Fire Sign Cafe

I had to go here after seeing a picture of a blueberry muffin almost the size of a teacup saucer! Sadly, I didn’t realize that they have a different «home-​baked good» each day, and I ended up with a cranberry nut coffee cake instead.
We also made the effort to come here because of the stellar reviews, and obvious popularity when we pulled up and there were half a dozen groups waiting outside. For two people at lunchtime on a Sunday, it was a 40 minute wait. It is cramped inside, so i imagine any group over four would be waiting upwards of an hour and a half, quite honestly.
Sadly, it was not worth the hype and wait. Our server did not make eye contact and sounded morose. I don’t need her to be chipper, but it was off-​putting how noncommittal she was. She also refilled waters or checked in on all the other tables, but skipped over us a few times. I was not yet finished with something, and she took the plate away. Ten minutes later, my boyfriend wasn’t finished with his potatoes, but she took his utensils and the ketchup away.
The food itself was average by my standards, but there are limited options for brunch in the area, so I can see why Fire Sign is popular. Portions and prices are standard. We got the eggs benedict and two-​egg combo, but nothing stood out.

Everyone seemed to rave about this place and now I understand why. Service was prompt and friendly. The ambiance was Tahoe rustic, warm, clean and vey cozy.
The food was exceptional! I love that they make a lot of items homemade like the tofu and bean burgers, chorizo, etc. They also have gluten free options which is great. I had a half order of the crepes with egg, cheese and mushrooms. It came with a side of their potatoes which were yummy! Good thing I only had a half order since one crêpe was filling!
The coffee was local, fair trade and perfectly brewed. I even got a cappuccino to go and a bag of beans to take home!
Highly recommend this restaurant if you are in the area!

The smoked salmon omelette was superb. Turkey Reuben, called the Fire Sign Rhonda, was un-​be-​lievable. Lots of great options in the menu, including healthy choice and deep selection for kids. Highly recommended.

Almost pointless to add my review as this place gets so many 5 stars. But it really is my favorite breakfast spot in the area, and we always make a point of going here at least once or more when we are at Tahoe. Yes, there is almost always quite a wait (can be 45 min. or so in ski season), but that is because it is so popular. I always get the Bakers Benedict (sausage instead of Canadian bacon). The Bloody Marys are terrific too.

This is THE breakfast spot on the West Shore. What else is there to say really? Huge portions, delicious food, great menu, super atmosphere, BIG lines on weekends but we keep going back because it’s worth it.

Super cute place to take the family for breakfast. The food was really good and the staff was super friendly. We had to wait about 10 mins for our table on a Saturday morning, but it’s well worth it.
Highly recommend!

Great breakfast stop in Tahoe City area. Good food, very friendly service and good prices. We were a table of four that all ordered something different. Big breakfast menu with lots of tasty housemade things like biscuits, cornbread etc.
It can get busy. We were there on a monday morning and the place was pretty full byt the time we left. Weekends there can be a wait. Definitely will go back when in the area next time.
Be warned though, the portions are not small. ;-)

This place is so yummy and such a beautiful setting. They don’t have a gf menu but I got huevos rancheros with corn tortillas and it was delicious!

A good little breakfast n lunch place. Not just good food, but large portions, friendly, fast service. The vanilla latte was perfect, the huevos rancheros were awesome. I Recommend this place!

I had a great experience here! Parking was easy to find, and the restaurant was busy upon arrival, but we were seated right away. The waitress was adorable and very helpful/​friendly, and took our drink and food orders in a timely manner. Every meal we received looked delicious, and my meal was absolutely better than what I expected. The price was appropriate and yet again, the service was extremely pleasant– which is hard to come by these days. Thank you!
Update— we even came back the next day for breakfast haha

After a day of snowboarding and then packing in the morning to head home, we were looking forward to good place for brunch. We came here with a party of 6 around 9:30am for breakfast and got seated right away. Service was quick and food came out altogether by table without any issues.
I ordered the Spanish Omelette — cut out a piece to eat and it’ll look like a cheese pizza slice being taken away from the whole pie. It looked like more cheese than usual but I liked it and I’m sure not everyone would be a fan. I also got the baked good of the day instead of toast, which was a blackberry coffee cake, and that was delicious as a dessert. It was flavorful and not too sweet.
Parking may be difficult but on our way out, we saw people parallel parking their cars just on the other side of the street.

Eggs Benedict. Mouth watering. Superb Service. Cozy little shack! It’s my first time here, googled best breakfast in tahoe city. Sure enough this place didn’t disappoint.

Darn good food here! My second favorite place for breakfast in Tahoe (Driftwood on south shore is best).
The super awesome Irish waitress suggested the huevos rancheros with their housemade chorizo… great choice. The meal was loaded with flavor and boasted several housemade items including the salsa.
Coffee is local and fresh. This is our go-​to spot for north shore.

