This is a review on the lunch menu. Let's state some facts here. When you're at Yosemite, you're not there to enjoy fine dining but to see the amazing park and scenic views. This place was unusual because I expected it to be overpriced and mediocre. Although it was expensive for what it was, the ambiance was fantastic after an exhausting day under the sun. The porch is very charming and so are the wait staff. The food was good and made to order but the Salmon burger is a frozen patty. The beef burger was hand made because it was loosely packed. The pickles were good and so were the salads. Overall, this is a good option if you are heading to or from Mariposa Grove. A good way to rest in the middle of the day.
Review Source:We were staying at the hotel and ate here every night. I wish i could say because of the food, but only because you have to drive at least a half hour to eat anywhere else. The food is incredibly overpriced (we expected this with the whole no other places nearby), and the food is not particularly good. One night we ate fairly early into dinner service and got stale buns from the previous night. The one good thing here is that portions are huge, and we avoided $80 meals by splitting an entrée. The free continental breakfast was okay, but we only went once, as it was served too late if you want to head to Yosemite Valley before the crowds.
Review Source:We enjoyed two dinners here, having changed our minds about a more famous and expensive locale whose lunch tasted like airline food with a slower arrival time. We enjoyed the warm ambiance, coming in from the rain on both evenings and the piano man in the lobby is a virtuoso with rags and gags and really entertained us during a brief wait. The hostess and all the staff who helped us are very nice and personable.
While the room has a quiet elegance, there is no pretense here and the staff is friendly and casual. The menu is limited and a little pricey but considering where you are, this is to be expected.
Their crab cakes are better than any we've had here at home in Monterey and the Caesar salad, large enough to split, was very good (although for my taste, needed a bit more lemon and next time, I'll ask for some on the side) The biscuits are a tasty compliment served with warm butter as soon as we sat down. Wine and drink prices are very fair including a $14.50 corkage and the hot chocolate is served hot, delicious and very rich.
The pork Porterhouse, pot roast and cannelloni were all good and the vegetables quite memorable, fresh and cooked to perfection. Note: they serve smaller portions for some of their items which might be  more-than-ample in the case of the pot roast, especially if you have a salad or appetizer.
Alas, why I give the Wawona only 3 stars is their desserts We tried the apple/berry cobbler, creme brulee and bread pudding and all were horrible. The only chocolate offering on the menu was a sundae. At a place like this, there is no reason to end a meal on a bad note and even these basic comfort food items can be gold stars if made correctly. We suggested to the manager that they employ a pastry chef since even pre-made frozen desserts from the market are better than what we were served. If hand-made, I know there are some better recipes out there to follow.
We plan to return, and look forward to staying at the Hotel as well, BUT...I would not order dessert until they raise the bar considerably. Have a hot chocolate instead. Caveat Emptor.
I could not believe that in an off-season November Tuesday evening in this Yosemite hotel far from everything else, I could get such a delicious flat iron steak (as good as I ever had anywhere) followed by a perfect bread pudding. The menu had lots of other items that looked very good as well. Service was impeccable. The decor, like the rest of the Wawona, is very charming and cozy.
Review Source:This place used to serve a really amazing everything full cooked breakfast that was included in the price of the room. Â The evening meals were very good too. Â Â But sadly this is no longer the case. Â Â The new management or parks service or who ever they are have decided to change things....
Now you get a very basic breakfast included in the room price and anything additional costs extra. Â Â The evening meals are even worse! Â Â They don't even have proper soup bowls and the staff are super unmotivated. Â Â The food is only OK but they are still charging top dollar.
This place has lost it! Â Go elsewhere......
The bread that was served was old and stale, the Brie appetizer, was made hours before and while the cheese was melted it was cold and the bread was old cold and hard. The NY steak was ordered medium and it was served rare with BBQ sauce??? Â
The lamps are covered in dust and spiderwebs, the view out the window from our table was of a portable walk-in freezer.
The chef of this restaurant should be ashamed of himself, I will never eat here again.
