Cedar Rain Spirits - BBQ Smokehouse and Bar — Restaurant in Walla Walla

Where do I even begin?! After a long road trip 8/14), we decided to push a little further and make our way to Walla Walla and wow, are we glad we did. After reading rave reviews and obsessing over food pics, we landed on Cider Rain Spirits. Full disclosure: that Google photo of the Tri-Tip Salad sealed the deal for me!

The moment we walked in, the vibe was on point. The staff? Absolute rockstars. Friendly, upbeat, and genuinely welcoming. We instantly knew we hit the jackpot.

We got seated right away, cold water was brought over (blessed, because it was HOT), and they even had a fan pointed our way, five-star service!

Then came the drinks. We ordered the Lavender Whiskey, and let me tell you, it was dangerously good. Smooth, fragrant, and hard to put down.

And then…the food. I'm not exaggerating when I say I was speechless. That Tri-Tip Salad? I’d eat it every day for the rest of my life. Perfectly smoked tri-tip, crisp greens, it was a flavor explosion. And just when we thought it couldn't get better, out came the Brisket Nachos. What. A. Dish. Loaded, delicious, and completely devoured.

Oh and the Texas Twinkly? I still don’t know what kind of magic that was, but sign me up for a dozen.

This place didn’t just serve us a meal, it gave us an experience. Out of all the places we’ve visited on our travels, this one left us completely blown away. We will absolutely, without a...

Well, la-dee-freakin’-da! Look who’s walking into Cedar Rain Smokehouse and Bar! You think you're all fancy, don’t ya?"

You step in, and WHAM! The smell of smoked meat slaps you right in the face like a freakin’ freight train of flavor! It’s ribs, brisket, pulled pork everywhere! And let me tell you, you better be ready because these meats don’t mess around. They’re not here to play tiddlywinks, folks!

Now, the décor in this place? It’s rustic! It’s woodsy! It’s like if Paul Bunyan threw a BBQ bash in a log cabin by the river! And speaking of rivers, you’re probably thinking, “Gee, I’d like to eat some brisket and look at all this woodsy charm.” Well, lucky for you, you’re not living in a van down by the river! You’re eating in this smokin’ paradise!

The mac and cheese? It’s cheesier than my motivational speeches. The ribs? They’re so tender, you’ll wanna hold ‘em close and whisper, “You complete me.” And the cornbread? Let me tell ya, that cornbread is so sweet, it’s like a little slice of heaven—except it doesn’t judge you for going back for seconds, or thirds, or, who are we kidding, fifths!

So, if you’re tired of eating plain ol’ hot dogs out of a can, do yourself a favor and get down to Cedar Rain! Fill your belly, feed your soul, and live a little! Because if you don’t? Well, you might just end up eating instant noodles… IN A VAN… DOWN BY THE RIVER!!!...

Okay, this was probably some of the worst food I've ever had. REWIND - we were wine tasting all day, and wanted to plan our dinner spot when we got back into Walla Walla. EVERY. SINGLE. SERVER. at EVERY winery we asked about Cedar Rain, advised us not to go. Well, this just fueled our fire that we needed to try it.

Big mistake. The waitress was nice, and kind, until she told us they were out of baked potatoes. That was the only reason I wanted to come in. A big ole baked potato with all the toppings. Ugh. I was heartbroken. She promised us, the mac and cheese was amazing and she offered to add all the baker toppings to help. This sounded like an okay plan.

What I got was a plate of soggggggggggy over cooked, or sat in water too long penne noodles with some terrible "cheese" sauce. Yes, she had added the extra toppings, but check out the picture...it looked terrible.

The surprising part was that when we got our bill, she had charged me $1-$3 for every topping that she offered to include since they were out of the food I wanted.

I would seriously avoid. This place has NO character, really weird old tables and chairs, and honestly pretty bad food. There are way better...