If you're looking for a restaurant with amazing food and your treat like family, this is your spot! Every dish looked award wedding. We had a pleasure of sitting at the bar and got to watch all the food passed by us. Every item looked like it made to protestation. The enthusiasm of the ownership is something you don't see these days. I will give this place 12 stars if I could. read more

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Got done with a long run at Mount Laguna and was craving a and ! Stopped in this cool spot. Great indoor and outdoor seating. Beautiful old cabin with charming character the more you look around. The burger was actually just so-so but the menu looked incredible with all sorts of delicious French items. The French onion soup and meat pie are on my radar for my next stop by. All of the staff were super nice. It felt like waking up in a pine forest in France ! Definitely check it out! read more

I've been here twice after tough hikes in the heat out at Mount Laguna. Both of the times I've been here I was dying for a burger and a beer. This little restaurant is owned by a couple French guys and to be honest they've got some really interesting looking French dishes on their menu that I bet are fantastic. I would love to try them sometime and I bet that would increase my score of this restaurant. They've got four taps and the beers come out frigidly cold. Absolutely perfect after being outside. My burger was pretty good, the patty definitely gave me frozen burger vibes, but the fries were amazing. They are that battered type that is super crunchy. I asked for a side of ranch dressing and it was a prepackaged Ken's steakhouse branch. Was a little disappointed by that, hoping for homemade ranch, but not a dealbreaker. The server was very friendly and very quick. The interior is cute, looks like a log cabin, and in the front, there is a very nice looking patio area that if you want to be outside looks quite enjoyable. They are obviously very supportive of the PCT hikers. They've even got a little area where you can buy snacks and put them into a donation bucket for the hikers which I think is cool. read more

Pine House Cafe & Tavern - Cheeseburger, fries and beer are perfect post-hike reward - American Near Me - Mount Laguna, California

First time going today for breakfast, I asked for over easy eggs that were over cooked ( hard ) the pancakes had good taste but almost burnt had to ask for butter , my daughter had eggs Benedict the potatoes were good the eggs were a mess , she has eaten here before and she said the hamburgers are good , service was slow only one person severing , all the condiments containers were dirty . It's a real mom and pops restaurant, good try not for me . read more

Pine House Cafe & Tavern - American Near Me - Mount Laguna, California

We finished up a beautiful hike along the PCT and were absolutely starving. It had been a few years since our last visit to Pine House Cafe, so we stopped by for lunch before heading back to San Diego. I was craving a burger and went with the Beef Angus with cheddar and fries. The burger was solid with a mildly flavored patty and fresh garnishments. However, the fries were a 10/10! They were made with a delicious batter and fried to perfection; they taste great with ketchup, ranch, or even just on their own. The service was quick, friendly, and accurate. There is plenty of seating both inside and on the patio. I especially love that they are so open and welcoming to PCT thru-hikers. It's a great local spot and we'll definitely be back. Thank you! read more

Pine House Cafe & Tavern - Beef Burger - American Near Me - Mount Laguna, California

This place was really unexpected, a French restaurant in the middle of nowhere. We stopped here after a group hike. Super cute little restaurant with French products you can purchase. Loved the mix of country French. Looked over the menu and saw my two favorite French foods, French onion soup and croque monsieur, so I ordered both! The French onion soup was delicious, the broth and caramelizad onions the cheesy top, enjoyed every last bite! I'm sorry that I can't say the same for the sandwich, I think if I would have asked for a grilled cheese that might have been better. It was dry and overcooked. Would I come here again, yes I would give it another try if I was out hiking in the area but I wouldn't go out of my way to drive here to eat. read more

Ambiance was very nice. This restaurant is normally not open on Mondays but maybe cause of the holiday of St. Patrick's Day it was? The server and cook were incredibly busy. They worked harder than I've seen anyone work in quite a while. It was full today of people as they are the only restaurant on the mountain open. I can only imagine how busy they are on a weekend. We ordered chicken tenders which were good. They came with ranch. Tomato soup I would not order again. A bit too light red/acidic for my taste. It did not come with bread but with crackers so at least I got that. We liked the burger and fries were especially good. I would absolutely return here. Please be prepared for slow service due to the volume of customers being served. read more