This should be a 3.8 star review =)
On a whim, and at 8pm, my co-worker and I stopped by the Wawoma Dining Room after a 8.75 mile hike around the Yosemite valley floor since we knew that if we drove all the way to Coarsegold, our dining options would be very limited by 9pm.
The host was very gracious and seated us immediately. Â No mention was made of our casual dress (shorts, tank top and legs streaked w dust). Â We were made to feel comfortable and welcome.
The hotel and dining room evoke a very spacious plantation w forest/cabin decor with very high ceilings (like 20 feet?). Â White shutters. Â
Since it was late, I ordered the organic greens salad (w golden raisins) and cheese plate for my dinner. Â They were just as expected- salad w cheese. Â Nothing special, but exactly what I wanted. Â So I'm happy. Â My co-worker, who is vegetarian- ordered the vegetable ricotta canneloni (sp) and she really enjoyed it. Â
For dessert, I ordered the hot fudge brownie sundae. Â It was very rich and gooey. Could have been a little warmer. Â My co-worker ordered the creme brulee and really enjoyed it. Â She said, "If it were socially acceptable to like the bowl, I would."
We both agreed that we would totally stay at this hotel...
This place could have been better, especially for $75 for 2 people. Â I got the garlic shrimp scampi and it was mediocre for $26. Â My boyfriend had the pot roast which was better, but the chef left large chunks of onions. Â We like onions, but they were so large that they were undercooked, which isn't normal for pot roast. Â We were also very dissatisfied with the service. Â There were about 10 service people between busboys and waiters and it took over 20 minutes to get the check. Â It was 2 waiters to 1 table ratio. Â Not very good overall.
Review Source:This is for the continental breakfast only. The breakfast is pretty simple, like a holiday inn, but in a very old hotel. The usual bagels, toast, fruit, coffee, hard boiled eggs, yogurt and snack bars for you pockets! Simple, and comes with the room. You can order off a menu, however, note this review is only about the continental breakfast.
Review Source:I've been to Wawona several times while staying in Yosemite, but my last visit was awful. The drive from the Valley floor up here is about 40 mins, so when you make the trip expecting something to eat, you're gonna be hungry by the time you get there. Maybe we came during a shift change or something, but it took about 3 different people to ask if we'd been helped, we'd say no, and then they'd disappear. Once we were finally seated, we waited FIFTEEN MINUTES for our water!! WATER!! If the sprinklers for the grass were on, I could have saved them the trouble and just went to fill up my glass myself! Once we got the food, it was sooooooo boring. McD's on a plate. Then we sat for another TWENTY mins to get our bill!!!!! Needless to say, we left about a 2% tip (sorry, but when I can see the staff talking to each other HOLDING the water pitchers, they don't get it).
Gave two stars because, well, it IS pretty there, and like I said, I go up there a lot and am HOPING I caught every single employee up there on a bad day. =(
I have a special place in my heart for the Wawona Hotel. My wife and I were married here about 17 years ago. The dining room experience is usually very good. The servers are usually very quick and attentive. I usually get the pot roast by the way. If you are a meat and potatoes person, give it a try. On Sunday's, they offer a brunch buffet which is actually pretty good. They offer all the usuals plus eggs benedict, muffins, pastries, fresh fruits etc... I really like the dining room too. It has a great view of the front fountain and lawn looking through the old wavy glass. I will keep coming back. Oh....on Saturdays during the summer they offer a great BBQ on the front lawn...one of my favorites.
Review Source:So after a long day and dealing with the rain, it was time to have a relaxing evening. Â We arrived and were seated almost immediately. Â The dining room was very nice aesthetically, very classic looking. Â Our server came to the table, with a very lack luster personality. Â We immediately ordered some soup, something to warm us up. Â I can personally review two of the five meals ordered. Â
Starters: I ordered the Black Bean Chili, which I really enjoyed, having the right amount of heat. Â My partner ordered the Turkey chowder, it was ok, I'm a believer that you should never have to add any extra salt and pepper to a dish, as a true "Chef" should know how to prepare it perfectly. Now I know peoples pallates are different. That being said, I had to add salt, and I wasn't to wild about it.
