YOUR AD HERE »

9 Lake Tahoe restaurants serving Thanksgiving Day dinner

Rina Parsley of the Lone Eagle Grille in Incline Village suggests diners tell their server what type of alcohol they prefer along with flavor preferences.
Courtesy / Lone Eagle Grille

DOS & DON'TS

Remember: You may be celebrating a day off, but the lovely people cooking and delivering your food are working ... on Thanksgiving ... instead of being with their families. Don’t be an ass. If you’re not happy with the service or the food, find a way to kindly express your displeasure. Remember the cardinal rule: “Don’t **** with people who handle your food.”

Call ahead: Most businesses are closed on Thanksgiving, meaning the few that are open fill up fast. Literally every single place listed in this story recommends making reservations. Heed the warnings — nobody wants to spend the day driving around the lake only to end up at McDonald’s.

Embrace the alternative: For some of us, $40-$100 is a big chunk of change for one dinner. Consider the ski bum special: a Dominos pizza and a couple 40s of OE. Now you’re living like a local.

Thanksgiving: Easily the best holiday ever. Period.

It’s one of the few days of the year we can all be disgusting slobs free of the guilt that prevents us from becoming a society of scooter-riding blobs perpetually looking for the next meal (or deal at Wal-Mart).

And all of this gluttony is shared in the presence of the people we love most … and some others we love a little less (looking at you, racist uncle Jim).



Some of us, however, will forego the picturesque Thanksgiving scene — the whole family gathered around the dining room table — for one reason or another.

Maybe family is far away. Maybe you don’t feel like spending the entire day fretting over fixins while your increasingly intoxicated family members ask if they can help (it’s an empty gesture deployed so they don’t look like an a**hole as they grab their eighth Budweiser from the fridge). Maybe you’re tired of the traditional gathering each year and simply looking to shake it up (who wants to watch the Detroit Lions lose another Turkey Day game?).



Still, even those of us breaking free from same-old, same-old need a place to grab a decent meal. After all, Thanksgiving is about cramming as many calories down your gullet as possible. Good food is priority No. 1.

Here are a few of the places serving up delicious Turkey Day feasts.

SOUTH SHORE

On South Shore Riva Grill will be serving up a traditional three-course Thanksgiving dinner (in addition to its regular menu) in the Ski Run Marina starting at 1 p.m. A warning: It might be excruciatingly difficult to choose your entree (choices include slow roasted turkey with gravy, cornbread stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans and cranberry sauce; or spiced ham with honey glaze, mashed sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, pears, apple wood smoked bacon and citrus drizzle. Cost is $44 for adults and $26 for kids. Find information at http://www.rivagrill.com.

The Beacon Bar & Grill at Camp Richardson will be serving up a four-course menu price fixed at $40. Have your choice of starters (cranberry shrimp, anyone?), soup or salad (salad on Thanksgiving is treason — go with the soup), main course (16-ounce ribeye with all the toppings … yes please) and dessert (gotta go with the pumpkin and walnut cobbler). There, we just did all the work for you. Head to http://www.camprichardson.com for information.

Zephyr Cove Resort will be serving up a Thanksgiving family buffet from noon to 8 p.m. It’s now secret that the buffet is one of mankind’s greatest inventions, right up there with the Model T, internet and ski pole that doubles as a flask. Why make commitments when you can have seemingly endless choices? Check out http://www.zephyrcove.com for the full Thanksgiving day menu.

If none of those fine South Shore establishments do it for you, there’s multiple options at Edgewood Lake Tahoe (visit bit.ly/EdgewoodThanksgiving for details).

The casinos are another option — they would all manage to stay open even amid the Apocalypse.

NORTH SHORE

One of the best venues anywhere around the lake is Lone Eagle Grille. Located right on Lake Tahoe in Incline Village, the views are practically impossible to match. Unsurprisingly, the Thanksgiving Day feast is equally exceptional. There are way too many options on the menu to list here. Lone Eagle tries to simplify all the offering by grouping them into categories, such as “all the trimmings” and “seafood corner” and “cheese display” and “farmer’s market” and “chilled display” and “entrees” and “kid’s corner” and “Chef Jeremy’s Dessert Display” and … you get the idea (seriously there are more, and these are categories, meaning there are multiple options under each category). At $100 per person (ages 13 and older, while those 5-12 get in for $35) the dinner is on the pricer end. However, the price is totally reasonable if you take a look at the menu. Seriously, where are you going to find a feast with a cheese display (featuring six different types of cheeses)? Find the complete menu and details at http://www.loneeaglegrille.com/thanksgiving2018.

On the opposite side of Tahoe’s North Shore in Tahoe City is Granlibakken Tahoe. The all-encompassing resort serves up a Thanksgiving feast, which is free to guests at the resort (the rest of use pay $75 for those 10 and older). Each dinner includes a turkey carved table-side, sides and desserts. Granlibakken also offers vegetarian options. Best part: Granlibakken lets you take home the leftovers. Learn more at granlibakken.com.

Gar Woods Grill & Pier also offers stunning views and a more traditional Thanksgiving Day menu. Have your choice of soup or salad, entree and dessert. The bar opens at noon for drinks and football while the kitchen runs from 1-8 p.m. Cost is $44 for adults, $26 for children 10 and younger. Visit http://www.garwoods.com for information.

If none of those strike your fancy (it’s quite possible you’re the pickiest person ever) try Big Water Grille in Incline Village. Chef Manny Baez will be serving up rosemary-orange roasted diestel turkey, pan seared salmon and other entree options. Click here for information.

Squaw also hosts a Thanksgiving dinner. Check out squawalpine.com for information.


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

Readers around the Lake Tahoe Basin and beyond make the Tahoe Tribune's work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Your donation will help us continue to cover COVID-19 and our other vital local news.