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best place to catch some good grub in tahoe , HANDS down !!!!
burgers , sandwiches , man everything here is good !
I love random places...
This would be one of them. Driving around the lake i came upon this little place. The ribs were quite delitious, and coming from me thats a honest complement, after all i got my eat on in Texas.
ENJOY!
Keep it simple....go with the flow.
Just had an early afternoon burger and beer with friends visiting from the East Coast. Idylic fall-Saturday afternoon - - warm enough to sit outside in the sun and enjoy any variation of a good, solid burger and curly-fries, beers and/or teas.
Gotta arrive with good vibes and your host/hostess will chime in. We had a nice time........despite stupid CALTRANS paving projects ongoing in the area (lots of traffic).
Again - it's a simple routine: you are hungry (?), BT will satisfy you.
We like coming here! It's is a locals' institution. If you are visiting - well, this is what Tahoe City is all about. Have it your way? YES. Have it the BT way? Yes, again Thanks BT.
The BT is a 'stopping point' (literally) in TC.....located at the 'confluence' of State Route 89 (at… Read more »
My lovely group of friends decided to take a nice relaxing walk to the lake and then find lunch aftewards. The Bridgetender was along the path we took and it definitely was delish.
I'm really glad their food was delish because some of the servers were really rude. We wanted to originally eat out on the patio and our friend had found that there would be a short wait for our party. We walked to the lake and then back to the restaurant, to only find a rude server telling us the patio was closed for a private party. Instead of suggesting we try going inside of their restaurant, he rudely told us to leave since it was 2:30pm and a private party needed to be set up. Don't be rude, just suggest something..
We ended up inside of the Bridgetender and had great service...we had two tables to fit all 11 of us. We started with the chili cheese fries -imagine - chili, cheese, onions, fries - all on one plate! Yum! I ordered the fish & chips - their waffle cut fries were awesome. Even more awesome with ranch dressing and my Bloody Mary - made spicy as I like it.
Everyone at our table seemed to really enjoy lunch - we chatted, stuffed our faces, and left with happy tummies! It was definitely nap time afterwards.
Good find in Tahoe City - I will come back!
Cheers!
Bro, this place is totally radical! Came in for a burger and beer left super content. The fries were cooked to perfection and the burger was as juicy as a, well you get the point. Our service was a tid bit slow, but the kindness and tentativeness of our waitress made up for the slow food. I will definitely be hitting this place up again soon!
Best burger in Tahoe. They are not fast, but you will really be impressed!
VERY good Bloody Marys... A few of those after tromping around in the Tahoe Meadows with two way-too-energetic dogs... That hits the spot.
The service CAN be kind of spotty, but you just have to get a bit more assertive than you may be otherwise. Squeaky wheel concept, you know?
And I agree with some of the other reviews--The waffle fries are excellent.
Don't be fooled by the name "Mt. Elk Burger with Blueberry BBQ Sauce". This is made from neither Mountains nor Elks. Just ground up extra cow parts. The best kind! Plus, BBQ sauce with Blueberry Jam mixed in!
But I got the Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwich and it made my three days wandering the wilderness worth it!
The garlic fries come "waffle style" and are darn flavorful. If you're into that sort of thing.
Also, they were good.
Boy does this place hit the spot! There waffle cut fries with ranch are amazing and there burgers and sandwiches are always fantastic. Whether your coming off the lake, or going there for dinner. Everything there is awesome.
I am a little torn on my review of this place.
Positives:
-The location is gorgeous
-The outdoor seating is fabulous
-The food is actually really fantastic. I had a turkey burger with avocado and pepper jack. My friend's waffle fries were pretty damn amazing.
Negatives:
-Our service was mediocre. The waitress was really nice and happy, but we had to ask for water four times. I'll cut her some slack though because it was her first day back in awhile.
-There is no kids menu and the prices are tourist-trap-high. You get good food, but to pay $10 for each of your kids burgers and then an extra $2 for them to have fries is a bit much.