Entrees:
1. Tortellini: Â I thought I had seen a plate go by that looked pretty good. Â It was then brought to the table. Â It was lacking anything resembling the plate that went by me, and reminded me of your typical hotel quick fix, throw in some overly oiled tomato sauce, throw in some capers and there you have it. Really wasn't worth it.
2. Â Bison Burger: It was interesting, cooked medium rare. It was accompanied with Steak fries. Â For a "gourmet" burger it was middle grade. Â If you just want a burger, I'd probably get this.
Dessert:
Now I suppose I have higher standards, sincer I'm a baker by hobby, so I like to ask any server if their dessert selections were made there on the property. Â If you sense any kind of hesitation then it's usually an item ordered from a manufacturing food supplier. Â We assumed that the cheesecake was brought in. Â So we asked the server, and he said, however with a crack in his voice, that it was all made there. Â (yeah uh huh)
We ordered the Chef's Special Cake. Â On this evening, the special was Black Forrest Cake. Â It really had this not fresh taste to it, and came across as if it had been thawed, then had some nuts thrown on the side, not so Chef's Special. Oh well.
So overall it wasn't worth the price they're charging. The grounds themselves are very nice looking and inviting. Â The staff just didn't put much effort into their jobs. Â And it reflects loud and clear. Â
I would really rather eat in Curry Village.
The venue is great, but the food is horrible and overpriced. Â It was much better under previous management. Â In the past, servers wore period clothing and served pretty decent food. Â Those days are apparently over.
Saturday outdoor BBQ: If you are interested in quantity not quality, or are looking for a venue where children can run amok, then paying $25 per adult for overcooked fish, tough cheap "steak", eviscerated ribs, and jello or tasteless manufactured cake might make sense. Otherwise, I suggest you dine anywhere else. Â Even the corn on the cob was horrible. Â Yes, I do understand that BBQ is expected to be simple, but it need not be poor quality ingredients poorly prepared. Â Yuck.
Dining room: The food was so bad that we could barely choke it down even though we were hungry after an 8 mile hike. Â My $20 bison burger was dry and served with potato wedges that had the consistency of bar soap. Â My mom's chicken salad was tasteless.
There's something about elegance in the wilderness that I really like. The dining room keeps to the old style architecture of days gone by. The menu is more California modern. The food is not outrageously priced as it is at the Awahanee in the Valley. The food it self is pretty good, not 5 star but maybe 4. You will see lots of Euro people here. There are not really many choices here in Wawona to eat, so being that, this is bnot really a bad choice. Definitly do not expect super quick service....slow down and relax...there's realy nowhere else to be.
Review Source:i was thinking about how many stars should i give between 4 or 5.....i was really enjoying when i was staying at wawona hotel i still thinking about cheese and drinks!!! i love all the drinks there and good price too....but the thing that i don't like,it was the dinner and breakfast :( the service was excellent.....
Review Source:My husband and I had dinner here during our last night at Yosemite. Â After a long weekend of hiking and sight-seeing, we decided to treat ourselves to a nice dinner to end a magnificent trip. Â Unfortunately, our meal here was less-than-magnificent.
When we arrived, the hostess was very pleasant and seated us quickly - near the window, as we requested. Â From there, the evening went downhill.
The busser ensured that our waters were always full and that we had plenty of bread and butter, which was nice considering our waiter didn't even check in with us for at least 10 minutes.
I ordered the trout stuffed with mushrooms and spinach (24.95) which was accompanied by rice pilaf and roasted vegetables. Â The vegetables and rice were tasty. Â The trout a bit on the salty side, but delicious.
My husband ordered the buffalo burger (18.95) which was accompanied by potato wedges. Â The meat was dry and slightly burnt (my husband ordered medium). Â The breaded poblano pepper and the chipotle aioli were the saving graces of the burger. Â The potato wedges were undercooked and flavorless.
We ordered the pine nut pie (8.95) to go. Â While we were waiting for the dessert, we asked for our check, informing our waiter that we had a 2-hour drive to our hotel still. Â After receiving our check and handing it back to the waiter, he promptly set it down on a wait station next to me and went to chat up a family at a nearby table. Â We had to wait another ten minutes for him to finish his conversation and take care of our check, during which time, the busser continued to make sure our glasses were full and brought us our dessert.
