My husband and I were looking for a place to enjoy a nice dinner to celebrate our last night together on our honeymoon. PlumpJack Cafe has really out done themselves! We made reservations, which I recommend doing to ensure you will be seated without waiting! We were greeted with a celebratory glass of champagne! The hostess and servers were very attentive and offered excellent recommendations. I ordered the Toasted Farro Bowl and my husband ordered the Poke Bowl. We both highly recommend our dishes. We drank the argyle brut which was delicious as well! read more

PlumpJack Cafe and Bar - Toasted Farro Bowl - New American Near Me - Olympic Valley, California

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Kicking myself for not getting a picture of my meal, but trust me when I say that the short rib bucatini was even better than I expected. The pasta was cooked to perfection and the short rib melted in your mouth. Add in the fresh ricotta and it's an explosion of flavors that get better with each bite. My boyfriend got the chicken pot pie and.. WOW. That crust was pure heaven. The cafe is a laid back and casual vibe with beautiful rustic/industrial decor. Definitely a great spot to stop in for a good meal whether you're a guest or a visitor. Would definitely return! read more

I ate here twice when I was in Squaw Valley for some leadership training I was conducting. The first visit I ordered the salmon. It was excellent. Cooked perfectly. Very juicy on the inside and nice and crisp on the outside. One the second visit, I ordered the Root Beer Short Back Rib. It was not as good as the Salmon, but still tasty. I would give 5 stars, but the customer service needs to be kicked up a notch. I will be heading back to Olympic Valley for another business trip and will probably stop in again for some great food. read more

PlumpJack Cafe and Bar - Root Beer Short Rib - New American Near Me - Olympic Valley, California

Awesome chillax place!!! GREAT DRINKS! Tiny food selection is pricey, BUT this is a resort... the Bowl of Savory Popcorn for $5 is a great conversation topic. Sports are usually on--YAY FOOTBALL!!! read more

PlumpJack Cafe and Bar - New American Near Me - Olympic Valley, California

Got the steak (medium). I've had better steak. Service was great. Dish looked amazing. I think the cut of beef wasn't that good. We ate at Rockers the night before. Rockers was better. read more

Let's say that the ambiance is the strongest aspect of Plumpjack Cafe. Now the pros and cons.. Likes Food is pretty good but a little pricey Service is good at the bar Beverages are creative and reasonably priced Needs improvement table service can be slow Menu needs more specials and variety Guy with private chair at end of bar should be cut off read more

First angry review. They seated 4 peopled at two tables merged together. We waited 30 mins before they would seat us. The attached room next to the "lunch area" was closed. So they wouldn't seat us there. We asked very politely. They then sat us, but then had another group come in (that was not Asian) and decided to go out of their way to ask the group of 4 to break out of their two tables into one table, so they could make room for the new group. We were hungry and not angry at this point. It is pretty reasonable that they are busy. We decided to wave down someone and ended up waving down the host. We said, "we are ready to order". He then said, "they will be right with you." He then proceeded to walk back to his position without contacting any other staff mentions and stood there to socialize with the replacement hao the was changing shifts with. At this point, we waited 30 mins, then 20 mins later we still weren't served to get our order. And at the 50 min mark, the host heard our desire to order and walked back to socialize with his coworker and did not take action to help us. But the time we were seated, we waited another 20 mins before they came to take our order. read more

You know with twins there's a good one and a bad one? If the Balboa Cafe and PlumpJack Café are twins, this is the good one. PlumpJack Café gives you that cozy by the fire place setting (not the crowded noisy setting like it's twin). Every other week they host wine events to Squaw guests, this is the only time it gets really noisy in here. We opted to eat at the bar and noshed on the mushroom pizza (tomatoes, fennel, mozzarella and slivers of mushroom), mussels steamed in saffron broth with baguettes and of course the balboa burger (fresh ground chuck served on a baguette with garlic fries). Food was delish and the drinks were great but the wine list was a disappointment. Not at extensive as I had hoped. Service was friendly and attentive even though they were being pulled left and right. read more

