We stayed here for only one night and got in late so our key was taped to the registration sign for us. Â No problem. Â The room was okay, not great, but had a nice view of the river. Â We were traveling over to 395 from there and partially picked the place because it has breakfast - supposedly at 7:30 AM. Â We packed up our stuff and went upstairs at 7:30 and the restaurant was locked. Â We decided to put all of our stuff in our car and see if they open. Â As we walked out there was a guy smoking outside who we later realize is the owner. Â No "hello". Â Nothing. Â We could hear people talking behind the "employees only" door but still the restaurant was not open. Â Finally, about 7:45 the door was unlocked and the cigarette-smoking owner and some other guy with a scowl on his face were by the bar/registration. Â Immediately decided not to try breakfast - seemed a little too unfriendly. Â When I handed the owner my keys he said - nothing. Â Not "how was your stay?". Â Nothing. Â If you want a warm and fuzzy experience in the mountains, this is not the place.
Review Source:Only reviewing the restaurant portion here. The poor waiter is also the busboy and bartender. He was pretty overworked-so my advice to management is hire at least one more person to help. My in laws loved their cheeseburger. My husband said his BLT was excellent. My nachos were lackluster-too much velveta and the chips were stale. Better quality chips and using real cheese and I'm sure they would be getting five stars from us.
Review Source:I have never been so disappointed before. It was a cold rainy day so we ordered a mocca and hot chocolate. Â The mocca didn't taste like coffee or chocolate and I have had better hot chocolate at gas stations instant machines.
We ordered a large pizza which came back 30 minutes later looking rather small and with way too much cheese. Â After being outdoors for three days we figured that 'large' pizza was barely going to be enough for my boyfriend and I. Â Yet the dough was pretty much undercooked and flavorless that we had half of it left over.
The table next to us left after waiting 20 minutes for a coffee. We told them, the were the lucky ones.
I have been to this place before as my family camps at the Lair of the Golden Bear every year. This time I got the half rack of ribs and an ice tea. It was all really yummy! My boyfriend got the pulled pork wrap and loved it and was overly stuffed to the point of uncomfortability afterwards because he couldn't stop eating it. My dad got a greek salad which he loved and ordered a glass of Cabernet which he did not like. BUT, he told the waiter he didn't like it and asked for something else and the waiter opened a new bottle for him and did not charge him for the first glass, which I thought was unnecessary but very nice.
Review Source:I hate it when people say this, but I truly would give this place zero stars if I could. The owner of this place is a complete ______ (fill in with your favorite swear word) And should NOT be running a business.
We were camping near by at Pine Crest lake, we decided to go out for dinner one night just to see what the little town had to offer. We made a reservation early in the day for 8PM. When we got there and were seated by a nice young lady. We had brought our own wine which came along with a $12 corkage fee, which is totally fine. We ordered a salad , Pizza and some wings. Everything was okay except the pizza which was a frozen base that wasn't cooked all the way through.
About half way through our meal the owner approached us and said that he needed to move us because there was a wedding reception that needed to use that space for the dance floor. We said that's fine no problem. When the owner moved us he took all of our plates and silverware. I went back to the bar to ask for new utensils, the owner replied " Are you part of the wedding party?" I said " No we are just having dinner, you just moved us.." He then says " You must leave as soon as you finish your dinner" That's when I kinda went off on him, and proceeded to gather my own utensils.
When the waitress came to check on us we asked her if we could waive the next corkage fee because of having to move our table. She said absolutely. Of course when the check came there were two corkage fees added. We had another heated conversation with the owner where he threatened to call the sheriff on us.
We left early, didn't pay the 2nd corkage fee, will never go back, felt bad for the poor waitress who had to work for that _______!!
All the locals we met there were SUPER nice, and didn't want us to leave. The owner tried to nickel and dime us. If he would have just been polite, we probably would have stayed and spent a ton more money at the bar. Oh well.
Stay far far away!
Contrary to previous reviews I've read, I found the place to be pretty neat and clean and found the entire staff very friendly and polite. Â Nice bar. Â I really like this place, except for the restaurant. Â I had a Greek Salad and calamari for dinner; wouldn't have either again; the only thing slightly Greek about the salad was some sliced olives that probably came out of a can, and the calamari was poor. Â Breakfast of ham & eggs was OK but the potatoes seemed to be from reheated frozen.
