Went for dinner on a Sunday night and the service was TERRIBLE. First they forgot to take our dinner order, then they told us it was last call to order food, then they forgot to bring our appetizer but still tried to charge us for it. When the food came, they forgot to bring silverware & condiments so we had to steal them from another table because the waiter kept disappearing. It wasn’t even busy! They rushed us out at the end (we had been there 45 mins and it wasn’t even 8:30) and included a mandatory gratuity even though we were only a party of 4 (the menu says automatic gratuity for parties of 8+). They were completely unapologetic throughout. And the food was pretty mediocre. Overall terrible experience - go somewhere else!
Our party of 10 came in and asked for table availability. A woman at the front desk said we’d have to wait for the hostess. Shortly after, an older gentleman, Don came and said he would have to check if there are any tables available. He went to the back room to check. A caucasian family of 7 came in not even 5 minutes after and asked for a table. Mind you both of us had no reservations. The table of 7 were immediately seated at the restaurant without having to wait for the hostess. When asked why they were seated first, they said that we did not check in with the host. When we rebutted, that we did check in and another host was checking for us, she asked if we had any reservations. When we asked if the family of 7 had reservations, they said they did not! They told us we can sit at the bar instead, at that point, we just left because the restaurant seemed to only cater to a certain demographic. Customers are better off going to Fat Cat Bar & Grill.
A Snowy Evening Delight at Sunnyside Restaurant and Lodge
On a night when snow was rewriting our dinner plans, Jessica and I found ourselves seeking refuge at Sunnyside Restaurant and Lodge, a gem on Lake Tahoe's West Shore. Ditching my grilling ambitions for a cozier setting seemed like fate as we pulled into Sunnyside, a decision that turned out to be a stroke of culinary genius.
Arriving a tad early, we were welcomed to the bar, where the bartender was already in full swing, ready to quench our thirst and warm our spirits. The menu, rich in choices, made our decision-making a pleasant challenge.
Sunnyside, like Garwoods, boasts stunning lake views, making it a summer hotspot. But on this blustery evening, with snow painting the world outside, the warmth of the bar felt like a sanctuary. The atmosphere inside was as comforting as the weather was wild.
The bartender, doubling as our server, was nothing short of fantastic, ensuring our experience was as smooth as the drinks he expertly crafted. Dinner was a parade of flavors, each dish hitting all the right notes, making us forget the chaos of the snowstorm outside.
"Sunnyside Restaurant and Lodge: Where comfort meets flavor, no matter the weather."
Terrible service.
A caucasian family of 7 was seated before our party of 10 because the woman at the desk had to “check the situation first” . We noticed there were seats available. We were then told to find seating in the bar as the dining room was full. The woman proceeded to ask if we had a reservation . But the family that was seated did not have one as we had asked.
Very disappointed in our experience , clearly it was an issue with our demographic as a group.
Highly recommend going to Fat Cat bar and grill instead ! We were seated with no issues !
This was our first time visiting Lake Tahoe, and we wanted to stay as close to the lake as possible, so we booked a room at Sunnyside.
The lodge is a classic, traditional style true to its earlier years, which gave it somewhat of a nostalgic feel. If you're looking for fancy, state of the art decor or ambiance, this is not the place for you. With that being said, we enjoyed the old-school style lodge.
We had a partial lakeside view from our room, but the best views are from the restaurant deck and when you walk out to the marina. The boats and lake view are absolutely beautiful during sunrise, and the water from the faucet is clean and refreshing via the awesome filtration system of Lake Tahoe. They even give you a complimentary plastic water bottle for you to keep so you can stay hydrated.
The food was delicious and our waitress was very helpful and friendly. There were only a few restaurants near the lodge that were accessible by foot, but we were able to Uber and Lyft to other parts of Lake Tahoe with no problems. Note that during holidays, the traffic can get pretty heavy since there is only 2 way traffic.
There are beautiful views of the majestic trees in the forest areas and wonderful areas of the lake that you could walk along the beachside, this trip was very memorable and we would definitely be back next time we're in Lake Tahoe.
We have always enjoyed our stay at Sunnyside in past years, but this time was very disappointing. The room we had was very run down, very poor lighting in the sitting area with a very heavy cleaning product smell permeating the room, and we had a problem with the fire not continuing to burn in the fireplace. The deck was unswept with dead plants in the wooden planters outside of our sliding door. In fact, the sliding door was very hard to open, close and lock with chipped mounding around the door. It appeared that a person who had parked in the space outside our room was not a guest but sleeping overnight in their van! We also had dinner in the restaurant during our stay. In the past we had delicious meals, not this time! The food was mediocre and very expensive, not worth what we were charged. It’s a shame that such a lovely historic inn is not up to the standard that it used to be.
We really needed a getaway after a recent loss. We were looking forward to our lakefront view as shown in the extremely limited property photos. Our small queen suite was exactly that. Small, quirky and not really lakefront. We overlooked a parking lot and small marina and boat rental and were jot directly over the water as pictured online. The room had ridiculous angles and really felt like one room with a diagonal wall divide to make it a suite. The space to walk through to get into the bathroom was only 24” wide between the quirky wall (which I walked into in the dark) and dresser. ||We made it work for our four nights. The sofa was comfortable. The bed had a good mattress but too fluffy pillows and slightly rough bedding. I had to use my clothing as a pillow.||The maid service did not check shower soaps and the refrigerator was too small and smelly.||Lastly, the breakfast offered enough when it was stocked, which was not consistent. One of the staff was rude to me about the hot water actually being coffee and did not apologize when it was true. Other staff came by to take food that was behind the counter for themselves, and did not restock food for the guests, leaving empty trays. Afternoon beverages were good, but the smoke from the fireplace below rose up and made it difficult to stay in the area. Something about the cookies was not quite right and after one we avoided them.
Sunnyside restaurant is fantastic. Pretty small menu. But very very good. The deep fried zucchini was fantastic. Drinks were great! Would recommend to anyone coming to Lake Tahoe!
Beautiful location, but parking is a bit difficult. There is parking on the surrounding streets, which makes for a nice stroll. The restaurant itself is beautiful and has a cozy feel to it. The service was slow, we would have drank 3x as much if the waiter would have just checked on us more frequently. The food was good, but nothing special. If you want good comfort food this is a good place to eat. They do not have a lot of items on their menu, though.
The food here is ok in terms of taste.. they use to have a more robust menu and the portions were more generous. The slim menu and the portion control is maybe better suited for bar folks or older folks with minor appetites. We ordered two appetizers, a salad and one taco entree. We should have been full but had to hit another place because we (2) were still hungry.
