Strawberry Lodge

We have been coming to Strawberry Lodge for years on our way to the ski resorts. Mike and his staff are always wonderful, helpful, patient and we love coming here.

Came in for ice cream, bathroom and maybe some coffee. There was no ice cream. There was no coffee and the bathrooms were conveniently out of order. WTF is this place? How does anyone have a bar and no bathroom?

We wanted to stop in for a couple of drinks at the bar and some hot chocolate for the kids. My daughter had to pee but we were told in an extremely rude way that she could not use the bathroom even if we were paying customers. I mentioned that it is illegal to serve food or run a bar without restrooms. We were then told to go across the street to the general store for our hot chocolate and a bathroom. I asked them if I could at least change the baby’s diaper as I have a pad to put down. They very begrudgingly allowed me to change the diaper. I did not dare to ask if I could throw it away there as the people were so very rude.

Bartender had zero compassion. My mother needed it to use the bathroom and was denied to use it because we were not guess at the lodge. She was laying on the floor it was an emergency. I offered to pay but was left standing waiting. Horrible human. Worst place.

This stop is perfectly located for your trip to Tahoe and I think maybe these guys are pretty sick of it. Their bathrooms always seem «out of order» year after year. I guess they pee in the trees.

Horrible. Disgusting. Dirty. Rude. Restrooms flooded. Staff lazy. Overpriced. Used to be good.

Well, I called to ask a question. What a mistake. Staff were yelling in the background about how the «bathroom wasn’t working, you can use the one in the restaurant but there’s a line.» She said she didnt have time to look at the book, call back later– but we just had a short question and didn’t need to make a reservation. She sounded overwhelmed and said to call another time again, so we gave up. Did you know they have a no-​refunds, no-​cancellation policy during this time of year? After reading the rest of the Unilocal reviews, we’re not even going to try.

Some of my colleagues and I were headed to a mini vacation. Due to work, we got to Lake Tahoe around 1am. We were then stopped by chain control and made us purchase some, which is understandable. We went ahead and purchased some here. They charged us 137 dollars for chains. Not knowing about the different costs around other stores we purchased them. We followed all the rules and were extremely careful about our driving. Once leaving town (Today, Monday Morning) our chains broke. We called to ask if there was anything they can do. Our lives could have been in danger. Yet Mike said that was not his responsibility and he could and would not refund or exchange. This was our first time out here and ended our trip a bit disappointed to see how careless this place can be. Horrible customer service.

This place is a pit! Period! I could go on forever, but there is no point. It’s dirty, smells and is the most disgusting place I’ve ever stayed. I’m scared to put my head on the pillows but have no other choice because I am stuck here tonight. Wish me luck.

Burgers were nearly toxic, dare I say the only burger I stopped eating after the first bite. The meat was dry and overcooked, the smell of the freezer ice still pungent.
Our short food stop at the lodge was generally an unpleasant experience. The food took quite a while to get, around 45 mins, and most of the orders were mixed – veggie burgers came with beef patties and the beef patties came with french fries instead of tomato salad. We had to wait another half an hour or so to get the fixed orders, and by the time we got our complete order, half of our group was already done with their meal.
To add to the discomfort, we heard loud yells from the kitchen. It seems like some people were fighting or arguing, and the entire debacle went out of hand.
Ambience is fine, and probably the better experience from the lodge.

Ok, get comfy. I mean it, you might need a beverage.
I decided a mini vacay was in order and why not go to Tahoe and see the leaves change. Better yet why not go to Strawberry because they have the most amazing general store I’ve ever been to. Seriously. I thought the place would be a little rundown, and it is, but I totally didn’t expect the staff to be rude.
The rooms (we stayed across the street) were cute, you could say cozy if it was freezing balls in there. The wall heater is surprisingly effective if you give it about 3 hours. That’s a rough estimate. The water in the sink had zero pressure which worried me but the shower was fine. Fine except the temperature wasn’t stable and it took much adjusting throughout the shower in order too not burn or freeze thyself.
Our plan was to eat at the lodge, because why not? Because Vickey didn’t use freaking Unilocal and she paid the price. Every review you’ve read regarding the service is spot on. We waited 10 minutes to be seated in the dining room, where we were passed 3 times by an employee and never acknowledged. We decided to try our luck at the bar and were told «You can eat in there but she’s busy so it’ll be awhile». We were good with that. They had UFC on behind the bar, that and a beverage and I would be happy camper until food arrived. It kind of went down like that…
Over the course of the next 2 hours this is what happened:
30 minutes after seating at the bar our order was taken-​drinks and food. That was the only beverage I got hat evening-​not because I didn’t want one but because the bartender ignored us. She ignored EVERYONE, except the couple next to us. Despite sitting down 20 minutes after us they got drinks, they got comped soup, salad, and bread because the food was taking so long, they got smiles. I have no idea what kind of magic they used to win that woman over but they should have shared!
I can forgive a server when they are in the weeds. I cannot forgive a server when they are just down-​right rude and give ZERO customer service. Our food came out 2 hours after we got there. At the exact same time as the couple next to us. The couple that got something to snack on while we sat there miserable and starving. We could have driven to South Shore and back and had tasty reasonable food in that time. Livid is pretty much how I was feeling at this point.
The food was standard bar fare but on the low end of the quality scale and the high end of the price scale. Oh! Be warned that you’ll pay for each soda individually. The fries were pretty bad and this girl loves fries, I left 90% of them in the basket… and I was starving. That should tell you all you need to know. It was also freezing in there since only 3 employees were working (or trying really hard to look like they were working) no one tended to the fire in the bar and it went out. Ok, less hungry than we were 2 hours prior we headed to our room.
So cold. I had run over during the wait for dinner and turned on the wall heater but obviously that puppy should have been running all day if we wanted it livable in there. Ok, whatever we can get under the covers and be ok. We weren’t the only ones that had that idea. There was a freaking lizard on my pillow. A lizard that was so cold he was barely moving. I may have run across the tiny room and sat on the dresser. Ok, there was much overreacting but luckily my companion was still thinking like a rational human being and he removed the lizard from the room. Please note that I do not blame the establishment for the lizard-​the buildings are old and theses things are bound to happen. Looking back it was freaking hysterical. I just want to warn others so they don’t flip out like I did.
The bed wasn’t particularly comfortable and thoughts of lizards, greasy food, and mass murderers kept me up most of the night (did I mention the blood drops on the wall?).
The next morning we hit up the general store and got homemade cinnamon rolls. Next time I’ll stay in South Shore and drive over for the cinnamon rolls. That’s a much safer bet. So is using Unilocal every freaking time. What was I thinking?!

