Tahoe Restaurants: Outdoor Dining

Every town has places where the locals go to have fun, and Emerald Bay fits the bill in South Lake Tahoe. Emerald Bay Bar & Grill serves breakfast, lunch and dinner daily and offers daily happy hour specials. Be sure to try their famous $2 tacos, Chili Verde weekend breakfast and Steak and Shrimp Saturday dinner. The sports bar is a gathering spot for friends to meet and watch the game on one of the nine flat-screen TVs. This is a great spot for outdoor dining on the large patio with a fire pit as its centerpiece and horseshoes to play. The everyday happy hour runs from 3 to 6 p.m. and includes specials on beer, wine and liquor. Breakfast, running from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., has long been a locals' favorite, with specialties such as the colossal country-fried steak, crab Benedict, Summit Sandwich and more. Don't miss Emerald Bay Bar & Grill's famous Ultimate Bloody Mary on weekends during the football season. 

Enjoy beautiful lake views from Jason's summer deck or dine inside in a rustic, old Tahoe atmosphere by their cozy fire-pit. Their menu features American classics such as slow-roasted prime rib, seafood, pasta, gourmet burgers and nightly specials. Savor their house specialty, slow-cooked baby back ribs. Jason’s offers a full bar with a wide selection of draft beers. A kids' menu is available, so bring the whole family. You'll find Jason’s on the beach in the heart of Kings Beach.

The Lake Tahoe AleWorX Taproom at the Y has a more family-friendly appeal. It features local craft brew with a self-serve concept that allows customers to pour for themselves, delicious wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas, salads and an atmosphere that is pure High Sierra. This location opens to a large patio that features fire pits and frequent live music for guests to enjoy. The patio is shared by its sister restaurant, The Cocktail Corner, where guests can order food from AleWorX, listen to live music and enjoy a craft cocktail all at the same time. 

Offering hearty gourmet dining and bar specials in a nostalgic atmosphere, River Ranch is a landmark destination for visitors and a locals' favorite year-round. Nestled on the banks of the Truckee River, River Ranch is poised to catch people tubing down the mellow rapids during the heat of the summer and to capture the après-ski crowd funneling down from the ski resorts during the cold winter nights. Their seasonal patio is home to an outdoor bar that serves the iconic Class V River Rum Punch and their famous nachos, with alfresco dining under the stars. The cozy and intimate indoor bar and restaurant are known for memorable meals, scenic river views and gathering around one of the two fireplaces. Their menu brings together all the summer and winter favorites with California cuisine and rotating specials and is proud to offer game, fish, chicken, burgers and veggie options. They also provide 19 small, boutique-style rooms for guests; reservations are highly recommended.

Spindleshanks American Bistro is housed in a modern lodge on the Old Brockway Golf Course in Kings Beach. Decks out back and around the side provide alfresco dining with a view of the golf course. Inside it’s cozy and light with high ceilings, wood floors and a couple of fireplaces. Dinner options are eclectic with oysters, pork-belly tacos and nightly seafood specials. Notables are the Ginger Lemongrass Brick Chicken served with Asian slaw and mushroom pot stickers and the Roasted Butternut Squash Ravioli in sage brown butter and candied pecans. Spindleshanks is well-known for its weekday happy hour featuring discounted wines, well drinks and appetizers. If you should have to wait for a table, there are a few bocce ball courts on the property. Spindleshanks is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s a great place to fill up before golf in the summer or to enjoy an après-ski happy hour in the winter.