Travel

Where to Eat in North Lake Tahoe

During my recent trip to North Lake Tahoe, I ate at some amazing places, which I just had to share with you!  Food is important to me, so when I travel, there is actually a lot of research that goes into where I eat.  I seek out local joints and restaurants utilizing local ingredients from area farms.  Look no further my friends!  If you are planning a trip to North Lake Tahoe, I have some awesome breakfast, lunch and dinner suggestions that are budget friendly and family friendly!

If you saw part one of this travel post, then you already know where to stay and play in North Lake Tahoe.  But we all need to eat!!  So to save you from hours of research, or indecision, I am sharing with you the places we ate while we were in North Lake Tahoe!

DAY #1:

Dinner the first night was at Hacienda Del Lago in Tahoe City.  Nice and quiet atmosphere and we had a table with a gorgeous view of the lake.  It was awesome.  The food and service was great too.

I got a plate of grilled chicken and black beans (I made my own dish up, because I am difficult and picky like that).  The chicken was moist and full of spice and flavor.  Loved it!

James got the Chimichanga Del Mar and a shrimp taco.  The chimichanga is not for the faint of heart (or lightweight eater), as it is  a rich, deep fried burrito filled with grilled shrimp, crab and cheese.  And then smothered in even more cheese.  He loved it.  The shrimp taco was great too, filled with perfectly grilled shrimp, lettuce and pico de gallo.

I definitely recommend this spot if you are looking for a nice dinner spot serving Mexican food.  We quickly saw that most of the restaurants in North Lake Tahoe fell under three categories: high end steakhouses, pub/comfort food or Mexican food.

DAY #2:

Breakfast on Saturday morning was at the Old Post Office Cafe in Carnelian Bay.  It reminded me of a mom and pop diner.  It’s a local favorite and for good reason.  Hot coffee and all your breakfast favorites served up in a no frills, no fuss kind of style.  I had a three-white egg omelet with ham, a side of fruit and a dry English Muffin.  Filling and just what I was needing to fuel me for the day ahead!

James got the breakfast special, which consisted of a cinnamon-spiced french toast, scrambled eggs and bacon.  Hearty and filling!  The Old Post Office Cafe is a great spot to have a great breakfast to get the day going!

During our adventures at Squaw Valley in Olympic City, we stopped into Soupa for lunch.  This is a super casual, counter service type of restaurant.  Totally family friendly!

One of the awesome parts about Soupa is that they use ingredients from Tahoe Food Hub.  Tahoe Food Hub increases access to nutritious, ecologically grown food by creating a network of regional farms within 100-miles of North Lake Tahoe and connecting them to restaurants, small grocers, schools and hospitals. They are committed to reducing food insecurity by sourcing food regionally and ensuring equal access while exploring ways to grow food locally using 4-season growing techniques at our Sierra Agroecology Center.

So of course I had to get the Snow Bunny Salad so I could try out those veggies from Tahoe Food Hub!  I had to customize the dish slightly, so my salad included just the greens, roasted veggies (which were tomatoes, parsnips and carrots) and then added chicken.  So good!  If you know me, then you know my love of salad, veggies and chicken.  So this was spot on!

Once James saw that they had a grilled cheese and tomato bisque on the menu, he knew immediately what he was going to get!

Dinner was at Graham’s at Squaw Valley in Olympic Valley.  Graham’s is a stand alone restaurant that is across the street from the hustle and bustle of Squaw Valley, giving you gorgeous views, but without the hassle of parking in a full parking lot or dealing with crowds. Plus I have been told Graham’s utilizes Tahoe Food Hub for some of the products they use in the restaurant!

So, I am going to just say it.  This meal was AMAZING.  The service was on point, there was a wood-burning fireplace going and the bread they brought out to us was so yummy.  A sourdough baguette that made this carbaholic one happy girl!  The bread was served with an artichoke, garlic basil spread that James loved.

My filet mignon was cooked to a perfect medium-rare and cutting into it was like slicing into butter.  So tender and no gristly pieces or fat.  I requested no sauce on my filet and just a side of plain steamed veggies.  I was almost embarrassed that I ate the entire thing.  Almost.  Best filet mignon in Tahoe right here!!

James went with the Buffalo Rib Eye with creamy horseradish sauce, fingerling potatoes and veggies.  The buffalo was not gamey at all and James was very happy with his dinner choice!

If there’s vanilla creme brûlée on the dessert menu, then you know James is ordering it!  The creme brûlée was nice and thick and James loved it.

I can’t recommend Graham’s enough if you are looking for a nice meal in North Lake Tahoe.  It’s a white table cloth kind of place, however there were couples and families with kids there.  So this is definitely a family friendly place as well.  Just make sure you call and make reservations ahead of time!

DAY #3:

If you have a sign out front saying you are the best breakfast, then you know I am going to have to check this out for myself!  The Log Cabin Cafe is in Kings Beach, just five minutes from our hotel.  And no false advertisement here…their breakfast was amazing.

Log Cabin Cafe is know for their scrambles, so I got an egg white scramble with mushrooms, ham and pico de gallo, a side of fruit and dry English Muffin.  At first I was like “Whoa.  That’s a lot of food!”  And then I ate it all.  So good…I just couldn’t help myself.

James got the Tuscan Eggs Benedict special, which was eggs benedict on top of cheesy risotto cakes, hollandaise sauce, bacon and country potatoes.  James loved his breakfast too!

And don’t forget to click HERE to enter the fabulous giveaway from Red Wolf Lakeside Lodge!  So many fabulous prizes (including a 2-night stay at Red Wolf Lodge!!) and there’s also a 10% promo code at the bottom of the giveaway page to save you money on your next booking at Red Wolf Lodge.

