The Ahwahnee Dining Room

We went to The Awahnee Dining Room as a family of 6 on two separate occasions. LOVED the experience. For breakfast we opted for the al la carte menu and we can say everything tasted really good except for the French Toast that was more on the soggy side. The steel cut oats and trio mushroom, avocado and salmon on toast was a big hit. Angeline was incredible super cheerful and friendly. On average each plate was around ~20 dollars per pax before tip with generous portions. For dinner we had the dinner buffet. Although the selection was smaller than anticipated we thoroughly enjoyed our experience. The highlight was the prime rib which was not chewy and the salad was to die for. We received great service yet again from Shannon and Marcus who were enthusiastic and attentive. Shannon even provided us recommendations for which route to take back to sf. There was live piano music which adds to the atmosphere.

We were very impressed with the service here. Our server, Shannon, gave us great advice and tips. All the servers were very friendly and attentive. There were many menu options, including vegan ones. And the space is AWESOME! As in, truly inspired awe. It's a grand hall with beautiful windows and lots of space between tables. Just lovely. Thanks again!

I recently had dinner at the Ahwahnee Dining Room and while the night overall was memorable, it was thanks largely to the stunning atmosphere and the great company I was with. The grandeur of the historic hotel truly sets a tone of elegance and charm—the high ceilings, classic decor, and timeless beauty of the space made it feel special. However, a few elements detracted from the experience. While we dressed for the occasion, it was disappointing to see that the dress code was not consistently enforced. The lack of formality at many nearby tables took away from the sophisticated ambiance that the venue naturally provides. As for the food, it was unfortunately underwhelming. It wasn’t bad, but it lacked depth of flavor and the menu was more limited than I expected for such a renowned location. Service was another area that didn’t meet the mark. Our waitress was kind and genuinely tried her best, but it was clear she was under stress—likely a result of being understaffed, which seemed to be a theme across the room. The setting is truly one-of-a-kind and worth experiencing, but I hope the dining and service elements rise to meet the surroundings in future visits.

The setting is absolutely stunning—the dining room feels like something out of Harry Potter’s Great Hall or Beauty and the Beast. High timbered ceilings, stone walls, candle-like chandeliers, and live piano music set a magical atmosphere. Unfortunately, the food was a major letdown. Despite the fine-dining prices, the buffet menu was underwhelming and poorly executed. Most dishes lacked flavor, and the desserts were simply bad. It was quite disheartening, especially considering the grandeur of the place. Another downside was the inconsistent service. While some of the waitstaff were professional and attentive, others seemed undergroomed and unprepared, which detracted from the overall experience. If it weren’t for the charming piano music, this would have been a zero-star experience for me. I truly hope they improve the food—it wouldn’t take much, given how low the bar currently is. I came in with high expectations, and sadly, the meal didn’t come close to matching the setting.

+ The space itself is grand and the hotels history is really interesting. The property is well maintained. - The dinnner buffet was like having a Thanksgiving dinner with prepared foods from Costo, except worse. Really surprisingly bland and overall subpar.

The price is steep, but the food is decent and the service is good. You’re definitely paying for the ambience and decor, but it is a lovely place to dine in Yosemite. Perfect for a nice date or a celebration dinner. Great wine selection too. We had the dinner buffet here and it’s not the biggest selection, but it was again decent.

Large buffet breakfast with a wide variety of choices. You are sure to find something for everyone here. The food is also really good. The dining hall is magnificent and huge with large windows letting in lots of natural light and can see the falls from. White table cloth dining with full table service, you serve your own food. A small setback, we had reservation and upon arrival at the appropriate time we still had to wait 20-30 minutes to be seated, also the buffet options did not get replenished often even though there was ample servers, not sure why, bowls also would be a great addition for the fruit/oatmeal bar. Overall great serve and delicious breakfast in a gorgeous old historical hotel was a great experience. I would probably come back !

This place is always amazing. The hotel itself is amazing. But this done in room is really amazing. The food is always great. The service is always great. The drinks are great. I think the biggest thing about this place is the atmosphere, way worth stopping in and having some lunch when you're in the park.