All in all a good place to stay if you don't expect much from the food. Â Maybe the hamburgers are OK...
1st of all my husband booked this and didn't check yelp...lol
GROSS! The rooms were filthy and had blood, hair,ect on the floor in the bathroom...Old and gross.I kept everything off the floor, including my feet(shoes).
Food was microwaved but ok if your really hungry..The young guys serving us was grumpy and seemed like he hated his job.
If they made some changes, it could be a great place...
I gave it a one because the property they are on or close to, is pretty due to the river...Also close to dodge ridge for the winter skiing.
Some of the worst "customer" service I've had. Â We went for lunch and split a burger. Â I had been camping and the sign outside said "free wifi". Â Uh huh. Â Couldn't get online except for about 1 minute and then it shut off. Â I asked the "waitress" and she shrugged and said her phone worked. Â Ok, so no wifi. Â We were the only ones in the restaurant, and I still couldn't get my drink refilled. Â Burger came out and it was satisfactory (hence the extra star). Â The wait staff was more interested in hanging out in the kitchen than providing customer service. Â You can tell, they don't care if you are there or not. Â I heard someone complaining about their room and the staff just stood there. Â It's really a shame because this place could be a gold mine if anyone cared. Â
My husband left a tip, which I thought was a waste since I could have provided better service if they had let me get my own food. Â Won't go back and I'd suggest you spend your money elsewhere until they learn how to treat people. Â Kennedy Meadows has a much better restaurant and wait staff that knows how to treat people.
My boyfriend booked a reservation here without checking Yelp first (*gasp!* how dare he!), but it turned out to be an ok experience.
Check in went very smooth and we got a room overlooking the creek and the forest. Â Very nice view! Â The room itself was pretty much like any normal motel room; bed, tv, bathroom, etc. Â One reviewer mentioned something about dead bugs in the windowsill and unfortunately, that was true in our room. Â Not a lot of them, but there were some. Â They can definitely do some deep cleaning once in a while.
Dinner that night was decent. Â I had a veggie burger and my boyfriend had chicken. Â His chicken was pretty big, though! Â We both expected him to get served a chicken breast or something like that, but they gave him half a chicken, like a cornish game hen. Â Suffice to say, he wasn't able to finish it. Â He said the flavor was okay, it was just too much food for him. Â My veggie burger was pretty ho-hum as well, but it satisfied my hunger so that's all I could have asked for after a 2 1/2 hour drive. Â At this point, we decided to have a few drinks at their bar where the bar tender was as friendly as ever! Â She was pretty cool and tried to be as accommodating as possible. Â The bar was out of a lot of liqueurs so choices on mixed drinks were very limited. Â Not her fault though.
Breakfast time was what made me start to think of the reviewers that hated their service. Â The younger male servers seem to despise their job and don't hide it. Â No smiling, no greeting, very few formalities that one might expect when dining in a restaurant. Â They never messed up an order, but they just seem like they might hate life or something. Â It made me wonder if there were any other restaurants nearby.
There was one moment when my boyfriend and I were in the dining room and we noticed housekeeping knocking at our door. Â Before we could respond, she turned to us and explained what she was doing (not that she owed us an explanation) then asked if that was our room. Â We said yes and she offered to clean it for us but we didn't feel it was necessary. Â My boyfriend and I thought that was a little weird while we were in the restaurant. Â I felt she redeemed herself when we were leaving to go to our friends' wedding down the road and she offered to pick us up if we find we're too drunk to drive back! Â Some might find that a little odd, but my boyfriend and I thought that was a very nice gesture on her part.
A pretty solid 3 star experience. Â I really want to tip my hat to Patrick, the assistant manager because he went completely out of his way to make sure our stay there was as good as it can be so I want to make sure that he gets a big thank you from myself and my boyfriend. Â He, the bar tender, and the housekeeper were all very nice and made it a good experience. Â I think the younger male staff can and should learn a few things about common courtesy in the workplace.
