Stopped by Skyland Diner during a visit to Shenandoah National Park to grab lunch between hikes. The biggest highlight is definitely the views. It's hard to beat sitting down for a meal surrounded by such beautiful scenery, and the staff were friendly and welcoming. As a vegetarian, I found the lunch options a bit limited. I ordered the Brussels sprouts and the ALTO vegan sandwich. Both were perfectly fine, but neither really stood out. The food was average overall, though I was grateful to have vegetarian options available while spending the day in the park. I did notice their dinner menu includes a roasted vegetable stew, which sounded more up my alley, but unfortunately I was there during lunch hours. Overall, come for the incredible views and convenient location while exploring the park. The food didn't wow me, but it served its purpose and the staff made for a pleasant experience. read more

Skyland Dining Room - The view!! - American Near Me - Luray, Virginia

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Convenient location. Prices were high but expected for the location inside the park. Food was fine. I enjoyed the lentil soup and bread basket. The desserts were fun too. The service was very slow. Prepare to wait for everything. read more

Skyland Dining Room - Dessert - American Near Me - Luray, Virginia

This place probably doesn't get the love it should because of the touristy feel. It has great views in the dining room. The servers are generally pretty nice but you can tell they cover a lot of tables so attention gets split. The food was pretty good. The delight drink is really good. The Black berry ice cream pie and chocolate torte are absolutely worth trying. read more

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So let's start with the good - the scenery might be unbeatable. The restaurant is positioned near a mountain ledge and gives you amazing views of Shenandoah and the Blue Ridge Mountains. I think you could just sit here all day and enjoy the mountain breeze from sunrise to sunset - you get both views because of where Skyland is positioned, but the sunset is definitely peak (pun intended) The food though, is not the best. We got the Mac and cheese which was decent, but definitely looks better than it tastes, but the "beef stew" has nowhere enough sauce for the amount of rice they give you, and the rice tastes like the 1 minute rice you get at the supermarkets. Definitely come to enjoy the views, but don't expect much from the food to elevate the experience. read more

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Really loved our stop here! We stopped during the government shutdown and were so happy that this was open for lunch. It was very busy but we got in before they closed lunch down at 2:30pm. We ordered the burger and pulled pork sandwich, both with chips, and it was all very good. Prices were a little high but the portions were good sized. We didn't realize how hungry we were until we got our food. We capped off lunch with the blackberry ice cream pie ($13) which was amazing!! It was creamy and deliciously cold on a hot day. The brulee/browning on the meringue top was a nice touch. Definitely order this! The lodge itself was cute and offered a great view of the park. read more

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In town with my father to hike Old Rag in Shenandoah, this week. Today was our first day in Skyline and we decided to visit the Skyland dining. It's a very beautiful and picturesque dining experience with views of the Blue Ridge mountains. The servers here are very kind and helpful, and managed multiple tables with ease. Dinner came out in a timely fashion. I ordered the roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, and asparagus with blackberry gravy. Honestly I was shocked - the presentation is michelin star dish plating - it tasted very homey and soulful - I added a bit more black pepper and salt to bring out the flavors, but it was cooked to perfection. The blackberry sauce was simply delicious, floral and light sweetness. It's a 4.5, especially since there were vegetarian choices for my father like vegan chicken and veggie stew. My only recommendation is including more affordable entrée choices. I was about to pass on the dessert but we did a hike in the afternoon and, as you may know from reading my reviews, I have a sweet tooth. Rich creamy ice cream and a pie that was both rustic and heavenly. What more can you ask for on a vacation? Well done. I really commend this place for their food and service. Glad we made it out tonight! High marks all around! Edit: Came back again tonight, amazing service again (love how they fill our water bottles for us) and the burgers were so good after hiking Old Rag! read more

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Good place to stop by for a burger and a beer. Friendly service. More like 3.5 stars.

