Frank Ferro is a very gracious and friendly host / owner who is very much hands on in the kitchen…read more The pizza is very good just like my grandfather made back in Connecticut. Service is always great I ordered lasagna with wild boar as a meat as well as prime rib meat in the lasagna. If you're on the hill make it a point to get some delicious food here.

From the moment we walked up to the door host to take us to our table we were treated kindly with a…read moresmile. Doorman was funny, I love his positive attitude. Our hostess Cali who brought our water and our olive and bread stick plate was super bubbly personality and nice to talk to, she was attentive to our needs at our table all night. The atmosphere was definitely romantic, dim lightning and nice ambience perfect for date night. Our server Spiro I believe was his name was very helpful In deciding drink and food orders. I loved the hibiscus gin drink and my boyfriend loved his mountain bourbon drink. The steamed clams were really delicious my boyfriend said, he also loved the margarita pizza with prosciutto. I was lucky because they make vegan pizza here with vegan cheese and vegan sausage. It was incredible. We were in town three nights and chose to come back twice because it was so good. We will definitely return.

I read a bunch of the 1-star reviews. I read some of the…read more4-star reviews. I have to go with 5-star tho. OVERVIEW of 5 : Seated without reservation (*make one! We got lucky*) Server was amazing Food expediter was super nice Food was delicious Elegant, fine dining experience Music was my mountain playlist (and not too loud) View of mountains for me. View of architecture for my wife. PARKING: Parking can be difficult in the small lot, but there's parking along the street too. INSIDE: It was perfect weather. 68ºF at 6pm after a warm day. They have "indoor/patio" style seating which may be difficult for some to access by multiple steps. We were seated at the top, a table away from the music, along the window side. They have heat lamps - but temps were perfect (lots of people and hot food warmed everyone up). I wanted to walk around the restaurant. The tiered architecture is interesting. FOOD: High End Vegan! Yes - I'm guilty of wanting to give them 5 stars just looking at their vegan menu. (And omnivore selection) Yes - I appreciate the care that it takes to prepare a plate. BUT This food was just delicious by itself. Even in a cardboard box, this food would've been amazing. VEGAN "cheese" appetizer (great for 2-3 people) Nut cheese was warm and tangy. This is NOT just cashews and nooch in a blender. It is spiced with something that brings a little heat. *you will want to lick the bowl. PRO TIP: The welcome bread with ... oh shit.... WELCOME BREAD / Garlic Olive Oil This crusty bread served with microplaned garlic + olive oil is fantastic. Garlic Fiend? You're gonna love this. Not a fan of garlic? What's wrong with you?! I mean... just serve from the oil side. Save some bread for your vegan cheese.... VEGAN CHEESE (cont.) Order the gluten free bread (a little more like Uti's toasted dinner roll) with your vegan cheese app. Omnivores at your table will be surprised how well this vegan cheese and wine pair with each other. TROUT I think my wife got the trout. She loved it. Light and delicate. VEGAN KIMCHI TOFU I've had kimchi. I've had tofu. We all have. This was prepared on a bed of roasty veg that was a great match to the salty kimchi. I don't know if there was a marinade preparation (sesame paste?) with the tofu, or it was made locally, or both, but this firm tofu was excellent. Sweet. Nutty. Salty. Fresh tasting and filling. The vegan menu here isn't just an "alternate version" of an omnivore dish. It is its own thing. DESSERT MISTAKE = not getting it. We thought there would be dessert in town, but we got out late. Town had closed. MUSIC Tonight's music was a pair of musicians playing CS&N, Neil Young, Bob Seger... acoustic session: Guitar, Violin, Mandolin. Quiet & sentimental performance was a perfect accompaniment to a long hike day. THERE ARE 1-STAR REVIEWS of this place. They have their reasons. I've only been here once. But I experienced NONE of the things they've mentioned. Moreover, we experienced even better than what other 5-star reviews suggested. This is an elegant spot, framed by a perfect day in Idyllwild. If I come back to the town, I will want to try other restaurants, but I'll definitely come back here. Not *just* because of their vegan options, but definitely *for* their vegan options.

This was my first time eating here I had a fettuccine dish…read morewith chicken It was good the pasta was a little to Al dente for me Music was nice students from the local arts school played very well

Lines long but fast. Ice Cream Cookies and Cream 7/10…read more Churros 3/10 tasty but Texture isn't there.

The shop loses 2 stars for the service. Service was uninformed and relatively rude. They have a…read moregiant sign that states a cookie with every ice cream, and they don't offer it. Shaved ice was good. Mellow flavor, but the treat I wanted. Shake was good and plentiful. No ambiance, but it's meant to be a quick treat.