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This family owned tavern is SO charming! The food is just as appetizing as the atmosphere - perfect! This hidden little gem - and the sweet people who keep it - makes you want to stay in the mountains forever. read more

Come for the authentic French food (crepes and French onion soup etc) and stay for the ambience of a rustic chalet restaurant in the alps. This is a frequent stop for locals, tourists, and PCT hikers alike. The French sparkling lemonades are a MuST and bring something to leave for the PCT hikers in the lobby area. read more

Great atmosphere, very friendly staff, food was very good (got the pork panini and my son had the kids cheeseburger). And really cant ask for any better location when you're up on the mountain. read more

Such an adorable cafe that feels both like a cabin in the woods and a French cafe. The service was great and very personable, feeling very homey. I got the eggs Benedict and while the hollandaise wasn't my favorite, it was quite good and those home fries are DIVINE. Literally, so incredibly delicious. On a whim I got that sparkling lemonade that's imported from France and it's my new favorite thing. I also can't find it anywhere, so more regular adventures are needed. I'll definitely visit again whenever I'm in Mount Laguna. read more

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Food was good. Restaurant is decorated for Christmas and the service was great. The special Chicken Pot Pie had great flavor, big chunks of chicken, carrots and mushrooms. Husband has the Tavern Burger, pattes could have been cooked a little more. Over all a nice experience. Great place to stop for brakefast, lunch or dinner while traveling on Sunrise Hwy. read more

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If I could give zero stars I would. This is the worst restutant I've ever been to. When we walked in I was handed some menus and told to "sit anywhere" but there was nowhere to sit. After finally being seated, we waited 30 minutes for our lemonades to come. One food item was brought out at a time. After 45 minutes my husband's soup hadn't come out so we canceled the order, took what we had to-go and left. When I told the very rude French owner that we never got our soup, he rolled his eyes and hugged and that was it. These people were sooo rude!! It Father's Day Sunday and they had ONE waiter. Just completely unacceptable in every way. Ruined our day. Do NOT eat here. read more

Kind service, delicious food for lunch break after hiking... we got the tomatoes basil soup and vegetarian panini... plus mango beer and house merlot... full on satisfying experience!!! Thank you for amazing service and great relaxing atmosphere among pines... read more

This is such a hidden gem! This quaint little restaurant is found at the top of Mount Laguna off beautiful Sunrise Highway. This spot is adorable, and the owners are the first to greet you upon entering. This is a French restaurant that has a huge tree trunk running upwards from the floor and through the roof right in the middle of the dining room! It's the most amazing thing to see walking into a dining area, and I welcomed it with open arms! We visited on a Sunday at 9:30am, and were shown to a two top table and given our menus. The furniture here makes you feel like you just walked into a family member's home, so cozy and welcoming. There's a huge fireplace along the furthest side of the restaurant that gives the perfect touch of cozy ambience. The lady quickly came back and took our orders. I ordered the sausage and gravy with potatoes - added a sausage link, and my boyfriend ordered the French toast with an added sausage link. Their food came out pretty quickly even though they were busy, and everything looked amazing. The taste of the food was so good! Just like a home cooked meal at mom's. The gravy was on point, the biscuit was homemade, and the potatoes were the best breakfast potatoes I've ever had, hands down. Now you're probably looking at the picture and thinking "ehh, looks normal to me..." well it wasn't lol. The flavor of the gravy was developed and the POTATOES...oh my. They had a light seasoning on them, and they were lightly crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. You can't tell how delicious this was just by the picture, I promise you. I just never had breakfast potatoes like that before. Usually you get potatoes dressed up with onions, bell peppers, etc., and they STILL taste bland. These potatoes looked like they would be bland and then they smacked you across the face with flavor. On our way out to pay, we noticed a little area at the front where they sold French cookies and other desserts etc. We grabbed a box of caramel cookies to take back to our cabin for a late night snacky! We are most definitely coming back in January when the snow falls to have breakfast again, this spot is a 10/10. read more

Pine House Cafe & Tavern - Biscuits and Sausage Gravy added a Sausage Link - American Near Me - Mount Laguna, California