Food is mixed here. They tend to do meat main dishes well and basic breakfast stuff like bacon, eggs and hash browns. Other options not so much. Food quality and service often is dependent on the time of season you go as well. read more

Amazing place amazing food great place 15 to 20 minute wait though but just amazing place

About as bad as we thought it would be. We came here for our only meal at Shenandoah NP, a dinner after a rigorous day of hiking and sightseeing. We arrived just as they opened at 5:00 pm, and got a seat by a window, so it was nice watching the sun set on the Blue Ridge Mountains while being directly adjacent to a radiator (side note: we actually stayed at the Lodge and BRING BLANKETS because it is absolutely freezing in the rooms; our room clocked in a 61 degrees last night with the heat going!). The blackberry margarita one of us ordered had to be sent back in exchange for a gin and tonic because it managed to taste rotten and cloying at the same time. The food was terrible. The bowl of chili was runny with a strange spice in it--the nicest thing that we can say is that it was hot. The venison bolognese seemed a bit too ambitious for the kitchen! It, too, was runny, and the meat was in odd large clumps and the garlic bread was defrosted from god knows where. Our daughter's junior hamburger was actually the best meal of the night. We did indulge in their "signature" huckleberry ice cream pie, which, like the margarita was cloying, and had an incorrectly-made meringue topping. Our server was a very nice woman but they were so understaffed that she was running around, completely frazzled. We've had such hits-and-misses in the national parks. Some places are great (Olympic, Mammoth) and others are just nightmares (like here). This is pretty much the only show in town, so you might want to book a room with a kitchenette, which will be more pricey but it's better than wasting your money here, sad to say. read more

This is a glorious and incredible dining experience. Arrive early and sit on the windows and take in all that nature has to offer. Great menu- lots of choices Bartender makes strong and delicious drinks. Dining Staff was lovely Tons of parking Clean and wonderful restrooms Food was creative and delicious Not pictured was the cream brûlée cheesecake!! It was amazing!! read more

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If I could give zero stars, I would. We arrived at approximately 11:30 and waited until 12 o'clock for the lunch service to open. We were approximately 20 people deep in the line and it still took 25 minutes to get seated. Once seated, our orders were taken but our food did not come out for another 40 minutes. When the food did come out, it was put on a rack 10 feet from our table while the waitress tried to figure out which table to take it to. Please keep in mind. The restaurant was not very busy so this should not have been difficult. Once we received our food, the fries were old and dry, probably made around 12 o'clock. The burger I ordered medium was medium well too well done, my daughter's grilled cheese had bread that was soggy and mushy, and my wife's pulled pork was dry. When the waitress came to refill drinks, she poured water in my glass of Sprite. Overall, we were there for two hours and only 20 minutes of that was eating. The food is worse than McDonald's, the server was clearly overwhelmed, and overall it was just a terrible experience. The only thing that saved the trip was the fact that we were able to drive Skyline Drive and see the views. read more

Busy place, waited 35 minutes for our party to be seated. Good food for lunch, but my cheese steak sandwich was delivered without cheese (and I would've liked more steak). My sister needed more tartar sauce for her fish sandwich. The cheese sauce and tartar sauce were delivered quickly. My mother was disappointed with the "ham" on her salad. Seemed more like bacon bits, not a serving of Virginia ham. Service was friendly and helpful. If in the area, we would probably go back. Need to find out if they accept reservations. read more

We took a mini vacation to Shenandoah, Virginia during the Fourth of July holiday. Our first stop for food on the way to our accommodations was inside Shenandoah National Park. There was a line of cars getting into the park on a Friday afternoon. Be prepared to pay an entry fee if you do not have a park pass. There are discounts for military, seniors, 4th graders, volunteers, etc. Otherwise, a standard vehicle will add $30 to your meal if you are only coming to the dining room. Once we got to the Pollack Dining room, we had just missed seating by the window. But after placing our order, a couple had just finished and we asked the hostess if it would be alright if we moved to the window table and she was totally fine with it. I was only looking for a light lunch. I ordered the garden salad, Brunswick stew, and french fries. I went for the blackberry vinagrette since that was in season. I also tried Brunswick stew for the first time. It was just a small cup packed with barbeque flavor. I really liked the chicken and beans in a tomato broth. I'm going to see if I can find a good recipe so I can make it at home. For dessert, we wanted the famous Blackberry Ice Cream Pie but they were out that day. So we settled for the Blackberry Cobbler. The cobber did not disappoint. It was a wonderful alternative! You get your choice of ice cream so of course, we had to go for Blackberry ice cream! Note that they do not take reservations but during the time that we were there (from noon on a Friday), there was enough seating. You just may not get a window seat. The view was nice but not necessary for a window seat unless it matters to you. Service was just wonderful. Plenty of parking with EV charging. read more