The restaurant is definitely not worth the price. While our service was excellent, my New York strip steak was overpriced and unintentionally charbroiled--a rookie mistake that any quality restaurant would not make. There is absolutely no excuse for the price of that piece of meat, The place only has high ratings because of the stunning and beautiful, high-class environment of Squaw. If it were in the city, it would be mediocre. I think eating in the bar would leave one feeling less ripped off. At least there, the prices are a bit more reasonable, so if the food is lacking, it doesn't leave you feeling empty over the price paid. read more

Might have been 3 1/2 stars had our waitress not been so incredibly snotty. I haven't seen a waitperson act like that since...oh yeah... since I lived in Squaw Valley. Strangely, something about living on top of the world and breathing fresh air each day can make folks really bitchy after 8pm. Perhaps she had a long day skiing? Either way, it was uncalled for. As for the food: -mixed greens with pumpkin seeds- 4 1/2 stars -tuna tartar cones- 5 stars (they appeared small, but were quite filling, and the tri-colored roe was a nice touch) -hanger steak- 3 stars (mac and cheese on the side was a surprise, but the steak itself could have been a bit more interesting. I did enjoy the medley that sat under the steak. Not sure, but it tasted like cooked spinach and celery root?) -dessert- 0 stars (because it was never offered. our waitress actually dropped the check at our table with no offer of dessert and went on to the next table and began describing desserts) read more

Very disappointing experience here. I came in a party of 6 to celebrate the birthdays of three people and we were really looking for a nice place. PlumpJack seems like it would be nice but our experience was not what we expected. I have to say that the Tuna Poke Cones were really creative and tasted good, but they were also very small. The disappointment really began when we were told about the menu and the waitress really talked up the Antelope entree. None of us have ever had that before so we were really excited to try it. When it came time to order they informed us that they were out of it. It is probably a good idea to know what you have to offer and not rave about a dish that you won't be able to supply to your customer. We all settled on other options and they were not delivered to the table at the same time. It was nearly 5 minutes between the first and the last dish arriving at the table. Being polite, everyone waited for us all to get our food before eating which left some entrees to cool down. After dinner I was the only one who actually liked what they ordered (the Bass) which is why they get 2 stars instead of 1. Chatter around the table was about inconsistencies in cooking temperatures to the scallops being just rubbery and bad. Neither of the two individuals that worked our table were very friendly nor helpful. All around a very disappointing evening. I hope that this is not the norm for PlumpJack and they just had a bad night when we went, but I cannot give them a good review. read more

This is usually are go to place sitting in bar area. Food was great, service was poor considering how many people were here. I don't Mind spending a lot of money but I want above average service read more

I'm from San Francisco and had heard of PlumpJack here in the city but had never had the opportunity to try it, so I was extremely excited when my friends mentioned we were eating dinner here in Tahoe. We sat at the bar for a more laid-back atmosphere. If you're looking for something on the nicer side, this is definitely the place to be. The dishes were all delicious (I had the Halibut). The bar menu was surprisingly extensive compared to the restaurant's dinner menu. I would love to come back here again and sit down for dinner. read more

I have been here 40 min and still no food. It has taken 15 min to even come to the table to take our order and sure enough we were ready to order the whole meal by then. There is two of us and we ordered two drinks and 2 entrees and it took another 15 min for the drinks to come and still no food. So I. Any comment on the food but at this point anything would taste good. So update. Received food and drinks and. They both were delish. So pick your battles and decide if you care to wait for the food food. read more

This place is only good because of it's location...right at Squaw Valley. Otherwise, it's really not that great. My food arrived cold, the service was very relaxed and dude-like, yet trying to be pretentious. The lighting was so dark I could barely see my meal. It's overpriced, too. I would say eat at the bar if you must go. read more

