No matter your mood, Big Bear Lake has a restaurant to suit your appetite.
Log Cabin Restaurant
The mountain atmosphere leads many diners toward steak and potatoes. Feel like a romantic steak dinner lakeside, head to the Vintage Restaurant. Specializing in prime, aged steaks, the Vintage also has something for fish lovers as well. And who can resist a table with a view.
If you like your meat ribs style with a western flair, look no further than the Cowboy Express Steak House. Featuring steaks and ribs, the menu also has a great fish-and-chips entrée as well.
If you like your meat in sausage form, head to the Log Cabin Restaurant and their Farmer’s Plate with three kinds of sausage and German side dishes. Don’t wait for the Oktoberfest!
El Jacalito
For its population, Big Bear has more Mexican restaurants per capita than your average city on the Baja. A local’s favorite is El Jacalito, located under the bowling barn. The restaurant is known for its Cadillac margaritas and whole-fried tilapia. Plus there’s steaming bowls of menudo for the Sunday morning, after a night of excess. La Montana on Moonridge road offers Mexican food in a festive setting, including patio seating.
For seafood, you can’t get fresher than sushi. Even at a distance of 100 miles from the ocean, Big Bear’s Sushi Ichiban has great fresh sushi. Ichiban also has lots of Japanese favorites, including udon soup and calamari salad.
For Chinese cuisine, look no further than the Mandarin Garden in Big Bear City. Located away from the hustle and bustle of Big Bear, the restaurant overlooks the landing strip and hangars of the Big Bear airport.
Mandarin Garden For continental cuisine, head downstairs from the Mandarin Garden to the Barnstorm Café. Fresh food tastefully prepared is the specialty here, along with a quiet atmosphere that is the perfect antidote to a busy day on the slopes or in the Village shopping.
For those occasions when nothing but pizza fits the bill, Maggio’s is the locals’ favorite. Located in the Von’s shopping center, the restaurant features great, delicious antipasto salads on the side, as well as the ubiquitous pitchers of beer.
If you find yourself in the Village and the mood for good Italian strikes, head to Venice Restaurant. Everything on their menu of fine Italian dining is made from scratch, and it tastes it! Inaddition, they have some outdoor seating so you can watch the world go by.
Fred and Mary’s
You might be surprised to realize that fine dining is available in the land of hiking shoes and fishing poles. Madlons, located in Big Bear City, specializes in special occasions. Madlon and her staff go out of their way to make your dinner memorable and romantic. Try the duck or lamb – they’re delicious.
Fred and Mary’s, on Pine Knot in the Village, features California cuisine. Everything from polenta lasagna to seared tuna is freshly prepared and delectable.