Lunch at the Ahwahnee Dining Room turned out to be a fantastic stop in our Yosemite adventure. Nestled in the heart of the park, this historic dining hall blends rustic grandeur with exceptional culinary care--and it's a hit even for a discerning New Englander who knows his chowder. We kicked off with their house-made clam chowder. It's not your typical thick New England style, but a lighter broth-based version with bold, briny flavor and just the right depth. As a native East Coaster, I admit--this was damn good. For our daughters, the classic kid-friendly choices of a cheeseburger and chicken fingers hit the mark perfectly. My wife and I shared a beautifully stacked Montecristo sandwich, warm and satisfying, alongside a fresh Caesar salad topped with crispy fried capers and real anchovies--yes, real ones. It was elegant without being fussy, and every bite felt well thought out. Service was off the charts. We had three attentive servers who didn't miss a beat they were friendly, proactive, and genuinely cared that everything was perfect. That kind of hospitality makes all the difference, especially when dining with family. And surprisingly, the price didn't feel steep for a high-end national park dining experience: just under $80 (without tip and tax) for a family of four. Considering the quality, ambiance, and attentiveness, it's more than fair.

The lowlight of an otherwise wonderful Yosemite vacation. Had dinner reservations for the buffet and found it immediately disappointing. The atmosphere is very nice, but the buffet choices were slim and quality was poor. My husband had a piece of the prime rib which was incredibly fatty. The server had a very difficult time carving the meat, bad knife?, we don't know. Everything was cold, even food just being restocked in the chafing dishes. Macaroni and cheese was like glue. Our server was nice, however not attentive. She came back once but never checked to see if we needed any more iced tea. I had to flag her down for coffee and the check. Should have cancelled the reservation when I got a head's up from the local postmaster the day before that the quality of the food had gone way down once Aramark took over. Was over priced for the amount of food offered and the poor quality.

Family tradition always takes us to the Ahwahnee for lunch. I especially love getting iced tea and finger sandwiches. The gigantic fireplaces are like nothing I've ever seen before. Wait staff are always positive and prompt. Thank you for a wonderful and consistent experience!

We stayed at hotel and only ate in the main dining room once which was for breakfast. First off, the dining room is breathtaking, just beautiful and iconic. Tip, you don't have to stay at hotel to dine here. So my review of 5 stars is not about the food which was pretty average, although the fresh squeezed OJ was excellent, my 5 stars is due to our waiter, Alec. He was FANTASTIC and was full of great information, stories and just overall a gem of the entire establishment. I am a director in the lux hotel business and he is is epitome of a professional in his field. Hotel management please please please appreciate Alec for how amazing he is! Ok that's my review:)

Haven't been the the Ahwahnee dining room in over a decade. Been going to the mountain room the last few years but saw a steady decline in the food and service. Finally able to snag a reservation for dinner and stopped at the bar first for pre dinner drinks. Dining room is now a buffet service with options for bread and soup as well. Buffet had a nice selection of proteins and craving stations, salads, and plenty of sides. Food was delicious and it was nice having so many options. Ordered more drinks from the bar and grabbed a small plate of desserts too- wish they had more options there, but overall a good meal!

Yikes! I was VERY excited to dine at the historic and legendary Ahwahnee Dining Room (we stayed at the Ahwahnee Hotel during our Yosemite visit). Our breakfast reservation left us very disappointed. The worst part was the ambiance. This restaurant is supposed to be all about the grandeur of the wood lined hall, with its floor to ceiling window views of Yosemite out of the dining hall. The state of the dining hall was a mess. The windows were hammer boarded up due to construction, so the room was dark inside AND YOU COULD NOT SEE THE LEGENDARY SCENERY OUTSIDE. The dining room looked like a construction site and not a grand upscale restaurant. The construction noise coming from outside was unbearable during the meal. I heard rumors about how Aramark completely mismanages the hotel, and it was most apparent from the state of the dining room. As for food, I got the breakfast buffet and sampled a little bit of everything, and my husband got the foragers omelette. The food was NOT good at all. Nothing was fresh; for example the fruit all looked like it had been sitting out all evening. The bagels were soggy and the potatoes were bland. We paid $75 for this breakfast by the way. The only saving grace is the staff of the restaurant. Our server Justice was so kind and was going around to each table doing her best to salvage the experience.