Whether you’re a local or just visiting, run, don’t walk, to Fire Sign Café. So good! It came on a recommendation of a friend who visited and was referred to it by a local. Did you catch that? Regardless, we checked it out and silently thanked that local and that friend. YUM!
Though it was mid-​day on a Friday (August), there was still a 40 min. wait. But you can check out the cute little coffee house right behind the place — or stroll around. They do a good job of getting people in and out, so the wait didn’t bother us. And, worth it!
We got Bloody Marys, which were quite tasty. They rarely disappoint, so not much to say there. Good, though! I got the buckwheat pancakes, which were delicious and big-​as-​my-​head and came with the most mouth-​watering blue-​raspberry sauce. I could have drank that nectar of the pancake gods! My husband got the breakfast burrito, which was a pretty hearty meal in itself. He loved it and I think it also came with hash browns. Doesn’t sound too «wow’ing», but, trust me, it was.
The only thing holding me back from five stars was the service. Both our server and the gal who was handling the table next to us seemed pretty disinterested. We weren’t evenin a hurry and found ourselves wanting to just run the cash register ourselves and get the heck out of dodge. Seriously, like, real slow and in zero hurry. It’s intended to be a pretty turn-​and-​burn pace, but these gals didn’t get that memo.
Regardless, we’ll definitely be back next time we’re in town.

Every time we visit Tahoe the first place we go to is Fire Sign Café.
This last time (mid September) we were staying around the south shore but made the drive to have a late breakfast/​lunch. We discovered they made a recent change in that they allow dogs on their patio which was wonderful to hear.
Our server brought our pup a bowl of water and took our order.
We had the Fire Sign Special, the grilled turkey sandwich and two big mugs of mimosas. My husband is crazy about the veggie potatoes. We’ve been known to drive from the Bay Area just to have breakfast here.
The atmosphere outside on the deck was relaxing, service was prompt and friendly and the food was delicious as always.
Don’t ever change, Fire Sign. You are perfect.

Popular spot in town for breakfast and didn’t disappoint.
Food: 4.5, Service: 3, Atmosphere: 4
Cost to worth it rating: 3 (egg dishes around $ 12)
Return worthiness: yes
Highlights:
— Benedict: solid version with hollandaise that was substantial but not too creamy. 4.5 stars
— Veggie potatoes: mushroom, peppers, and covered in a layer of cheese. 4 stars
— Homemade items: have a list of items they make in house which was impressive
— Mugmosa: when a little flute isn’t enough to quench your thirst. Only a bit more than a dollar more with decent bubbly. 5 stars
Lowlights:
— Wait: even later in the afternoon and service can be slow
Enjoyed this charming spot for a late brunch while exploring the area.

Great place for breakfast! It’s got a nice homey feel (after all, it is a converted house) and it definitely seems like a go to place for many people. It was busy even on a Monday morning but thankfully we were seated pretty quickly. I ordered the rubicon scramble and my wife got the eggs benedict. My scramble was delicious. Lots of cheese, but that’s a plus for me! The home fries (potatoes) were decent, some were still a bit chewy, I’d prefer that they overcook it a bit to make the potatoes softer. Instead of toast, I opted for the fresh baked good of the day, which was a cinnamon muffin which was quite tasty as well.
My wife enjoyed her eggs benedict and she has pretty high standards, as it is arguably her favorite breakfast dish. She said the hollandaise sauce was spot on, the egg yolk was nice and creamy, and everything was great other than the ham being sliced really thick, making it a bit salty.
Great place for breakfast/​brunch!

I discovered this place a few years ago and had the best Veggie Benedict ever! The tomato and avocado were fresh and the eggs were cooked perfectly! I make a point of stopping in when in the Tahoe area.
On my visit in March, I was a little disappointed, but I don’t remember why. I opted not to write my review at that time.
We stopped in again this past weekend and it was good. J ordered a regular Bennie with potatoes. The eggs were cooked perfectly and the potatoes were crispy and delicious (I had to try a bite!). I ordered my favorite, ½ order of the Veggie Bennie with tomatoes. The eggs, again, were cooked perfectly. The problem was the avocado. The slices were brown on the edges– they looked and tasted old. I ended up taking it off entirely, and eating it without the avocado.
Bummer.
I will be back, as I love this place-​but PLEASE Fire Sign, keep it fresh!

This is my go-​to brunch spot in the Tahoma area! It gets a little busy since it’s such a well-​known destination eatery, so when my group of 7 arrived at 11am on a Saturday, we were handed one of those buzzy thingies, told to wait 15 minutes, and were invited to pre-​caffeinate ourselves at the newly opened Café just behind the restaurant!
The food here is always spot on and I love that the orange juice is fresh squeezed! The portions are pretty good in that it’s not too much food and not too little. I’ve enjoyed the half egg/​pancake/​bacon breakfast with buckwheat pancakes. Not really knowing what buckwheat was, I ordered them anyway and was greeted with a cake that was doughy in the middle and probably helped aid my digestion throughout the day. Other delicious things I’ve had is the Rancho scramble, which is a really solid scramble of eggs, ham, peppers, onion, and mushrooms.
Apparently they do have biscuits although they’re not listed on the menu. My biscuit-​aficionado boyfriend thoroughly enjoyed his!
Sundays are definitely busier than Saturdays, so arrive early!

There is no better spot for a great breakfast next time you’re up the hill.
Great quality food and amazing selection without even mentioning how friendly the staff are is a great place to start this review. I’m usually left wanting more from most breakfast spots up in the mountains on ski trips. Most places seem to think that more quantity makes up for less quality, but I’m very pleased to find one spot where that is not the case. Their selection of classic American plates are also complimented with a few unique choices such as their hybrid biscuits and gravy Benedict with their amazing gravy. The dining room is also great for a large group of friends or family down to the couple looking for a peaceful breakfast. When given the option I’ll always choose to sit at the bar and chat with the staff.
We had the «Kylie Special» & Cowboy Benidict split with Blueberry Walfle on the side. Absolutely perfect on a beautiful Tahoe morning.