Cute little bakery located in idyllwild! The food/bakery items are on the pricier side.. however we…read moredid enjoy the live music and the garden like patio. It was a nice stop after a morning of hiking in the area. Overall the food itself was a little too expensive for what it was.. my mom and her friend had the soup of the day which was basically just chili and cheese (nothing really special) while my husband had a simple BLT (also nothing really special) and I had the blueberry pie (which was cute but really just a pie). We spent over 50 dollars on those items which is honestly WAY overpiced in my opinion but then again we still enjoyed our time. Cute place in general :)

We ordered the soup and sandwich combo. Sandwich was basic but tasty the soup was cheddar and…read morebroccoli pretty good. Service was good, lots going on for a small place. Pretty small place but did have outdoor seating. We did also order hot coffee that was good as well.

Amelia's Donuts is one of those rare spots that overdelivers on every level. The donuts are hands…read moredown some of the best I've ever had, perfectly balanced, fresh, and clearly made with a lot of care. But what really surprised me was the burger. It's honestly one of the best around. Juicy, flavorful, and done right with no shortcuts. What makes this place even more special is Amelia herself. Her story, her hustle, and the passion she puts into everything you see and taste is inspiring. You can feel that this isn't just a business, it's something she truly built and believes in. Places like this are what make the food scene so great. If you haven't been yet, you're missing out.

WARNING: Will ruin all other apple fritters for you and you'll be coming back for more!…read more I average about 3 or 4 apple fritters a month (with my doctor's approval, of course!), so I consider myself something of an expert. But I have a major problem now: Amelia's has officially ruined all other donuts for me. While I know many locals come here for the cinnamon rolls or burritos, the Apple Fritter is the real hidden gem. The husband (Jim) has a well-guarded secret recipe, and it shows. Unlike the mass-produced stuff I get back home, Jim and Amelia (the nicest couple you'll want to meet to start your day) use real apples and they are incredibly fresh. The fritter is soft, the topping delightfully sweet (I'm sure my doctor would approve) but not overpowering, and baked with a perfectly tender interior. It left me with the feeling I had the sweet taste of kindness to start my day. Why go to Starbucks to order a Grande from a snarky barista, when you can get coffee here that complements the fritter, warms the morning, and leaves you with a residual happiness-buzz for a great day of adventure? It's the best way to begin the day after enjoying the early morning stars and nature's goodness. I'll never have another apple fritter back home again. If you are in Idyllwild, do not skip this experience and brighten your morning (I'm sure your doctor will approve). :)

Came in for a coffee and Liam helped me, he was super professional and had great customer service!read more

PARKING Plenty of space to park…read more INSIDE / LOCATION Just on the edge of town center, it's super convenient for all of your caffeine requirements. Fancy vacation coffee, plain drip morning-wake-up, afternoon tea: all close by. There are plenty of big tables to sit, eat, camp. There are nice spots outside on the patio if the weather is good. PRO TIP: if weather is good, sit in the park and look up. SERVICE Excellent and patient on a quiet Monday morning. FOOD The drip coffee today was very nice. Nutty - a dark roast (my preference). Oatmilk Something fancy and blended up was also really good. VEGAN OPTIONS Vegan cookie (PCT) was soft and not too sweet. Perfect small breakfast pick-up. Vegan hummingbird Square cake was DELICIOUS and GLUTEN FREE. Did not have the gummy gluten free texture you'd think of for something so tall and dense. There were only 2 vegan food options today, but both were a success. STICKER! We didn't get into any of the souvenir shops, but this place had a selection of stickers for sale. MAYOR! And got to see the mayor drive up.

It was way too cold to have dinner out. It was grandpup's birthday so Doc called in our order for…read moreItalian. She chose a spicy Diabolo pizza, I added clam linguine, a salad with roasted beets and veal parmigiano with veggies vs pasta. Doc and hubs braved the elements to pick up our dinner while I stayed with grandpup in our two story cabin. We couldn't light the fireplace as we didn't buy firewood in town. Some places have provided but not this one. The food was tasty and looked appetizing. We had an ice cream birthday cake from the market in town.

The food absolutely delightful and filling. I am picky about the tomato sauce and they nailed it…read more The sauce leans more to Northern Italy thick and Non acidic very important. The food was plentiful my supervisor (my wife) had Cheese Ravioli and Spinach. She walked away with a nice to go package. I had the meat lasagna - very good portion served, the meat tender not over cooked and No gristle. The food was complemented with a nice pour of Sangiovese. The service was excellent. Our server did a wonderful job very attentive and had a great sense of humor. I think his name was Kevin. I knew it last night. It should be noted that the utensils had a wonderful weight to them when you lifted them you could feel, but there was great silverware and not the normal restaurant prison type of utensils were they have no feeling no weight very nice. The atmosphere was warm, charming we ate on the patio and were able to look at the pine trees as we had our delightful meal came real close to reminding me of being in northern Italy the whole experience Experience this restaurant you'll be very pleased and it's within walking distance of our lodging