I was recently there with some of my friends on President's Day we were heading up east to the lake and decided to stop by for brunch. They have the worst costumer service. The waitress and waiter were completely rude! They didn't even tried hiding it. We order a cheeseburger and fries and totally waited for forty minutes and when they finally brought our order they threw our plates like we were dogs! It was unbelievable! In my opinion and my friends we thought they were racist and discriminating. I absolutely do  not recommend this restaurant it's obscured. Unless you want to get treated the way we were, go for it. Hope this review helps and shows you how truly that restaurant is.
Review Source:I wish I could give this place zero stars. Guess the wonderful view from the back restaurant area is the only "star quality" aspect of this entire place. When walking in yesterday on a Sunday afternoon, we were greeted by a very unfriendly hostess (I think, or waitress... who knows) who gestured to a couple of seating options and told us to pick a table. We chose a table looking out over the really pretty creek and snowy scenery which was great. After several minutes a young male server came over and asked what we wanted to drink. We ordered 2 iced teas, both of which he basically slammed down on the table without saying a word. We also ordered 2 hamburgers (which actually tasted ok, and came out pretty quickly) and again our plates were delivered by setting them down on the table and the server quickly walking away again. When it came time to pay, I handed the server my visa card and the reciept, and he left with it for more than 5 minutes. My bf and I were joking that he was probably doing some online shopping or something, since it had taken so long. I had a bad feeling about it but I laughed it off. He then brought me my reciept to sign, (for around $26) and I signed and left. Later, I was shocked when I signed onto my online banking and found that there had been another charge on my card from the same place for $113! I immediately called and spoke to the assistant manager (who was very difficult to understand) and he told me that he wasn't sure what happened but that he would try to figure it out since he was new, and that he would call me back. About an hour later he did call me back and leave me a message to say that the server had accidentally charged another table's tab to my card, and immediately voided it. He promised I would see the money within a couple of days. This afternoon, I thought about it a little bit more and became very angry about the fact that such a huge amount was "accidentally" charged to my card and the server never even bothered to mention it. A simple "hey, sorry, I charged this amount but it has been voided and here are some receipts to show what happened"... at least I could have avoided the shock of finding out I was short over $100 online! I decided to call and speak with the manager, but was only able to reach the assistant manager again. I explained to him my frustration, and that I would have appreciated at least being told by the server what had gone on. This guy would not let me get two words in before cutting me off and repeatedly saying there was nothing more he could do. Talk about horrible customer service. I will never be back here again, and I would advise anyone else visiting to closely monitor their CC accounts after leaving the business, or pay with cash to be safe.
Review Source:The bartenders here can be real a-holes.
On New Years Eve, I order a Guiness and a cocktail. The bartender steps away to start making the drink, comes back and says what I hear as "We're out of Guiness, want something else?" I reply, "Sure, how about the Sierra Nevada." He then brings back a Guiness, a Sierra Nevada and the cocktail. I tell him "Wait, I thought you said you were out of Guiness." He replies, "No." I then say "Wait, we only want one beer and the cocktail." He straight up replies "Sorry, nothing I can do about that."
Can't believe that. Good customer service would say "My bad, I totally understand how you could have misheard me. No problem." Not this douche bag.
We signed the receipt with zero tip. Have a great 2013 dude, I'm sure your positive attitude in life will take you far.
Ate dinner at the restaurant/full bar downstairs. Â Free (dial up) wi-fi for patrons. Â Bartender was tired but good company and probably great when he's on his A-game. Â Veggie Burger was ok. Â Had a beer and played some pool with my husby. Â Pool table is centered correctly under the lights but the sticks are so warped your shots nearly take an eye out (well, maybe not an eye...). Â And, sigh, they didn't have any chalk and the tips of the sticks were shiny nubs. Â
We did not stay at the hotel but it appears nice. Â Big on rustic charm like you're visiting your great grandma who bakes you cookies. Â
Directly above the Stanislaus River off the 108.
They get one star...for clean towels. That was the only thing clean in our room.
There were dead flys on the windsill, dirty stained carpets and mold on the shower curtain. When looking for something we missplaced we found an empty soda can behind the nightstand (obviously the housekeeping staff needs glasses).
Our room was on the 2nd floor at the end of the hallway. The carpet is dark with no signs warning of steps...I nearly fell down the stairs with my luggage.
