10 Great Restaurants Around Lake Tahoe

The Sunnyside Restaurant & Lodge menu kicks things up a notch when it comes to special dining days in Tahoe City. They go beyond mere Taco Tuesday and introduce Burger & Beer Monday into the mix, to start your week off right.

If neither tacos nor burgers and beer are among your favourite foods, you can find other scrumptious options on the menu, including the restaurant’s famed fried zucchini (which has been on the menu since 1965), fresh fish served a variety of ways, and ribs.

Fire Sign Cafe was founded in 1978 and has remained a Tahoe City favourite ever since. Charming and altogether comfortable, you’ll step in and feel like family right away – and if there’s a wait in the main restaurant, you can simply head back to the coffee annexe behind the café to grab a coffee or tea to-go, fast.

What can you expect on the main menu? Think an extensive list of breakfast staples, such as eggs benedict, egg scrambles and French toast. All-day lunch includes more café favs, such as Reuben sandwiches, salads and burgers.

Bridgetender Tavern and Grill opened in 1977 and it still remains much as it did then (even if it is in a newer building). The riverfront patio is a preferred spot for both locals and visitors alike, earning it a place among the top restaurants around Lake Tahoe.

The restaurant touts what it considers the best Bloody Marys and burgers in the Lake Tahoe area, but the menu also includes a range of Mexican fare, salads and “hot dawgs.” Catch live music on Tuesdays and try one of the more than a dozen beers that are on draught.

Rosie’s Cafe sits across the street from the Tahoe City Beach, making it a convenient stop for some hearty fare before you hit the shore. It’s also located conveniently close to the marina and local golf course. The space is filled with antiques collected by the owner over the last few decades, from floor to ceiling.

The menu includes standard breakfast fare, soups and salads, pizza and grilled sandwiches. Don’t miss dessert, which includes tantalising options such as a house-made bread pudding filled with cinnamon and raisins and topped with a bourbon sauce, as well as a peanut butter Butterfinger pie and “bachelor bait” chocolate cake.

Jake’s On The Lake is a family-owned staple, serving delicious, upscale dinners and great mountain and lake views to Lake Tahoe visitors for more than 40 years. The menu incorporates seasonal, responsibly-sourced ingredients, as well as fresh seafood, for dishes that channel Hawaiian and Southern Californian influences.

Options include warm baked brie served with bacon marmalade and fruit compote; a quinoa salad with arugula, beets, pumpkin seeds and carrots; free-range huli huli chicken with gluten-free breading and black coconut sticky rice; and herb-curated lobster tails with garlic mashed potato and Romanesco cauliflower.

Base Camp Pizza Co. is located among a range of shopping options and hotels in South Lake Tahoe, making it a convenient pick for dinner or lunch during a day of retail pursuits. The speciality is, as you probably guessed, pizza and Italian fare. 

The gourmet pizzas range from classics, like pepperoni and cheese, to more inventive variations, such as a Thai chicken curry pizza with peppers, tomato, onion and mascarpone cheese, as well as a pear and Gorgonzola pizza with a garlic cream sauce.

Cold Water Brewery & Grill offers craft beers (think lots of West Coast IPAs) and a seasonal menu serving up delicious dinners from a scratch kitchen. Don’t like beer? You can also find craft cocktails at the bar.

The limited menu includes plenty of options that pair perfectly with brews, such as Bavarian pretzels, charcuterie boards, burgers, tacos and ribs. There are also plenty of gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian options available. Want something a little more high-end? Go with the braised beef short ribs with garlic mashed potatoes, heirloom carrots and a dark cherry demi-glace, or the salmon with roasted winter vegetables and microgreens.

Azul-Latin Kitchen is a family-friendly eatery serving an extensive menu of Mexican and Cal-Mexican food, all served in huge portions that are sure to fill you up after a day of exploring Lake Tahoe. Expect all your Mexican classics, from queso and guac to enchiladas and fajitas.

A kids’ menu offers smaller sizes of Mexican dishes, but then also a few non-Mexican items like chicken strips and fish sticks for those pickier eaters. Don’t miss out on the churros or tres leches cake for dessert.

Christy Hill is a Mediterranean-inspired modern American bistro with an upscale atmosphere and lake views. It's great for an elegant dining experience in the Lake Tahoe area. A good pick for a date night or night out with your fellow travellers, Christy Hill crafts its menu using locally sourced ingredients. 

The result is an array of tempting menu items, such as pan-roasted gnocchi with duck confit and chanterelle mushrooms, grilled octopus with butter beans and a lemon vinaigrette, Moroccan-spiced lamb loin and veal and pork Bolognese.

Evan’s American Gourmet Cafe sits in a vintage cabin in the trees in South Lake Tahoe. But don’t let the tucked-away location fool you – this restaurant has made waves as one of the finest in the Lake Tahoe area. In fact, it’s one of the top Zagat-rated restaurants in the Sierras.

The small menu includes items such as pan-roasted veal loin medallions with mushroom risotto and sautéed spinach and pan-seared scallops with wild rice pilaf and buttered asparagus. One interesting menu item you’ll be hard-pressed to find anywhere else is the savoury cheesecake, topped with a Maine lobster salad and white corn fricassee.