-The restrooms were not super clean and the couple with us commented that there was no changing station, which is pretty unacceptable in a joint catering to a tourist economy.
-Parking is an extremely difficult and luck based adventure.
-While the location is great, it's also not great since all the rafting companies are also stationed at the ridiculousness that is the Y of Tahoe City. Not really their fault though.
So, while it's pricey, the food is really good. I enjoyed sitting in the sun and drinking a beer, but I'm not sure they are going to get more than 3 stars out of me.
Love, Love, LOVE the outdoor bar seating! This place is super cute and relaxed. My only gripe was the limited parking.
I definitely recommend trying this place!
The Bridgetender is the first place that the "Lady K" and I went to to celebrate the signing of our ski lease, so it holds that special place in my heart...
Tonight I dropped in for the weekday elk burger and fries special. This is a treat not to be missed. The burger isn't huge, but just right in size. The order of fries is more than enough for one person so plan on sharing. I recommend the waffle fries over the "normal" fries but that's because I love Chick-fil-a and they remind me of my time in the South.
But I digress.... the best part of this meal is the huckleberry BBQ sauce that you dip the burger and if you're me the fires in to. So good!
I would be remised if I didnt mention the great draft beer mention as well that makes the burger go down oh so well. Enjoy!
PS: No dessert! The waitress told us that it's because they dont want you hanging around. Eat and go! Turn them tables!
Stopped here for some nourishment after a hard weekend of fun. The bloodymarys are by far the best I ever had and were exactly what the Dr. ordered that day. The owner works the bar sometimes and we had some good laughs with her.
Wow. Wow wow wow. I have longed for a burger as good as Bridgetender's for a while, and haven't had one at the last few joints I visited in Chicago. I ordered a bacon bleu cheeseburger with onion rings, and the wife ordered a swiss mushroom burger with waffle fries.
Every. Single. Bite. Was. Awesome. We both liked my burger a little better than hers because the big flavors of each of the components came together really well. The onion rings might be the best I have ever had (and I have had many). I think they are beer battered. The waffle fries are also excellent and they held the included ranch dip really well.
I love the Bridgetender. Period.
This place has everything you need: great food, great service, great locale, and great atmosphere. It is right off the highway, and directly next to a river bank, adjacent to a dam and a bridge-hence the name.
I especially love coming here in the summer. Sitting outdoors amongst the trees and fresh air, the sound of the water running next to you, you can even see the fish swimming in the river, and an occasional one or two will jump, its pretty neat.
All I ever get here are burgers and fries. Not just ANY fries though, the BEST crisscut french fries you've ever had. Get them seasoned with a side of ranch, delicious!
It's a shame that I'm only giving 2 stars. The food was decent if only it was served still warm. My husband and I arrived at Tahoe City late in the evening and were looking for a place for takeout. The Bridgetender was closeby and still open. After ordering and told to wait for our food at the bar, we watched the young waitresses casually flirting with old customers. Our food was ready after 20 minutes and was just sitting at the takeout window. Nobody bothered to check if our order was ready. We waited for a good 10 minutes before saying something to the waitress. THEN it took another 5 minutes for them to get us our bill and let us pay. I was furious at that point and needless to say, the food was cold by the time we got back to our hotel room. To the owner, you might want to talk to your young waitresses about serving etiquette.
Visiting Tahoe for the 4 day weekend...came here on Valentine's Day for dinner. Most of the other places were already closed, wtf tahoe?? Why do you sleep so early? Any way, our party of 5 ordered some drinks while waiting 30 min for a booth to open up. Thinking it was a bar, I found it a little weird seeing families with little kids eat in there... I found it even more disturbing when my friends already brought our drinks over to us during the wait and THEN a waitress marches over and demands to see all of our ID's, particularly mine-with her hand open in my face. I wasn't even going to drink anything that night! Goshhh.