We had dinner in the restaurant (2 hamburgers/2 ice teas $40.00)..it was so-so.
If the owners put some money into the place..it woud be charming.
This is a food review. I have a place nearby, so I have no need to overnight there.
First, it's beautiful. It has a spectacular view of the river. Probably the best I've found with a liquor license. Second, it's European owned and operated so there are some interesting nuances that make this place unique. My favorite place to sit is outdoors in the spring and summer so I can hear the roar of the melting snow pack whiz by.
The first time I walked in, the giant bar area was filled with folks speaking German. It felt like an instant time travel. But we opted for the outdoor table. Had the place to ourselves and enjoyed the burgers, fish and chips and salmon. On another visit we had the German plate with ribs, kraut, German potato salad and other luscious bits. The plate is huge so come hungry, share, or be prepared to take stuff home.
They have several cases of European style pies. I always vow I will try something, but still haven't. But the stuff looks great!
Service is outstanding. They have a constant stream of visiting exchange students, so you get to hear about their homelands if you get bored with the chirrping of stellar jays, the roar of the river and the gentle sounds of the wind through the pine trees.
Here is my one hope for coming years. Please, please, please put several trout dishes on your menu. We can see the trout in the stream beneath the restaurant. Occasionally we watch as someone reels in a scotch brown or rainbow, but there isn't anywhere up there to go for cooked fresh trout. And the Strawberry Inn definitely has the culinary chops to make that an outstanding signature dish.
Beautiful setting. Â Nice view from restaurant. Â I'm reviewing the restaurant only here. Â Have been here for breakfast a few times. Â Service is almost humorously bad. Â We had this male server who was just unbelievably disconnected. Â I'm not sure he actually talked to us or even said hi. Â Just took our order like some angry spouse and brought it out and slammed it down.
I had this kind of weird "Mediterranean open-faced omelet" for lack of a better description. Â They just cook some eggs and then place uncooked feta and cooked onions in a mound on top. Â Really weird. Â The potatoes were basically soggy and kind of gross. Â Another person in my party had the strawberry pancakes. Â You'd think the Strawberry Inn would serve decent strawberries at least as opposed to what seemed like recently defrosted strawberries doused in this gooey sugar sauce. Â The pancakes were basically lousy. Â How do you mess up pancakes???
Restaurant looks like they haven't put a dollar into upkeep in the last three decades or so. Â I've gone here on and off out of desperation for the last 15 years just due to the lack of options up there. Â Place never changes. Â Same dirty-looking, outdated interior. Â I guess they have little to no competition so maybe they figure there's no reason to be a decent restaurant. Â Maybe that does make financial sense in that area.
Did I mention the setting outside the window is beautiful?? :-) That's about it. Â Oh, and it's overpriced.
My family has been going to Strawberry Inn for most of my life. Â Once upon a time, this place was as "outdoorsy" as the forest it was built within. Â The decor actually made you feel as if you were eating at a small lodge/restaurant in the wilderness. Â It was old, musty, authentic. Â The food was never something to write home about, but that was to be expected... you're eating at a very remote restaurant. Â I still remember one night where we ate next to the river overlook and the moon lit up the white snow below. Â I ate my meal while a stuffed bobcat looked down on me from above. Â I loved that place....
Fast forward many years. Â I just ate there a couple nights ago with my own family and children. Â I was excited to see my nostalgic little lodge in the woods. Â Excited to sink my teeth into a burger just like I remembered from childhood.
The outside was the same. Â Very comforting. Â The bar area was nice, and quiet. Â My first indication something was up was when we weren't greeted by anyone. Â We simple walked on into the bar area and sort of waited... a curly haired Czech man finally half acknowledged us and another thick accented Czech man escorted us to a table, quite unsure where exactly to put us. Â We sat next to the windows I remembered in the back dining area, but the decor had completely changed. Â Now I was surrounded by terrible tourist t-shirts with awful slogans literally hung on the entire wall making us uncomfortable the entire time. Â It wasn't cute, it made us feel pressured. Â ---Please note, I am not against anyone from anywhere or any country taking over ownership of an establishment and running a legit business. Â What I am offended by is a foreign group of individuals gutting and replacing what "worked" about a place and transforming it into a lame tourist oriented establishment because they think that's "what Americans want". Â They couldn't be more wrong.