Fried Cauliflower: interesting take on it, they do the Buffalo sauce underneath the breading then…read moreit's served in a little metal basket with a side of aioli. 5/5 Mountaineer steak: really delicious, huge portion. The bone marrow butter really did taste like bone marrow! It comes with the side and you can get the chili as your side. 5/5 Green lentil soup: This was just OK. It tasted exactly like it looked, healthy. 3/5 Drinks were also great. I had the strawberry smash. It was excellent. It's served on ice and with real smashed strawberries inside. I also had the Elderflower drink which is served up. Both were great and we definitely order each of them again, and they were quite strong for only $15! Vibe is excellent, they have a lot counter seating, where you look out on the Forest (but also the parking lot below a bit). There's some TVs with spots going and they allowed dogs on the patio. The patio is nicely shaded and has a beautiful breeze, and also all different kinds of groups of people. They were groups of 20 Some things, groups of older folks, families with babies, one guy who's there, just with his dog. Service was so kind considering our group included a slightly fussy baby. We will definitely be back.

Came to this spot for dinner while visiting Idyllwild. Super cute spot! The outdoor seating has a…read moreton of tables and heaters. The indoor doesn't have too many tables but there's a bar you can sit at. They have a cute fireplace as well on a lower level outside. I got to try their crispy sprouts which was delicious, but not crispy. I liked the flavor and the tomato balanced well. I'm not too big on burgers, but I tried the angry mule burger and wow! I was not disappointed. That might've been the best burger I've had. There's a jalepeno jam on the burger that really brought the flavor together. They were generous with the guacamole as well. Their beers were refreshing and good. I got the IPA. I was here celebrating my birthday weekend and they gave complimentary vanilla ice cream. I wish I got our servers name because she was so sweet and attentive. She had the cutest cat glasses.

My review is solely on the arcade and I'm going to have to disagree with the previous reviews on…read morethe arcade. My family and I really enjoyed our time here. Although there aren't many machines we had fun with the ones they had. Hardly any machines were out of service and yes the tickets had to be counted but we made it easy by folding our tickets in 5. Of course we did not expect a Dave and busters experience but with what they had we managed to have a great time. Also the owner seemed so friendly she even gave my nephew free tickets. As for the empanadas we were not lucky enough to try them but we would have loved too. I'm always happy to support small businesses especially when they involve having a good time with our family.

Don't like it, I hated it . I'm Argentinean, this was an insult to our empanada. If you want to…read moresell empanadas this quality and size, just charge $1, and nobody is gonna judge you. But I pay $6 each for that?? No,no,no

We decided to camp at Lake Hemet for Thanksgiving this year. Instead of trying to cook for the…read moreholiday meal we decided to eat out or find something else. Ran across Tommy's Kitchen online and gave it a try. Tommy was very friendly online and we ordered for 4 a little late but he accommodated. Did not know what to expect as we had never ordered to reheat later. Luckily my camp grill can double as a simple oven. We were AMAZED at the food quality and taste. Days later I still find myself thinking of the food. Every item of this feast was beyond what we expected. The dessert was the finale. Anyone staying up there in a BnB or camping and have access to an oven should seriously consider ordering from them. Check out their website it only adds to the reasons to support them. Photos show the quality after heating. Missing is the best apple streudel (apfelstrufel with calvados vanilla sauce) I've ever eaten. Was too busy enjoying it to take a pic. Also missing is the awesome roasted cauliflower and butternut squash soup.

Tommy's is a former restaurant whose chef turned to takeout and the mountain town of Idyllwild is…read moreall the better for it. We've been coming to Idyllwild for 60+ years (100 as a family) and we've seen restaurants great and small come and go. Tommy's right now is one of the top three, ironically as it is takeout dinners with the occasional holiday brunch. This Sunday on Memorial Day weekend we ordered the Roast Lamb special ($24), a robust herbed port wine jus three slices, which came with a dense square of scalloped potatoes au gratin, buttered peas and glazed carrots--with excellent broccoli cheddar soup with croutons--and a white dark chocolate mousse that was the perfect light dessert (I couldn't believe I ate it all). We're having leftovers for lunch or dinner today. What Tommy's gives is way over price value but it's his European culinary technique that elevates the food, even when doing crispy fried chicken with biscuits and gravy. The menu is set, one dish a day, though some occasionally come with vegetarian options. As a bonus, son James bakes excellent French bread--we bought a sun-dried tomato one which was terrific dipped in olive oil. Best of all, for us, Tommy's allows us to not fill the best hours of the evening with cooking and prep. We can sit out on our deck and enjoy the mountains. I'm a food writer among other things (finalist, Best Restaurant Feature, 2015, City & Regional Magazine Association) and author of The French House.