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It was quite crowded during lunch time but we chose to do takeout and sat outside table. The food was quite nice and we got beer from gift shop. The coffee station was great too. read more

I have been eating at Skyline Drive for more decades than I care to remember. There has been a significant decline the quality of the food. I had a mediocre burger that as fast good quality, not sit down restaurant quality. I can say that the lettuce was nicely fresh, and the tomato was a good slice of tomato on a burger. The fries were strange and disappointing. The service was efficient, and it was quite busy. The prices were reasonable. That gets it the 3 stars despite the disappointing food. I do wish that the vendor would bring it back to better days even if it means paying a few bucks more. I still remember a pork chop I got at lunch decades ago. It was fantastic. If I remember this last burger into my dotage it will be for mediocrity. read more

Really pretty ambiance outside, cozy inside. The food and service was good but not exceptional. Definitely worth the stop

Always love eating here when ever visiting Shenandoah National Park! Good food and great service!

Because of the shortage of workers the wait was almost 2 hours. My husband gave up an order a burger to go, which took 45 minutes. I stayed, had a drink served by an overwhelmed woman who was the bartender without experience. I felt so sorry for her, reading how to mix the cocktails ordered, taking care of customers, I just stayed there and listened to her reminding her to breathe ... I order the Brussels sprouts with caramelizad pecans and shrimp Caesar salad. The sprouts were excellent and took the space of dessert. Caesar salad was good. After a day of hiking and working for an hour it was satisfying. read more

Skyland Dining Room - Shrimp Caesar salad - American Near Me - Luray, Virginia

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I visited this restaurant in pre-COVID days (fall of 2019) and it was amazing, so we decided we would eat here during our two-day stay at the Skyland Resort. As a note for the review, I'm definitely taking into consideration that all food has to be brought a long way into the park and supply issues are still impacting many businesses. We got there early for meals since it was a battle to get seats on our previous visit, but it wasn't really an issue to get seating during this trip. (If you have a large party, I would recommend getting there early.) The outdoor seating was inconsistent and it was never clear prior to opening if you'd be able to sit outside for dining or not. For example, we were able to sit outside for dinner on July 3 but not July 4. Breakfast outdoor seating was only available for to-go containers. Other days, part of the outdoor seating was reserved for diners and a section was open for non-diners. For me, this uncertainty was a negative, since I'm high risk and I would really prefer to sit outside if possible. There were also issues with flies swarming in the dining room for dinner one night, so it would have been much more enjoyable outside. Dinners were definitely better than breakfast. The first evening I had the trout with rice and it was pretty good. I would get this again. My husband got the steak with vegetables and said it was decent. I enjoyed the blackberry pie for dessert. My husband didn't like it, but I especially liked the crust. He liked the vanilla ice cream garnished with mint. The second night I got the pasta with shrimp and my husband got the special of the evening: what he called a "Flintstone-sized" rack of ribs. We both liked these dinners better than the previous evening. Breakfast was very basic. The fried egg and cheese sandwich was served on a hamburger bun. The potatoes were sort of bland. My husband was underwhelmed by the egg and sausage breakfast, but really liked his chicken fried steak. Overall, the food was generally good for where we were and what it was, but if this was a restaurant outside of the park, we wouldn't have it on our list of regular choices. The servers were very good for each of our visits. They were all attentive and familiar with the menu. Every day there were items that were not available on the menu, but it was a holiday weekend. I think some of the servers live in the park as part of an exchange program of some sort, as there was a group from France who was there throughout our visit. It was also a bit surprising that pretty much the same servers were there for every meal. Those are some long shifts and I hope they get breaks in their schedules to enjoy the park and relax! Although our recent visits weren't quite as delicious as before, this is where I would continue eating for future meals in Shenandoah. The service was very good, even if the seating and food was hit-and-miss. read more