Service was sub par. Â They were NOT busy. Â There was our party of 8, and another party of approximately 6 in the bar area. Â The stressed out waiter/manager we had was beaded with sweat and fumbled over every answer to our questions about dishes or drinks. Â Not because he struggled with the language, but because he genuinely did NOT know how to wait tables. Perhaps the real waiters had the night off. Â I don't know. Â He was unnecessarily frantic. Â We actually laughed because one of the stupid shirts on the wall was of a frantic looking horse, with an even more stupid slogan "Stressed Out" printed below. Â We imagined our server wearing it. Â I will say, however, that he was very nice, sweet even. Â He was really trying his best to do a good job. Â I just think that the staff have no idea what the hell they are doing.
My beer came after fifteen minutes. Â Our meals came out one or two at a time, about five minutes apart. Â Our smallest and easiest meal came last.... a corndog.
My burger was previously frozen (again, not a surprise as this is expected, and not a problem), but my sister's burger had a piece of the wax paper still attached, indicating that the meal was prepared with as much haste as the service. Â My mother's burger was under done... the other meals were mediocre at best.
I hate.... really hate... giving a place I love(d) so much two stars... It really deserves less but I can't bring myself to do it. Â We were ripped off, and disappointed. Â Furthermore, I looked like an ass to my wife and kids, as I built the place's reputation up so much, and what they experienced was less than crap.
If you're going to spend the money, go to the Steam Donkey in Pinecrest. Â At least you're getting decent food and service for the price. Â
I sincerely hope these Czech folks get their act together or at the very least sell the ownership to someone who knows what American campers/hikers/hunters etc want in our Strawberry Inn.
I've stayed at Strawberry Inn about 3 times now. This Inn is in a fairly remote area. No AT&T cell service anywhere around here. It's just 2 miles from Pinecrest lake.
It's true that this is not the Hilton. But you must judge the place in the context of the area. Food has to be brought in from Sonora 30 miles away. There is nowhere else to stay except cabins and tents.
Nice big bar, fireplace, pool table, and decent food in the large bar area. Restaurant with view of river from inside or eat out on 2 large decks with views of river.
My only serious recommendation is that they should eliminate the tables up near the Inn's nice fireplace and put in some easy chairs, couch etc.
An Inn or Lodge should have somewhere to relax.
I know it's very crowded at some times of the year. but they could replace a few tables with some couches and easy chairs. They can still serve drinks there so no real loss of revenue.
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With easy chairs and couch, this would be the perfect mountain getaway. I could then give Strawberry 5 stars.
Wow, lots of crummy reviews - but I gotta say, we enjoyed are stay! When you consider the price and convenience, it really is worth the 4 stars. Â Simple clean rooms. Clean bathroom and towels. The basics but really, it was great! Great for kids, too!
I'd say the best part is the attached restaurant and while the food was so-so - no worries - there is an awesome, full bar and pool table.  Just fun, different, totally  pleasant and very simple.  I'd come again.  Just enjoyed it!
Thanks!
My family & I just spent a few days staying at the rivers resort across  the road from the Strawberry Inn and ate at the strawberry inn several times.
One important thing the inn has is WIFI. Our phones weren't getting data in that area and our cabin didn't have internet, so the wifi was a life saver.
The service was good. We didn't have any issues with wait staff not speaking english and everyone was welcoming and friendly and never messed up our order. The food does leave a lot to be desired, but breakfast is decent, especially the home made corned beef hash, the eggs, pancakes and french toast are ok, but didn't like the deep-fried breakfast potatoes.
Ii appears that during the week when the snow isn't falling and the crowds don't exist they revert their dinner menu to a bar menu with burgers and pizza, fish 7 chips being about all you can order, but on the weekend you can get steak, chicken and ribs including the czech plate, which was ok. The ribs were tasty and the meat falling off the bone.
The bar/restaurant area was a highlight for our kids because of the pool table and kids from other families they could play pool with. They had about 5 beers on tap including sierra nevada and Snowshoe from Arnold and a full bar.
