Bar of America

Great service, amazing bison burger and delicious Philly cheesesteak. Burger had bacon and grilled onions with fresh bread. The cheesesteak had layers of meat, grilled veggies and pepperoncinis. Really good flavor, good quality meat. Would definitely recommend this place!

It’s okay… yup just lukewarm. Not the worst I’ve experienced but the place has its charm despite my discontent with certain things.
Maybe I’m just not in the area of Truckee that much but the price to satisfaction for the food wasn’t there. I imagine that these type of price margins are pretty normal there considering the area but if I can spend the same amount in other high cost areas and receive better, then to me that expectation shouldn’t excuse it.
So we had gotten there after days of camping out so the hunger for something awesome was high. The restaurant certainly has a hometown feel and the seating is well balanced for different group sizes. We were seated pretty quickly and there were good accommodations for large groups in the restaurant. Service started pretty quick and was attentive at the beginning. They were friendly to start but then we didn’t see them all that often when water would run dry and especially after the food made it to the table. Neglect easily kills any food experience in my mind.
We started off the meal with their jalapeño poppers and drinks. A round of beers and my whiskey neet littered the table. The jalapeño poppers were well fried and balanced, and the sauce it came with pretty tasty. The poppers sat in shot glasses of which after being fried the poppers couldn’t be dipped in the shot glass at all which provided some difficulty. The price for the dish was 16 also, or roughly 3 dollars per popper. It was good but even for expensive bar fare a lot of other places do not hit that high.
I had ordered the ancient grains and avocado salad. My other compatriots orders included a pizza (he was on the other side of the table so I didn’t really see or get anything from it), a big bird, and bison burgers. The bison burgers and the big bird got good reviews from what I heard. The salad that I had was good but doesn’t equal up 18 bucks to me. The hummus that was included was very little (probably a bit less than two table spoons), you get 3 pita triangles only, and the bell pepper and quinoa mix in the middle really didn’t have much quinoa. The greens also already come premixed with dressing so no real control over that aspect of things. In retrospect, I’d have ordered the cobb salad so at least I’d have felt more satisfied fullness wise had I known how the meal would be balanced ingredient wise. Don’t get me wrong though, the flavors were there but the execution was just not up to par.
One thing I thought was interesting though was the restroom. I don’t know if this is the same for the women’s side since well… I’m a guy. Above the urinals they had chalkboards to write and leave messages which I thought were nifty. Better than having people running through with sharpies I say. It definitely added to the hometown flair of the restaurant.

Nice and quick service and delicious and creative food combos. We sat outside and enjoyed some Truckee people watching while having some yummy salad and chicken sandwich.

We enjoyed an awesome lunch here today. I have never eaten at The Bar of America in Truckee.
I had the BLAT (bacon, lettuce, avocado and tomato) ½ sandwich and Caesar salad for 15.00. The salad was so fresh with whole romaine lettuce leaves and a tangy dressing with great parmesan cheese grated on it, also had fried capers and sun dried tomatoes.
My husband had the cowboy chili with fritos’ on the top, he loved it.
I had a very refreshing drink a Hibiscus Mojito with fresh mint leaves and lime tho a bit pricey at $ 11.00, and not prices on the menu for the special drinks.
We had great service, our waitress Julie, was fantastic, very quick and helpful to us.
We were seated at a nice table near the outside seating.
Also enjoyed Open Table points!
Can’t wait to return and try different items on the great menu.

Pros: nice atmosphere and wait staff
Cons: food was very bland for price point. I had the philly steak ($ 19) and it was just shredded beef with a little cheese and very few peppers. I had to ask for more peppers and they served it with mayo, because the chef felt it was a little dry. I’ve never had a philly steak with mayo before.
I know it’s a tourist town, however, for the price point I would expect a little more.

We visited here on a quick trip to Truckee from the foothills. I ordered the B.L.A.T. with a side salad and my s/​o ordered the Bison Burger with fries.
Both were delicious but just missing a little something to give it a real push of excellence. My side salad was absolutely TINY so I ended up stealing some of his fries, which offset the purpose of getting the salad in the first place.
Overall, it’s just pretty average.