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What a great way to finish off the hike at Shenandoah. The crispy Brussels... *muah* Chef's kiss. The service was a good and our waiter was attentive and nice. The hot wings were alright but I again ran into the issue of them not having enough sauce. Please. If you're going to make hot wings with sauce, please coat them properly! read more

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For the mountains, it's pretty good. Get there when they open or you'll likely have to wait. The service is slow, but the staff works really hard. Seems they could use a little help. We got there may be 20-30 min after they opened for dinner and had to be seated in the adjacent tap room. We had a partial view. The views from the dining room are spectacular. I had the campfire trout and it was very good. My husband had the pork chop and it was the star of the table. The kids had burgers which we are also really good and done just right. My kids love fries..we didn't see them on the menu but they had them upon request and I'm so glad they did! read more

Skyland Dining Room - trout - American Near Me - Luray, Virginia

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Delicious food after a long days hike. This is right off the Appalachian trail. 200 yards and makes a great stop to eat!! read more

Skyland Dining Room - Menu - American Near Me - Luray, Virginia

The restaurant is located in the national park so it's a great spot after a long hike or drive. There is a nice gift shop and a Starbucks inside the building as well. The food was very good. I had the Brunswick Stew and the venison stroganoff. The stew was really good but the stroganoff could have had fewer noodles and more venison. I would love to spend more time in the national park and I will definitely like to eat at Skyland again. read more

Food overpriced and not very good. Nice place though for relaxing with a beer after a long hike. Beautiful scenery and plenty of outdoor seating read more

Skyland Dining Room - Nice outdoor eating area with a beautiful view. - American Near Me - Luray, Virginia

We had eaten dinner the prior 2 nights at the dining room at Big Meadows lodge. On our last day in Shenandoah NP, we did a hike later in the afternoon near Skyland, so afterwards we just went back there for dinner. I dropped my wife off around 4:45 p.m. and parked. As we sort of expected, there was already a line for being seated when the dining room opened at 5 p.m. I didn't do an actual table count, but my impression was that the dining room here was a bit larger than the one at Big Meadows. We seemed to be further back in the queue but still scored a table. Someone else in line told us that they sometimes used the smaller adjoining restaurant (sort of a bar / grill that is open earlier) as overflow seating also. Service was adequate; the servers had to cover a relatively large range of tables, so they were not able to constantly check in on each one. The menu here is about 3/4 the same as at Big Meadows. There seemed to be a few differences, though (they offered a different pasta entrée, for instance). We readily found dishes we liked. The variety isn't super-extensive, but you are in a relatively isolated area within a national park, so you have to make some trade-offs. I liked this dining hall slightly better than Big Meadows due to their choices. Also, it appeared that they were building out an adjacent patio, so presumably starting in the Spring of 2022 they will have even more capacity... read more

After an exhausting day hiking White Oak Canyon and Little Stony Man, we were ready to tuck into a nice hot meal and be on our way back down the mountain. Sunset was just around the corner, so we decided to just have dinner here. It was a Friday night, so there was a slight wait. However, we were lucky and were seated next to the window where the view of the sunset was stunning. Our waitress was attentive and nice, and took our drink orders quickly. When she returned, I was confused as I'd ordered a blackberry lemonade and received a pink lemonade. Our waitress assured me it was a blackberry lemonade, but I'm still convinced it's just a pink lemonade. There wasn't a hint of blackberry in it at all. If you're thinking of getting the blackberry lemonade, here's the heads up. Food was just okay. The pulled pork was cooked thoroughly, but there was hardly any BBQ sauce. For the price of an appetizer, I wish there was more cheese and crispy sage in my poutine. Other than that, the sweet potato taters were great. My crab soup had minuscule specks of crab in it, and for bisque style soup, it was very thin. We decided to wrap up dinner with some blackberry ice cream, after seeing some promising photos on Yelp. What came out was some kind of berry ice cream. It was also a bit old, as there were very distinct ice chips in them and ended up cutting the inside of my cheek by accident. Wowed by the view and prompt service, but underwowed by the food and price. Hoping our experience is just an outlier, because otherwise, this place has a lot of potential to be great. read more