Our waitress was a little aged, but really nice. She checked up on us a LOT and prompt with our orders. The garlic fries were good and really punchy. It kind of burned my tongue for the rest of the night :\ Hot wings were GOOOD. My Teriyaki burger was sooo yummm, AND HUGE! All of our group's burgers were large. I don't think anyone completely finished their food that night (I only ate half). BF's ribs were too dry, but the sauce was good. We all left content with our food babies and 3 leftover boxes in tow.
summary of the bad:
small parking lot
ass images all over the place
semi rude workers (ID check and I think they seated a walk in couple before a couple waiting before us. heck they seated our party of 5 before that waiting couple! )
dirty bar floor
packed!
summary of the good:
big burgers, wings
one friendly waitress
moose jewel beer
Location and atmosphere of their outdoor dining = spectacular. Service is friendly and prompt from a staff of lovely young ladies in casual summer shorts,snug tees, and sunglasses.
Food is mediocre. Ingredients seem fresh but flavor is a little lacking. Still enjoy my meals here due to the beauty and casual comfort of the patio seating. Big comfortable tables and benches crafted of old gnarled wood slabs and large umbrellas to shelter you from the sun.
Nice place to refuel after a leisurely bike ride. They provide two large bike racks which get filled up quickly.
The hamburgers are killer!! D'lish!! The fries where awesome too! I loved the outdoor tables close to the lake. Birds would flock our table and a squirrel managed to come a foot close, in search of fries. The only thing that wasn't too cool was the bartenders who where more than rude. We actually went of our 7 days in Tahoe 4 times. Although the last time we left since they where being a bit rude. We had ordered the same thing each time. Two "Moon" beers to start and hamburgers. However the last time we went the place was packed and we had to sit at the bar. We asked for two "Moon" the bartender said they didn't sell that beer there??? Any who ... to make a story short we left ... all in all the burgers where good!!
This is probably the most "happening" place in North Tahoe. Great low key burger/bar joint. I came here with a large group of 14 for dinner
and their burgers were DELICIOUS. I ordered the mushroom burger which really hit the spot after a day of boarding. The onion rings here were
also pretty good. My friends said the beers here were pretty good too. I'd definitely come back next time I'm in N. Tahoe
We were in Tahoe over Memorial Day weekend for my sister's bachelorette. She didn't want to do the Vegas thing so we opted for a relaxing cabin near the lake and dedicated one night to going out and boozing it up Tahoe-style. The Bridgetender was our first barhopping stop after a delicious dinner (more Yelp reviews to come) and it didn't disappoint.
Immediately upon walking in, a woman who appeared to be the manager asked, "Is this a bachelorette party?" When we all squealed in delight, she was quick to pour two nastily-named shots for the bride-to-be and the MOH.
But, I have to say that highlight of the night was when we requested to try the "shot-skis" hanging over the bar--skis with four shot glasses attached to them. Eight of us ponied up to the bar and did a simultaneous four-person shot (in two flights). It was awesome, to say the least. I can honestly say I've never taken a shot off a ski before, but hopefully it won't be the last time.
The only downside was that the crowd left a little to be desired (mostly older locals), but it was like 9:30 pm on what seemed to be an off-weekend in Tahoe. We brought the party with us so we didn't let it get us down that there wasn't more of a scene.
Overall, the Bridgetender was a highlight of the trip.
We were just finishing up for the night having been cramped up in the lodge for several days. The dinner at the lodge was much less than appetizing, and four buddies and i decided to head out to see what was around.
I don't know if we were punch drunk from being overloaded with techno-geek stuff at the conference, but this was exactly what we needed. The ambiance was exactly what we were looking for. It was relaxed, fun, and the food hit the spot.
If you're a vampire, stay away from the garlic fries. They were quite pungent, and everyone at the table knew they were there. Fortunately, I love garlic. However, I had the chili fries and a mushroom burger. The food along with the charming waitress was enough to help us to really enjoy our night out.