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The Management is super rude. It's now a French restaurant. There used to be a trope about French customer service being some of the worst on earth, but from my experience all over France I never felt that way. After my dining experience here, I see where that trope comes from. The management was cold, careless, and disconnected. Bizarrely so, to the point where my husband and I thought the owner/server was acting. Like at Corvette diner when they try to be rude and it's part of their whole stick to amuse you. But no, they were just that not nice. No humor or entertainment. I asked the server if I can add avocado to my salad to which he responded as if I asked him if he can put caviar in my salad. "absolutely not, we do not have avocado here" he scolded me sternly. Alrighty then I'll get a chicken sandwich please. He proceeds to bring me out a pulled pork sandwich instead. I told him I ordered chicken and I don't eat pork. He rolled his eyes, grabbed the dish and walked away. He came back with the most sloppy, gross chicken sandwich I have seen in recent memory. The fries were so fried it hurt my stomach to eat them. The chicken looked like "chicken of the sea" that you would pull out of a can of cheap chicken, the tomato and lettuce were wilted & soggy. Everything look like they pulled it out of a trashcan. I tried to force it down since we were kind of in a rush to move quickly, but I couldn't do it. When we were paying our bill, we informed the server/owner of our experience. His response was " That's your opinion. We sell 1000 of these a day".... Like OK just because you sell a lot of them doesn't mean that they are good. Also, I doubt you have 1000 people coming by this sleepy mountain destination a day. Lol but Ok... needless to say I was severely disappointed because when this place was managed by other folks it was a cute place to stop and grab a bite. Never again! read more

Service was good comparatively to the snow goers (on a Friday 3/7/25). They have a decent selection of French wine. The star of the show was the French onion soup and the kids Mac n cheese. It's all done French style so try to imagine you're in the French alps read more

Pine House Cafe & Tavern - Bowl of French onion soup - American Near Me - Mount Laguna, California

Food was good and service was the best part (especially the woman with glasses...she was very kind). This is a very cozy, mom & pop type restaurant. The menu is French American. They greeted us and sat us at a table right away even though they were extremely busy (peak snow day). We will definitely be back! read more

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What a beautiful spot at the top of the mountain. A building that dates back to 1942, (made of pine!), Offering indoor and outdoor seating, with even a fireplace. A perfect selection of wines and delectable French dishes, as well as American fare and beer, we were surprised and delighted to dine at Pine House, 6000 ft above sea level. Service was excellent -- timely and friendly. This is one for our notebook. Will definitely return. read more

Excellent meal, diverse menu, pleasant service. It was quite the surprise given the remote location.

Great spot within the trees and mountains. Very scenic drive that adds to the experience. Once inside you find yourself inside a cabin like restaurant. Staff is working very hard to seat and fulfill your needs as quick as possible. French / American menu really threw me off, but the food was decently priced and was very tasty as well. The staff is French so can be a bit of yelling and direct to the point tone in voice. I don't mind, but may take other people off guard. Food was great the sandwich was a bit dry without any condiments. Other food items were quite delicious. I would definitely go back. read more

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When we have friends in town from Europe, we always take them to the Pine Valley House, especially if they are French and homesick. The food is authentic and delicious, the French music is charming, and there's no better place to sit and absorb the mountain air and leave the stress of city life 6,000 feet below you. It's gives people a different perspective on what San Diego is and what our great city has to offer. read more

Cute lil spot, has potential. Food was definitely microwaved though and not really enjoyable. Service was fine

Great place to stop by if you are in the Mt. Laguna area. I was expecting exorbitant prices since it is at the top of a mountain but it was pretty affordable. Server was very friendly and nice. And offered some coloring activities for kids. So thank you for that. The frenvh onion soup was very good. Super rich in taste and the croissants are definitely on the smaller side but they are pretty good. read more

I had a lovely meal and enjoyable conversation with the owner/chef this past Friday on a daytrip up to Laguna Mountain. Loved the French candies and grocery goodies for sale in the lobby area. The French onion soup was covered in delicious gooey Gruyère cheese and the French ham sandwich was very tasty - just a simple sandwich, but yet it seemed above the ordinary. Yes, I finished off with the chocolate mousse and enjoyed every spoonful : ) I recommend checking out Pine House for a quaint and eclectic experience. Next time I'll try the fondue, some other diners sitting out on the patio seemed to be really enjoying it! read more

Pine House Cafe & Tavern - French Onion Soup - American Near Me - Mount Laguna, California

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Service was great, food was amazing, the pastry was made in house. Can't wait to come back!