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The only dining option in the Shenandoah National Park, we decided to have lunch after our first hike. Had the Beyond burger with salad and it was fine. read more

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Campfire trout was excellent! One of the best fish dishes I have had in a long time. Root vegetable stew was okay and very salty. Bread basket was big and bread was good. Service was friendly and attentive . Menu is limited and they were out of 2 items at 515pm. Not sure if this is normal, but everything was served on paper plates with plastic forks and spoons. read more

I'm never expecting a 5 star meal when eating at parks and "resorts" like this but was very pleasantly surprised by their Buffalo wings! Cooked to a nice crisp with a delicious peppery sauce. Definitely order these if you're unsure what else to get- wings alone I'd give probably 4 stars! I'm not sure if its due to covid or always like this but their dining room has very weird To Go rules. Its essentially the same menu with a few random dishes you can only eat in or only take to go. Chicken tenders you can only eat in (weird since tenders are normally a To Go food) yet fried chicken platter you can ONLY get To Go. (Also odd since the fried chicken was a full meal, with sides, that is normally served fresh). This made it rather difficult to figure out what everyone wanted since the logistics of what you could eat in vs take out virtually made 0 sense, and you weren't able to order something to go if only offered for dine in and vice versa. The pulled pork and fried chicken platter we ultimately ordered (to go) was more in line with what we expected from park food. They were both okay. Pork was dry so ask for extra BBQ sauce. Fried chicken came with a ton of food but tasted very much like the oil it was cooked in. Overall for a park dining room, it was pretty much what I expected, except for the wings which blew my mind and I'd highly recommend when your options are so limited. read more

Skyland Dining Room - American Near Me - Luray, Virginia

I came for Easter brunch, and the feeling of having Easter in the mountains was a new and exciting proposition for myself and my mom. We arrived a few minutes fore 1 pm and it took about 20 minutes to get our table. The dining room is quite small and when some of the patrons dined for a good amount of time, it naturally moved everyone back. We got a table for two with a great view of the mountains and the park. The meal itself was $36 for me and $30 for mom. I'm sorry to say, but the food was just ok. This was a dinner meal worth maybe $20 or $25. The omelette station was wonderful, it's pretty hard to mess that up. But the only meat on the carvery table was a salty Virginia ham. No lamb, no prime rib, no turkey. There was sliced leg of lamb in a dark gravy, which I'm willing to bet, had blackberries in it. Blackberries were the theme of the day. Blackberries in the lamb, blackberries in the chicken breasts, blackberries in the cobbler. The lamb was pretty good, but needed more seasoning, I had to use a good amount of salt and pepper to give it some flavor. Same for the broccoli and cheese sauce. My favorite item was probably the clam and corn chowder. It tasted just like a hearty New England chowder. For dessert, the table had carrot cake, red velvet cake, strawberry shortcake, apple pie, pumpkin pie, and the aforementioned blackberry cobbler. The pumpkin pie was fine, pretty standard. The cobbler was really good, but gosh, it would have been taken to the next level if only I could have had a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top! Come for the views, but don't expect the best meal of your life. read more

The food here is okay/good, but a tad bit over priced. I understand this restaurant is located in a National Park, but a tad bit steep for the surroundings. Dinner entrees are around $15-$20. We had the meatloaf and the shrimp and grits. At the end of dinner, we were full and the food was okay. For dessert, we had the ice cream dessert which is the most ordered dessert here. It was good (crust and ice cream), but not great. Nothing was very memorable, but the staff and service. I like to vacation in a relaxing setting for myself and my wallet. read more

After hiking Little Stony Man and Stony Man, we wanted a romantic dinner. We were seated at a table with a beautiful view of the Shenandoah Valley as the sun was setting. My husband ordered the Forester pasta with grilled chicken, and I ordered the Virginia Cobb salad with blackberry vinaigrette. Everything we tasted was absolutely delicious! Every employee was kind and helpful. The whole experience warmed our hearts. We will be back! read more

A remarkable view and reliably good food. It's a regular stop of mine when I'm up that way.