Really love this rustic B&B between Sacramento and S. Lake Tahoe. For us, it was a breakfast /​rest day spot when climbing at Lover’s Leap nearby on several different trips over the past few years. The creaky wooden building is authentically old, but in a pleasant way. The WiFi is occasionally broken, and sometimes the table service isn’t fast, but nothing too bad. Good place for pancakes, bacon, and coffee on a rainy day. Fond memories.

Stopped in for a beer after hiking all day. Burger sounded great except they were so rude that we finished our beer and decided to eat somewhere else.

This is a favorite stop on the Hwy50 drive through the sierras. Whether heading up the hill or down, year round, definitely worth a stop. Breath in the clean mountain air, check out the lodge grounds, grab a bite at the restaurant, a drink at the bar, or even stay the night in quaint rustic rooms. I’ve stayed here (overnight) only once and the experience was great. roads had closed due to a snow storm. Whatcha gonna do but make the best of it with others.
In winter, the wood stove beems heat into the rustic bar. Bartenders and patrons are alway fun, friendly, and sometimes entertaining. There’s games to play or just sit and have a chat. Grab a book with our drink and have a read in the lobby. It’s not fancy and it’s not gourmet.
I’m never in a hurry to leave when stopping here. You are on a mountain highway so if you’re intending on driving, please be responsible.

What a lovely place! The road was closed due to a local fire and we came in looking for some news. The bar was still open offering cold beers and hot food even through the town was quiet due to the road closure. Super friendly service and fun atmosphere. The rooms are cheap and cozy in the lodge as well. For a private room with a shared bathroom it was only $ 40 for the two of us. I am sold on Strawberry, largely in part to this sweet old gem of a place!

Very rude bartender
Not even a hello
Do yourself a favor and DO NOT STOP HERE
Rude!!!

Easily the single worst experience in my life when it comes to service.
We were only the 2^nd table when we arrived yet we waited over 45 minutes for our food and even longer for our check to come after repeatedly asking.
We had to ask 3 times for cream for the coffee, three times for ranch, 4 times for our check to be split (first time was when we sat down). Even when they finally got the creamer it was about 15 feet away and a small pack of the tiny packets… had I known that I would have voluntarily handle the 10 – 20 second task. The check was never even split either — the waitress just told us to circle things and walked off without giving us a pen. Even the 2^nd and 3^rd time we reminded her of the check being split she would then just walk away telling us that it’s going to be a bit longer then… felt like we were being punished. I’ve never done a dine-​and-​dash in my life and this was the first time the temptation has ever came over me. I didn’t do that in the end either, though I don’t confess that as if it makes me a good person… probably just too shy to handle what should have been done.
The stalls were downright creepy as well or rather the stall doors. I had to use the bathroom, but it’s a bit uncomfortable when the stall door covers up only your belly button on up… the other person would still have to bend down to observe all your faculties, but when I came in there were a couple kids and I was just hoping they didn’t drop a quarter as that we create some disturbing eye-​to-​eye including some imagery they would likely opt out of for the measly quarter it cost them. Even when I stood up to leave my head and eyes peered over the top (I’m only 5’6″) to create the most unwanted emotionally connecting post-​poop stare I shared with my friend as he walked in.
How this place even has 3 stars on Unilocal confuses the piss out of me.
My only regret now is that I didn’t contribute a proper upper-​decker before my final exit.
If you share this miserable experience as I’m reading others have then do yourself a favor after you have left and Google Image search for «chicken ponytail» — it was the only thing that allowed my anger to subside.

Boyfriend ordered the country breakfast. The gravy for the biscuits was cold when we got it. We also used the ketchup which tasted sour.
I ordered sausage and eggs. I will not come back because the food is just of poor quality

Service is slow and food is mediocre.
I liked the lodge’s overall layout and comfortable setting.
Ater sitting for 15 minutes with no server is sight, moving to the bar, to be ignored again, asking for my menu, then having to flag down a second bartender to take my order, to waiting for a very very long time to get my order (to the point I considered leaving), which came up wrong, and of course finishing with having to chase down the bartender again to pay.
Almost an hour and a half. for a run of the mill Sysco vegeburger. not worth it!
If I go back. hopefully the frentic bartender Kerry will not be working again as she is the main person who caused my experience to be poor with each of these issues.

This a a terrific stop along highway 50 for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, or for just a drink at the bar. Excellent burger and steaks. Mary always takes great care of people. Rooms are great and serve as a great jump of point to go skiing.