A fine dining Buffet! I will say most of the things on the menu are very well done. The prine rib was excellent. The tri-tip was excellent. Thumbs up on the broccolini, the cauliflower, The Yukon mashed potatoes. Downs: They really missed the mark, however, on the shrimp--they obviously substituted cayenne pepper for paprika in the recipe. The quinoda was also quite plain. Because anchovies were featured in the original Caesar salad, they had anchovies on the side,, however. I'm pretty sure the originals would have been the highly salted variety, and these were more marinated in lemon juice. So, I'm not sure we had the flavor that the original had intended. But Service is Top Notch. The house wine, by the way, is excellent. Probably worthwhile for the experience.

The hotel is cool. I'm not sure how early you need to make reservations for the dining room because we checked a month out, and there were no reservations. I kept checking, but no luck. I also tried calling, but it's just goes to an automatic message; there's no way to reach them. Customer Service: They are very, very nice! I walked up to the Dining Room hostess. She was in the middle of a conversation with a guest. I waited for about 5+ mins with no acknowledgement even though I was right in front of her (can come off negatively), but she was was sweet when I did talk to her, so that made up for it. She was honest that the wait was going to be about 2-3 hours, with no guarantee that we will be seated that night. She recommended the bar instead. If you're not too hungry or in a rush, I recommend getting on the waitlist. They texted us that something was available in about 1-2 hours. Parking: It's valet parking only: $10 for a day-pass and $30 for overnight. Pricing: The buffet is $60, which usually is a great deal, but not so much with the limited menu at the time. Food: You cannot order from the menu; there is only a buffet setting that is rather limited. Atmosphere: The hotel is well-designed and fun to check out. However, there is no view due to construction, which was a huge selling point to diniing here. I think we will come back and try when the construction is done. Hopefully then they will return to their regular menu and not just the limited buffet.

Overall we had a great dining experience. Our 530 pm reservation was ready and we were seated right away. The dining hall has elegant cathedral like ceilings which reminded me of Hogwarts dining hall in Harry Potter. The servers were very friendly and attentive. The dining is buffet style. The salad and meat bar items tasted very high end. Unfortunately they were slow to refill the hot side items like polenta and shrimp which I didn't get to sample. The dessert bar was simple and about average. The bill was very high but we were very satisfied.

Overall you are paying for the incredible experience to dine in the Ahwahnee Hotel. A few things to know before you go the food is a buffet, a small selection but a good selection of a variety of items (Prime Rib, Shrimp, Chicken), a few side dishes and a desserts. The service was good for what we needed clearing of buffet plates and drink refills. They had a nice piano player and the experience itself was a 5/5 the food was closer to a 2/5. If you are going know it is the experience to dine in the restaurant and probably something you would do once and say you did it.

We went for breakfast buffet. Unfortunately the kitchen is still under construction so all of the food is made in the temp kitchen. Given that the food is amazing. The menu is more limited. but what they make is worth the price. I had the eggs benedict bacon, biscuits and chipotle sausage gravy. Coffee and fresh squeezed juice. It was all excellent. I can't wait until they can return to the updated kitchen.