I’ve been going up to Truckee once or twice a year since I returned and when I lived here years ago. Always thought the Bar of America was simply a bar. Don’t know when they added the outdoor seating (perhaps it was there all the time), but this time it caught our attention and we checked out the menu and liked what we saw.
I thoroughly enjoyed my ½ Rueben and salad lunch. The angry chicken sandwich was enormous and the chicken was tender, the burger was good as were the lettuce wraps. The price is reasonable, the atmosphere trendy and the service was good. It took a little while to get served, but we were in no rush on this particular day.
The one of us who ordered wine did return it because it tasted bad… waitress was very nice offering to replace with another wine, and took it off the bill when we opted for a soda instead.
Those of you who follow my review know I have an issue with lavatories. This one was very clean and «big kudos» not only did they have hooks for purses and jackets inside the stalls, they even had hooks next to the sinks to hang your purse so you don’t have to put them on a wet counter. Yay!!! Love it when a little common sense is applied to practical solutions. Thank you!
Will I eat here again… Absolutely, might even be my first choice.

Very pleasant atmosphere. Tables in and outside. very nice wait staff. Great bar area. On Main Street in Truckee, Ca.

We’ve visited Truckee a handful of times and this place has eluded us for long enough! We finally tried it and there wasn’t anything too special about it.
The ambiance was that of a bar with a dining room attached to it. Our server was attentive and patient with our kids and very polite. He pointed out a few items and we took him up on his recommendations.
We started jalapeño shooters that were $ 3 each. They’re basically giant jalapeños stuffed with Italian sausage and dipped in batter and flash fried the placed in a shot glass with garlic habanero aioli. Pretty freakin’ delicious item!
My wife got the saddle-​back cobb salad that was accompanied by nicely marinated and tender chicken on skewers. It was good but nothing more than a big salad with chicken.
I hadn’t had a burger in a while, so I decided on the bison burger on a ciabatta roll with garlic habanero aioli, mixed greens and a tomato. I was glad to get more aioli cause it was good. I opted for a side salad, but I should’ve had fries cause the salad was ho-​hum. Wilted and sad. The burger was cooked to order and good for me.
Bottom line, try it and make up your own mind. For us it was a very clean and visually appealing bar/​restaurant with mediocre food that we feel was overly priced.

Took my boys to lunch today. The menu is fabulous — great choices! One son had fish and chips. HUGE portion and he loved every bite. Other son had a cheese pizza. Not the place to go for pizza but he’s 13. I had the soup of the day — beer cheese soup and a ½ bacon, lettuce, tomato and avocado sammy. So good! The soup was amazing…
Service was great. Ambiance is great. LOVE the light fixtures and the photos of Truckee back in the day. Overall great experience and we’ll be back! They even do breakfast on the weekends!

I used to come here for the local beers and just enjoy the great bar area.
This time the place was packed because of the holiday weekend and we were limited to their back room table seating with a ton of families everywhere.
Maybe it’s during the day that this bar doesn’t have the same vibe as at night…

In full disclosure, I haven’t tasted every menu item, however, I can say with confidence that there are few go-​to drinks and dishes here that are worth the visit (1) bloody mary with pickled green cherry tomato; (2) fried chicken with bacon waffles; (3) the big bird — really their buttermilk fried chicken is some of the best I’ve ever eaten; (4) shooter poppers.
And if you’re up for the Wet Woody challenge, their whiskey version is my favorite.

Traditional old style tavern, but very well kept. The location and food are excellent. Service was good. Although it was expensive, even during happy hour, I would visit again.
Darn! I left my fingerless wool gloves!

I had the best fried chicken sandwich plate I’ve ever had. It was relatively cheap for what I got in this fancy restaurant. My buddies liked their bison burgers and my other friend loved his Chilean sea bass dish. Our apple pie dish was excellent. Service was nice. Don’t get the poor reviews as I loved what we ordered.

I have no idea why the name is Bar of America. This can throw you off. The food is pretty darn good.
Everyone is doing the parmesan truffle fries in duck fat. Their version was superb. More truffle shavings please! :)
I had the buttermilk fried chicken sandwich as a main. OMG… I’m trying to think of a problem with it as I’m salivating, but can’t. Even the side salad, which is typically an afterthought, was fantastic.
Deep fried oreo cookies. Done. Should I say more. Crispy (NOT SOGGY) outers. Creamy yummy innards.

The food was mediocre and the prices were outrageous. A bacon, lettuce, avocado and tomato will cost you $ 16. The bison burger and philly cheese steak are both $ 19. If you want a cobb salad be ready for fork over $ 20. My wife had a bloody mary and it came in an 8 oz glass which was new to me.
I will easily pay such prices at a fancy restaurant but not in a bar in Truckee that serves mediocre food. On a good note the waitresses were attentive.

