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    Basin Cafe

    4.3 (143 reviews)
    Closed 7:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Basin Cafe Photos

    BASIN CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Romantic
    Dogs allowed
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Basin Cafe

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    Outdoor patio
    Gigi H.

    We stopped by Basin Cafe for lunch on a summer day and were so glad we did! We ordered the pulled pork sandwich, tri-tip sandwich, and the Basin Burger, and every single one was delicious. The portions were huge, and everything was packed with great flavor. The cafe itself is small inside, but there are plenty of outdoor tables, so finding a seat wasn't an issue. The ordering process is simple...you order at the counter, receive a number, and then find your own table while they bring your food out. Even though there wasn't a wait when we arrived, there was a steady stream of people coming in the entire time, which says a lot about how popular this place is. Despite the constant flow of customers, the service was quick and efficient. If you're passing through Lee Vining or visiting Mammoth or June Lake, Basin Cafe is definitely worth a stop for a hearty, flavorful meal.

    Cobb salad
    Jennifer N.

    We came here for dinner after camping in the Eastern Sierras for a week and were not disappointed! Service was friendly and professional especially for such a young staff--we were genuinely impressed. We ordered the country fried steak which came with grilled veg (asparagus, squash, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower) and potato wedges, and a Cobb salad. Great value for a small mountain town. We sat outside in the garden patio and enjoyed all birds flying past. Definitely recommend if you're ever in town.

    Garden seating

    Quick service, very filling portion size, reasonable price. Sat in the lovely garden to eat a breakfast burrito with chorizo-- and got a brownie-to-go for later (which was delicious at my campsite that night!).

    Beautiful outdoor seating area.

    We had wonderful service, HUGE portions, delicious food! We had the breakfast burrito, a breakfast sandwich on a , and yogurt parfaits for the kids. Everything was fresh, came quickly, and was very tasty! Indoor and outdoor seating. Outdoor seating has the vibes of a beautiful country Inn. Pine Trees, Blue Jays, and flower gardens. Clean restrooms and cute little items for purchase including fresh honey. Highly recommend this stop in the lovely Lee Vining.

    Tiffany T.

    This place is super cute. You order at the front then you find a table. We had the Philly cheesesteak and taco salad, both were good. I absolutely loved the outside seating. The service is friendly. You do clean up your table when you're done. Don't forget! Great spot to stop at! Unfortunately no dogs so I'm leaving that here just in case you wanted to bring your furry friends.

    Teriyaki Chicken Dinner Plate

    Delicious food and great outdoor seating! The employees were all very kind too. Would definitely recommend.

    Chicken
    Paola H.

    Omg. This was so yummy. The chicken fried chicken was A+! the potatoes were okay, I wish they were more cheesy but the star was absolutely the chicken. I was here 4th of July weekend but our service was still great and I loved eating in their beautiful outdoor patio. It was so magical.

    Rebecca M.

    Omg what's not to love about this super cute cafe with delicious food !! Everyone working there was super sweet,the inside was so cozy and clean, even the bathroom.. omg the outdoor front seating was AMAZING . 1st time here but not our last , so glad we came here . HIGHLY RECOMMEND . Thank you so much Basin Cafe

    Tri tip w/ macaroni salad
    Justin K.

    Basin cafe was such a welcome surprise! Definitely the spot to eat at Lee Vining. Friendly staff with a nice outdoor dining area. We stopped by after leaving Yosemite and had such a great experience. The tri tip sandwich was delicious and the tostada salad was perfect. The menu offered a lot more variety than one would expect, but the quality still exceeded expectations. Very unassuming spot that will deliver you a smile. Definitely worth a visit if you're passing through and need a bite. Would visit again!

    Plenty of outside seating

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    3 months ago

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    2 months ago

    Mono burger at $22 is huge and very filling. Clean and open with outside seating under the trees.