This has definitely been my favorite dining experience in Yosemite so far. I recently made reservations through OpenTable to have breakfast at the Ahwahnee with my cousin. It was a little bit difficult to get reservations. I looked five days ahead of time, and there were only a few breakfast slots left-- and this was before busy season even officially started. Because the Ahwahnee Hotel is currently undergoing extensive reconstruction, some of the kitchen areas are closed. Rather than traditional service, they are currently only offering buffets for breakfast and dinner. I like trying everything on the menu, so, a buffet sounded great to me. I tried everything on the menu that didn't come with fish or eggs. Overall, I loved this buffet so much. This is how breakfast buffets should be done. It was full of fresh, delicious food that was mostly nutritious enough to eat before a long hike. My favorite item by far was the vegan sweet potato breakfast scramble. There was a little breakfast potato bar with the vegan scramble, country potatoes, ketchup, sour cream, and chives, and I tried it all. From the oatmeal bar, I loaded up a small dollop of oats with nuts, seeds, and dried berries. From the yogurt buffet, a dollop of yogurt with fresh melon, berries, and granola. I'm not a huge fan of chorizo, but I LOVED the chorizo gravy with the mini biscuits. Delicious. I was not as impressed by the sausage or bacon, but they were alright. I had to try at least one pastry, so I tried the mini Raspberry Danish. I also had one slice of French toast, and it was good. I failed to use any of the cute little Jams the waiter brought me. For drinks, we both had coffee and pineapple juice, but there were also several other juice options available. There was also a bagel bar with lox, and I think there was an omelet bar, but I didn't try these since I don't eat fish or eggs, and didn't want to fill up on a bagel and cream cheese. It was a bit pricey at about $32 each, especially considering the obscured view, but the service was outstanding, and I think we got our money's worth. I absolutely loved eating here, and hope I get to eat here again someday!

The service is very attentive and caring, and the hall is beautiful providing an amazing experience and atmosphere. This said, the food is terrible and IS A BUFFET!!! Why? Why? Why serve mediocre buffet food in such an amazing dining room? And the cost is completely ridiculous given the quality of the food.

Wonderful meal and dining experience in this historic dining room. Staff was very attentive. Currently dinner is buffet style but began with a wonderful salad bar. Great meat selections and fabulous dessert selections and coffee. Both house white and red wines were delicious.

Service was good, both waiter and server very nice and attentive. Service/chef was very slow and not refilling food dishes fast enough when the restaurant is buffet. Very overpriced at $63 for buffet and not many options. Not worth it. Dinner was at 6:15pm, and items out were potatoes, prawns and vegetables. Then 30 mins later, potatoes refilled but salad was out. Chicken tender dried out. Prime Rib has creamy horseradish which was good. Potatoes were good. Ambiance with decor and piano music very nice!

Really enjoyed our dinner last night. Great for families! Prime rib and tomato bisque was our favorite, but everything was pretty good. Caesar salad actually offered anchovies, my favorite. Our 11 year old enjoyed her chicken tenders and mac and cheese. Yummy bread. Dessert assortment was perfect. Service was excellent, ambience beautiful with a talented pianist. We are going back for dinner tonight!

The ambiance was really nice and cozy but they only have a few selection of food. Everything we ordered were good but the serving size was small. The service was fast.

Where do I even start? I mean the location is second to none. We're talking Yosemite National Park here so you know the view is going to be amazing. Then you walk in (with a reservation of course) and realize you've stepped into a architect juxtaposition; a log cabin with a high ceiling mixed with a banquet room prepared for royalty. Be sure to get a table by the windows. During the summer you'll see the water fall, during the winter it will be a blanket of white. Then there's the menu. Everything from venison to prime rib, squash ravioli to smoked trout, and desserts that are just as amazing. Your bar and cocktail options are some of the best you'll ever find and wines for that perfect pairing are awaiting in the cellar. I highly recommend coming for lunch or supper, but then return for the Sunday breakfast buffet. It will be everything you think of for breakfast and so much more. And, it gives you an excuse to walk around the entire banquet room (aka, get plenty of photos). This is the kind of place (and service team) that will spoil you. Nothing but perfection after visiting here.

What an experience to dine at the Ahwahnee in the park! Unfortunately they only had a buffet style set up since they're remodeling but all in all it was still nice to dine there. Reservations seemed pretty much required and check the dress code beforehand if it's enforced or not because I think typically there is one but with the renovations things are more fluid. Food quality was just okay but I mean what you're paying for mostly is the ambiance.