Food is okay. I had the Cowboy Chilli AND My Wife had the BLAT. The Cowboy Chilli was good but for 10.00 you should get more than a cup suze. The BLAT was mostly lettuce and 16.00. This is a tourist town so the food is good, just expect higher prices.

The food is OK, but at $ 30+ for many of the entrees, it’s not good enough to justify the price. The service was pleasant enough.

Stopped by for happy hour with the kids, will definitely be back! Great drinks and the food is exquisite, especially the wings. Sampled the bison burger and the fried chicken sandwich, both were amazing.

During 2015 Xmas/​NY week, this was a brief stop while waiting for Thai take out (Thai Delicacy, good food but terrible wait). Beautiful historic building was very restaurant bar here. Fortunately some happy hour was happening so a pint and a grilled fish taco appetizer was in order. Excellent drink and delicious taco so all good. The ambience was pleasant with a vibrant crowd scene. All good and I’ll be back for sure!

.what.happens.when.you.upgrade…you.inflate.prices.too.high…i’m.cancelling.res…your.press.is.killing.you.

Positives:
–Location
–Standard Crappy Bar Menu (no surprises, the food is all bland and/​or greasy)
–There are only about 5 other restaurants in Truckee
Negatives:
–The food is disgusting. I’ve literally had 7 bad meals at this establishment.
–There is only one good server. Luckily, we had her for 2 of our visits. The other 5 times we visited the staff was overworked and too busy to handle all their assigned tables.
–Despite the servers dressing casually nice with crisp white button downs, etc, the «manager» came over to check on us and he was wearing some sort of odd Hawaiian shirt. In Tahoe. For no reason. It was like he fell off a plane that was heading to Maui but forgot to Mr. Rogers switch into his flannel for work. Still confused about that. How could we take him seriously? We could not. He might not even work there. Jury is still way out on that one.
–Our drinks were overpriced and basically watered down water (?)
Overall:
Never returning and will not be any of those people who tell people to go here (see all previous reviews; poor folks). There are better places in Truckee and Tahoe. You’d be better off going to a gas station. At least that would make sense.

This restaurant is located in one of the great historic buildings in downtown Truckee, so the atmosphere is outstanding. We had a fabulous meal. I highly recommend the «Big Bird» sandwich, stacked high with two boneless portions of the finest fried chicken I have ever tasted. No joke, my family was fighting each other for tastes of this chicken.
The Bison burger was described as «flawless» by my teenage son — high praise indeed. Upon sampling his father’s wings with chili sauce, he added, «the flavors are having a Mardi Gras in my mouth.»
I deducted on star for flawed service. It was a busy night, and our waitress was friendly and personable, but busy, and we had a few glitches like the wrong salad dressing and my husband was served entirely the wrong meal. They did their best to get him the correct meal as soon as possible, but the rest of the table was finished eating by the time it showed up. They were apologetic and comped him a beer.
Desserts were to die for, including the oddly compelling deep fried Oreos.

Excellent lunch. Quinoa spinach salad was a real winner. Sliders were ok. BLAT and chop salad excellent. Philly cheesesteak was tasty. Very good service. S’mores at the table took a while but were great fun. The burgers looked great, although no one in our party had one. Worth a stop when I’m Truckee.

A nice traditional bar, good location. Friendly service. But eight bucks for a draft beer? Pricey.

Used to be a fan. They went through huge remodel and the prices seem to reflect their attempt to recoup costs. Still a bar, not fine dining. I will go elsewhere for dining next visit.

My wife and I were in the mood for pizza, and this place was recommended by a local.
First, the wait staff and atmosphere were perfectly fine. The waiter was attentive and nice, the table was clean and comfortable.
We had the Risotto balls as an appetizer and they were really good which got me exited for the pizza.
Unfortunately the pizza was, in our opinion, not good. Although it was fresh, it seriously lacked flavor. We got the meatball pizza and seriously it was not good at all.
The fountain drinks are $ 4 as well, I just think that’s a little much.