I would give 0 stars if I could. Worst customer service ever. The manager (male) and one female staff working in the dining room at 4pm today were so rude. We went for a take out since there was a 30 min wait for seating. It was highly disorganized. We didn't get the orders right. We ordered blackberry ice cream pie. Portion sizes were random. Many of us ordered the same dessert but each got a different size. There was no compote (even though it was listed in the menu) . They were yelling at people. We were a big group(26 people). We have been going to this place for years(it was our annual tradition) and never had such bitter experience. 2 big mistakes: 1) we should have left the place the moment we got hints they were not friendly. 2) sent back our desserts when it didn't come right. Oh well, for now, we decided we wouldn't go back. If the management really wants to fix this, I ll be happy to provide more details. But the above info should cover enough ! read more

Writing a review nearly 2 1/2 months after eating at an establishment might be a challenge to remember some eateries, but not the Mountain Taproom. On average this place has received 3 stars. Based on my family's experience, I awarded 4 stars. In part, the Taproom's clientele might be considered captive, sitting over 3,000 feet above sea level without competition in Shenandoah National Park. Three things stand out during our two nights of dining: 1. Angus burgers 2. Blackberry Ice Cream Pie 3. Juan, our server. The burgers were grilled to our desired level and seasoned in a way that enhanced the natural flavor of the beef. The blackberry ice cream pie is a MUST even if you are just moseying along the Skyline Drive. Wow! First, the size is extra large, easily enough for two adults to enjoy. Along with the blackberry ice cream, blackberry sauce is poured over it and complementing it was meringue and a flaky crust. Our two children loved it. Last but not least is Juan. If you're at the Taproom be sure to ask for him. He remained attentive throughout the meal on both nights and was friendly and engaging. Juan certainly was knowledgable and his recommendations were spot on. My 4 star rating is because Juan bumped up a 3 star place. Atmosphere in the Mountain Taproom is relaxed, with both mainstream and craft drafts., as the name suggests. Should you choose, you can seat yourself near the main dining room that is lined with windows to show off the spectacular view across the valley. Sunset on clear nights is particularly stunning. Should our family make the long trek again to Shenandoah, we'd definitely stop in again and hope Juan was working that day. read more

Skyland Dining Room - Signature blackberry ice cream pie! - American Near Me - Luray, Virginia

Only food near by so wasn't expecting much. Pleasantly surprised. Pasta Pomodoro was delicious and the pulled pork was really good as well. The show stopped of the meal was dessert. If you order anything, you MUST order the blackberry ice cream pie. I am not even a big blackberry fan and this pie was 10/10. It was so good we got it the next day before we left. Sweet but tart with amazing cream topping. It's an absolute must. Service was also really good both at dinner and lunch; we had a 45 min wait Saturday night but they allow you to get beers while you wait. Food came out quickly for both lunch and dinner. Again - please get the blackberry ice cream pie. read more

Skyland Dining Room - American Near Me - Luray, Virginia

It's not five stars like compared to like a restaurant that isn't in the middle of the woods, but for a woods restaurant this is the very best! There are very very limited dining options in the area surrounding, so this is your best bet. I tried the power salad (twice), burger and various cobblers. Everything I had was serviceable. I'd just stick to eating only here when going to the park in future (the dining room at big meadows was closed when I visited, so not sure how that compares) read more

We had lunch at the Dining Room that has very nice three-sided views of the wilderness outside. The food is also pretty decent and the service is attentive. read more

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The view is pretty nice off the back and the service here was friendly and nice. I only ate breakfast here in the mornings but the food was good. We pretty much had the basics: eggs, sausage, bacon, biscuit and gravy. Fill up here so you have some energy for your hikes! read more