Celebrated Valentines Day at the dining room at The Awahnee. They are only offering a buffet at this time for breakfast and dinner (no al la carte). The had oysters, plump juicy shrimp, and crudite for appetizers. Tomato bisque soup was good but could be warmer. The Caesar salad and spring salad were so fresh! The carving station featured prime rib, which was lacking in flavor, BUT an AMAZING beef tenderloin!! Served with a rich peppercorn sauce. The rock cod was delicate and seasoned with spices like coriander with pickled Japanese cucumbers on top. The Mary's chicken with caper cream sauce was also delish. The sides including roasted potatoes, rice, curried cauliflower, asparagus, shrimp in curry sauce, and a killer Mac'n'cheese. The desserts were forgettable. The service however was great! Attentive even though it was buffet style. The room itself is gorgeous and had a very romantic ambiance, especially with the piano player. You feel transported to another time.

Great food, beautiful ambiance, and great service. Felt like I was in a scene of Beauty and the Beast. The man playing the piano added a perfect touch.

Unfortunately we couldn't get dinner reservations - my bad - but we were able to get reservations for the brunch the next day - casual attire - the selection wasn't the most extensive, but there were plenty of different items to fill your stomach and they were pretty good! I couldn't believe that they had eggs benedict - I expected them to be cold and gross but I tried them anyway and they were fresh, warm, gooey, plenty of hollandaise - they must just continuously crank them out and rotate them whether gone or not - they also have bagels and eggs and bacon and sausage and fruit - but I returned for another eggs benedict - seriously, so good - the price is very reasonable considering where you are, and where you are eating - Yosemite...at the Ahwahnee! Beautiful building. Unfortunately there is construction going on, so all of the views out of the windows were of equipment and containers - if you want a view, you need to go to the Mountain Room right now. The orange juice tasted definitely fresh squeezed. The coffee was...acceptable. $32 for an adult, and $15 for kids. Usually more, but they did not have a carvery station or seafood - not enough people in the park probably. I don't care! I had plenty of good food, and the wait staff was very pleasant!

Had a phenomenal breakfast buffet here. We had heard horror stories about what a terrible job Aramark have been doing running the food establishments in the park (the breakfast on previous day in main pavilion was pretty bad, powdered eggs etc). The dining room here in the old hotel is half the experience, giant wooden cathedral ceilings. View is also fantastic. Food was pretty decent with quite a lot of selections. Best part were our 2 servers, Alec and Kat, almost embarrassing the amount of time they spent chatting to us, so friendly and with all sorts of advice. Really made it a memorable experience. We also adjusted our activities to follow some of the advice given. Go if you are in the area- it's $32 for breakfast and you will eat way too much but enjoy the memories!

While this location is beautiful the cost of a breakfast buffet was a total of $105 with a tip for ONE person. Let me repeat the word "buffet". And a very unimpressive one at that. All of the food was bordering on cold. I've had better pastries from the local grocery store. Very very expensive for what you are getting it really felt like a total rip off. They sat us by the window so we could see the view, as if you can't see the view as soon as you step outside. Totally disappointing.

This dining room ambiance was incredible. I felt like I was in beauty and the beast while we ate. Just loved the candle chandeliers and rustic style! Such a cute spot for a date night. The night we ate they were serving swordfish and quinoa, stuffed peppers, hummus and veggies, asparagus, shrimp, and potatoes. The swordfish was nothing insane. The quinoa that went with it had wayyyy to much salt in it. I however did LOVE the potatoes and really liked the hummus! Our waitress was nice as could be! All the desserts were very very sweet (take that as you will if you like that or dont). The brownie was particularly delicious bc of how fudgey it was. I would go again just for the ambiance.

Still only providing buffet service while the main dining room renovations are under way. Great food choice but a little pricey at $63 for adults.

Prime Rib was mushy as was the Macaroni. Ambiance and Service was excellent. Desert selection was OK. Serving area got crowded.

I went to the dining room with a large party, they only have a buffet option right now as they are remodeling. The staff was unsure about when the full restaurant will reopen. As for the buffet, it wasn't what I was expecting but good overall. The chicken and fish options were the best in my opinion, and the lemon bar dessert. The other items were good as well, but nothing was overly amazing. I will go back again, but I think I will now focus on just my favorites and load up on those items, rather than trying a little bit of everything.