So to sum up the restaurant wasn't great, but for the only place around it was better than we expected and liked hanging out at the bar. Best part is no need to drive home.
Ohh, Strawberry Inn. Â You have such a BEAUTIFUL location; you have such IMMENSE potential to become a first-rate restaurant. Â And yet, whoever owns you has done you such a disservice by...really, I don't know what they did to turn you into the terrible excuse for an eatery I visited this summer. Â But it was enough to ensure that I will not return for a VERY long time, or until I hear that management has changed.
First of all, the atmosphere in the bar area is very, very strange. Â First of all, it's empty. Â There's a pool table and one of those tacky, way-too-loud jukebox machines in the corner; the room is decorated just as you would expect a bar in Strawberry to look: dated "outdoorsy" furniture and shabby, pea soup green carpet; and the entire restaurant was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop (which made us really grateful for the aforementioned tacky, way-too-loud jukebox). Â This just does not jive with me, especially when the outside is so nice (it's meadowy, and there's a gazebo that overlooks the Stanislaus River); Â you'd expect the interior to be just as lovely.
Now, let's just get the service issue out in the air: there is barely any. Â I feel horrible saying this because the guy who waited on my parents and me was this totally adorable Czech foreign exchange student who hardly spoke English; but he hardly spoke English. Â And he had to come back multiple times to clarify our orders. Â The only other guy in there, who seemed to speak English, did not move an inch from his station behind the bar to help the poor kid out. Â And we were the ONLY people in the room.
There really isn't much to say about the food. Â It's over priced. Â And it's bad. Â BAD. Â I had chicken noodle soup and a side salad with no dressing. Â I can't tell you how glad I am to have gotten that bland, watery combination instead of the other cafeteria-style fare they offer (chicken strips that I can only imagine were greasy and mushy, burgers, etc.). Â My mom got some sort of salad that I think was supposed to be Caribbean-ish, and I don't even remember what my dad had. Â But I do know that neither Mom nor Dad was happy with either of their orders: the salad was NOT Caribbean-it was sad and wilty-looking with watery dressing; and, clearly, my dad's food-whatever it was-was not memorable. Â We walked out incredibly unsatisfied with our experience, and then ended up way up the road at a pack camp WISHING we had eaten at the warm, bustling, yummy-smelling eatery they had there.
Really, if you are in the area--camping or whatever--do one of a few things: 1. Check out the Steam Donkey in Pinecrest: their salads are out of this world; 2. Mia's Pizza is just down the road in Cold Springs, and they sling a tasty pie; 3. If you don't mind the extra half hour in the car and want to see some breathtaking vistas, check out the pack station up 108, just past the Dardanelles: my dad went there for lunch
the next day, after a fishing trip, and he liked it. Â Do whatever you want; but, seriously, don't come here. Â It's a waste of time and money.
And yet another two star review for the Strawberry Inn. We stayed here on an overnight during a motorcycle trip for the duration of which we usually maintain pretty low standards in food and lodging, but come on, strawberry inn. Come on.
 The confused Czech staff fumbles around in a delightful but time consuming dance, forgetting your orders, forgetting what they have, and forgetting about, well, you. They arrive at the table with food saying "you wanted the chicken, right?"
Negatives: Frozen food, high prices, weird service.
Positives: a nice outdoor patio similar to a treehouse, clean, comfy enough beds.
I'd come again in a pinch but would have to do it with a grain of salt and a sigh.
We stayed here two years ago for a two week business trip in early spring. Â They were barely open for business, though the rooms were very nice. Â They advertised internet, but one of the hotel owners was on all night and his use alone clogged the whole thing. Â They also had the kitchen closed and would only serve frozen pizza and cheeseburgers for dinner, and oatmeal and ham/sausage/bacon and eggs for breakfast. Â Cell phones got no coverage, there were no landlines in the rooms, so all calls had to be through the payphone in the lobby, where voices echoed everywhere. Â They were also very expensive given how little they ended up offering.
Review Source:Awful! Â Horrendous and truly nasty service, the worst at any institution in many years. Â I'll add detail when I can. But for sure - do NOT stay there. Â Better not to eat there either. Â Most of the other reviewers are absolutely correct. Â It's fine for a drink at the bar but that's it.