To be clear, this isn't a four star restaurant. However, it was a four star night. We all had a fantastic time, and wouldn't have enjoyed ourselves even a tenth as much had we gone anywhere else. The food was very tasty, and more than plentiful. When I return to Tahoe City, I'll definitely be making my way back to the Bridgetender.
Such a great spot to loafe outside on a warm summer day while sippin' beer and sittin by the river. I love the huge tree stump bar stools and the fact that they have Kona Coast beer on tap. They have greasy good bar food, too.
My main man and I met some friendly, gregarious locals at the bar and felt right at home. I will be back next summer - this time with a bathing suit so I can go rolling on the river!
Had to raise a fuss to get a menu. I guess the hostess was too busy admiring her nails or something. Sandwiches pretty expensive so I just got the nachos. Went good with a pale ale.
There's no way I could go anywhere near the lake and not stop in here. Even if you just get some fries to go this place CANNOT be missed.
I've been coming here since I was little, my parents used to come here on dates, WAY back when it was across the street. (Back in the daaaaaaaay).
The building may have moved quite a few years back but they brought all that delicious flavor across the street with them.
Burgers. Fries. Beers.
If you're a local, bring your out of town guests here. Guaranteed they'll hate you when they are home and can't get ahold of a Bridgetender burger.
Don't be daring and do an elk or anything game related... stick to the tried and true (unless you're an elk fan) and get a good ole' fashioned burger and fries.
The BBQ burger + bacon is a winner everyday.
Now for the fries... you may have had garlic fries, but you haven't truly tasted heaven til' you have had theirs. If I want garlic fries I drive the 45 minutes from Reno to Tahoe City to get these. There are no comparisons.
Stop in and check out a locals spot... you'll love it and it will become a regular pit stop for you.
Tahoe City is, by it's very location, a family friendly town. There's not a casino within 20 miles. We come with money, and we come with children.
No highchairs? No booster seats? What the H-E-Double hockeysticks, Bridgetender? 85% of your lunchtime clientele today were humans under the age of 10. DEAL, and get some frikkin' highchairs already. We love your burgers, your servers are super friendly and we will probably be back, , but it would be nice if you didn't "Rosa Parks" my kids while we're forking out 90 bucks for lunch ($5.95 for a hot dog?!).
Also, some more vodka in my 8 dollar bloody would be nice. After all, I gotta deal with the horrible brats at my table.
I visited The Bridgetender three times during my stay at Tahoe City. I love the small town, north woods, rustic feel of the place. And everyone - both the staff and the locals - were so friendly and welcoming.
First Visit: I sit myself down at the end of the Bar by myself on a Friday night. Caitlyn, one of the Bartenders comes over to say hello and get my drink - I order a Fat Tire beer - first time I've been some place where I could actually try it. The she stays and hangs out with me for a while and chats - which was really cool and nice since I did not know anyone.
Then the locals move down to my end of the bar - Ian is the one guy I remember by name. A bunch of friendly, welcoming folk, and I certainly appreciate it! And then a young couple approached me to ask if I had gone to VA Tech (I was wearing my VT Tech ball cap). Turns out they both graduated from the University of Virginia (our in-state arch rivals) last Spring and had moved out to Tahoe City to see what life was like - so I talked with them for about a half hour or so.
Then Caitlyn comes over and grabs me and tells me she has something to show me - she takes me outside into the parking lot - and there is this fairly large tree right next to the dumpster enclosure - and on the first branch about 15 feet above the ground - is a young Black Bear - watching us. Apparently someone had come outside and startled the Bear and he scampered up the tree. I tried to take several pictures of him - but my camera is not very good so all I ended up with are several pictures of glowing eyes.
The locals insisted I drink a shooter with them - Crown Royal and Red Bull. Bleah! I was not a fan of that drink!
Later, when I left for the evening, I looked over at the dumpster area as I was walking to my car - there was a VERY large round black shadow - it was Mother Bear checking out the area - she was very large, fat, round, and furry. I went back in to tell the Bartenders - and one of them came out to scold the Bear and shoo her away. I got in my car and turned the car so the headlights shown on the Bear - she was indeed a big 'un!