Amazing place. Good lunch and fantastic ambience. Nice people working there. I've been wanting to go there for years and was glad we finally could. Well worth it

At $700 a night for a musty, old, stale room in a painfully outdated hotel the food matched its energy 100% and then some. I'm puzzled by the reviews of people who think the food was 5stars. The staff is friendly but tired and aware of their limitations. The food is on a legue of its own, not worth the run down of disappointments and embarrassments but it's what happens when there's no resources in place and food just needs to get to the table no matter what. Pass and try to eat at curry village or elsewhere if possible.

Beautiful setting for dinner. Food is served buffet style with a decent amount of selections.

The Awhahnee Dining Room, Yosemite National Park, CA, December 31, 2023. We've been celebrating the time leading up New Year's Day at Yosemite National Park on and off for almost 30 years. There are few places we've traveled to that have the same kind of grander as the Valley and the majestic wonders (El Capitan, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, Bridal Falls, etc.) that surround it. Part of our New Year's tradition is to have brunch at the Awhahnee Hotel Grand Dining Room. The room itself is stunning, with a 30 foot tall vaulted ceiling, crisscross timbers overhead, and large floor-to-ceiling windows allowing the light of the forest and outside valley to stream into the room. The room was decorated nicely this time of year with a tall lit up Christmas tree at one end of the room. The breakfast buffet goes from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. At this time, it cost $32 for adults and $14.50 for children. Reservations are highly recommended. The Dining Room just completed an eleven-month-long earthquake retrofit project, and only reopened on December 14, 2023. Accordingly, the usual food selection and service was not online. The kitchen is still undergoing renovations. The restoration project is expected to be finished in spring or summer of next year. That's when the dining room will return to regular a la carte menus and table service using waiters and waitresses. For this particular breakfast for four, buffet food choices were little more than scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, fried potatoes, and a few other options - a vegan veggie-fry, fruit, waffles, biscuits, salmon, and desserts. They may also have had some eggs Benedict, but I missed that. We have had some wonderful meals at the Dining Room over past years, but this year I was pretty disappointed. Nothing special about the food. The fried potatoes were cold and food choices were too limited. The service was good as always with unlimited coffee and juice; however, $160 with tip for 4 skimpy breakfasts was not worth it to me. I'll be glad when the the full kitchen is back online.

I enjoyed dinner here recently with a friend on a Saturday evening. Since the kitchen is currently under a remodel, the chef's are working out of a temporary mobile kitchen. So needless to say, the full dinner menu was not available. Dinner was only available buffet style. It was pricey, yes, but as the saying goes, you only live once. My friend and I enjoyed the variety of courses offered in the buffet. The deserts were on the small side, I would suspect that they were brought in and not made on site. I feel we were very fortunate to enjoy the service and the ambiance of the Ahwahnee dining room. This place just feels magical. Wanted to thank all the great people that work at the Ahwahnee that make this all possible. Looking forward to my next visit.

Excellent food. Excellent service. Excellent view of the waterfall. Excellent ambiance. Were honored to set at the Queen's table.

Aramark management has made Yosemite a terrible experience for customers & employees alike Wait times for lunch were more than an hour! The one server on duty had to run around apologizing for the delays & explain that there's only 1 cook on staff for a dinning room for 40+ people (Btw: the staff did a GREAT job considering the circumstances) Multiple article have been written recently about what a disaster this vendor is. Cant believe they keep getting contracts to work in Yosemite. Will write to our representative soon about Aramark management and the awful service they're providing for their staff and the public https://www.opb.org/article/2023/12/13/crater-lake-national-park-aramark-hospitality-business-restaurant-service/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Yosemite/s/Y2UA6qlMQq

This restaurant is in one of the most beautiful places in the world. It is a historic room with amazing views. However, for the price, the food was lacking. The food (breakfast and dinner) was underwhelming. The fish was cold, the sides were mushy, and the chicken was flavorless. I understand they're working with a limited kitchen and a buffet, but then the price should reflect that. Breakfast was ok, but dinner was disappointing. For over $60/person I expected much more. The servers at breakfast were phenomenal, dinner was so-so.