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    Tierra Antigua Cafe - Pastries. They also serve concha's but they ran out today

    Tierra Antigua Cafe

    5.0(18 reviews)
    0.3 mi

    My husband and I live in the East Bay and stopped in while on a camping trip. We ordered breakfast…read moreburritos that came with a SALSA... First, the staff and owner were incredibly warm and welcoming. Since we had our dog with us, we ate outside in a lovely little shaded courtyard. Then... I took my first bite of the burrito with the SALSA and immediately died and went to heaven. My husband and I both froze mid-bite and looked at each other in complete disbelief. This salsa, I swear, is magical. The burrito itself was fantastic, but this salsa? I can't even find the words. After I finished eating, I went back inside and asked for the owner. She came out from the kitchen, and I explained that I simply had to have more of this salsa. Unfortunately, she doesn't sell it in bulk yet. She kindly gave me a few to-go containers and said, "Yes, I'm working on getting it set up to sell to go." I asked what was in it, and although there was a bit of a language barrier, I gathered that it contains several unique peppers--some roasted, some fresh--and then, at the end, she added, "And... I also make it with love." I believe her. Kudos to this place. I literally just told my husband that we need to drive all the way back down here just for another burrito and this salsa!

    Very delicious iced chai and Carmel latte! We have been back many times along our travels and…read moreeveryone that works here is so sweet. I love their outdoor seating area. Definitely will be back!

    Photos
    Tierra Antigua Cafe - There she is, making my mocha frappe

    There she is, making my mocha frappe

    Tierra Antigua Cafe - Drip Coffee and Strawbery Matcha Latte

    Drip Coffee and Strawbery Matcha Latte

    Tierra Antigua Cafe - 20 Oz. white chocolate mocha! BOMB!

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    20 Oz. white chocolate mocha! BOMB!

    Pino Pies

    Pino Pies

    4.9(166 reviews)
    12.3 mi
    $$

    HIGHLY RECOMMEND‼‼…read more It was my first time at June lake with my boyfriend so we looked up cafes and WOW pino pies was the best choice. We had to go two days in a row just to try more pies :) we got our food very quickly both times and the owner was such a kind lady :D we got the steak&ale with cheese (my personal favorite), potato top, lamb ( boyfriends favorite), butter chicken, and apple pies as well as a sausage roll (sounds like alot for two people but we were dying to try as much as possible before returning home) prices super reasonable for the size and taste of the pies. The crust was so buttery and flaky and they were honestly all so yummy!! The desserts were delicious we tried the caramel bars (chefs kiss) and the raspberry coconut beautifully made and was so refreshing and such a good palate cleanser after the savory pies :D my bf and I shared an iced dirty chai latte and it was soooo yummy i miss it already. I really loved the place it was so calm and it has a very nice seating area inside and outside looking out to the other shops! I really appreciated the paper near the display of pies as it explained the ingredients in each separate pie. I will come again asap, pino pies pls wait for me again next year

    Absolutely disgraceful customer service from both the owner and the cashier at Pino's Pies. "If you…read moredon't like it, go to Mammoth!" PLUS they said they would give me credit then did not. Today my son and I ordered three different meat pies, and I ordered--and paid $7.75 for--a large, 16-ounce hot dirty chai tea. I also asked for a separate cup of ice because I wanted to drink some of the chai hot and pour some over ice. Instead, they gave me a small chai and a large cup filled with ice. When I pointed out that this was not what I had ordered or paid for, the thin grey haired owner told me to "pour the small chai over the ice" and--presto--it would become a large, 16-ounce drink. How stupid do they think their customers are? Do they discriminate against white 65 year old women? Apparently. Ice does not magically turn a small chai into the large chai I paid for. It merely waters down a smaller amount of tea. I ordered a LARGE HOT CHAI and a cup of ice--not a small chai disguised as a large drink by filling the rest of the cup with frozen water. When I calmly objected, the owner and cashier became shockingly rude and hostile. Rather than simply correcting their mistake, I was told by the tall, straggly dark haired cashier, "That's the way we do it here. If you don't like it, you can go to Mammoth or go somewhere else. Fuck off and get the fuck out of here." That is an outrageous way to treat a paying customer--especially one who had just purchased three meat pies along with an overpriced $7.75 chai. PLUS TIP! Total bill? $49.72. As of this writing, the credit he supposedly issued has not been issued at my bank. When I asked him for the last four numbers of the card for the refund, he gave me the wrong last four of MY credit card number. I said no, my last four digits are XXXX. He said he gave me the credit and "get the fuck out of here!" and no proof of the credit. He was so tightly strung, I left as I didn't know what his next move would be. I contacted my bank as as of this writing NO CREDIT has been given. I will reverse the whole charge if I'm not credited by the end of today. I was not being difficult or unreasonable. I simply expected to receive the size I ordered and paid for. The owner and cashier could not have been more arrogant, insulting, or unprofessional. If this is "the way they do it here," then customers should take their money somewhere else. I certainly will and we will make sure the USC snow ski team is enlightened as we both were on it and know plenty of amazing people up here who don't deserve to be treated this way.