I love love love this restaurants. It combines my favorite things which include great French food and a cabin ambiance. I have visited just about every French restaurant in San Diego and they all pale in comparison to this restaurant. read more

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Best breakfast! The croissants are perfect and the service is friendly . Great seating outside on the patio.Highly recommend eating here!

I am surprised that this business is coming up in Yelp as "temp closed". We went there on January 14, 2022 after a hike. We had an amazing lunch and the place is so charming. I loved the decorations, the ambiance, the music and food. The owner or whoever served us was very attentive but could have been a little bit more gracious, but that is okay I guess. I just think that when someone goes to a place, in this case to have lunch, memories are being created and you are part of it. We took lots of pics and it was fun. If you are by the are, give it a try, you will not be disappointed. Happy meals! read more

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The food is amazing but never go on a busy day, unless you want the worst service of your life. They seated multiple groups (who arrived after us) prior to seating us, brought food out to multiple tables seated after us, and in general were quite rude. It is one thing to be busy, it is quite enough to treat kind, patient customers badly. read more

Stayed at laguna campground and drove here. I think it was about 10-15mins away. Small parking lot. Right off the main road. My friend called ahead and they suggested we make reservations for our big party. We were a party of 11. They had a women's and men single stall bathroom. Apparently the men's had a bathtub or something in it. The area is popular for hikers and they even have a freebie basket of goodies for hikers passing thru. I think the bath might be for them also? The owners are French, French flag in front and French boxes goodies for sale in the waiting area. The dining area is a decent size. I forgot to take photo. They also have a full bar I think. I asked to separate the bill in advance and they said no problem. Just do it at the end. They made it easy. They took all the orders at once and in the end, u go to the register up front and they just crossed out each line item and added it up. No issues thankfully. Oh and they gave us each an Andes mint chocolate- used to loved those when I was young. Food ordered- 16 oz - it was ok- nothing special. Cooked medium rare how we asked. Mountain burger - too messy and too much going on. My friend asked for bacon and they said it already came with prosciutto- I didn't like that. It was weird having a thin cold cut on a warm burger. Grilled onions made the bottom bun soggy- flip it or removed it as soon as u receive it otherwise your bun will be really soggy. Kids tenders and fries (2 tenders) Kids Alfredo - the main entree says it vegan. So I would assume the kids is also but it didn't state on menu. Some items say no split or have a split fee. Panini (forgot which one)- my husband said it was good but eh bread was really hard and made the roof of his mouth hurt. Onion rings Clam chowder- it was good, more soupy. I'm used to the soup being thicker. My friend order French onion soup and said it was good as well but very thick. * a lot do the entrees come with fries.- which I loved their fries. Service was good, they were attentive and refilled our beverages and food came out in timely manner except the ribeye. I would come here again. I believe breakfast menu is good until 430. They said kitchen closes at 7 but u can stay however late after. read more

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The humans really like to roll out of our campsites and come here for coffee and croissant breakfast sandwiches. Bonus that we get to all hang out in the cozy restaurant that is beautifully decked out for the holidays! This spot gets 5 stars from me!! read more

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Food was fresh and tasty! Nice to have a French restaurant in the mountains. The house salad with salmon was great too. And it's dog friendly. read more

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Great people who own the rustic place, we went up the hill for lunch. Snow day for us in San Diego. We had a great time and met the owners Rique and Lawrence, the wine was from France and the meal was excellent. I will be back as soon as possible Five stars for this place. read more

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Once again Pine House Cafe did not dissapoint. Beef stew is awesome. My teenagers ordered the mac and cheese and the chicken pot pie which they said was great. The cheese you can tell is a true blend of cheeses. The chicken pot pie was homemade with a delicate pastry topping. Highly recommend this wonderful French restraunt in Mount Laguna read more