We have been to this restaurant (and the cafe) three times over the past year. The first time, we went to the restaurant with our kids and had a great experience. We asked the waiter to have the chef prepare a vegan meal for us and it did not disappoint. We were jazzed to have found a restaurant that was great with older kids and had really tasty vegan food. The second visit was this past February with a group of friends (no kids). We made the same request and were sorely disappointed. Our main dish was a larger serving of side vegetables (which they charged over $25 for). So unless we know that the chef is excited and comfortable about preparing vegan food, we are going to pass. The reason I am giving it 3 stars is that we then ventured to the cafe the next time we were up skiing and had a much better experience (kind of like the first time). We talked with the waiters ahead of time who checked with the chef and presented us with some possibilities - we ended up eating a really tasting vegan mushroom risotto and the kids liked the bar food. Also, the prices are way more reasonable at the bar. read more

I had lunch here before hitting the slopes at Squaw Valley. It's a nice intimate place to dine. I had the General Tso chicken wings, salmon bisque, and Plumpjack burger. I ask for medium-well but was a little undercooked. I have a friendly waitress but was a little slow in taking orders. Food was good but pricey. They charge additional $2 for splitting orders. read more

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Love this place! Lively and very friendly. Food is Always the best quality. The seafood cones are to die for. Natalie our server was the best! Thank you plump jack! read more

High dining experience in the Plumpjack Inn, right off the Squaw Valley ski mountain. Run by the same San Francisco outfit that manages the much more boisterous and casual Balboa Cafe nearby. Because of higher prices, lower wattage signage, and location outside the main ski village, it is much more quiet and calm than most restaurants in town, but unquestionably the best for service, dining, and -- if you've already had your fill of panoramic mountain views -- decor and atmosphere. You come here for a long, expensive meal of fine modern American food in a refined setting -- a date, a celebration, a special event. For something less fancy but still good they serve food and drinks all day long at a beautifully designed, dark, sleek, lodge style bar centered around an open fireplace. In keeping with the Plumpjack Group's program, there's an extensive selection of good wine at very low prices. read more

My friend's wife's birthday dinner was the occasion. It was fairly easy to get here from Truckee town. Entrance to the place is a little awkward cause first you pass through the hotel lobby and the reception, which I thought was the restaurant check in. Not a big deal though. Just FYI. Our table was ready, we were greeted promptly and taken to our table. It took a while before we saw a waiter at the table. A good 5-10 mins probably. Although it wasn't annoying. The restaurant has a comforting atmosphere so you don't really feel left alone. Our waitress helped us through the menu nicely and told us specials and such. After this point, everything flowed very nicely. Appetizers were overall very good. Highlights were Korean Seafood Cones (with chopped raw seafood in small cones) and Sweetbreads. Entrees were done very nicely as well. Flavors had nice contrasts against each other. Steak was cooked perfect. I had Sable Fish, and nothing else on the plate overwhelmed the seafood. For desserts, gelatos and sorbets are definitely a good pick. Tangerine sorbet had a nice and vibrant fruit flavor. This place is a little gem for the area for sure. Give it a try! read more

Creative cocktails bar side at lunch with no views, just a lounge-like atmosphere with a fire pit. Quality ingredients and diverse options but basics like a burger available too. Edamame dip and chips with pork tacos and warm spinach salad with goat cheese is a great light lunch combo. Staff could use a little refresher on customer service as they're slow and not as attentive as they should be for food at this price point. read more

PlumpJack Cafe and Bar - Edamame Dip & Chips - New American Near Me - Olympic Valley, California

*Bar seating area review only* I was really excited to try this place out on our vacation. The menu sounded tasty, and I knew that it would be mere steps from our hotel room. The food we ordered was just okay - small portions and not a lot of flavor. I had the seafood soup, caesar salad, and a Coors Light. The soup was better than the salad. Ryan M. went a comparable route with a caesar salad and a hefeweizen. Tab total was around 50 with tip, which isn't bad for Lake Tahoe. The highlights of the evening were the nice waitresses and other staff, who made a ho-hum meal enjoyable. read more

This restaurant very accommodating and the dining area is very cozy and intimate. The menu is slightly pricy and limited but the food was good quality. I would recommend this place. read more