Second Visit: Ordered the Cajun Bacon Cheeseburger with waffle fries and had several Fat Tires during the evening. The burger was not spicy or what I would label as Cajun - but it was a decent burger overall and the fries were crisp and delicious. Service was very good.
Third Visit: We had a team dinner here - Caitlyn was tending bar and came over to say hello and wait on our table. We ordered a couple of orders of wings to share as appetizers and one order of Quesadillas. I ordered the Elk Burger with Waffle fries - as did several others in our group. Once again I had a couple of Fat Tires.
Elk Burger was not bad - I wish I had ordered it medium well, I ordered it cooked the default way. Once again fries were very good, wings were good, beer was good, service was good, ambiance was good.
Before I left, I thanked Caitlyn and I think, Marcee was her name - for all their friendship and hospitality. I took a picture with them and we hugged goodbye.
I really like this place! I sure hope I get to visit Tahoe City again!
Great burgers - kick back and relax atmosphere. This place does burgers and sandwiches right - decent service and cool place just to hangout with you favorite beverage.
I used to like this place, but not anymore. We have a cabin in Homewood and this was one of our favorite places to go. But the last time we went changed that. We had our 2 kids with us, and we asked the hostess for booster seats. She said, we don't have any. I thought that was weird, so I asked the waiter about it also. He also said they don't have any. I asked why not? Tahoe City is a pretty family friendly town. He looked right at me and said "Because the owner likes to think of this place as a tavern and doesn't want a bunch of screaming brats around."
We left and will never go back.
Good place.
Great food, interesting architecture, inexpensive and just a hop skip and a jump from downtown Truckee.
Onion rings. Burgers. Beer. Especially the onion rings. No, the burgers... But not the regular fries, since they can be a bit soggy and undercooked. The waffle fries come out a bit crispier. That bowl of chili really hit the spot, too - and you can always get the (monster) chili burger.
Don't be in a big rush, relax, stay cool, enjoy the place. Afterward, go for a walk and look at the trout by the bridge (upstream) - it will help you digest all that food.
Service has been great, if not ultra speedy. But then I don't know how long it took for the food to come up, since I was just chilling with some friends. The food was hot, so I figure it wasn't sitting around for long before it got whisked to our table.
I'm with Michael J on this one (he was in our group). This place, by itself, may rate a 2.5, 3. But we had such a blast here that it gets the extra bump to 4.
Our waitress put up with a trough of guff and foolishness from our table. She was totally awesome and earned every dime of her tip.
I had the open-face chili cheeseburger which was a huge beef patty drowned in a vat o' chili, cheese and onions. (Note, there's a Quickee Mart across the street that carries Rolaids...) It went nicely with the wheat beer on tap.
We had an absolute blast here and may even go back again this trip. But definitely put this place on your list.
NOTE: for you Amex and Discovery types, they ONLY take Visa and Mastercard.
The new Bridgetender is so awesome! I recommend eating there when the weather is nice because you simply can't beat their back patio that is positioned on the Truckee River. The big booths are made out of felled trees, they have huge umbrellas and the river is gorgeous! They offer standard pub fare but damn, those criss cut fries are delicious. So was the mozzarella sticks....and the pulled pork sando...mmmm. (I wasn't feeling too hot after this meal.....too much good food!) I wish my margarita had been a touch stronger but all in all, this is a great place to have a chill meal.
Be forewarned: We ate on a Tuesday at 5:30pm, I guarantee the wait for the outside tables will be insane on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday....but totally worth it.
Packed place, but it was 12:30PM on a rainy Tuesday. We were seated as soon as we walked in, just timing as a couple had just left. Burgers were great, waffle fries crispy. Service was swift and pleasant. It is a place worth visiting.
