The food was exquisite and the view you can't beat. Their Lamb chops and their fettuccine noodles with shrimp my favorite. The service was great everyone so attentive and helpful. The best part was I was able to spot a Bald Eagle đŠ right outside the lake and when we went outside it was standing on top of a tree so magical. Don't miss it. I know I'm going to visit them again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Antonio Bonfiglio
So very disappointing. At least the chef had a clew what he was doing. The server âTonyâ I believe. I really donât know because he never introduced himself. Iâm assuming thatâs his name on our bill. Asked if we wanted drinks. Didnât give us a drink list. Just started reciting stuff. My wife asked how for more details on how the fish was cooked. We were answered with âon a grill then in the ovenâ. Our plates were practically dropped half ass and off centered. A $200 meal. What a waste. Iâd rather gotten a hamburger and fries at a bar with good atmosphere. The hell with the view here. The service was so bad the food was hard to enjoy.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 1
Mya Rigoli
Came up the mountain with our three year old girl. Was planning on checking out this restraunt. Thereâs a few parking spots behind the restraunt facing the house across the way. Near those houses across the street thereâs a big open wood area that was covered with snow. We were trying to take our daughter out the car to show her the snow and let her play for a moment. Was a pretty empty area other than some houses and people outside clearing there driveways. We specifically looked for signs stating private property or parking . None posted. A worker from this restraunt (older white woman), I believe to be the owner walked out from the back entrance and started telling us we couldnât use the snow and that it was her property. She started with âwhat are you guys doing planning on sledding ?â We expressed oh we have a little girl in the car we just want to see if we can get her to play a few minutes. Her response was ânot here youâre not this is my propertyâ. My jaw dropped because I thought she was just a bitter homeowner from up the road and not an owner of a fine dining establishment. Since we were intending to use the snow across the street that lead into the woods and some cabins, we asked her very kindly where her property began and ended. She said all of it. All of itâs mine . She threw out a few more rude comments along the lines of it wouldâve been nice if we came and asked. Again, many other properties in the area we wouldnât have even knew who to ask! She rolled her eyes after that comment and then walked back towards the restraunt. If this lady or manager is any representation of their service I would never eat here in my life.
Edit : Read some other reviews. Sounds like the owner of this establishment is very poorly trained in customer service and basic human decency. Couldnât pay me to eat here ever in my life. Much better choices around with much less moody staff.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
Celia Yang
Beware if you have kids ! Families with kids are not welcome here. We came for Valentineâs Day dinner around 5pm. As soon as I told the hostess, a senior lady with a red top on, that we were a party of 3 with 1 child, she told us thereâs no kids menu and everyone has to order one dish. I said okay, and took the menu to look at it in the lobby area, which is separated from the restaurant by a door. A minute later, she opened the door and saw my daughter jumping up and down little bit like every other kid when they are excited to eat at a new restaurant. She pointed her finger down at my daughterâs face and said in a very mean and stern way, âyou cannot come in here if you are going to be jumping up and down like that.â I said okay and gave her back the menu. She grabbed the menu quickly without saying anything and shut the door in our face. We were shocked and offended. I went inside to tell her she could speak nicely to our daughter, and her response was: âYou donât have to come here.â I repeated that it wasnât nice how she talked to my daughter like that. Then she replied, in a very mean tone of voice: âIâm talking to YOU.â Itâs a shame that such a beautiful restaurant with an appealing Valentineâs Day menu has such an unprofessional hostess. Hospitality is all about making everyone feel welcome and having an enjoyable experience, but we didnât see that today.
Service: 1
Isaak Kimmel
$9 soda is the most Iâve ever seen. Food was okay but not worth $100. Overpriced spot with decent food.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Ryan McGuire
Unkind. Unwelcoming. Horrible Ownership. Stay away.
My wife and I walked into The Pines on a Saturday around 2pm with our two small kids. The restaurant was mostly empty--easily less than 20% of the tables were occupied--but the host (owner) flat-out refused to seat us, claiming they were "fully booked."
Disappointed, we left and headed back to our car. Something didn't sit right, so my wife called the restaurant to ask for a table for us just 15 minutes later. The same host took her name and made the reservation, saying, "See you soon."