Great local spot for high end food and drinks. Ever changing menu. Delicious mahi mahi entree with brussel sprouts and sweet potato. Best gourmet burger in Tahoe. Decent bar food menu prices. Super friendly and attentive staff. read more

PlumpJack Cafe and Bar - Bar seating by the open fire - New American Near Me - Olympic Valley, California

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Easy restaurant to get in and out of when at the hotel, snacks , meals and overall supplies Service was very friendly Restaurant is super clean and food is prepared well I had the Sonoma Chicken Salad sandwich which was very good Wife had a salad and it was fresh and dressing Apple liberally read more

Himself poured me into the car at 5 am for our bi-annual trip from SF to Tahoe and arrived in Squaw Valley hungry for some brekky. As far as DIY brekkies go, this was superior - the friendly waitress said it was $20 each but only charged us $30 (she got a big fat tip). Good coffee, freshly squeezed juices, English muffins with marmalade, scrambled eggs, bacon, fruit salad (for me) - Himself had about a gallon of maple syrup with a side of about 8 mini-waffles and more bacon. Only downside with the screaming sproglet at the adjoining table which, thank gawd, the parent removed after evil-eye from everyone (hungover from a wedding, I think). read more

Came here after a long day of snowboarding. This is a great cozy trendy spot in Squaw Valley! Quite popular though it was nice that we didn't have to wait for a table. Here's what we liked: Farmers market salad - great for beets lovers. Served with a tasty sherry vinagrette, and fresh greens. Bread and butter was special- warm bread and creamy butter lightly salted- kept eating it. Pleasant surprise and tempting to get filled just on bread! Chefs pasta of the day - A yummy proscutto and chewy bowtie pasta. The brown sauce was what made it special!! Not too heavy or light, almost a creamy mushroom base and with aspargus. Mmmm mm mm. Irish car bomb dessert was SO good- bursting flavors on ur mouth of kalua, jameson whiskey and guinness. Icy texture and natural flavors finish - not chemically at all! BLEH : Dont get the wings, it's a weird flavor moroccan sauce, almost tastes earthy. Excellent service for a bar - replaced our napkins twice and refilled water all the time read more

I just wrote a review for the hotel (also 5 stars), so this will be a quick one for the bar. Fantastic service. Good beer selection at decent prices. Good cocktails. Amazing burger. Add gruyere. Hmmmm.... Stop in for HH, and enjoy yourself :-) read more

Wow what a great restaurant. Five stars for the very creative and tasty food! We really enjoyed the celery root apple soup, the Hawaiian spearfish and a chicken dish which name I can't recall. Great wine selection ... Look for the special and interesting wine section in the wine list. They have some really good wines there. read more

We waited around 25-30 minutes for the 1st course. The rigatoni was on the salty side and was a bit difficult to enjoy. Second course took around 45 minutes to arrive. I ordered the lamb chops. They were nice and moist but wasn't what I expected as an overall dish. I don't think it's worth $48 just as a 2nd course item. This place is a bit overrated. It has a nice ambience but the food really isn't that great. read more

About the only place open in Squaw Valley after 5:00PM on a Friday during the off-season. And...not worth it, at all. We took the complimentary shuttle over from the Resort at Squaw Creek for dinner at the bar (our second choice upon discovering Auld Dubliner was closed). Notables: Warm bread; I'm not so sure about fresh. We both had the soup and salad (since they were totally out of ahi), and it was not $14-good. Cheddar ale soup was creative and quite tasty, but the portion was small. The worst excuse for cheesecake I have ever seen, ever. Also, an inordinately long wait for a drink refill, especially from a bartender. The shuttle ride to the restaurant was a better "experience" than dinner. We won't make that mistake again! read more

