Cambria Pines Lodge Restaurant — Restaurant in Cambria

My wife and I received the Dinner Package for our 3-night stay for our 25th anniversary. We chose to eat at the Cambria Pines Restaurant the first night of our stay. We were seated by a cozy outdoor fireplace in a covered section. The tables appeared to be custom designed to fit the space. There are 2 outdoor fireplace seating areas. Our fireplace had two tables, shared with another dining group. Indoor seating is available as well.

The Dinner Package comes with 2 entrées and a bottle of house wine of your choice. We chose the Ballard Lane Cab. The waiter brought us a warm, sliced bread loaf with whipped butter. The bread had a nice crust with a light butter brushing and sesame seeds. Since we had a late lunch, we chose to skip an appetizer and opted for the Prime Rib (special that night) which came with mashed potatoes and a medley of steamed vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, some bell pepper strips). I understand the vegetables are grown locally by Cambria Pines. I would give the Prime Rib 3.5 to 4 stars. It was a generous portion. I added on an entrée side of Ravioli to share with my wife. The Ravioli consisted of two types, cheese and butternut squash. It was good. I especially liked the butternut because it was more solid as opposed to a mushy middle. The parmesan basil cream sauce on the Ravioli was good as well.

For dessert, we finished with a shared Crème Brulee.

My only small complaint is that one of the restaurant employees asked us and the other group if we were finishing up because we were the only ones left and they were wanting to close the restaurant down for the night. It was almost 9pm. We just lost track of time I guess - the fire was cozy and warm, the wine was good and my wife and I were really enjoying each other's company for our 25th anniversary. Anyway, understandable that the restaurant crew wanted to get out of there, but it did put a kibosh on an otherwise lovely evening. Still, I would recommend!

Update: May 28, 2022: Just a quick update. My wife and I ate at Cambria Pines Lodge Restaurant a second time during our stay. I wish I could say that our second meal was as good as the first. We again ordered the Prime Rib special. While my wife's experience was similar to her first, my prime rib was well over-cooked despite me asking for medium-rare. There was a wedding in progress, so maybe that contributed to the issue, but for $38, the prime rib should have been perfect. We ordered a different appetizer, Fried Calamari, and it was good. It arrived with a sweet Thai chile sauce. I am hoping that the over-cooked prime rib was an anomaly. Still, we really enjoyed the atmosphere and each...

My family had a 2 night stay at the Cambria Pines Lodge which included breakfast and dinner both nights. The food was pretty darn good. Generous dinner portions (except for scallops- I only got 4). We tried the prime rib and rack of lamb (nightly specials), chicken Caesar salad ( It was so good, that we had it as our side salad between 3 of us at both dinners), Vegan shepherds pie (3 stars, not a favorite) surf and turf, an appetizer of crab cakes (3 stars, it was okay). I would have had the prime rib dinner again on the 2nd night, but i wanted to try the scallops which was cooked perfectly with a nice sear. Most of the entrees came with mashed potatoes and fresh veggies, all cooked nicely and not over cooked. Our dinner special (through Travelzoo) included a bottle of wine at each dinner. I don't drink, my kid is underage, so my spouse got drunk drinking all the wine. :-P I forgot to mention the bread comes hot, with a nice crust that reminds me of a pretzel.

I have to take away 2 stars- Covid is not over, and our waiter was NOT wearing a mask. On the 2nd night, with a different waitress, neither the waitress or the busboy were masked. In fact, most of the staff in the restaurant on Saturday didn't wear a mask, except for 1 person.

Breakfast was buffet style. Scrambled eggs and another egg dish (frittata, scrambled with veggies) each morning along with, crispy potatoes, sausage, toast and oatmeal, cereal, milk, coffee, orange juice and fruit (apples, oranges or bananas). No gloves or hand sanitizer was provided, so you have hundreds of people touching the serving utensils. Ick and ugh. Good thing that I carry a bottle of hand sanitizer with me.

Thanks to the Lodge Restaurant not enforcing their own mask mandate, I decided to get Covid tested every 5 days because I work in a school setting and want to ensure that I am not a viral spreader. Would I go back and dine at this restaurant? Yes, once Covid is over, I would love to...

My husband and I have enjoyed dinner at the Cambria Pines Lodge Restaurant many times over the past twenty years. We prefer not to drive after dark and preferentially stay at hotels where we can get an excellent meal with great service in pleasant surroundings. Cambria Pines Lodge is such a place. One important reason we keep returning to Cambria Pines Lodge is the quality of the restaurant’s food. We both love the same two entrees and tend to have them on alternate days. One is the pan-seared sea scallops with wilted baby greens and mushrooms. The other is the filet mignon with a lovely demi-glaze and crispy onion strings. We recently stayed at the Lodge for six nights and sent compliments to the chef every evening. The scallops and the filet were perfectly prepared every single time. The entrees were served with choice of starch as well as extremely fresh vegetables that were cooked just the way we like them best (removed from the heat at just the right moment, remaining crisp and not limp or soggy). And it is so relaxing to sit by a window and look out on the lovely garden or in one of the outdoor kivas. We have found the service to be friendly and professional. It is attentive but not overly so. Special thanks to Clinton for the many ways he has helped us through the years, and especially during our two most recent visits. We also send thanks to Carlos, Ashton, Aurora, and Jesus. We highly recommend the restaurant at Cambria...