Too bad, was there in 2000 and I really enjoyed it. Â Clearly, it's under new (and nasty) management. Â
Let's hope they go bankrupt soon and better ownership takes over because it is a nice building with nice views of the river in a good location.
We come up to Strawberry every winter to play in the snow and enjoy the beautiful mountain views. Â For the past few years we've made lunch here a bit of a tradition, if for no other reason than there being nowhere else to dine. Â I've tried to like this place, really I have. Â I've tried to overlook the fact that they rob me blind with shockingly high prices for generic frozen food. Â That their servers remind me of SS soldiers who treat us like we are inconveniencing them. Â That the decor is less kitsch and just outdated crap. But I just can't do it anymore. Â $80 for flavorless burgers and bland coffee. Â Next year we're heading down the hill to find a new spot.
The 2-stars are for the view from the dining room. Watching the river run through the snow-covered mountains is just gorgeous.
This place made me wish I had an iPhone. If I'd had an iPhone, I could've Yelped this place and thus avoided it. Alas, I am too frugal to justify an $80/month phone plan, so I was punished by the AT&T Gods to eat here.
We stayed at one of the cabins across the street, so we ventured here for dinner our first night in town. Keeping in mind that we were in a small town, and this restaurant had little competition for miles around, we kept our expectations modest. What we should've done is kept our expectations non-existent.
We ordered mozzarella sticks & fried zucchini for a starter, and we shared a chicken curry salad and a "Czech plate" consisting of half a rack of ribs on mashed potatoes and sauerkraut. The starter included 5 pieces of zucchini, each the size of a quarter, and 5 pinky-sized mozzarella sticks -- for $9 bucks! Sure, I expected slightly steeper prices, being in the boondocks as we were, but that was highway robbery. The word "brigand," which I learned as a vocab word in 7th grade, came to mind (and there I was as a silly middle schooler wondering when I would ever use that word). The salad was relatively acceptable and had tasty albeit sparse morsels of curried chicken. The $20 Czech plate was a complete disaster. The ribs were tough as nails, sitting on flavorless potatoes and sauerkraut.
Perhaps this dining experience has taught me my lesson -- that I should join the rest of the cool kids and get an iPhone. Then again, maybe the lesson is that I should do my research ahead of time.
Can I give this place ZERO stars? Â I have frequently checked Yelp before trying new restaurants and hotels, and after my stay at the Strawberry Inn finally felt compelled to open my own account in order to prevent others from making the same mistake. Â This place is terrible - dirty rooms and rude service. Â My room was not clean (the toilet had not been touched and there was eye makeup on the pillowcase - gross). Â A representative of a nearby camp told me that they never recommend that their guests stay or eat there. Â
An alternative: the cabins behind the Inn, called Cabins at Strawberry and NOT affiliated with the Inn, were clean, open, light and just $40 more per night for the small ones than staying at the Inn.
Ugh! Don't go here. EVER!!!!!
Two years ago we stayed at a cabin nearby and had been warned by the locals that this place was bad but we thought the place was charming so we gave it a try. The manager/owner/bartender threatened his wait staff in front of us, the drinks were overpriced, and the food was unedible. It was a horrible experience.
However, we were staying at the same cabin again recently and had decided to give the place another shot. BIG MISTAKE!! The waiter was CLEARLY irritated that we wanted to order appetizers with our drinks. Then he brought the appetizers but we had to ask for plates. And napkins. We wanted to order more cocktails but the waiter brought us the check and said his shift was over and we'd have to cash out. If we wanted anything else, the new waiter would help us. And of course, no one else came around. We will never make the mistake of coming here again. I feel sorry for the people in this area that only have this place to go to. But I guess they don't go there either.
Go across the street to the grocery store and get a hot dog or sandwich stuff. It'll be a million times better than going to this hole.
On first glance, Strawberry Inn has a European flair that makes it's quirkiness more quaint than annoying, but that all wears thin over time.
The actual building- bar/restaurant and rooms are quite clean and well kept-older and not luxurious, but just right for a mountain area. Some of the rooms in the lower level are right below the restaurant and hallway area- so if you are planning on sleeping late, request a upper level room.
