Food!
The area around Bear Valley has pretty limited food options, but many of the restaurants that we've tried are quite tasty. Most restaurants close pretty early (around 8 or 9pm), and the hours, especially close to Bear Valley, seem to change depending on the season. Here are some options that were open when we visited the area in June/July of 2017.
Within 10 minutes of Bear Valley Lodge
- Bear Valley Lodge
- Creekside Diner
- Pretty typical American/Californian fair. It's not going to knock your socks off, but it's super convenient (first floor of the lodge) and the ambiance is quite pleasant.
- Open for dinner.
- Sky High Pizza and Pub
- Pizza! We haven't actually had a chance to check this place out yet, but the reviews are decent. It's in the "commercial" section of the Bear Valley Lodge - probably a 2 minute walk from the hotel section.
- Open for lunch and dinner.
- Bear Valley General Store
- Tiny grocery store. Among other things, they sell sandwiches for lunch and muffins for breakfast. Also a 2 minute walk from the hotel rooms.
- Lake Alpine Resort
- Restaurant serving American/Californian food.
- Open for lunch, dinner, and maybe breakfast.
Within 40 minutes of Bear Valley Lodge
The town of Arnold has quite a few restaurants ranging from fast food to a bit more upscale. We've tried a few and they were tasty. There's a reasonably sized grocery store in town, as well as gas stations, convenience stores, etc.
- List of restaurants in Arnold.
- The Heart of Arnold
- American/European food. One of our favorites in the area.
- Open for dinner.
- Sarafina's Italian Kitchen
- We haven't been here, but the reviews are good.
- Susie's Diner
- Mixed reviews, but they are actually open for breakfast!
- El Vaquero
- We haven't tried this Mexican restaurant, but people seem to like it.
- Bristol's Ranch House Cafe
- Another place that is open for breakfast.
Within 1 hour of Bear Valley Lodge
Both Murphys and Angels Camp are along Highway 4 west of Bear Valley. Angels Camp is the last place that really feels suburban (ex-urban? even-mildly-urban?), and is the best place to stop if you are arriving late(ish) and need dinner. Murphys is a cute little town with a plethora of wine-tasting.
- Angels Camp
- List of restaurants in Angels Camp
- Mike's Pizza
- Open until 10pm! Pizza is decent. This is the only place we've tried in Angels Camp.
- Murphys
- Murphys is only about 2 blocks long, and consists almost entirely of restaurants, bakeries, ice cream, and wine tasting rooms. We've eaten at a few places (some with websites and some without), and everything has been good!
- List of restaurants in Murphys
- List of wine tasting in Murphys
- Rob's Place
- Very good. Very dog friendly.