We went to the dining room in our hiking gear (jeans and sweatshirts), assuming that this was acceptable considering we were in an outdoor haven for hiking and exploring. Â I honestly feel that our poor service was based on our attire - we were judged based on what we were wearing instead of the color of our money.
Our dessert was delicious - think pecan pie with pine nuts instead of pecans - Â with a surprisingly subtle pine nut flavor. Â However, the spiced port wine sauce didn't quite work with the flavor of the pie.
For poor service and only half-decent food, this place was overpriced and unwelcoming. Â We will not be returning.
Stopped here for Thanksgiving dinner.
The hotel is really beautiful, or that's because it's set in the Yosemite National Park, on the road that leads you into the valley! But it's what you'd expect from an older historic mountain lodge. Very cute from the outside, a little dated on the inside. I understand historic, but it could stand some freshening up. I don't mind if the floor creeks, but a little paint could help :)
It was very snowy when we were there, and the only complaint I had was if you had to use the bathroom you had to leave the dining room and walk outside the back of the lobby, turn a corner, and enter the bathroom. The snow was melting off the top of the roof and kept hitting me in the face, which wasn't that pleasant as I didn't have my coat on, since I assumed the bathroom would be indoors.
For Thanksgiving the dining room had a fixed menu, salad, soup, a main course, and dessert. The food was all excellent, I had the traditional turkey and stuffing, but some of the people I was with had porkloin and prime rib and really enjoyed it.
The only strange thing was our server. He seemed strung out, very sweaty, would repeat things back to us multiple times and was a bit frantic. We weren't in a hurry since it was a holiday, but he made me feel a bit out of place, and I worried how our order would come out.
All in all though, great experience.
I'm so surprised to read all the less than four star reviews because our dining experience was close-to-perfect. And really, how is " The cost about $10 per person" expensive for a meal at a hotel lodge like this? That's about the cost you spend at togo's for a meal.
We had dinner at the Wawona and when we walked in the room was so romantic! There was light snowfall outside the tall windows with breath taking views of the forest and our waitstaff was very courteous.
Dinner was excellent and prepared with locally grown herbs and paired with local cheeses. I thought the dining experience rivaled the Awahnee and was just a fraction of the cost with out having to dress up.
We had breakfast the next day and oh my goodness, I still remember the potatoes to this day. So delicious - it seems they were parboiled, then pan fried - and seasoned just right. They were slightly crispy around the edges and soft and moist but not falling apart in the middle. They were topped with a garnish of chopped green onions and sour cream.. Again, simply delicious.
I live in the bay area and am used to having an wide selection of excellent restaurants to choose from - the Wawona far exceeded my expectations!
You Yelpers don't seem to understand. Â Middle of nowhere, more often than not = mediocre, bland food. Â Yosemite = middle of nowhere. Â However, Wawona Dining Room = best place ever.
In the middle of our visit to Yosemite, we hiked Half Dome. Â We finished feeling hungry and tired and ready to kick back and eat a hardy meal. Â We couldn't figure out what to do, and ultimately decided we'd spring for dinner at Wawona. Â There was a long wait, and we were able to claim the chess board fairly early into our wait, so we passed the time playing chess (me poorly), and listening to the piano man singing and taking old-timey requests. Â We were hungry and sore but were so enjoying ourselves we almost forgot.
But we didn't, so when we were finally called for our table, we practically ordered one of everything on the menu. Â Or, really, we ordered soups and salads and big entrees (my husband, the pot roast; me, a chicken dish), and everything - I mean everything! - was amazing.
The server was nice, the ambiance was wonderful. Â I remember feeling really cold because of some open windows, but after a while, that remedied itself, and we really enjoyed ourselves. Â And after a day of being sweaty and grimy feeling, it was just wonderful to sit at a table with a real tablecloth and realize that people have been dining like this, at this very place, for a century or more. Â
Our bill was ridiculously expensive - although cheaper than it would have been at Ahwanee, and unlike there, where our hiking clothes wouldn't have met dress code, no one seemed to care that we were a little grungy and smelled bad. Â It was a wonderful way to celebrate reaching our goal and kicking back a bit before our sore muscles fully set in. Â I would love to return.