The service is friendly enough- but there are cracks in their hospitality facade. For example, as we checked in, the host took a look at our family and our friends who had already checked in and said gruffly "Are all these people staying in the room?" You might expect them to recognize the guests they had just checked in 1/2 hour prior.
Food at the restaurant is acceptable, but certainly not gourmet. My daughter was amused that a pizza with pepperoni and olives counted as a "3-topping" pizza, because "we count the cheese as a topping". There is a full bar, however.
Not much competition makes this a 3-star rating. There are lots of cabins to rent in the area, but if you don't want to clean up after yourself and want the simplicity of hotel service-- this is your place! We will stay there again, despite the flaws.
First and foremost, I must give a thumbs up to the Strawberry Inn for it's cleanliness, but that's about it. Â Hence, the 2 star rating.
For a $150 for a 1 night stay for myself, my husband and my two children, I did not feel that the money spent was worth it what-so-ever. Â The room was bland with blah white walls and the standard Motel 6 comforter. Â Our room was in the bottom story of the 3-story Inn which made me feel like I was staying in the dungeon with it's freezing, dark, long and narrow hallways. Â Our room was long, narrow, dark and freezing as well.
What really threw me off was when we went to eat at the restaurant. Â The prices are outrageous and the food lousy. Â Our bill was $64 for 1 soda, 1 beer, 1 kids cheeseburger (which ran $8!,) a shrimp pasta and ribs. Â Granted, perhaps if the food was excellent and the portions hearty I could handle a $64 bill - however, this was most definitely not the case. Â My pasta was overcooked, there was no fresh vegetables as indicated and there was fake crab meat which was not indicated. Â DO NOT EAT HERE!!! Â You have been warned.
Against all better judgment from the night before I decided to send my hubby back to the restaurant to get me a mocha in the morning since I am definitely a need my coffee in the morning to function kind of girl. Â Well, it was so hot that I burned my entire mouth and 1 hour later it was still to hot to drink and had formed a layer of fat on the top.
Perhaps I would stay at the Strawberry Inn just because of the appeared cleanliness and beautiful grounds, but after my experience with their dining establishment I left there with a bad taste in my mouth - literally!
The Strawberry Inn/restaurant is an average place to visit. Â
The hotel/inn have pretty good size rooms and very good heaters which helps with the cold snow outside. Â However, the walls are very thin and we had hear the sounds of patrons checking in all throughout the night and a few random drunks trying to get rooms. Â Next time, I'll get a cabin. Â
The restaurant is over-priced for very mediocre food. Â Â Expect to spend at least $12 for a hamburger and a drink. Â They are the only restaurant within about a 5-mile area near Dodge Ridge so the high prices are to be expected.
I will give them some props for their location. Â If it is wintertime, cross the river and go sledding down the hills there. Â Â It is only a few hundred feet from the hote/restaurant.
I have been been to the inn several times over the past 20 so-odd years and the restaurant has had many face lifts and changes. Â A few years ago it was really good and I would have given it four stars, however I have not eaten there since and I have been told that it is awful. Â The food is terrible and unreasonably priced and the service is bad. Â Doesn't get much worse on that aspect.
However, there is a bright spot and that is the bar adjacent to the restaurant, typically you get to the restaurant by walking through the bar area. Â They have several televisions and a jukebox. Â A pool table is set up and on certain nights they have a live band playing. Â I wouldn't get overly enthusiastic about it, but it is better than the dog house down the road or Diamond Jims. Â Moreover, I'm kinda confused about the many foreigners who are either bartenders or wait staff. Â When did that happen and why did they pick Strawberry of all places to learn English?
Worthy of 0 stars.
For these lucky bastards their outdoor seating and dining monopoly in the area are the only thing that keeps the kitchen open. Â The wait staff is dumb at best. Honestly ~ They must have been concieved in one of the many Meth labs that populate Tuolomne county. Just real stupid people. The food is not only expensive but unedible. Like if I was an astronaut and was hella hungrey I'd rather eat freeze dried mayonesse than eat food from here. Â If you order wine they won't bring you a bottle opener, if you ask for lemons for the fish they'll either forget or bring limes.
Either wait til you get back home or drive to Sonora if you want to eat out.
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