Pine House Cafe & Tavern - Beef Stew - American Near Me - Mount Laguna, California

A friend took my wife and me out for dinner at the Pine House. The architecture is of the charming woodsy piney variety, and the furniture seemed hand-hewn. The very heavy chairs were not very comfortable. The bar area is very attractive and might be a good place to spend some time. I ordered one of the several burgers offered and it came with a very large side of French fries. The burger is big, and certainly a meal for any adult. The fries were generic, and were left virtually untouched. Days later, my wife and I were discussing this place, and we both agreed that the burgers were almost completely devoid of taste. I salted the tomato slice to help out, but still . . . The meat patty was flavorless. I overheard one of the staff speaking in French, so there is some French influence here, but the burgers definitely need work. The service was just fine. read more

Not right around the corner, but certainly worth the trip. Nestled in the beautiful Mt. Laguna area there is a great deal of charm to this place. Have visited twice and food has always been served hot and delicious. Highly recommend the croque monsieur and the French onion soup. read more

Awesome burger, great service and perfect finish to a 9 mile hike. Many other food choices, wish I had room for dessert!

Visited 7/24/2020 Road trip lunch at Mt Laguna. First off this place is under New Ownership as of two months ago by a young French couple that were French Bakers in downtown San Diego. With extra outside dining and social distancing this made for a nice lunch break under the sweet pine trees. The owner was friendly and a great Baker with tasty fresh baked Croissants and cookies. We both tried The Cheese Burger and Fries. Very Tasty Burgers and the French Fries were crispy and delicious. You can grab a few chocolate croissants and cookies to go. Delicious. They do serve Beer & Wine with your meal. All and all the new owner is doing a good job of providing the only food options on the mountain in a relaxing atmosphere. At this time they are open Thursday through Sunday. 11:00am to 7:00pm Thursday and Friday and open for Breakfast on Saturday and Sunday only. Worth a visit if your up this way. read more

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Looks like the place has recently reopened under a new ownership. My boyfriend remembered the amazing burgers from his last trip in the area about a year ago, so we decided to check it out again after an exhausting hike. It was also my first dine in experience since the pandemic began. They are still renovating inside so only have patio sitting. The tables are quite spread out but we decided to sit at one at one end just to stay away from people. Wore masks until the food came and maintained physical distancing at other times. They have an individual paper menu that you take home with you, with instructions for contactless pay of you want, provide you food packed in a take away bag with disposable utensils. We didn't use the utensils so left them packed as is to be used for someone else. It was a different experience, obviously am more conscious of my surroundings and people as compared to before and may take a while to get used to, but this is a start and I enjoyed the opportunity to sit in (the patio of) a restaurant and eat, instead of waiting to run away asap with my take out order. The menu is limited at this time as you will see from the picture. Gone are the different burgers with fancy names - now there is a beef, salmon and a chicken burger option with fries. They have a couple of salad options, 3-4 entrees and a mousse or a cookie for dessert. Since the new owner is french, we did see a couple of French options but didn't try those as we basically came here for burgers. I tried the salmon sandwich and my boyfriend tried the beef. We got the mousse for dessert. And the food was very good!! My salmon sandwich was big - a half baguette sized - with salmon, tarter sauce, some red peppers, tomatoes and lettuce. Very tasty and filling although I doubt the salmon was fresh. I pretty much licked off my little takeaway wrap sheet, as best I could. My boyfriend's beef burger was definitely yummy!! Took a few bites and the patty was juicy and flavorful. Quite filling too. It's not super different from other beef burgers but it's a good one! We both got a decent helping of French fries, hot, salty and simply the best! Yum!! We finished everything there itself, as hungry as we were. The mousse was a little disappointing. Boyfriend loved the mousse but didn't like the whipped cream. I would've like the mousse to be smoother and less powdery. The whipped cream is either home made and so could be whipped more or the whole thing is store bought. They added some m&m and chocolate syrup on top, which he enjoyed but I would've preferred not to have. In any case, a decent end to a good meal. Overall our experience was good. Slightly slow service still, but it is still in the process of reopening and hopefully will fix the little kinks along the way. Good luck to you and hoping we can come back here again!! read more

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