I immediately walked back inside and told the host that we were the people who had just called and made the reservation. She first denied it and said they didn't have a table for us. I explained that my wife had literally just spoken to her and that she had just made the reservation. Only then did she realize she'd been caught.
I told her, respectfully, that we did not appreciate being lied to and that we would never patronize their restaurant again. I also said we would share our experience with friends and neighbors in Big Bear. Her response? She said she would "do the same about us."
Unbelievable behavior. Snooty, dishonest, and incredibly unwelcoming--especially to families. Especially disappointing given we've eaten there before, and while the hostess (owner) has always been awful, we've always liked the wait staff - we hope they find a better establishment to work for. Plenty of better places in Big Bear that actually value customers.
Elaine Kachler
Called to make reservations for new years eve advised we where family of four including 5 year old. (Have transcript of conversation happy to share) owner is an absolute B itch with a claimed they do not take children on new years, refused us service knowing fully reservation was made and taken by her and she was previously INFORMED of my child. We where willing to eat her half a s s food do to lack of options . 100% racist no other logical reason for this.
Joon Park
The old lady owner was incredibly rude, and the whole experience left me wondering if this was even real. When I told her we were ready to order, she snapped, âIâm not a server, ask a server.â I understand she isnât waitstaff, but as the owner, a simple effort to call someone over would have been the bare minimum. We had already been waiting quite a while.
To make things more uncomfortable, she hovered nearby and stared at me and my friend throughout the meal, which felt unnecessary and unsettling. Overall, her behavior came across as unprofessional and unwelcoming.
As for the food, it was mediocre at best, overly salty and oddly sweet. Definitely not worth the experience.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Rosette Nehme
A wonderdul upscale family owned restaurant with breath taking views of the lake, friendly staff and great food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Susana Liz Asencios Lopez
This restaurant have a $30 fee when sharing meals. I honestly think this doesn't makes sense at all. Other than that, then food and the environment were very good.
I rarely leave reviews, but this experience was genuinely awful. Worse Christmas dinner I have ever seen.
I ordered the Beef Wellington for $89. What arrived was not a traditional Beef Wellington by any definition. Instead of a single centre-cut fillet, it was made up of 2 to 3 separate pieces of meat wrapped in soggy pastry. That alone disqualifies it from being a real Wellington. It ate more like an overcooked steak pie using cheap cuts of beef.
I asked for medium. What I received was cooked well past that, closer to medium-well to well done. My partnerâs steak was also clearly overcooked despite being ordered medium. When I politely raised this with the waiter, the owners came over and immediately became defensive.
The female owner was particularly rude and dismissive. When I said this was not a traditional Beef Wellington, she turned her nose up and insisted it was, claiming people come from all over the world for it. That is extremely hard to believe given the quality, execution, and price.
Things escalated further when I said I should not be charged for the Wellington as I did not eat it due to how badly cooked and unpleasant it was. The owner then went back into the kitchen, removed the Wellington from the bin, and brought it back out to âshow meâ that it was cooked perfectly. This was shocking and completely unprofessional. It was still clearly overcooked, and it raised serious hygiene concerns.
To make matters worse, we were also brought the wrong wine and then told we had ordered it, which we had not.
For $89, I expected a proper fillet Wellington, crisp pastry, correct doneness, and professional service. What we got was poor food, worse attitude, and owners who cannot accept valid criticism.
One of the worst dining experiences Iâve had. I would strongly recommend avoiding this place.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Jolie Wiener
If I could leave zero stars I would. What a TERRIBLE ESTABLISHMENT. Extremely rude and unprofessional!
Mario âThatonedudelostâ
Service was ok and restaurant looked the same as it did 12+ years ago. I ordered the full rack of ribs and they came out looking dry and extremely old with just a spoonful of bbq sauce on top. Just from the look of them I should've known they were extremely old. The taste was horrible. I could barely eat it however friends had paid for the dinner so I didnt want it to be known. I was barely able to eat half the rack. The other half I discreetly took home to trash. Its not even that they weren't good, im almost positive they were already expired. Had to have been somewhere from 7-12 days old already. No bread and butter or anything which is typical for this type of high priced restaurant but nope nothing. Definitely wont be returning.
