Classic small town diner! The service was excellent and it was clear that both locals and tourists frequent this place. The food was hearty and good -- not amazing as this area is not quite known for its food, but a great pre/post skiing carb loading option. I definitely recommend their chili and heurvos rancheros. ALSO if you have kids or are just feeling something sweet, get the snowman pancake! Very cute and delicious (see pic). read more

Donner Lake Kitchen - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Truckee, California

Good atmosphere, cute decor. Was here a few months ago. They were really nice. We had to wait a little long for our drinks (no one came up to us to order) while we waited for a table but the plus, we could take them outside to enjoy while we waited to be sat. Food didn't take long and it was delicious! read more

I have waited far too long to write this review. As you may have read, this place is a local's favorite and I happily count myself among the DLK regulars. My wife was born and raised in Truckee and when we moved to town a few years ago, this place was among the first she insisted we eat at. I'd say we average somewhere between 2 and 4 visits in a given month. We're also pretty reliable about splitting the huevos rancheros. My God. They're so good. I also recommend a good Irish coffee to get the day started right. *Huevos not your thing? Try any of the excellent omelettes. The stuffed french toast is amazing as well! Sometimes you do have to wait a bit to get a table, but if you ask me, among all the problems a place can have, being too popular is a pretty tough one to find fault with. Additionally, there's a really simple solution: show up early! It's Tahoe! What do you want to sleep in for anyway? Can't say I've ever had a bad experience at DLK. Kelly and Katie and the whole crew are awesome. They make you feel at home and honestly, are one of my favorite things about living in Truckee. read more

This was such a great place to eat. The environment and staff were amazing. We had the country fried steak and eggs Benedict with a pitcher of cranberry mimosa and everything taste delicious. Will definitely come back anytime we are near Truckee! And the view outside the restaurant were very beautiful and easy to find read more

This is my favorite place! I'm there every weekend, sometimes twice, and if I can't be there, I'm sad about it and telling my husband, "I hope they're having a good weekend!" They're like family us, and as a family run restaurant, they treat very customer that way. Kelly's laugh is contagious! No matter how busy, I always know it's worth the wait. Such a gem! read more

Awesome potato salad. Fantastic service. Patty melt is awesome. This is a Truckee gem and worth the trip to it.

This place is the best!!!!! Jelly is SO NICE and the rest of the staff is amazing. The food is unbeatable

I recently revisited this place and was impressed, food was good and came out in a timely fashion. I probably hit them on an off day during my last visit. read more

I would give DLK 6 stars if I could. I've been a fan of their breakfast....no, not a fan...OBSESSED with their breakfast for decades. I don't even like breakfast very much and eggs even less but their scrambles are amazing!! read more

We eat breakfast out a lot, kinda breakfast snobs and this was the best breakfast we've had! French toast was delicious! Eggs, potatoes, bacon, English muffin and jam- all just seemed better than most places. Service was "real" friendly. We would drive here just for breakfast. read more

I love this restaurant! You will too, I am certain. They have a great Crab Benedict (I order it without the muffin)...it is amazing. The staff is friendly. The service is good even though they are often super busy. Highly recommend! read more

Donner Lake Kitchen is just about the Most Awesome Breakfast Restaurant you could imagine!!! The food is amazing and caring staff is like happy family members!) I have lived in Tahoe/Truckee for 48 years and rate DLK as all time Best A.M. Restaurant! Be sure to try their Huevos Rancheros and have Kelly make you a Bloody Mary, better than any bartender! :) read more

My favorite breakfast place great food wonderful staff! I love the huevos rancheros for breakfast and the French dip for lunch!!! Kelly and Katie are the best! DLK was my daughter's first outing at 4 days old, now our picture is on the back of the menu!!! read more

We have been going to DLK for years. And they never disappoint!!! They have the best pancakes on the planet. Yes there is usually a wait to be seated, but that is because everyone else knows how good it is. We often drive the 1 hour from our home in Nevada City just to have brunch there. read more

Donner lake was not the same without this place. I'm beyond happy that it is back. The old 40 kitchen didn't hold a flame to it. The food is great american fare. And huge portions. I always leave happy. read more

The food is decent, but the service is better. And it's an oasis of relative calm in the otherwise super-busy restaurant scene in Truckee, Calif. read more

Loved the vibe, food and everything about this place. We were extremely skeptical when we saw the location. But thank god we went in. We were hungry and the food was awesome! Waiting to go back again read more

So glad this place is back! I used to come too Donner lake kitchen before they moved to sierraville. It was nice to get out on the lake and have a big breakfast after an early run. The portions are generous and delicious! The huevos rancheros are a MUST have. The 1/2 order is pretty big. Also the cinnamon buns are delicious. Everything on the menu is great! One of my favorite breakfast spots! read more

Big thumbs up. Great spot, good service. The kind of place you wish we had more of. Solid breakfast. We'll go back again and again.