And after our filling breakfast, it was time to hit the road and head back home.  We had an awesome time in North Lake Tahoe and had some amazing meals while we were there too!  Can’t wait to go back!  Have you ever been to North Lake Tahoe?  What are your favorite places to eat there?  Leave me a comment below!

XOXO,

Kelly

[optin-cat id=”528″]

You Might Also Like

19 Comments

  • Reply
    heather (delicious not gorgeous)
    February 15, 2018 at 12:09 PM

    sounds like you had a delicious trip! i’ve only gone to the log cabin cafe, but can’t remember anything besides the fact that i waited a loooong time. guess it’s time to go back! (;

    • Reply
      Kelly
      February 15, 2018 at 9:39 PM

      Thanks Heather! Yeah, luckily I am up at the crack of dawn, so we literally got there as they were opening the doors hahah. I still have more places to check out (including the place you recommended!!)…so many great places to eat and we were only there a couple days. I am already ready to go back! 🙂

  • Reply
    Amy
    February 15, 2018 at 4:24 PM

    Well, that blog post made me hungry. The food looked so good at every place that you went. Thank you for sharing.

    • Reply
      Kelly
      February 15, 2018 at 9:40 PM

      Thanks Amy! The food was definitely the best! Nothing I did’t love and I am picky!! That’s why I usually cook for myself hehe 🙂 XOXO

  • Reply
    GiGi Eats Celebrities
    February 15, 2018 at 6:00 PM

    DROOLINGGG DOWN MY FACE yo! I went to Tahoe but I am not sure if it was NORTH or SOUTH – ha! I just have to look back in my old blog posts, DUH – but I do remember the food being DELICIOUS and the town itself being beautiful! The ski mountain reminded me of home!

    • Reply
      Kelly
      February 15, 2018 at 9:43 PM

      Thanks girly!! OMG next time you go to Tahoe, I want to go with you! We would have a blast together being all crazy and goofy 🙂 XOXO

  • Reply
    pglooney
    February 16, 2018 at 2:30 PM

    What a delicious trip!! It all looks amazing

    • Reply
      Kelly
      February 19, 2018 at 6:31 AM

      Thank you! We had an amazing time and all our meals were AMAZING 🙂 XOXO

  • Reply
    laura70ak
    February 17, 2018 at 5:17 PM

    Whoa that’s a lot of food, and then I ate it all–I say that a lot too! Lol I loved this post–I HOPE I win the trip!

    • Reply
      Kelly
      February 19, 2018 at 6:35 AM

      Heheheh thanks Laura. Glad I am not the only one that does that! Fingers crossed that you win too 🙂 XOXO

  • Reply
    Mother of 3
    February 18, 2018 at 5:14 PM

    That all looks quite yummy!

    • Reply
      Kelly
      February 19, 2018 at 6:38 AM

      Thank you so much! It definitely was!! XOXO

  • Reply
    roseannmhampton
    February 19, 2018 at 6:39 PM

    Oh my – all of that food looks delicious! I’ve only been to Tahoe once, almost 30 years ago. I would love to go back so thanks for sharing all of these wonderful places to eat! Thanks for sharing with us at The Blogger’s Pit Stop! Roseann from http://www.thisautoimmunelife.com

    • Reply
      Kelly
      February 21, 2018 at 1:59 PM

      Thank you Roseann! And thanks for hosting such a fun party 🙂 XOXO

  • Reply
    Dana
    March 4, 2018 at 5:09 PM

    Wow these are amazing pics Kelly and making me so hungry. You know what? I remember that Mexican place as I only had one dinner while in the area (I was only there for a day and overnight, unfortunately) and it was a beautiful Mexican place that overlooks the water and the food was amazing. I’m almost positive it was that place as it was in Tahoe City. Now this was 2009 or so, so its possible it’s not but even the name sounds familiar. I loved the food….so GOOD! I had verde chicken enchiladas and my friend had the chimichangas. We also a fun fruity, boozy drink but can’t recall what it was.The Old Post Cafe sounds great for breakfast, I am definitely going to check that place out next time I’m in the area. We’d just had breakfast at a diner after leaving Tahoe en route to Yosemite. Sounds like you guys had an amazing trip and so many great food stops on the way. You’re like me, the food is the highlight of travelling…I love it. We did a short hike around the lake too and I was simply amazed at the beauty…and the colour of the water. WoW! We went to this beach area called Zephyr Cove which was stunning and one of the locals told us that MTV used to film a lot of videos/shows there? Not sure if that’s true as I never found info on that, but I wouldn’t be surprised as it’s a fun little area. And the trees! WOW. Now I can’t wait to go back. Love this post and recap. So glad you guys had a great getaway. I’m not just waiting to hear you say you guys are moving there! HAHA

    • Reply
      Kelly
      March 7, 2018 at 7:11 AM

      Thanks Dana! I bet it is totally the same Mexican food place that you ate at! That’s so funny!! I love Tahoe but not sure I could do snow. But if there was any place that could change my mind about shoveling snow to get my car out of the driveway, it would be Tahoe for sure! So many things to do and great places to eat at for sure 🙂

  • Reply
    Lake Tahoe Bucket List - Kelly Lynn's Sweets and Treats
    May 15, 2023 at 6:46 PM

    […] WHERE TO EAT IN NORTH LAKE TAHOE […]

  • Reply
    Sukey
    October 22, 2023 at 11:42 AM

    We are going to Tahoe for Christmas this year. We are looking for somewhere cozy for Xmas Eve dinner. Any suggestions? I know we will need a reservation in advance!! Thanks!

  • Reply
    CJ
    March 14, 2024 at 7:31 AM

    North Lake Tahoe: A foodie’s paradise!

  • Lets chat! Leave me a comment!

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.