These two stars are for the Saturday night all you can eat BBQ. Â Decent food, great deal (especially if you get 3rd- 4th helpings of the Mahi Mahi). Â The staff was friendly (to us since we're young, but rude to all middle age people with children). Â It was a fun experience.
We ordered drinks later on the front porch, our server was great, made up a drink for me (since I'm soooo picky) that was delicious. Â All around great guy, we gave him a good tip.
The actual dining room was awful though, we only went for breakfast (which is included in the price of the room) it was made very clear that the tip was not included. Â The food is bland, the eggs and pancakes obviously made with water not milk. Â Honestly the breakfast buffet at Camp Curry is wayyyy better. Â Anyway, my fiancee left a $3 tip both days (although it wasn't worth it) and he put them both on the room. Â Check out on our last day and as we're driving away he notices that the tip for that morning was charged for $8!! Â Not only that but we overheard someone complaining of the exact same thing the day before!!!!! Â I don't know what type of crap this server is pulling but it is seriously dishonest. Â
I love Yosemite (like LOVE) and I would be willing to forgive the people that work there for rude attitudes, terrible bed making skills, and the fact that they all totally tailgate all the tourists and freak them out, but seriously... changing our $3 tip into $8? Â We complained, I'm not so mad about the $5 extra but really the principle of the thing. Â Which is why although I loved the BBQ and the drink service 2 stars almost seems generous at this point.
4 words for you: Â Price high. Â Food bad. Â
The restaurant is terrible. Â We arrived for late lunch in the summer on a weekday. Â The food cost about $10 per person. Â The vegetable soup was inedible. Â It had probably been made a week ago. Â Our service was slow, unattentive and uncaring. Â A decayed piece of lettuce that should have been thrown out a week ago was put on our sandwich (when we finally tracked down the waitress to tell her, she did not even apologize!!!). Â
They sat us on the porch in 95-degree heat even though there was plenty of space inside. Â There was a fan on the porch but no one turned it on. Â Â
Not all NP restaurants are this bad. Â I'd even recommend the restaurant in the Chisos Mountains in Big Bend. Â This place needs good old-fashioned American competition. Â
Please, pack in a delicious lunch from Oakhurst or eat at the sandwich shop in the Valley. Â Whatever you do, don't eat here!!!!!
After a long wonderful hike up to Mariposa grove and the museum, the hubby and I returned hungry and tired. Decided to eat at the hotel dining room and why not? The hotel itself is so charming from the outside and we loved the rocking chairs on the porch. We were about just have a light snack on the porch but opted for dinner instead - WHAT A MISTAKE!!!
Started with the strawberry spinach salad with lemon poppyseed dressing - best part of the meal. Hubby had the pork tenderloin with grits and sauteed veggies and I had the crabmeat stuffed halibut with hollandaise, asparagus and roasted red potatoes.
The pork was dry, the veggies were soggy and the grits tasted like slop. They were soggy and crunchy all at the same time. As a true southern boy - my husband was very disappointed and kinda grossed out.
My halibut was so salty that I could actually feel my blood pressure rising with every bite. I tried to scrape the hollandaise sauce off and cut the taste with lemon juice but it didn't work at all! Not to mention that the asparagus was overcooked but the potatoes weren't cooked at all. WTH! We ordered dessert to try to put a sweet swing on the experience but even the champagne that I ordered with the creme brule was bad. Needless to say, we won't be returning for another meal. Next time we visit the park, we'll plan on cooking for ourselves or driving to Oakhurst.
Enjoyed eating here while staying at Wawona. Â It was strong and consistent meals every time. Â I appreciated the waitstaff as well. Â Very straightforward and down to earth. Â Gave advice on splitting a meal. Â Also, very honest. Â When I inquired about the chef's special dessert...my waiter was honest and told me that it was store bought that night. Â Enjoyed it every meal.