Found myself here after recommendation from Squaw Creek Shuttle driver to ditch all others and head here for drinks and food. "Eat at the cafe and avoid the dining room" he says. "Oh, and try the Tuna Poke Cones...invented by Thomas Keller and nobody has been able to duplicate". I am intrigued. Upon arrival, defacto is a double scotch. Talisker, I think. Warm, woodsy, a touch of herb and fruit. Not too much peat. Just right. I was seated from bar to table fairly quickly - about 10 minutes. Even though the place was sardine-packed, the Maitre d' seemed to keep a special eye on me; either in anticipation of finding me an open table, or to be sure I did not get into a bar fight (perhaps both). Brimming (or should I say pregnant) with anticipation, I ordered the Tuna Poke cones. They were an exercise in mediocrity, tactlessly served in some welded iron job that looked to be more at home on the set of American Chopper. Next, I ordered the cheese plate; and filet for the main course, with express instruction to bring the cheese plate first. 15 minutes later, a server was hovering around me, saying nothing, but wielding a large bowl of what looked like Gnocchi. Hmmm. Not mine, but I would have eaten it had I not been in such a carb conscious frame of mind. The harried young waitress came by a few minutes later, apologizing that she had screwed up my order with pasta instead of the cheese plate. OK - forgiven. Now where is my cheese plate. It finally arrived 15 minutes later. Accompanied by a rather odd and brittle flatbread festooned with toasted sesame & caraway seeds, not unlike lavosh; but much more thin and sterile. The crackers / bread did no justice to the scant half dozen cheeses that were served. But that's OK - I was half in the bag anyway, and would have eaten carbon fiber crackers with my cheese. The filet finally arrived. Some joker decided, in a bout of creative genius. to slice up my filet prior to plating...think 6 year old who needs help cutting his steak into bite sized morsels. Fairly ruined. But still a bit tasty (mind you I was plenty blasted at this stage). I ate most, and still felt unsatisfied, so I ordered a burger. Now that was something to behold. Even the waitress assumed a confident air when I ordered it as if to say "now that I know we won't screw up for you, Mr. Primadonna customer". The burger was excellent. I returned to my lodge somewhat satisfied and pleasantly buzzing after fueling myself with way too much scotch. Avoid the village if you can - Plumpjack's is not half bad. 3 Stars for the burger, lively atmosphere and friendly staff. I'm holding a star in reserve for my next visit which I know will be better. read more

Ate here last Sunday with my husband. We went to check out the "Plumpjack Pool Party" but decided against staying for that but checked out the menu for the Cafe and decided to check it out. I was craving a burger and the Balboa Burger sounded delicious - it was! The burger was a good size and they made it a perfect medium-rare which is actually quite difficult to find in restaurants (usually medium with barely a bit of pink.) My husband ordered the ahi club and I had a bite - very tasty. He said this was one of those rare times when he prefers what he ordered over what I got (he likes to venture and try new things - I stick with what I know I will like and is delicious!) I will probably order that the next time we go to change it up a little! But the burger was quite delish so who knows :) The menu had many things on it that I would be interested in trying. Their pizzas looked good but they are plate-sized (and thin) so probably not enough for a hungry guy (or post-hike starving girl!) And their summer drinks menu was filled with tropical concoctions. While not super cheap, it's about average for a tourist place (i.e. most restaurants in Tahoe/Truckee.) The special drinks were about $10 each and the lunch entrees were about $10 - $15. The dinner menu also looked yummy. So maybe try it for dinner next? We'll see :) OH, and their dessert menu looks like it could use a tasting as well... We sat outside as it was a nice day. My only real complaint was that our table was dirty and had sticky stuff on it in places from, I assume, the previous diners (and not longer than that.) And our waiter, while very nice, was very slow. But we weren't in a hurry, and I was in a good mood, so I ignored that after we finally got some water and he took our order. So I would definitely consider going back, even though it goes against my rule to not contribute to Gavin Newsom in any way... read more

Interestingly there are two menus here: the bar and restaurant menus. You can actually eat at the bar without a reservation (waiting list only), and it is pretty good, especially the old classic, the Balboa Burger (now called the Plumpjack Burger, but it's the same burger!) I went healthier and had the mahi mahi which was really good, as was the corn soup and the caesar salad. The fire place at the bar / food seating area is also nice; 4 stars for ambiance. read more

