loved lunch here. Come by boat. $$$
Spindleshanks American Bistro
Brassie Avenue at Old Brockway Golf Course
Tahoe Vista
(530) 546-2191
10 minutes
Since 2000, reliable food with attentive service. California cuisine. Specials keep it interesting. Cocktail bar, music on weekends, TV. Some tables with lake views (across the highway). $$$
Old Range Steak House
7081 North Lake Blvd.
Tahoe Vista
(530) 553-4020
10 minutes
Good steaks and prime-rib at good prices. Generous cocktails at the traditional bar, large deck for dining, also campy lake-decor dining room. $$
Jason’s Beachside Grill
8338 North Lake Blvd.
King’s Beach
(530) 546-3315
12 minutes- in downtown King’s Beach
Jason’s looks like a mountain restaurant. Dark, warm, low ceilings. Locals bar, TVs. The oversized bar stools are all clear-finished wood. Huge, comfortable booths. Wood-burning fireplace. Salad-bar is a throw-back to dining in the 1980's. The lake-view deck is at beach level. Maybe the most reasonably priced lake-front summer dining at Tahoe. Great for lunch. Open all year. $$
Sunnyside
1850 West Lake Boulevard
Tahoe City
800-822-2754
20 minutes - on the West Shore
The most popular restaurant on the lake. It all happens on the massive deck in the summer. Boat in for lunch or dinner. Bar is big and noisy, several TVs. Dining room is old-Tahoe style and very comfortable. Lunch always pleases us; dinner may be over-priced but you wouldn’t know it by the packed dining room. Crowded all year long. Valet parking in summer. Make reservations for dinner. $$$
River Grill
River Road
Tahoe City
530-581-2644
10 minutes - At the “Y” after passing through Tahoe City
On the banks of the Truckee River. Large river-front patio in summer. Popular happy hour and the small parking lot overflows. Modest, comfortable dining rooms in winter. Predictable menu, not gourmet, but good food and fun on the patio. $$
Swiss Lakewood Restaurant
5055 West Lake Blvd
Homewood
530-525-5211
30 minutes - on the West Shore
Intimate Swiss-decor, continental cuisine with many specials. Full bar. Caters to an older crowd. New owners in 2021 have turned this around. Huge, beautiful outdoor patio. Dishes are creative and very well prepared. If it were closer we would go here more often. Reservations advised, small and often busy. $$$.
River Ranch
Hwy 89 and Alpine Meadows Rd. Squaw Valley
(530) 583-4264
25 minutes – On the highway at the entrance to Alpine Meadows, before Palisades Tahoe
A landmark on the river, it’s a fish-chicken-steak-ribs kind of place with great ambiance. Popular bar, TVs. Get a window table next to the rushing Truckee River. The patio rocks in summer months. The long history of this place is told by the celebrity pictures on the wall. Busy all year long. Reservations a good idea. $$$
Fat Cat Cafe
599 North Lake Boulevard
Tahoe City
(530) 583-3355
10 minutes – downtown Tahoe City
Small, casual bar, accent on wines and micro-brews, with above-average sandwiches and small plates, great soups. A lunch favorite. Popular at night with local twenty-somethings. Live, loud music. $$
Za's Tasty Bites
At the Marina
Tahoe City, CA
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Dining room features a fireplace that would be cozy on a winter's day or night. Lunch daily. Food is great. Give it a try!
-- Richard and Debbie Neubauer