One thing I really love is when a restaurant exceeds my expectations, and last week Yosemite Falls Café did just that. Having only heard reviews from other people, I was expecting a very Denny’s-esque coffeehouse atmosphere complete with cheesy paper placemats, bulletproof tableware and sticky menus. What I found however, pleasantly surprised me…

Our tasting panel of hungry office workers decided to head over to the newly opened Yosemite Falls at Granite Park expecting to get a quick bite of “diner food,” but once we walked in the front door, my preconceived notions started to change. Yosemite Falls took over the old ‘Public House’ building, so at first I was expecting the décor to be an eclectic mix of vintage ale signs, mounted animal heads and various other pub clutter. Well, the animal heads are still there, but they’ve really spent some time celebrating the Yosemite theme by putting up log paneling, using heavy burl wood tables and trading in the bagpipe bric-a-brac for cast-iron cookware ornamentation instead. Very Yosemite-ish indeed…

"You can tell a lot about a kitchen by the soup of the day, so when our waitress told us the soup was homemade chicken enchilada, I had to go for a bowl."

Our Hostess walked us to our table in the very back room (the place goes on forever…) and seated us at a roomy fireside table. Menus were passed out and again, my preconceived notions were wrong. First off, the menus weren’t sticky at all (though the place had only been open for 3 days at this point) and when I opened one up, I was amazed at the sheer amount of items available. I was only expecting the usual two-egg breakfasts and fried sandwiches but instead was met with a mouth-watering assortment of Yosemite-inspired starters, burgers and entrees. We’re talking about a solid five pages of food to choose from!

Now, on to lunch. Being in the mood for meat (carnivore that I am), I opted for one of their famous ½ lb burgers. I was wrestling with the idea of tackling the “El Capitan” one-pounder, but my Brother decided to take one for the team assuring that at least ONE of the Bolings has their picture on the Wall of Fame (if you eat the entire burger, you get your picture taken). As a joke, we had the waitress take a picture of my two month old son instead…

"Yosemite Fall’s burgers really are worth the visit!"

So, how were the burgers? Mine was very tasty! The burgers have that wonderful charbroiled taste you’d only get with open flame cooking and the bun was light and buttery. Perfectly seasoned and actually cooked to medium-rare (unlike some other places that ask you how you’d like your burger to be cooked only to then tell you they can only serve it medium-well or well… what’s up with that?!), Yosemite Fall’s burgers really are worth the visit!

Other than the burgers, our table of tasting professionals (okay, maybe not professionals – but hungry all the same) enjoyed various other menu offerings, and everyone was raving about the food. One particular item that looked appealing was the house Turkey Deluxe sandwich. Talk about generous portions! Imagine a turkey club on steroids served on a golden asiago ciabatta roll… Again, no complaints. 

As far as sides go, the fries were crispy and hot when they hit the table, the potato salad was nicely seasoned with a hint of dill and the salads were fresh cut lettuce with just the right amount of dressings. All in all, the place far exceeded my expectations.

To wrap up, I plan on returning to Yosemite Falls in the very near future to try out their breakfasts, and then maybe for dinner. Actually, I might make it one of my regular spots! Heck, my baby boy’s picture is on the Wall of Fame…

As far as Cafés go, five out of five stars.

Be sure to check out their interactive website!

www.yosemitefallscafe.net