No dogs allowed on outside patio! Moody’s across the street however is EXTREMELY dog friendly. I have been to B of A several times in the past and looked forward dining on new outdoor patio with our dog. He was not allowed inside the railing, fair enough, but he was not allowed to EVEN be tied up to the railing or anything around the building. After being seated we had gather everything up and move to Moody’s across the street where several well behaved dogs were enjoying lunch with their owners. The food there was wonderful as well as their excellent wine list!
Goodbye Bar of America, thanks for allowing us to see how great Moody’s is.

This place should not be in business. The owner has decided on his own to not allow service dogs here. I had all my legal paper work and was very rudely denied service.

Best fish tacos I’ve ever had. And I live by the ocean.
Good vibe, plenty of seating. Menu looked strong. Our server Cayman was super nice and helpful.
Pricing however was ridiculous.

This place was recommended to us by other visitors we happened to meet while being at North Lake Tahoe. While it is a bar, it is also a restaurant with a full menu. Some of the choices were great! Bison Burger? yes! Blackened Fish tacos?! YES! Deep Fried Oreos? AAAAND how about s’mores at your table?! YES! We had our kids and they all had fun roasting marshmallows at the table. Service was great. The food was great. The kid’s pizza was pretty big, BUT it cost $ 12.25! I ordered the Blackened Fish Tacos and it was only 2 tacos over loaded with cabbage and NOTHING ELSE. No other side. That cost me $ 16…$ 16 for 2 fish tacos!!! It did fill me up, but again… so much cabbage. And the fish was EXCELLENT. This place is pretty pricey. That is the reason I deducted a star. I mean come on…$ 16 for 2 tacos? A kid’s meal for $ 12?

I am going to throw in my vote that BofA is 3 stars for the money.
Probably the coolest part of Bar of America is its ambiance and location. You can enjoy people watching on a warm Truckee summer day, out on the street patio as we did. They have big slider window doors that allow a similar ambiance but with a roof. Warm breezes a full menu and better bar menu and things can be pretty dandy for you here.
At BofA you pay a tourist tax no doubt, but it’s not rip-​off expensive either. Our local friends who eat here regularly say «NOT» everything on the menu is really good. Our friends prefer things like the BLAT, chicken wraps and blackened fish tacos on the Lunch menu. I can only speak for Lunch.
I tried a Big Bird, it was a bit dry, overcooked so the chicken was barely moist, but certainly edible. I had a salad with it, which was a bit overdressed. My wife’s Salad Bag Cobb which is very big at a $ 19 price was pretty nicely dressed and very fresh with nice moister chicken, bacon and expensive yummies all over. It was a very nice salad.
Food portions are large. Our martini’s however were in small glasses and not nearly to the rim, but certainly well blended and quite good.
Bartender A-​OK on blending skills.
Service So-​so. We had some issues but nothing major.
Kitchen Mixed to Good, depending on what you order.
Location, Cleanliness and Vibe — Top Shelf 5 stars.
Nobody gets 5 stars for location.
Enjoy your day in Truckee!

Drinks were great as always. Cold beer yummy slurpy cocktail. Tried the jalapeño poppers. …incredible. decadent… delicious
Highly recommend! As per usual, service was perfect!

Used to be our favorite place to eat in Truckee !

Overpriced food and drink. Got a lemon drop martini. Could not even taste the booze. Had a 15 dollar omelet that should be on the kids menu in respect to portion size. Overrated and overpriced food with a small portion sizes.
2 lemon drops. An omelet and a hamburger. Nothing else.
$ 59.56

Just had the absolute best waffles and fried chicken l’ve ever had, and I’ve tried several variations over the years. The waffles have the special touch of being made with bacon cooked inside. That’s right — bacon! Nice sized pieces, too. And the fried chicken batter special ingredient is rice krispies. The chicken is very moist with great flavor. It’s served with a garnish of blueberries and a delicious homemade syrup with the slightest of tangy bites. PERFECTION! Can’t wait to come back for more, especially since the service complimented the food so well.

More than a Bar
Stopped here after looking at the menu. Really enjoyed the food and the service. The wine list was good, with a variety of choices. The wait staff was knowledgable and friendly. The bar part is definitely there, but not overpowering the place.
Had the Cowboy White Bean Chili, it was terrific. Nancy had the Tomato Bisque and thought it excellent. We had a Cab from the by the glass list, the server providing a sampler to help make the solution. Had a flat bread as well and thought it very good. The crust was nice, and it was very nicely done.
The ambiance was exactly what you want in a place like Truckee. The historical society was having dinner: in costume.
We’ll be back.