Despise the wait, and the fact that you can never get through when calling on the phone. That being said the food and drinks are amazing! Just wish we could go more and not wait hours, or even just order take out. read more

Best breakfast I've had out in years! Really good biscuits and gravy with fried eggs, hash browns and a sausage patty! I'm goin' back!

Great country breakfast in a beautiful setting. Kelly & crew took great care of us, including a tropical mimosa while we waited for our table. The huevos were great, cinnamon roll was ridiculous & coffee is fabulous. We'll be back our next trip out. read more

Simple and delicious. Loved the service and the vibe to the place. Food was yummy. It's worth the wait!!!

We have gone to Donner Lake Kitchen several times now and love the food! The atmosphere is amazing with cozy decor and very pleasant waitresses. However, the most recent times we have gone it has been extremely crowded. Last time we waited an hour to be seated and about 35 mins I get our food. It's an amazing experience, if and when you have the time for it. read more

The food was scrumptious! I had their famous huevos rancheros (1/2 order) and it was plenty. My kids were all pleased with the quality and quantity of their meals. The staff was very friendly and attentive. I was shocked to see that they weren't overwhelmingly busy with all the great reviews on yelp. I would definitely recommend this spot to anyone visiting Truckee. read more

A locals favorite for breakfast and lunch, and now oysters on the deck Saturday afternoon and evening--we haven't tried them yet. We've been coming here for 25 years, except for a few years when the restaurant changed hands. Great to have Kelly and crew back running the place. This is a real diner--not the chain kind on the TV show. Super friendly efficient service, imaginative breakfast and lunch menu as well as the classics. Some of the dishes are Mexican inspired. My favorite burger in Truckee. It can get busy, especially breakfast on the weekends, lunch tends to be much less busy. Would not be a good choice for a large group. read more

We discovered this place a year or so ago, very close to our Donner Lake condo, and have enjoyed going there...the staff and food have been delightful. This last visit, which was for lunch, I ordered a sandwich and my husband ordered a lighter fare (small salad), as we talked about the fact that he could share with me since portions were big. My sandwich came on two plates, which I thought was a lovely gesture, until I received the bill and noted that I had been charged a split-plate fee of over $5 (pretty hefty). (I hadn't seen anything on the menu about such a fee...???) I was kind of shocked and didn't complain, which I probably should have. I'm still a fan of Donner Lake Kitchen but honestly don't know if we'll return any time soon...and was starting to feel like a "regular". read more

Had breakfast there with my son. He and I really liked the ambience of the place. The staff were very friendly and the breakfast was excellent. They even cooked the egg correctly to my specification (over medium) which, for some reason, is always impossible for other short order cooks. Will be going there again. read more

The wait was 45 minutes just to sit down and when we did we waited an additional half an hour. And when we eventually got are food the only running trend was that everything was bland. I ordered hash browns, ham steak, and 2 over easy eggs. The hash browns were potato slivers mashed together by force that were falling apart well eating it. The ham steak was bland despite the fact that it had more salt then the Dead Sea. The eggs were mediocre the only thing truly good was the toast. read more

Everyone at our table loved their breakfast - even the kids! Staffed checked in offers and were friendly.

We turned off of 80 west wondering what amenities we would find at Donner Lake. I found the Donner Lake Kitchen on Yelp and wondered if good food could be found there. We were amazed at the food that we ordered. Basically burgers and sweet potato fries and a side salad or comfort food that exceed our expectations. Good service and generous portions, well what more can one ask for. Worth the side trip. Enjoy read more

I really don't understand why this place has such great reviews. This place was AWFUL. My first piece of advice? Don't arrive hungry. To seat a party of four it took 45 minutes. Not to mention there isn't a hostess so you walk in and have to add yourself to the list. I witnessed numerous parties coming in through the side doors and claiming a table as soon as it was cleared. So much for the honor system. When we were finally seated we were STARVING. It took another 10 minutes for someone to approach our table. She asked for our drink order. When I said that we were also ready to order she said she would let our waitress know. So we wait, again. Another 5 minutes later our waitress arrives with not even a "hello." We order. We sit. We wait. Our drinks were not refilled unless we got up ourselves to ask. After 30 minutes we ask if the food is on its way. We were met with a snippety reply of, "it's busy." Noted. Another 10 minutes later our food finally arrives. 40 minutes to get out pancakes and eggs?? All in all, saying the service is slow is an understatement. I would NEVER go back, and my hope is that this review can help anyone else from making the same mistake! DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY ON THIS PLACE. read more

We have been in Truckee since 1978 and were so disappointed to see DLK leave. It's great having them back. This is one of the only places in Truckee worthwhile to have a good breakfast. Reading the other reviewers' comments who gave only one star is unbelievable. I guess these people would rather pay twice the price and get some fancy little French-looking plate drizzled with a little hoo-hah. This is good home cooking at a reasonable price. Don't listen to the other jerks who gave one star. read more

Absolutely Amazing service , food and atmosphere. It felt so old fashion and homie. I highly recommend DLK . In fact it's a must go to eat kinda place . If there is a line wait ! Friendly staff with outstanding home cooking read more

My husband and I ate breakfast here this morning. First of all very cozy, friendly space with no wait on a Wednesday morning. The service staff were very attentive. So the menu is great. We decided to share a 3 egg omelet with hash browns. OMG! The hash brown were super crispy and tasty. The omelet was delicious filled with zucchini, tomatoes, mushroom and we added bacon. Glad we shared - way too much food for one person. They also kept my coffee cup filled. Very enjoyable. read more

amazing food and service, the owner and staff are a delight. everytime i am up that way i will stop and eat. thank you!