Hands down the best Huevos Rancheros in northern California! Service was a bit slow, but it was Sunday brunch so that's probably to be expected. Friendly staff and great atmosphere though! read more

1st timer! This place is super cozy it's a must!! I love that everyone who is served coffee gets a really cool mug and of course the coffee is GREAT! The food is delicious and the staff is so friendly! Customer service is amazing. read more

Huge portions of delicious food! Way too much to make this a regular place, but when I'm in the mood for a big brunch I stop here. It has a fun at-home feel and can be a bit slow, but that is just how Truckee is! Get here early as the line can get a bit hectic, and do yourself a favor and order a cinnamon roll. read more

What do you know. In the middle of nowhere there is this nice restaurant! We missed the exit to sno play and took the next one to check out Donner Lake. Kid got hungry couldn't wait till we reach Reno. So we decided to try our luck at this restaurant. It turned out to be a very pleasant experience. The ambiance and the food, both are terrific! Will be back again next time I come ski. Love their breakfast combo! read more

Amazing! I just had the best Huevos in years here. Also got to try the biscuits and gravy, yes just as amazing. Trust me I know my biscuits and gravy, along with Huevos. If heading over the hill, you should try this place! read more

This place is awesome. Super cozy, down-home spot for locals and tourists. The staff is terrific. Food is great!

Stopped here for breakfast. The wait took a while, we ended up just eating at the counter so we didn't have to wait any longer. I got the French toast and eggs and bacon, which tasted how it would anywhere else. My husband got the huevos rancheros, if you go here, this is the way to go!! He got the full dish because I wanted to try. I usually am iffy when ordering that because it is either hit or miss. Here it is definitely a hit!! So good! Best I've ever had ever! Will definitely come back just for that! read more

Great for what it is, hometown diner. Portions are very generous so, no real need for sides. Partner had omelette. "Pretty good " kids had flapjacks & Belgian waffle. Which were huge, but enjoyed. I had eggs bene, added avocado and tomato and was stuffed after. We also ordered 1 mimosa and a Bloody Mary. Mimosa was too sweet with concentrate juice, but Bloody Mary was fantastic. If you have time for day drinking give it a try. read more

Now to start this review, the only reason I gave it a two star was because the coffee was good. The wait to get a seat was fine for us, anyone who goes here knows there is always a wait on the weekend. When we sat down that's when it all started, it took ten minutes to only get water. When we order the server seemed annoyed that we weren't locals. ( mind you we are with a local that's been going there for ten plus years ) after we ordered, which is now 20 minutes in to our experience,another table was being sat ( which the local we were with knew ) they ordered their food and received it 15 minutes before we received ours (which wasn't very warm). After waiting an hour and a half we got our food. Which at this point we were a little annoyed but not to bad, we understand that they were busy. ( me and my spouse are chef's for a little back story ) the food was lackluster and not worth the hour wait. My spouse ordered an omelet and recieved a scramble. Then we noticed the locals behind us, had their omelet which was a perfectly folded omelet with nice melted cheese and ours didn't even have melted cheese,it was still cold. After all of this the owner said to use and I quote "the food is great but never fast". If you're not local don't waste your time. They didnt even say "sorry about the wait" or respond when we said please or thank you. read more

As always, amazing breakfast! Wonderful small cafe. The food is always good, the staff cheerful and efficient.

We were driving through and decided to stop for a late breakfast. The food was mediocre, the waitress a tall blonde haired, big boned girl was extremely rude when we acknowledged we saw a mouse run across the floor. Bad experience. read more

Wonderful experience! Good food with friendly & conscientious staff. Really make you feel welcome! Have you ever been to a restaurant where the food was good ... but the staff was dismissive & openly irritated about being there? This is NOT the service to expect here. Everyone is enjoyable & available to make sure you have a great meal! Go there! read more

Earlier negative yelps didn't sound authentic so we took a chance and were glad. The server was very nice, food good and very plentiful. Kind of a local spot which usually wind up being the best choices read more

Well worth the short drive along beautiful Donner Lake. There is something for everyone for breakfast, brunch and lunch. Portions are hearty, consistent and high quality. My favorite is the Huevos Rancheros. The French toast, breakfast burrito, pancakes and eggs Benedict and cinnamon rolls are all amazing, and all the lunch selections are great too. I haven't tried the mimosas yet. We've been going there for 20 years, and for the few years Kelly and the team were only in Sierraville, the 30 minute drive north was still worth it and we did it often. A "must-experience" if you are visiting Truckee or north Tahoe or driving by on highway 80. So happy to have them back at Donner Lake! read more

The food is really good and the portions are generous. We spent a week in Truckee and ate here twice. I ordered the large meals both times and couldn't finish more than 1/2. The kids' meals are also enough for a hearty kid's appetite. The waitstaff is incredibly friendly too. read more

Juevos rancheros every time... and gooey cinnamon rolls. Yum!!! Enough said. Now I'm salivating.

I don't understand why this place is so crowded. Service is always so very slow. We waited almost an hour for our food. The food is okay, but not great, or worth the wait. There are many better places to eat in Truckee, but vacationers will never know any better so I'm sure this place will continue to be packed to gills. read more

Great food, friendly staff. The table cloth didn't match my shoes but im gonna over look that because everything else was excellent. Just enjoy it. read more

We got turned away on I-80 @Donner Lake exit due to chain requirements. We opted to turn around for breakfast to kill time. This place was awesome! Service was superb, crazy busy, now we know why! read more

Great place to come and have breakfast. We came in a group of 7 (4 adults and 3 kids). The kids loved their snowman pancakes, definitely makes it easy to get them to eat. Friendly staff and best of all the food was yummy and large portions. My husband and i shared the breakfast burrito with chorizo, which was more than enough for us to share. It came with a nice layer of melted cheese on top. Other meals had were the French Toast which looked great and the #8. If we have a chance to come again before we leave, we will. We were told to try the huevos rancheros next time. read more

My sons eggs were over cooked, and I placed a to go order. The omelet was burnt. How could the cook serve something that was obviously over cooked? Very disappointed! read more