The Ahwahnee Dining Room — Restaurant in Oakhurst

I have seen the restaurant on TV in travelogues and programs about Yosemite. I've had it on my bucket list for years.

I have paid much much more for food and drinks in Las Vegas and NYC, so the money is not an issue for me. But I hold restaurants to a standard of quality. No matter what the price, the food should be fresh, tasty and as described on the menu. I don't care if it's a $6 burrito or a $100 lobster, it's either good or it's not. I don't "weight" my expectations by saying "it is the best $10 steak " or "that's very tasty and worth $100". It's either great, good or below average. I feel the same about service. From the Waffle House to the Eiffel tower restaurant at the Paris Hotel in Vegas, either service is good or it's not.

The service at the restaurant was not good. Our busboy was way too familiar with us, making comments about the waiter "making the big bucks. Personally I feel support staff should do their job invisibly and only a server, Maitre'd or sommelier should engage the guests.

That was the problem with "Walter" our waiter. Not only was he as impersonal as a night shift hotel clerk, he offered no suggestions, made no attempt to speak with us other than to take our order. We saw him just three times for a few seconds each time. He left me wondering if he could understand me, since he did not reply to any of my comments about the menu. Maybe he's hearing impaired?

The food also fell short. I had the king cut prime rib, cooked medium rare, and my wife had the rack of lamb, also medium rare.

The prime rib seemed to be a prime cut as advertised. The meat was tender and tasty. A rather thick dollop of what was to ostensibly be ajus sauce brought a strange overly herbal rosemary flavor to a meat that needs no help. The overall texture was good, but the temperature was luke warm. The Yorkshire pudding was tasty, but without a side of ajus it could not be truly appreciated. Some tasty little vegetables, asparagus and thick dry mashed potatoes rounded out the dish.

The rack of lamb was not delivered as medium rare. It was delivered as rare. If you don't know how to properly cook meat, you should take it off the menu. No excuses. I have owned restaurants and fired cooks that do not know how to prepare meat. Face it, it's your job, don't even tell me it's hard to do. We sent the lamb back and it still came back too rare, so not wanting to eat her meal alone my wife just ate around the edges. The dish was served with mushy slices of what was supposed to be potatoes au gratin and asparagus. The lamb was of a strange consistency, almost as it was tenderized or treated in some manner, as the flesh was slightly too mushy and the flavor bland.

My wife had a very average tasting Magestic Chardonnay and I had a Beefeeter Gin and tonic.

The desert menu was delivered, but by the time "Walter" arrived we were no longer interested in dessert.

All in all, not a first class experience. Maybe if you have lower standards for "excellent" you might enjoy it. As a "first class" restaurant they failed miserably. The price had nothing to do with it.

I want to add that we told reservations that we were celebrating our anniversary. The clerk said she noted it on our reservation. As an "extra perk" to "celebrate" we were placed between two service areas used by thee staff, next to some sort of radiator that spewed cold air all night. It was the worst table in...

Disappointed is an understatement. Got engaged last night and this place came highly recommended by a number of people prior to the trip. Had reservations and got there early to have a drink at "The Bar". Drinks were great and we noticed people were ordering and eating, but didn't think much of it. I had high expectations and was looking forward to this visit.

Got to our table and the host said something to the effect of, "You're having the buffet, correct...uhhh, hang on let me check on something...ok yes you'll have the buffet so you can go at anytime to get your food." This came as a shock because when I made reservations over a month ago, I do not recall there being any mention of buffet style.

3 people came by saying the server would be by to take our drinks. He was interesting...I didn't understand half of what he said as it was mumbled and then the rest was him complaining about something to another employee.

We got drinks, served ourselves the food at the buffet while thinking we should leave and go order at "The Bar". The food was bland, dry, tough, and cool to the touch (save for the mac and cheese). The dessert was no better.

The only saving graces were the man ticking the keys on the piano in the lobby and the servant's assistant that kept our waters topped off the whole time we were at our table (maybe 45 minutes) after a day of hiking.

I was extremely disappointed and upset as well because I had no idea how much this was going to cost. As we were waiting for the bill another young couple was sat down near us and we listened as the manager(?) explained to them that it was buffet style and that "because of COVID" they had gone to buffet and then back to a la carte and now back to buffet. The other couple voiced their confusion about having made a reservation and did not know it was buffet style. They then stated they would not be dining in the "Dining Room" and would instead go to "The Bar", and got up and left.

Our bill came...@ $59/per my now fiance and I were floored because in no way shape or form did this meal surpass even the average Golden Corral (not to insult GC). We should have done like the other couple and gone elsewhere. Worst $$ I have spent...

My husband and I were in Yosemite for our 10 year anniversary. We wanted to have a special dinner so we made reservations at the Majestic Yosemite Dining Room, formerly The Ahwahnee Dining Room. The only openings they had were 8:30 and 8:45, so we took the 8:30.

We arrived a little early because we had hoped that perhaps we could get in earlier, making everyone a little happier. So we went to the bar. We sat and waiting for 10 minutes while the very busy waitress served everyone around us. There were other waitresses, but it seemed they were trying to leave. So my husband went up to the bar to order us a drink. Only then did the waitress stop by and ask if we were okay. We said yes and held our full glasses. Again, it was late in the evening, so benefit of the doubt. She was probably tired and wanted to just go home.

Oh, and this bares mentioning. We had previously requested the wifi password so that we could get directions to our Bed and Breakfast that we were staying at that night. The hotel clerk said that the wifi password is only available to guests of the hotel. She offered to print out directions for us. So there’s that helpful service for you. (Thankfully we drove slowly and waited for a spot of LTE that we could then get directions. But service in the valley and outside it is super spotty.)

At 8:35 we made our way to the dining room. The host said that he was just about to page us because our table was ready. We sat down and the waitress greeted us. She was fine, but we felt very rushed. Again, this may be due to being an 8:30pm reservation when the restaurant closes at 9:00pm. But the restaurant was full. We ordered salmon and steak. The salmon came out lukewarm with undercooked carrots. My husband’s steak was overcooked. He requested medium rare and was given medium well. We didn’t want to send it back to the kitchen because we felt it would definitely be spit on at that point. So we ate, paid and left.

I do not recommend this place for dining experience if you are not staying at the hotel. Check out the view of the dining room, but maybe have a picnic...