Only two drawbacks that I felt( but, I'm a slight snob as you may have guessed). Table next to us was full of a manager or supervisor's friends and himself. They were loud and full of beer. Manager could have gotten up and helped with seating/ table clearing much more often than he did. And he could have "kept his table a little quieter".
Had to ask for my check twice, waitress was behind bar chatting with friends and didn't ring up check for 15 minutes, then took another 10 to get it to me. But it still is worth a visit, it's a Tahoe landmark.
We ordered almost every single fried thing on the appetizer menu (waffle fries, fish n' chips, mozzarella sticks, chips and salsa, and onion rings) and were absolutely delighted. I agree the waffle fries are excellent. The waffle design allows for the maximum amount of grease to get on each and every fry. Several people in our group also tried the bloody marys and reported that they were very tasty.
Chucky Cheese? There were kids running around in the aisles, pulling at everything in reach and almost toppling the waiters. I guess they didn't get the hint when they were told they don't have highchairs.
The food was mediocre. Nothing special about it except it was served in a basket instead of on a plate.
Good burgers, cheap beers, ridiculously enormous baskets of deliciously greasy waffle fries and the ability of Bridgetender to add fresh jalapenos to anything make this an excellent choice for lunch or dinner in the Tahoe area. The interior is dark, but there are lots of Tahoe-esque knickknacks decorating the walls and celling.
The service, unfortunately though somewhat predictably in Tahoe, is a bit sub-par. I could list a few examples, but if you come with your patience, and make sure to down a few cold beers before the meal, you're unlikely to notice too much!
A Tahoe City ESSENTIAL. Yeah, bring an extra few bucks, but who cares. Right on the Truckee River in the heart of the city. So cozy.
Ahhhh.... The memories from the Bridgetender....
I'm giving this 4 stars on the entire experience. Yes, the garlic waffle fries with parmesan were fantastic. But it's sort of hard to rate actual food when everyone at the table orders a salad (though the spinach salad was quite tasty).
So the 4-star rating is based on the following:
The service: My friend asked is she could have the dressing tossed into the salad. The waitress (who was incredibly sweet) said 'Um, just to let you know, there's a good chance he won't do that.' I loved the honesty. I know, I know. A lot of people would see that as 'bad service'...but we all laughed as we didn't want to be the high-maintenance city folk in attendance and said it wouldn't be a problem at all. Speaking of being high-maintenance, we brought a bottle of Pinot Noir with us and a bottle of dessert wine. To the Bridgetender. Those things don't quite go hand-in-hand. But my friends and I are all winos so this is what we do. But they had zero problem with any of it - and brought us two plastic buckets filled with ice and plopped the dessert wine in one and then plopped our Pinot Noir in the other. We just looked at each other and suppressed our laughs until the woman left and then saved our pinot from getting chilled.
This is one of those places that has 'small town' written all over it. You will never find something like this in the city and that is the big appeal! One of the women said how much she loved dessert wine - so my friend offered her some of our dessert wine. She loved it and was appreciative. So appreciative that she came back with a round of shots for all of us: Bailey's, Frangelico and Chambord. Mmmm....
The atmosphere: This place has 'small town' written all over it and for that reason, I LOVED it. Something you can never, ever find in the city. Dark, warm, cozy.
In the end, the staff was great to us. The other patrons of the restaurant might not have been as big of fans (What can we say? We like to laugh.). Actually, the lady who got us shots was talking to a patron as we were on our way out. I guess the patron rolled her eyes at us and our girl backed us up and said 'No, no. They're way cool.'
Let's just say I have been talking about these chicken wings for the last two weeks! Delicious. A table of three, three +++ beers, an order of wings (with tons of blue cheese dressing), and three burgers = heaven. A relaxed environment, great food and easy to deal with. Best place (besides my cabin) to eat dinner in Tahoe City.
Tahoe City, CA
Category: American (Traditional)
Tahoe City, CA
Category: American (New)
Tahoe City, CA
Category: Specialty Food
Tahoe City, CA
Category: American (New)
Tahoe City, CA
Category: Restaurants
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