Bite Restaurant — Restaurant in Incline Village-Crystal Bay

According to Yelp, The Bite was a must. Five stars. Hundreds of glowing reviews. Words like “elevated,” “delectable,” and “life-changing” tossed around with the casual enthusiasm usually reserved for baby photos and cult leaders.

Naturally, I was suspicious.

So there I was—sunburned, underhydrated, and spiritually ill-prepared for what was about to unfold between my taste buds—standing in a parking lot that smelled like old money, stale sense of humor, and noses too high to reach reality. The Bite, as it turns out, is tucked behind a 7-Eleven and conveniently adjacent to a slot bar that absolutely feels like someone’s laundering car wash money through a few late-night blackjack hands.

You don’t so much find this place as trip over it on your way to buy rotisserie food some local at the beach recommend.

And yet, you step inside and—bam—you’re somewhere else entirely. It’s like you’ve stumbled through a wormhole into a rustic speakeasy designed by someone who once hallucinated a Scandinavian forest lodge while listening to Miles Davis. The lighting is soft, flattering—like it’s trying to forgive you for your past. The bar gleams. The host stand looks like it was hand-carved by druids. You blink. You’re not in Tahoe anymore. You’re in something better: an underdog dream wrapped in bacon.

Let’s begin.

The bacon-wrapped dates arrive first, and they are not here to play. You think you know them. You don’t. These are not your average “small plate” nonsense. These are decadence grenades. Each one is filled with creamy, tangy goat cheese—or some dairy-based black magic—and wrapped tightly in smoky, perfectly crisp bacon. Sweet, salty, rich, and criminally satisfying. They don’t just taste good—they make you question your moral compass.

Then comes the green mac and cheese. A verdant, herby body high. It’s vibrant enough to trick you into thinking it’s good for you, like a salad in disguise. It’s not. But it is comfort food turned high art—creamy, earthy, and alive with flavor. It makes regular mac and cheese look like something served in solitary confinement.

The sliders? Unfair. A flavor ambush. Juicy, pillowy, and laced with something that might be legal but shouldn’t be. You’ll eat one, then immediately count how many are left and whether you’re willing to fight for them. (You are.)

And the scallops? Absolute poetry. Golden on the outside, butter-soft within. They’re not so much cooked as canonized—seafaring saints served on a plate of reverence. Garlic, citrus, umami—it’s a religious experience, minus the guilt.

And here’s the kicker: this place shouldn’t be this good. Nothing operating out of a strip mall next to a slot parlor has any business serving food this excellent. And yet—here it is, defying expectation, Yelp hype, and common zoning laws.

Final thoughts: If you’re smart, or just lucky, you’ll find The Bite. When you do, treat it with respect. Wear real shoes. Order without shame. Let the flavors ruin you a little.

And when someone asks where the best meal of your year came from, just smile and say: “Behind a 7-Eleven… near a bar that might be a money laundering front. You’ll see it.” Because paradise? It doesn’t always advertise. Sometimes, it just has good lighting, a questionable neighbor, and bacon-wrapped dairy miracles. This...

I enjoyed everything I had for dinner! We walked in at around 5:00 pm on Wednesday night without reservation and got seated right away. Little do we know, this place filled up completely by 6:00 pm and people usually make reservation in advance. We got lucky!

I love Tapas style restaurants because I like variety. I like to try everything but I can only eat so much in one meal. Tapas portion is perfect for me. We got five dishes to share between the two of us and it was more than enough.

MEDJOOL DATES - wrapped in bacon, blue cheese and honey. I've never had this before and it was interestingly good.

GRILLED ASPARAGUS - nicely grilled, good portion and the ginger white miso vinaigrette will make you want to lick the plate clean!

SCALLOPS - red thai curry sauce, house made kimchi and grits. I did not expect the combination of these four things can taste this amazing! The kimchi was such a nice touch. My favorite and must order!

DUCK CONFIT TACOS - this was a special. I love duck and hoisan sauce. It was delicious.

HOUSE CUT FRIES - house spice blend. The harissa aioli sauce was so good and fries was perfectly fried.

I had a nice glass of pinot noir and my friend had a beer. Both great! They have a list of fun cocktails and good wine selection. The large bar area is kind of the center of the restaurant when you walk it. Dim lighting and intimate setting. Great service and atmosphere. Highly...

Overall the food was delicious and the service impeccable. This was our 2nd time here and I remember the first time thinking that the food was wonderful but it would not be a place to come if I was hungry - not true! I arrived very hungry and left so full my husband had to finish the dessert. The prices add up quickly so don’t be surprised.

We started with deviled eggs and cocktails and that took the edge off our hunger nicely. The specialty cocktail menu is eclectic, fun to try and so far we haven’t gotten the same one twice. The paper thin onion rings on the side just melt in your mouth. We got them before and I think we’ll just consider them a staple when we come here.

The grilled cheese bites are delicious and definitely something you must try, for added decadence add the bacon jam. By the time we got to the crab croquettes my husband was ready for another cocktail and I switched to wine. He got a bourbon drink with cardamon that was really interesting. When we asked our waitress, Lauren, about the cardamon she said they make it in house.

We were somewhat sated and debated on having dessert; Lauren made the layered Pot de Creme sound so wonderful we had to try it. She was right. Then she sat next to us and went over the recipe for the cardamon which she had obtained for us from the bartender. What a wonderful end to a delicious meal, we will definitely...