Pine House Cafe & Tavern

Best French onion soup I’ve ever had in my entire existence - it made me feel like I was wrapped in an afghan, being cradled by my Buba

Building is an old log building. Has a Northwoods feel. Interior is decorated with regular household dining room tables. Has a very small bar and a sitting area /waiting area. They had a fire in the fireplace when we were there. Food was average. Very limited menu with only burgers for hot sandwiches. Did have a couple pastas and a French style beef stew. They serve alcoholic beverages. Owned by French couple. Service was good. Parking was a nightmare due to recent snow and poor plowing.

I was so thankful for this place! It was the perfect place to take a break from hiking the PCT and get an exceptional meal!

I went on December 17,2022 with my father and friends visiting from Washington DC. I hadn't been since the new ownership so had expectations of a nice meal and cozy atmosphere. It was all decked out for Christmas with the most beautiful and expansive miniature village I had ever seen including a working ski lift! I was almost giddy when I saw the menu. I knew right away that they must be French and that it was going to be much, much more than a nice meal. I got the French Beef Stew with Steamed Potatoes. It was both gorgeous and delicious! I bought some items from the French gift shelves in the lobby to send to my mother in Florida which she loved. I can't wait to go back and try more items and have told all my friends about the experience. Merci beaucoup!

This place is the bomb! We came in yesterday after a long hike and had chicken pot pie and a cheese burger. Both amazing. Then this morning we had a freshly baked croissant, eggs Benedict with breakfast potatoes and French toast with berries. The hollandaise sauce is homemade and hands down the best I have ever had. The French toast was perfect as well. The only thing that sucks is that we are thru hiking the PCT and won’t be back once we leave. At least not until we finish. Definitely a place I would love coming back to. Thank you chef for safe harbor, your hospitality and amazing food. Also your piano skills rock!

Very hiker friendly and so close to the trail. Definitely don't pass this little gem up! Had both dinner and breakfast- the mountain burger was excellent as well as the crab cake Benedict. Much gratitude for your hospitality!

Really awesome place hiked the PCT and they took care of me. Great food awesome people. Cant express how thankful i am for this place.

Ducked in after a long hike on a cold rainy and windy day. Lunch at this quaint cafe run by a French couple. Some very nice French touches to the menu. Small bar with beers on tap and French wines by the glass. We had a couple hit dishes. Beef bourguinon sp? Aka, beef stew that uses beef that has been marinated in red wine. Amazing! And we had the SPECIAL chicken provencal, which was a thyme favored cheesy risotto with chunks of chicken. Rustic setting. A very enjoyable lunch! A fantastic addition to this micro mountain town. Just go! Update: beer and wine only. Eggs Benedict is delicious. Homemade sauce.

Everything was Delicious and our lemon and passion fruit dessert was incredible, will definitely come back

Definitely on the rotation, I had a lovely goat cheese salad with pancetta and warm potatoes with vinaigrette I’ll get again.odd but just wonderful. My husband had fettuccine with meatballs super good we ordered onion rings as well that we couldn’t finish.
Service was great as well.

Kind owners. Even held the door open for us. Extremely cute holiday decorations. Love the cozy feel. Nice people.

Fantastic and unexpected. French brasserie classics in the mountains, how perfect. Friendly owner and staff. Try the raclette, onion soups, and crepe suzette for desert.

I like the place and inside traditional style.i stop by here after walk around on snowing trails.

“Pine House is my go-to spot for a burger after a hike at Mt. Laguna…. ”

That was me, 5 years ago. However, the cafe is under new management and I can no longer recommend it. The food I’ve eaten there has been bland, or stale or the wrong temperature. In short, I’ve never eaten a thing there that I’ve enjoyed.

Two stars though, because of location and the fact you can sit outside and enjoy the mountains.

A combination of two of my favorite things… a feeling of the Northwoods, and a splash of French culture. We brought our kids here for breakfast on a Friday morning. They loved the pancakes, croissants, and I thoroughly enjoyed my omelette. The French owners are very kinds and keep a classic-cozy environment. I want to come back soon!

The food is delicious and the service was great! They brought it out quickly and the atmosphere was relaxed.

Update: these guys are way too nice. My kids went over with bags of "gold" from the living history event and were given candy. Kids are always trying to sneak over there because they love the atmosphere.

This was essentially one of the two places that was near our campsite. They have outdoor and indoor seating. Dogs allowed. Food pictures as below. The Burgers are LARGE and just as juicy (easily sharable). The meat loaf looked amazing but tasted alright. The steak was too thin to differentiate much between the medium and medium well but overall meat was tender. The salad was also large (also sharable). We customized the salad to add some protein to it and they happily obliged. Overall we were thankful they could accommodate our large group (13 people) in a short notice and the bathrooms were nice to freshen up after a long hike.

Service: 9.5/10
Food: 8/10
Cleanliness and bathroom: 9/10