Summit House Restaurant

We chose this location because it's promoted as dog friendly and part of a unique scenic gondola experience during the summer. We arrived in early September on a Saturday after a very experience gondola ride to find out they are not serving any food on the patio. We were told one of us would have to wait in line to be seated at a table and welcome to then take our food outside to the patio once it arrived. Additionally, while alcohol is allowed on the patio, we would not be allowed to order alcohol because we could because we had to walk ten feet between the front door and thw side patio.
If you plan on making the trip with a dog or just want to sit on the patio, bring a back up lunch and drinks.*
*Don't forget extra water for the dogs either.

Nothing was posted online about this.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

The food was okay and the service was slow but the views were amazing! We took the gondola ride up to the Summit House where we had lunch at 6,872' with magical views of Mount Rainier.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 1

Service: 1

We were sat by our hostess and then promptly ignored for 30 minutes, could have been longer but I didn't set a timer until it became apparent something was wrong. Tried waving people down, talking to the hostess, it was like we were invisible. Didn't get greeted, didn't even get water. We watched three separate tables come in after us and immediately get waited on. At the time of this review it's the off season so there is flat out no excuse for this.

Atmosphere: 3

Service: 1

This was a great place years ago with great food for both non veg and vegetarians. Today I was embarrassed to think I recommended the place. Salmon chowder was basically cream soup w no salmon in it. We asked for “grilled cheese” for my girls who do not eat meat. First response was “we do not have bread for that”. I pointed to the menu and said you can use a burger bun or the bread for the chicken salad sandwich. Response was “our kitchen does not like custom orders”. I asked the waitress to ask and the accomodates with a toasted burger bun w two pieces of cold cheese in it. Zero effort and we closed w 20 min wait to close out our bill. Fail. I wish I took photos to add to this review.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 1

Service: 1

While you can't see Mt Rainier from the dining room, there are still some spectacular views. Sit on the patio, surrounded by flower boxes, to see the mountain. Burgers were fantastic, the wait not too long, the fries crispy and hot, and service very good.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Food and atmosphere was pretty great but service was very slow due to lack of staffing!

Food: 5

Service: 5

the views are out of this word- you get to see the 7 peaks- we only had the snacks- hot dogs/ chips/ hummus and coffee

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 2

Service: 3

Service was good, atmosphere was good, food was absolutely terrible. Fries were half cooked, we ordered a well done beef burger, and it was partially burnt and black all over, and the pesto pasta had hardly any pesto flavor. There were also stains on our water cups. 2/10 would definitely NOT recommend.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 1

Service: 4

The highest restaurant in the state.
As far as atmosphere goes, on clear days, you can see all 5 of the Washington State volcanoes. And in exceptionally clear days, all the way down to Mt. Hood, Oregon and the Olympic Mountains.
Mt Rainier feel so close, you can reach out and touch it.
Very friendly staff and quick service. Limited menu, but the food is good.
Wedding venue outside.
The gondola ride up, is fabulous and in the winter, even if you don't ski or snowboard, rides up are open to the public, as is the restaurant.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

The location is beautiful and staff is kind however the quality of food is lacking. The food is insanely expensive per person and lacks quality/ presentation. Not impressed.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 1

Service: 1

We visited The Summit House Restaurant in Aug. 2025. We had the salmon fish and chips (substituted a salad for the chips) and truffle fries. The truffle fries were the BEST I have ever eaten, so delicious! Our server was Audrey and she was lovely. Highly recommend!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Reasonably priced menu items. Cheerful and service oriented staff. Beautiful views from rustic mountain restaurant. Gondola ride to restaurant is expensive and only those in exceptional physical condition should attempt to hike up to the restaurant. Cost of ride to top far exceeded cost of food.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Do not order the chicken salad sandwich! It is not chicken salad. It's mildly seasoned pulled BBQ chicken that doesn't go with the cherries or apples. The server even said she tries to warn people not to order it, but she forgot to tell me.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 1

Service: 5

Worthless place. Phenomenal location and completely fumbling it. There’s a patio with gorgeous views but it’s not actually part of the restaurant and you can’t eat there. Supposedly they occasionally have quick serve food on the patio but they didn’t today even though it says it’s open online. So if you’re looking for a dog friendly place to eat this ain’t it. The only other option is convenient store snacks at a small gift shop

Great service
Variety of dishes also at moderate rate at this tourism spot

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5