Cute little place, but be prepared to wait for a really long time. Stopped by for breakfast and were there for a a good 2.5-3 hours. The food was good and the service was great. read more

I love that Donner Lake Kitchen is back, if you are in Truckee this is the place to eat breakfast. We loved it so much we use to drive to Sierraville to eat at their other restaurant when DLK left Truckee. read more

Me and my fiance came here for lunch one day and we waited an hour to be seated and had terrible service the hostess and waitresses were sitting in the kitchen area talking amongst them selves tarrable service never again read more

We love The Kitchen! My wife and I go there every Sunday. Yes, you should arrive early (before 8:30 a.m.) if you want to be seated right away. There is a white board to write your name on or you can sit at the bar right away if there is a stool available. The weekends in the summer and during holidays can get busy so if you have kids who just can't wait and you haven't had the foresight to get up early, go somewhere else. They do everything they can to accommodate, but they can only do so much when you have 100 people waiting and only 20 or so tables. But if you're just one of those people who require instant gratification, go somewhere else. If you can't figure out that the board with names on it is the wait list, go somewhere else. If you require validation of your existence by staff coming over while you're waiting, go somewhere else. They are busy serving customers and don't have time to chit chat. I have never seen the staff sit down or take a break. They are constantly moving, serving customers. The food is great! The service also great! The prices are way below anywhere else in Truckee (we usually pay $30 for 2 for breakfast). We love the atmosphere and it gives us a chance to do our date morning (instead of a date night). read more

Great breakfast place with lots of charm, friendly staff and locals. This was our first visit but we will return when we are in the area. I had fresh blueberry pancakes which we BIG add tasty. I could only eat one. We arrived about 9:00 on a Saturday so it was crowded and we had to wait it it was worth it. Average breakfast prices for good food. read more

Great service and really good bacon and eggs!!! Simple food done well :)

What a cute place!!!!! It's small and does fill up quickly, however there is no wait to dine at the counter! I also loved their self sign in for the waiting list! Why pay someone to stand there and take names... when they could be running food or bussing tables?! Smart concept! The food is a bit pricey but they give you very generous portions. I was extremely pleased with my breakfast. The juices are not from concentrate, and that was a huge seller for me. The staff were all very friendly(although our exact server needed some more training or was having an off day) and seemed to enjoy their jobs. We were overcharged on our check... but of course this was mended , but glad I looked over the bill first! The one and only complaint was the ketchup bottles and jam on the counters and tables because of sanitation. The ketchup bottle need to be replaced with squeeze top nozzles that cover the ketchup! The bottles look very old and were filthy(they probably jut refill them when empty) and I watched a man stick his USED knife into the ketchup bottle to get the ketchup out!!!!!!! Gross!!!!!!!!! Same thing with the jam. Several guest stuck their used utensils in the jam to use on their food. I hope they find new ways to provide sanitation for these matters. This is not to say that the kitchen was not clean because it looked very clean and so did the establishment itself! We will return read more

Welcome back, Tracey, Kelley, Patty, etc. It's like old times again -- good food, nice people, great location. We still go to Sierraville to your other location in the spring and summer as we can but it's great having you back in Truckee. For those of you who are not familiar with Donner Lake Kitchen, try it for breakfast or lunch. It's worth the trip, the food is very good, it's casual and relaxing. Highly recommended -- So is their Sierraville location. read more

Pancakes were really huge and delicious. Staff is very hospitable. Very cozy place. Definitely will go there anytime we are back in Tahoe.

Friendly staff and prompt service! We're happy to make adjustments to a menu item for us, the food was delicious and the portions large. Very well priced! read more

For the second time, I tried eating at Donner Lake Kitchen with my family and friend and it won't happen a third time. When we walked up to the restaurant there were two open signs on. We walked in and were in the waiting area. The server saw us and said sorry we close at 2. It literally was 2:01. We all have lived here locally for years and that is not he type of friendly customer service we are used to. read more

I'm sorry to be that person to give a bad review, because our waitress was really sweet and they only had two people working in their kitchen and they didn't have a hostess. I know they think it's working for them because the food was good, but waiting 2 hours and 45 minutes was not worth it. We would have left earlier, but the original wait time was 45 min, and we called around all the other restaurants in the area, and they quoted the same wait time. The other customers kept saying it was worth it, but not 3 hours. I don't know if 3 hours is typical, but with that being said, hire more help in the kitchen and get a hostess because the waitresses should not be waiting tables and hostessing. And hostesses can give a more accurate wait time and greet customers too so people aren't confused walking in the door. There is no way I would come into a restaurant again arriving at 10:30, and leave at 1:15. If you gotta eat, try some other place. Moral of the story, they need to stop being cheap and hire more help. read more

Visit Donner Lake about once to twice a year. This place has amazing service and great food. Only problem was that there was a total of 3 hairs in my food and one in my husband's food. After I saw the first hair I tried to eat around it but after seeing 2 more in my food, I was too disgusted to eat anymore. This place would be great if they just made sure their cooks wore hats and made sure their food was sanity and hair-free. We will try this place again when we are in town next year and hopefully it will be better. read more

Delicious diner food. The staff is extremely nice as well which is always a plus. Definitely worth the drive over to donner for a visit.

Have been coming here for years. Always great food and great times. Will continue to recommend and eat at Donner Lake Kitchen.

Donner Lake Kitchen has been our favorite restaurant for many years. The staff is awesome, the food is amazing. Our children have been raised on the Huevos and hot chocolate. The food is always fresh and delicious. The staff greets everyone with a smile. You may sometimes have to wait for a table but it is definitely worth the wait. read more