Review Source:Very pricey, but definitely complements a stay at the amazing Wawona hotel. Â My wife enjoyed our candlelit dinner at the Wawona dining room very much and were even able to do it somewhat economically.
We opted to split our meal which ended up being a great decision as the our friendly waitress gave us both huge salads and large portions. Â It was like getting two entrees for the price of one. Â We got a steak dish and it was delicious.
I would recommend the hotel, but you might want to be creative in order to not spend too much!
Excellent dinner and service. Â Our waiter was very knowledgeable and skilled, and the food was very good. I am surprised at the negative feedback on the food here - maybe it is quite variable but I would recommend this restaurant readily. We have eaten all over the world for the past 40 years and are not afraid to judge critically. As a comparison, we also had dinner at the Ahwahnee, and the Wawona food was better (nothing can beat the ambience of the latter though.)
Review Source:Just drive to Oakhurst for dinner. It's a 30 minute drive and there are alot of decent restaurants there.
The cheapest entree is around $26, and while the food is good.. it's not worth the price. It's the only restaurant in Wawona, which makes their pricing absolutely infuriating (it IS a National Park after all).
The food isn't exciting; a vegetarian dish with polenta and roasted veggies was better than the meat and fish dishes my husband had. Â The best part about eating here is that Tom Bopp plays piano and sings in the lounge across the lobby from the restaurant. Â You can get drinks, snacks, and desserts while listening to him. Â He's very entertaining and funny, knows a lot of Yosemite history as well as music history. Â He'll take requests -- anything from Irish jigs to music of the Depression Era to classical tidbits.
Review Source:This restaurant is a part of the historic Wawona Hotel in the southern part of Yosemite National park about 10 miles from the southern entrance. This property is about an hour from the more famous Yosemite valley Like most of the concessions in the park, it is operated by Delaware North which creates some employees with a poor attitude as well as allows exorbitant pricing due to the effective monopoly on restaurants that they have.
I have eaten at this restaurant several times and while I have never had a great experience, it has also never been as poor as the other two reviewers have reported. This may be due in part to me being a vegetarian, it is possible that the vegetarian items are more consistently prepared or simply better than the much more common meat or fish based entrees.
They serve a fresh sourdough bread with dinner which while bland, is good. Their salads were fair and predictable except for a falafel based "starter" that was excessively bland. Their best vegetarian item is an eggplant Parmesan which is presented in an unusual way; constructed like a tower made of a series of discs. While it looks more interesting than it tastes, it is still fairly good.
French Fry Review:
The french fries that we had here were identical to the ones served at the Ahwahnee and at the Badger Pass Ski lodge. They were thick and mushy inside with very little flavor and no skin. They seemed to also be cooked on the crispy side with crisp (but not burnt) ends.
Overall, this place seems passable but overpriced. Like many of the Yosemite facilities it has good to great views and this place is more authentically historic than any of the other Yosemite dining facilities. You also have very few other options if you are staying in this area.
One of the worst and most overpriced meals I have ever had. The unfortunate thing is you have no other food options when near the Wawona so they have you by the balls. A real shame. The Delaware North company is committing highway robbery with this one. That being said our server was great.
Review Source:The Wawona Hotel is a grand old dame, very historic. Â It's run by Yosemite park concessions, and the food is so-so, but it's the only close-by Wawona restaurant, so if you're not able to cook your own food, you're kind of stuck.
I had the sole with fruit relish (the catch of the day), quinoa and boiled squash ($24). Â My other half had the chicken marsala with mashed red potatoes and more squash ($25). Â
I'm British, I know bland and trust me... this was BLAND. Â Good if your tumtum is upset. Â The fruit relish was mostly onion, the quinoa unflavored save what came out of the fish and boiled squash... zzz...zzz...
The warm bread is good (fresh sourdough, yum).
My advice: Â do NOT stay at the hotel (which is stinking expensive, especially if you don't want a shared bath). Â Head down the road to the Redwoods in Yosemite (no, I'm not affiliated with them at all, I just stay there) and stay in a cabin with full kitchen, then cook for yourself. Â Much cheaper, and much tastier.
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