This place was terrible. $60 per person for a buffet style food where the only edible item was the meat. The salad was overdressed, fish was no good and the dessert was inedible. Not to mention the service was inattentive and dismissive. How can you possibly mess up such a beautiful venue this badly? Avoid at all costs. A bit further away the Mountain Room is an actual proper restaurant with much better food.

I understand that they are going through a remodel (April 2025), but the dining experience wasn't worth the price. The food was average, and nothing stood out as great. Much of the food was not kept at the appropriate temperature, and the bass was severely overcooked. My wife commented that the desserts seemed like you could pick up equivalents at a warehouse club. On the plus side, the staff was very polite and attentive, but overall the experience was a let down.

The Buffet Saturday night was awesome Prime rib and Tri- tip was cooked to perfection. It's rare to have 1 thing that's good but everything was done just right. Asparagus, mashed potatoes, yellow and green squash, salad, baked bass, beans. Dessert were first class. Wait staff were exceptional Monica and Leidy were first class on top of everything. They changed the cloth napkins every I went to get more food. I'm 77 years old and eaten in a lot of places and I put the Ahwahnee Hotel restaurant in my top 5 of all time. I can't wait to return and plan to stay at the hotel next time.

I really thought I would be able to sit in the grand dining room, so I brought a suit to this mountain resort, and found that the main dining room was closed for restoration and repairs. Well, no one was wearing a suit in the side dining rooms and the buffet was quite limited and really not worth the cost of what they charge. Dinner featured prime rib, which was delicious, but buffets should have a choice of more main courses for this who choose to not eat meat. For breakfast, I enjoyed the oatmeal with all the toppings, but everything else seemed to be from a contractor or catered. If you visit and wanted eat in the main dining, I would wait. Otherwise, the staff were very hospitable and made the experience a tad more palatable, under these circumstances.

We have been coming here for 16 years for our anniversary and this was so disappointing. Their kitchen is being renovated but there are so many things they could have done instead of this terrible buffet. So many bad things to say about the food but I'll just pick the worst. The Halibut... This fish should never be served in a buffet. It was a brick. The flavors were spot on but the fish was so over cooked that i couldn't take a second bite. The only thing worth eating is the Prime Rib. They could have a prefix menu or anything else. The servers are over it too. They have been fine dining servers for years and now the buffet... They don't even care anymore. And the price, didn't even get me started on the price. The room is still beautiful and the pianist is great but that doesn't make anything worth $68.

Staff was super friendly which is why I'm giving this 4 stars. Came for breakfast buffet and the food was average/decent. They're doing buffet style for the next few months until the renovations to the kitchen are complete. Dining room and tables were clean and it's a cool space.

A big disappointment despite all the hype. The food is mediocre at best and the presentation is very lackluster - akin to a backyard bbq on some levels. Service is tired. There is really no value in the food or the setting. Don't bother with the dress code - come as you like as we saw several parties wearing shorts and t-shirts. A sad decline for such an iconic venue. I should have trusted all of the other reviews but was too stubborn.

This is bout the food not the service. If you can wait till their done with renovations I'd recommend that. We overheard the server say that their normal kitchen is not accessible so they're using a temporary one which is why they switched you a buffet model. The food was luke warm and mediocre. For the price it's not worth it.

You can't believe the grandeur and beauty of the Ahwahnee Hotel's Dining Room. It harkens back to an earlier era when lucky families could dine in elegance at this grand old palace. Unfortunately, the food today, served via buffet, does not match the milieu. First off, all of the food was either cold or lukewarm. We sent our cold soup, served in ice cold dishes, back to get it warmed up. The bread rolls were dry and without any flavor we could discern. The "salads" were swimming in excess dressing to the extent that the lettuce was soggy and limp--an embarrassment to decent salads everywhere. The beef tenderloin was cold and dry. The shrimp was tossed from a frozen bag into a steamer and had little flavor--despite all of the ginger they threw into the steamer with it. The rice and mashed potatoes were equally tasteless. Desert continued the overall disappointment with the meal. The petit fours were going thru at least their second or third turn at the buffet table and they were cold and stale. The service was passable despite being served the wrong drink and having a waiter say "I'll have to ask someone" when we requested to have our cold soup rewarmed. Entirely underwhelming meal and not worth the trip down from our room to have to endure it. We left most of our food on our plates and no one bothered to ask why. Overall--yuk. What a sad meal to be served in such a grand place. Whomever in responsible for this culinary disaster should be ashamed.