Plumpjack is the first restaurant in the Tahoe area that I would consider to be up to par with the quality of restaurant that I'm used to in the San Francisco bay area. My fiance and I have been there several times and it's been consistently good and the wine list is great as well. read more

We stayed at the hotel and wanted to give the restaurant a try. It wasn't the best meal we had in Squaw, but did cost as much as all the others --combined. I guess it's safe to say that Squaw still needs a destination restaurant. Heck, the guy serving us couldn't remember the names of the cheeses on the cheese plate, and the side of potatoes we ordered arrived as an overcooked batch of risotto. The flavors were there but not the right texture. And not the dish we ordered. Dessert was a nice concept. A potentially fun trio of ice creams based on girl scout cookies. Trouble was the cookies each scoop of ice cream was on were impossible to cut and eat with a spoon without making a complete mess. Finally the bench seats in the restaurant and bar really have seen better days. They were almost impossible to sit on comfortably. If that's a tactic to turn tables, please, don't! The omnivores we spoke with said the highlights were all meat based so maybe we just missed out on the good stuff. So from a veggie perspective, and taking into account the service snafus, we're going to call this three stars. Your mileage may vary, but for two bills for two people, we were expecting more. read more

My family and I had a quick lunch at the bar in Plumpjack Cafe. The experience was very pleasant as the server was very friendly and professional. The ambience is warm in an updated lodge/resort kind of way. The food was quite nice and reasonably priced for the quality; unlike most restaurants in the Lake Tahoe area. Based on some reviews read somewhere, I ordered the famous Balboa burger which was prepared to an exact medium rare. Even though it is not as big as some might expect for the $11 price tag, it was big enough for me and my wife to share. My wife ordered the salmon cones; they are like mini hand rolls with crispy spring roll skin. They are very tasty and nicely prepared as well. As for kids menu, Plumpjack als did an excellent job because my kids finished everything. We will definitely come back for dinner next time. read more

Had a reservation here for dinner (we stayed at the hotel - FABULOUS, by the way!) and sat in the lounge rather than the actual restuarant area. Like the hotel, the lounge has this swank, sexy vibe, and has these loveseats that make getting up very difficult. Very extensive wine list and well-balanced menu, and our server, Alissa, was great! (She was excellent at recommending some vegan dishes!) I had an ALT (avacado, lettuce tomato) with steamed veggies, and the hubby had the fish of the day - we were both thrilled with our choices! For dessert (and it gets a bit hazy here - by this time I was on my fifth or so glass of wine) we had the chocolate torte - a little dense, but delicious none the less. For the two of us, with 3 alcoholic beverages each, main courses and dessert, dinner was right around $100. A great deal! Looking forward to coming back soon! read more

I've been here quite a bit. Both in the bar and the formal dinning area. The bar food is kicked-up-a-notch bar food; delicious burgers, Seared Ahi sandwich, Cobb salad, etc. The dinning room menu changes frequently, as a good restaurant should, changing with what is in season. The "Ahi cones" appetizer is one of my favorite. Usually some kind of steak entree, fresh fish entree, fowl, and vegetarian. The kitchen is creative in its dishes and presentation. The wait staff is friendly and knowledgeable. Will return again. Oh, and the desserts paired with the dessert wine menu, I'd go in there just for that. read more

I enjoy breakfast every Monday morning here to start my week fat and happy. The staff is friendly and the selection great. (what's that? biscuits and gravy on a buffet? yes please). When out-of-town guest visit, this is where we go for dinner--awesome bar menu for more casual atmosphere or you can get a little fancier and eat with table clothes in the dining room. COCKTAILS HERE ARE THE BEST IN VALLEY BY FAR. One time we had to wait almost an hour for a table in the bar which was annoying, but the food and experience made up for that. next time we'll splurge for a reservation in the Dining Room if its busy or come earlier! read more