Location: Wawona
Top Restaurants in Wawona
Top Things to do in Wawona
Countries
Wawona Food Guide: 10 Must-Eat Restaurants & Street Food Stalls in Wawona
Wawona (formerly, Big Tree Station, Clark's Station, Clarks Station, Wah-wo-nah, and Clark's Ranch) is a census-designated place in Mariposa County, California. It is located 18 miles (29 km) east of Mariposa, at an elevation of 3999 feet (1219 m). The population was 169 at the 2010 census.
Things to do in Wawona
1. Hall & Buffalo Bar
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 226 reviews
Dear readers. Our Dinning Hall is not open yet for the season. We usually re-open the end of April. When there is a set date, we will post our open status. Thank you :)
Reviewed By pvnipper - Kansas City
A restaurant with great characters and ambience. The rooms are small and allows for nice intimate dining. We had steak and tuna and they were both excellent. The wine selection was good and reasonable priced. It is a good alternative to the expensive restaurants at Tenaya Lodge.
2. Parkside Pizza
Overall Ratings
4 based on 241 reviews
Reviewed By Kevin S - Ann Arbor, Michigan
Walk in, order your pizza (and salad bar), and find a table. Seems like a simple formula and the pizza and salad bar were both fairly good. On the downside, the salad bar is hugely over-priced, my wife and I both ordered individual pizzas and...MoreThank you for your review. We are glad you enjoyed our Pizza. Our Pizza is one of the locals favorites. Our prices are based off how we have to have supplies shipped in. Thank you again and we hope to see you again.
3. Hitching Post
Overall Ratings
4 based on 68 reviews
Reviewed By Stephen F
Bill's Hitching Post has some of the best burgers that you will find. Try the western burger with fries is you're really hungry. Chances are you won't be able to finish it! Great onion rings cooked nice and crispy. Good selection of draft beer, also. While the ambiance is not fine dining, the food will satisfy any size hunger.
4. Big Trees Lodge Dining Room
Overall Ratings
4 based on 701 reviews
Reviewed By solotraveler42302 - midwest
We stopped here for lunch enroute to Yosemite. We had a salad and pasta. Very good. A historical place for sure. Check out the dining room ceiling shades. Maybe they were hand painted? Beautiful. And the scenery looking out of the dining room windows was priceless. We had a brief lecture/info session on the property, etc. Big Trees is a commercial name and not the original name.
5. Sierra Restaurant Tenaya Lodge
Overall Ratings
4 based on 596 reviews
Sierra is one of Tenaya's most popular Yosemite restaurants - a spacious and comfortable space surrounding a towering limestone fireplace, offering breakfast and dinner service. Enjoy a cozy fireside dinner with your friends and family, or during the summer months, dine under the stars at Sierra Restaurant's unique outdoor patio complete with blazing fire pit.
Reviewed By mehmbers_only - Melbourne, Australia
We stayed 2 nights and enjoyed the buffet breakfast twice. Usual options and good variety. Recommend it as otherwise you would need to drive somewhere to get breakfast.
6. Yosemite View Lodge Restaurant
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 439 reviews
Reviewed By David F
Good food and beer at a reasonable price. Warm cosy surrounds with friendly staff who are happy to share their extensive local knowledge.
7. Jackalope's Bar & Grill at Tenaya Lodge
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 769 reviews
After a day of discovery, retire to Jackalope's Bar & Grill to relax and enjoy pub fare, delicious local beers, wines and spirits. Featuring made-to-order grilled burgers, sandwiches, specialty salads and more, this Yosemite bar and grill offers an array of options. Children have their own menu and can entertain themselves by coloring with complimentary crayons. If they're lucky, they can even catch a glimpse of Tenaya's legendary Jackalope (hint: look up!). And if it's a game day, you can catch all the action via our new flat-screen HDTVs.
Reviewed By Shelley K - Bethesda, Maryland
Basically, if you're staying at Tenaya Lodge, you don't have a lot of options here for eating. You can drive 20 minutes or so to a town, but everything there closes early, so if you've had a long day in the park, you may not have the time or the desire to get yourself to the town, and you're stuck at the hotel. And the prices seem to reflect this as they are consistent with fine dining, but this is more pub food quality. If the prices were lower, the rating would be higher. The food isn't bad - it's just not consistent with the prices.
8. The River Restaurant & Lounge
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 278 reviews
Reviewed By A R M - New York City, New York
We visited the bar twice during our trip for drinks and once for dinner (at the bar) and both visits were what we needed. The atmosphere is calm but friendly with 3 TVs. Food was far better here than at the "fancy" restaurant inside the park.
9. Mountain Room Restaurant
Overall Ratings
4 based on 361 reviews
At The Mountain Room Restaurant, you will take in astounding views of the nearly 2500 foot high waterfall. The menu offers perfectly cooked steaks, sustainably caught seafood, and mouthwatering pasta dishes. The restaurant is open year-round.
Reviewed By partyjah - San Francisco, California
This is a very comfy bar/lounge with big picture windows and casual atmosphere. Minors are not allowed after 10pm which was a bummer for our group with three well behaved [and tired/hungry] teens. The staff were very kind and cut us a little slack as we sat at 9:30 for bevs and bar food. They were efficient, [it wasn't busy] and let us complete our short stay without rushing us. Warning: the food wasn't anything special, we mostly had chili, in the past I've had some good soups, have seen some nice looking plates go by, but the prrices are decent, full bar and sports on several TV's caering to intl. tastes as well as domestic; eg. Futbol, NBA, MLB, NFL, Olympics, etc. in season.
10. Embers
Overall Ratings
4 based on 166 reviews
Embers, Tenaya Lodge's fine-dining restaurant is the venue for upscale Yosemite dining featuring cuisine prepared to perfection by Tenaya's award-winning culinary team led by Executive Chef Frederick Clabaugh, CCC. With an ambiance that is sophisticated and romantic, Embers offers an intimate dining experience with a crackling, double-sided fireplace as the centerpiece, elegant high-back crimson chairs and very personal service by the well trained staff. The menu offers dishes that match the Sierra Nevada experience, prepared using locally sourced and seasonal ingredients. Elegant fish, beef and game preparations are some of the featured menu specialties in Embers.
Reviewed By ds_95070 - Saratoga, California
We stayed at the Tenaya Lodge and had dinner at the Embers "fine dining" restaurant. The food was good. I had a very good rack of lamb. The ambiance was, well, like I remember from the 90's. Not bad, just dated and a bit stuffy. The service team did a good job. The prices were high, reflecting perhaps that the nearest fine dining restaurant is 14 miles away down a winding mountain road. Ie, it's the only so-called "fine dining" option around. I'll choose the Jackalopes Bar and Grill if I stay there again.