    Photos
    Pino Pies - Lounge sitting area

    Lounge sitting area

    Pino Pies - Apple pie

    Apple pie

    Pino Pies - Fresh pies out of the trailer. Order inside the building

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    Fresh pies out of the trailer. Order inside the building

    Tom's Place Cafe

    Tom's Place Cafe

    3.5(300 reviews)
    36.3 mi
    $$

    I have been to Tom's Place too many times to count. It is one of those few surviving old school…read more(literally ... it is over 100 years old) roadside cafes that are precious little gems. The food is very good. Not spectacular, and not gourmet, by any means, but very good American fare. The service is also very good, and the current owner is an asset to the community in many ways. But it is the ambiance that really makes it special. It dates back to 1917, and looks it. The dining room has a big fireplace and is paneled with knotty pine. There are a lot of doo-dads about which give the place a lot of character. Next to the dining room is a small bar, similarly festooned with a lot of entertaining doo dads. Tom's place is an official watering hole of ECV, and that alone tells you something about the place. They also have a small general store with convenience food and supplies, as well as simple souvenirs like t-shirts and coffee mugs. Have a look there while you are at it. To give you a sense of the place, consider the attached photograph. It is of the stairway to the restrooms downstairs. That doorway is low enough that a tall person might possibly hit their head, hence the admonishment. That's it in a nutshell. This is either your kind of place or not. But it is surely mine!

    Upon arrival to Tom's place, I let my service animal walk around for second before picking her up…read moreto carry her into the restaurant. I was immediately met on the porch by the owner? A short, portly, long blond/ grey hair lady who instantly barked that pets were not allowed in Tom's place. I informed her that my dog is a service animal, and she immediately raised her voice and started accusing me of lying. She demanded to see paperwork that would prove that my dog is a service animal, I asked her to wait a minute while I pull it up on email and she would not stop raising her voice and basically yelling at me. I had lost my reading glasses the day before and could not see well, I was trying to pull up the email while she was yelling at me. She said she had reading glasses she could sell me, but I needed to show her the proof that my dog was a service animal before she would let her in the store. My dog was now shivering profusely because it was coldish and windy, she pointed it out and I informed her that my dog is shivering from the cold, and we are just hungry this is a huge waste of time, because she is a legal service animal, but I am now under too much stress and cannot see without my glasses to pull up the digital proof that she demands before we enter. I informed her that this was illegal, and she started berating me, telling me I don't know what the law is. She than started being condescending and asking me if I know what ADA stands for. I told her that I am a RN, and that just made her louder and more unruly. If anyonlie from the state wants to talk, I allow YELP to release my email address to them. I have had my service animal for years, and never a problem. I have actually had her in Tom's place before without a problem. I have no idea why a small restaurant owner would rather cause potential litigation and undue stress upon potential customers and break the law and demand proof of service animal legitimacy than just let people with service animals live their best lives in peace. I did not need this experience and neither did the friend that was with me or my service animal . WHO THE HELL CARES IF SOMEONE HAS A SMALL DOG THAT IS SILENT. Unfortunately for you, she is a service animal. I have paperwork. In this day and age in California, they are letting many crimes go unpunished, as it is now racist to prosecute anything. So to all the small restaurant owners out there that give people undue stress about service animals which are not a crime, just shut your mouth, take our money, and obey the law.

    Photos
    Tom's Place Cafe
    Tom's Place Cafe - Bathroom flooring lifting

    Bathroom flooring lifting

    Tom's Place Cafe - Scary stairs to bathrooms 10/7/23

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    Scary stairs to bathrooms 10/7/23

    Basin Cafe - burgers - Updated August 2026

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