There easily are 100 and more dining spots in the National Park System, from deli operations to crystal and white-linen-draped-table establishments. But where are the best ones, and which are the ones to avoid?
Now, we all know that quality in a specific restaurant can change throughout the season and even depend on what time you eat. By the end of summer many college kids are tired of waiting on and serving diners, always with a smile on their face. Especially if they worked dinner the night before and had to be back on the job at 6 a.m. the next morning for the breakfast shift.
And if you eat dinner earlier rather than later, you don't run the risk of the kitchen having run out of a particular dish. And the way a chef in one restaurant rides herd over his kitchen can differ surprisingly from how a chef in a restaurant across the parking lot oversees his and impact what lands in front of you.
Another problem is that some folks are more than happy to have a pizza or plate of spaghetti for dinner, while others want a four-course meal. And, of course, if you just sat down to dinner after a 10-mile hike, your taste buds might not be as discerning as they are when you're not famished and exhausted. And, of course, some parks don't have restaurants inside their borders, so you need to head into the gateway towns, where the options multiply.
I've had both great, and poor, meals at the Metate Room at Mesa Verde National Park, good food and bad service at the Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone National Park (tip: Skip the inn and eat at the Snow Lodge) and an incredible meal at Lake Crescent Lodge in Olympic National Park. At Acadia National Park, my wife and I found a wonderful dining spot in Bar Harbor, Maine, called Cafe This Way, while at Estes Park outside of Rocky Mountain National Park the tiny Nepal's Cafe is well worth the wait.
In short, my experience tells me that the quality of meals is very changeable. Is that your experience, too, or have you discovered an eatery that is wonderfully consistent in its offerings and service?
Tell us, readers, where should we eat in the National Park System, and which tables should we avoid? Where can you count on a reliably good meal no matter what season you dine?
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Comments
Before we were married, my wife and I also happened upon Cafe This Way in Bar Harbor, when visiting Acadia. It's fantastic.
A few years later, when honeymooning on Ofu in National Park of American Samoa, we stayed at the Vaoto Lodge. One night, they made sushi from the daily catch, and another night, they prepared indigenous dishes from the island flora. Really great place.
I envy you, Justin - we haven't gotten to Ofu yet, although the weekly umu at Tisa's Barefoot Bar on Alega Beach is a highlight.
We had a special occasion dinner at Paradise Inn on Mt Rainier. Food was excxellent; scenery and atmosphere were beyond expectations,; prices were a sticker shock.
That's fantastic, Rick. We wanted to get back to Tisa's for the umu--just couldn't quite get the days to line up right.
Best meal I ever had in a national park, was at the Phantom Ranch at the bottom of Grand Canyon. Just the fact that you can have a fresh, Chef prepared, high quality meal when you've hiked and sweated that much and that far is absolutely amazing
St Mary's Lodge in Glacier National Park
The restaurant at Volcano House in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park is superb. The food presentation is beautiful and the taste is fantastic. It's pricey, but the food is amazing. The meal I was least impressed with was at the restaurant in Paradise Inn. It was meh with a high price.
My family and I have eaten several times at the Lodge in Zion National Park. Always had very good food and good service.
Since all supplies arrive once a week by packhorse, you can be sure the meals at Sperry Chalet in Glacier National Park are home cooked. After a six mile hike in, anything would be delicious, but their meals are amazing - homemade bread and rolls, fantastic soups and entrees along with full breakfasts and hearty sandwiches for your hike the next day. Meals were consistent from our fist visit in 1971 until our last in 2004 and I assume they still are.
Lake Hotel in Yellowstone National Park not only serves gourmet meals, but if you arrive a little early, you can enjoy live chamber music in the lounge area along with fantastic views of Yellowstone Lake and snowcapped mountains.
I camp out, then splurge on a meal at the Awahnee (now Majestic) in Yosemite National Park. I like to go for a late tea time lunch -- there is an alcove with a window table that gives a great view of Yosemite Falls -- the tables around it also give a partial view. I like to wait until the other people leave, then snag the table by the window. (not always possible).
Breakfast at the El Tovar in Grand Canyon, wonderful food, fair price, un beatable scenery
The food at Lake Yellowstone Hotel is horrible. The Hotel is absolutely gorgeous along with the surroundings but the food quality is extremely poor. Delaware North needs to do better. I never stayed at a hotel that required one to sign an agreement that you will not cook in your room. After I ate dinner at the Hotel, I understood why patrons would want to cook in their room. Delaware North needs a lesson from Robert Irvine. Quality counts and I prefer to go hungry than eat poor quality food.
In Death Valley, the food at the "budget" place near the motel was expensive and poor in quality. So on the advice of regulars we went to the "upscale" Furnace Creek Inn. Prices were a little higher, but quality and service were exceptional.
Also - this may have changed - the High Sierra Camps are excellent; and you can eat at a couple of the camps without hiking in, with reservations - Tuolumne Meadows Lodge, for certain. White Wolf Lodge is not a High Sierra Camp but has similar good - wonderful breakfast buffet. When the syndicate-connected Delaware North came on board - you know, the company that decided it owned ancient names in Yosemite - quality slipped; but it's still excellent since some well-connected visitors did some arm-twisting.
One hint, anywhere - always try to book the latest lunch you can. It will be less expensve, and should serve for dinner as well - and you can always have dessert at dinner time.