The food was exquisite and the view you can't beat. Their Lamb chops and their fettuccine noodles with shrimp my favorite. The service was great everyone so attentive and helpful. The best part was I was able to spot a Bald Eagle đŠ right outside the lake and when we went outside it was standing on top of a tree so magical. Don't miss it. I know I'm going to visit them again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
So very disappointing. At least the chef had a clew what he was doing. The server âTonyâ I believe. I really donât know because he never introduced himself. Iâm assuming thatâs his name on our bill. Asked if we wanted drinks. Didnât give us a drink list. Just started reciting stuff. My wife asked how for more details on how the fish was cooked. We were answered with âon a grill then in the ovenâ.
Our plates were practically dropped half ass and off centered. A $200 meal. What a waste. Iâd rather gotten a hamburger and fries at a bar with good atmosphere. The hell with the view here. The service was so bad the food was hard to enjoy.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 1
Came up the mountain with our three year old girl. Was planning on checking out this restraunt. Thereâs a few parking spots behind the restraunt facing the house across the way. Near those houses across the street thereâs a big open wood area that was covered with snow. We were trying to take our daughter out the car to show her the snow and let her play for a moment. Was a pretty empty area other than some houses and people outside clearing there driveways. We specifically looked for signs stating private property or parking . None posted. A worker from this restraunt (older white woman), I believe to be the owner walked out from the back entrance and started telling us we couldnât use the snow and that it was her property. She started with âwhat are you guys doing planning on sledding ?â We expressed oh we have a little girl in the car we just want to see if we can get her to play a few minutes. Her response was ânot here youâre not this is my propertyâ. My jaw dropped because I thought she was just a bitter homeowner from up the road and not an owner of a fine dining establishment. Since we were intending to use the snow across the street that lead into the woods and some cabins, we asked her very kindly where her property began and ended. She said all of it. All of itâs mine . She threw out a few more rude comments along the lines of it wouldâve been nice if we came and asked. Again, many other properties in the area we wouldnât have even knew who to ask! She rolled her eyes after that comment and then walked back towards the restraunt. If this lady or manager is any representation of their service I would never eat here in my life.
Edit : Read some other reviews. Sounds like the owner of this establishment is very poorly trained in customer service and basic human decency. Couldnât pay me to eat here ever in my life. Much better choices around with much less moody staff.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
Beware if you have kids ! Families with kids are not welcome here. We came for Valentineâs Day dinner around 5pm. As soon as I told the hostess, a senior lady with a red top on, that we were a party of 3 with 1 child, she told us thereâs no kids menu and everyone has to order one dish. I said okay, and took the menu to look at it in the lobby area, which is separated from the restaurant by a door. A minute later, she opened the door and saw my daughter jumping up and down little bit like every other kid when they are excited to eat at a new restaurant. She pointed her finger down at my daughterâs face and said in a very mean and stern way, âyou cannot come in here if you are going to be jumping up and down like that.â I said okay and gave her back the menu. She grabbed the menu quickly without saying anything and shut the door in our face. We were shocked and offended. I went inside to tell her she could speak nicely to our daughter, and her response was: âYou donât have to come here.â I repeated that it wasnât nice how she talked to my daughter like that. Then she replied, in a very mean tone of voice: âIâm talking to YOU.â Itâs a shame that such a beautiful restaurant with an appealing Valentineâs Day menu has such an unprofessional hostess. Hospitality is all about making everyone feel welcome and having an enjoyable experience, but we didnât see that today.
