Base Camp Eatery — Restaurant in Oakhurst

(Sorry for not taking pictures on this review! Hating myself for it. But in my defense we were sooooo hungry!!!)

After hiking to the Mariposa Grove (No shuttle service) we were in need of some fuel. We ended up here with the intent of picking up some snacks, but rather, we made it just in time for dinner service. We ordered the fried chicken combo (3 pieces - breast, thigh and leg) with THE BEST macaroni & cheese we have ever had & veggies (they also have mash potatoes & gravy among other options). Price is $16 USD for an entrée with 2 sides. HUGE portions which could have fed 2 adults & a child. Honestly I would go back just for the mac&cheese. The batter on the chicken was seriously crunchy like Japanese batter. The chicken was well cooked with great flavor. My daughter ordered the chicken strips which are made with white meat. Very delicious. We also ordered a side salad which was a great decision. Fresh and plenty to go around. The staff is super friendly and answered all our questions.

The kitchen is divided in 3 sections.

1st sec is dinner plates such as meatloaf, curry tofu, white fish, soups, etc...

The 2nd sec is grill food such as burgers, sandwiches, chicken strips, fries, etc...

3rd sec is pizzas. Individual pies and large pies for families.

All great options. The dining room is large with plenty of tables. Very well designed. If you prefer alfresco they offer plenty of seating options outside.

Don't forget to visit the souvenir shop which also has a great selection of beers, wines and beverages for everyone. We bought all of our souvenirs here and also picked up some great deals on sale items. I've added a picture of a thermal we picked up for $8!!! We bought several for some family members.

Unfortunately we were not able to stay at the lodge because they were sold out during our visit. But hope they can extend an invitation to do a full review of the rooms and...

Found this dining gem in Yosemite. I didn’t know it existed. Visited twice. Dined for dinner on a Saturday then grabbed some lunch on a Wednesday. Very different experiences on both days. Saturday: We we’re on our way back from the Firefall. We decided on ordering here because there tons of people everywhere and we thought it was going to take a long time to get out of the park and we didn’t want to go hungry. The eatery was very crowded. Long lines. There was one person on mask control. Many options on the menu. Warm soups are perfect on a cold night. I waited over an hour before I had my food in my hands. By this time the crowds exiting the park were gone. So I didn’t mind waiting inside a warm eatery. There was one cashier who seemed overwhelmed with the crowd because she was not so friendly. She was bothered that I asked her what number they were on the orders. The lady directing us to move the line was very patient. All the cooks and servers were nice. No one had smiles though. No complaints there. We had pepperoni pizzas. My pizza was over cooked and hard. I was too tired to complain and wait for another pizza. ~Wednesday: We ordered lunch. We had hamburgers and fires. No lines. No crowds. We got our lunch fast. The cashiers were friendly. Cooks and servers were kind. Everyone had a smile. We had our burgers to go so that we could picnic by the El Capitan by the meadow. The burger would have tasted better eating it warm at the eatery but the view was way nicer...

It's a shame that was once a nice cafeteria is now a kiosk based food dispensory. If you have to go here try breakfast as it's your best chance for ok food. Lunch so so and dinner forget it.

However one of the reasons for the low rating comes from a very basic issue with the food prep and service.

They simply can not heat the food properly for serving, and the management is aware of the issues but apparently can't get it resolved by the concessionaire. So if you order food it may at best be warm but was more often just cold in places.

The way the kiosk ordering is setup you can't make basic requests on what is or isn't on your sandwich as an example. It's a general issue with all kiosk systems but it was worse here.

Then comes the lack of service. Honestly I think the staff would be happiest if no one came in. It was the most unfriendly service I've experienced in years.

Next door to them is a Starbucks and they are really the more reliable choice. It's not that I would look forward to the food at Starbucks but it's hot, you know what to expect, the staff was reasonably pleasant and the drinks typical of any Starbucks you go to.

Choices are very limited in January in the valley and the better options at Curry Village were only open on the weekend.

For years this was run as a cafeteria and they should go back to that model. Add humans to take your order and make the food fresh again. Until then I won't be back, it was...