I have a few problems with this place, the main factor is the price for dinner. About $60 per adult is outrageous for what you are served. I understand that the food is buffet style and that technically you can eat your value's worth. However many of the food options that were available weren't even that good. The food was passable at best and my favorite dish was the chicken tenders, deserts, and coffee. Which I could just get somewhere else or even try to make for myself. The service was very nice however, and the ambiance was very fancy but dated. It reminded me of hogwart's main hall or something. I understand that the Ahwahnee Dining Room is supposed to be legendary and famous but considering it's status, I'd say that The Ahwahnee Dining hall has decayed with time and all that keeps it alive is it's reputation. Taste: 3/10 Presentation: 2/10 Staff: 10/10 Price for what you get: 1/10 Overall: 3/10

IMHO I knew in advance of our stay at the Ahwahnee, that the Grand Dining Room was undergoing seismic upgrades, and that we'd be dining buffet in the Solarium. On their website it states that it will reopen in "Fall of 2023"... From what we saw, it will be much longer than that, perhaps Spring 2024. Yes, we were slightly disappointed, but hey, we're staying at the Ahwahnee! I made advance dinner and breakfast reservations for our stay. When we checked in at the Front Desk, they apologized for the closure of the Grand Dining room, BUT they gave us a $100 food credit ($50 per day) to use at either one of their dining establishments; the Solarium or the bar. Dinner buffet, $59 pp. We were delighted to be greeted by restaurant host, Sam from Yosemite! Yes, "Yosemite Sam"!!! He was kind enough to let me take his picture (with his name tag!!!) Our table and the Solarium were lovely and the views from our vantage point were nice. Okay, let's cut to the chase. Great service here, but just "okay" food. The buffet offerings were average at best. Not a lot of food options to choose from, and what there was, didn't look very appetizing. It began with the cold bread rolls brought to our table with two pats of chilled butter. Suffice it to say, please warm the rolls in a microwave before serving them. I love bread, but I could barely eat my roll... I opted for some Caesar salad, prime rib with au jus, a small scoop of macaroni & cheese, asparagus, and oven roasted potatoes. Unfortunately, the buffet food warmers don't keep the food hot, just lukewarm. I like my food to be hot... The only food I enjoyed was the prime rib and au jus. Nothing else was notable, not even dessert, which consisted of small cheesecake bites, brownies, fruit cups, small tarts. None of these were baked in-house, I'm sure. I never went back for seconds of anything, and that says a lot. I did not get "bang for my buck" with this buffet. I was so glad we were given the food credit! Segue to the breakfast buffet a few days later. It was slightly better, only because I really enjoyed the lox and bagels with yummy whipped cream cheese, and the mini waffles. Take a look at my picture of the scrambled eggs, which looked like some mysterious alien yellow blob next to the "roasted" potatoes. These potatoes were soft and missing the crusty edges. The problem is that the covered warming trays steam the food. This caused the mini waffles to be soft, not crisp. My tip if you want crispy waffles, get them when they've been re-stocked with a fresh supply. Yeah, I know, that's hit-or miss. Bacon was good, but sausages were too tough. For this meal, I did go back for seconds on the salmon, waffles and bacon. I don't know if I'll ever return to the Ahwahnee, but if I do, I pray the main dining room is open!

Dinner buffet in the ornate, spectacular dining room: just one of those things you should do if you're here and have a reason to splurge. The food is not memorable in any way, neither bad nor good. But with the history, the architecture, the friendly service, and the live piano music, overall it was a great experience.

I went here for my birthday dinner and it was amazing! Even though it was buffet style, the service was impeccable, the food was great and I loved loved the horseradish sauce for the rib eye. The dining room is gorgeous. Such a nice ambience. I am definitely going back!