Service: 1
$9 soda is the most Iâve ever seen. Food was okay but not worth $100. Overpriced spot with decent food.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Unkind. Unwelcoming. Horrible Ownership. Stay away. My wife and I walked into The Pines on a Saturday around 2pm with our two small kids. The restaurant was mostly empty--easily less than 20% of the tables were occupied--but the host (owner) flat-out refused to seat us, claiming they were "fully booked." Disappointed, we left and headed back to our car. Something didn't sit right, so my wife called the restaurant to ask for a table for us just 15 minutes later. The same host took her name and made the reservation, saying, "See you soon." I immediately walked back inside and told the host that we were the people who had just called and made the reservation. She first denied it and said they didn't have a table for us. I explained that my wife had literally just spoken to her and that she had just made the reservation. Only then did she realize she'd been caught. I told her, respectfully, that we did not appreciate being lied to and that we would never patronize their restaurant again. I also said we would share our experience with friends and neighbors in Big Bear. Her response? She said she would "do the same about us." Unbelievable behavior. Snooty, dishonest, and incredibly unwelcoming--especially to families. Especially disappointing given we've eaten there before, and while the hostess (owner) has always been awful, we've always liked the wait staff - we hope they find a better establishment to work for. Plenty of better places in Big Bear that actually value customers.
Called to make reservations for new years eve advised we where family of four including 5 year old. (Have transcript of conversation happy to share) owner is an absolute B itch with a claimed they do not take children on new years, refused us service knowing fully reservation was made and taken by her and she was previously INFORMED of my child. We where willing to eat her half a s s food do to lack of options . 100% racist no other logical reason for this.
The old lady owner was incredibly rude, and the whole experience left me wondering if this was even real. When I told her we were ready to order, she snapped, âIâm not a server, ask a server.â I understand she isnât waitstaff, but as the owner, a simple effort to call someone over would have been the bare minimum. We had already been waiting quite a while.
To make things more uncomfortable, she hovered nearby and stared at me and my friend throughout the meal, which felt unnecessary and unsettling. Overall, her behavior came across as unprofessional and unwelcoming.
As for the food, it was mediocre at best, overly salty and oddly sweet. Definitely not worth the experience.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
A wonderdul upscale family owned restaurant with breath taking views of the lake, friendly staff and great food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This restaurant have a $30 fee when sharing meals. I honestly think this doesn't makes sense at all. Other than that, then food and the environment were very good.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 2
Restaurantji Recommends
Excellent
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I rarely leave reviews, but this experience was genuinely awful. Worse Christmas dinner I have ever seen.
I ordered the Beef Wellington for $89. What arrived was not a traditional Beef Wellington by any definition. Instead of a single centre-cut fillet, it was made up of 2 to 3 separate pieces of meat wrapped in soggy pastry. That alone disqualifies it from being a real Wellington. It ate more like an overcooked steak pie using cheap cuts of beef.
I asked for medium. What I received was cooked well past that, closer to medium-well to well done. My partnerâs steak was also clearly overcooked despite being ordered medium. When I politely raised this with the waiter, the owners came over and immediately became defensive.
The female owner was particularly rude and dismissive. When I said this was not a traditional Beef Wellington, she turned her nose up and insisted it was, claiming people come from all over the world for it. That is extremely hard to believe given the quality, execution, and price.
Things escalated further when I said I should not be charged for the Wellington as I did not eat it due to how badly cooked and unpleasant it was. The owner then went back into the kitchen, removed the Wellington from the bin, and brought it back out to âshow meâ that it was cooked perfectly. This was shocking and completely unprofessional. It was still clearly overcooked, and it raised serious hygiene concerns.
To make matters worse, we were also brought the wrong wine and then told we had ordered it, which we had not.
For $89, I expected a proper fillet Wellington, crisp pastry, correct doneness, and professional service. What we got was poor food, worse attitude, and owners who cannot accept valid criticism.
One of the worst dining experiences Iâve had. I would strongly recommend avoiding this place.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
If I could leave zero stars I would. What a TERRIBLE ESTABLISHMENT. Extremely rude and unprofessional!
Service was ok and restaurant looked the same as it did 12+ years ago. I ordered the full rack of ribs and they came out looking dry and extremely old with just a spoonful of bbq sauce on top. Just from the look of them I should've known they were extremely old. The taste was horrible. I could barely eat it however friends had paid for the dinner so I didnt want it to be known. I was barely able to eat half the rack. The other half I discreetly took home to trash. Its not even that they weren't good, im almost positive they were already expired. Had to have been somewhere from 7-12 days old already. No bread and butter or anything which is typical for this type of high priced restaurant but nope nothing. Definitely wont be returning.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
Love the steaks here, service was great.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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