My wonderful friends Wayne and Roger were married here so I knew off the bat that the ambiance was going to be cozy and beautiful. The service was great, waiters and host William, were attentive. We had a great time enjoying the view from the window, the rain was falling outside and we were side of the fireplace. My boyfriend loved his steak, said it was prepared just the way he likes it. I ordered penne pasta with veggies vegan style it was delicious. I would highly recommend this restaurant for a date night or family gathering. read more

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The Trout was fresh and very tasty and the mixed vegetables were very good. I had the chicken Cordon Bleu absolutely the best I've had in a very long time. The flavor was delicious, the sauce fresh and you could tell it was not out of a Can The service was friendly, conversant and knew the menu. Very enjoyable. The ambience is awesome. The tables were placed far enough from each other that you could have a conversation and you didn't hear anyone else's. We have eaten here numerous times over the years. It has always been a joy and we look forward to coming back. read more

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We had a horrible experience last night at the Gastrognome! We had to wait an additional 40 minutes for our reservation and sat at the bar prior. The hostess was extremely rude placing dirty bar ware in front of me while I was sitting there waiting for our table. I asked her to please remove them and she refused and intentionally kept adding more then laughing about it. When I mentioned it to the manger he didn't seem bothered by it at all!...We left! I cannot recommend this place to anyone! The place is in need of new management, a deep cleaning, decor upgrade and professional staff. We were warned by the locals not to go there but we tried it anyway. People were complaining about the food while we were waiting so I'm thankful that we didn't stay! Go elsewhere! Not worth the bad service, filthy dated ambiance and horrible attitude towards their guests! Unacceptable! read more

The service was pretty average. The staff didn't seem particularly interested, stopping by the table only when it suited them, and overall there wasn't much of a sense of customer care. Most of the servers looked like they'd rather be anywhere else. The interior felt dark and a bit dreary. We were seated by the fireplace--which they did kindly turn on for us--but the room still lacked warmth. The outdoor patio looked much more inviting, but it was too chilly to sit outside. As for the food, nothing really stood out. The French onion soup arrived looking messy and was barely warm. The Turkey BLT ended up being the best thing we ordered--the bacon was crisp and the sandwich had good flavor. The day's special, however, was disappointing. It had very little rice and was covered in an overly sticky, sweet sauce. While the portion was generous, it was mostly vegetables and not much else. read more

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Not a fan. Service is all over the place. You don't know who your waiter is. Most of staff is very young. I felt very awkward. I had a drink there and also picked up food. Both not great. I went in to pick up food and the hostess immediately asked me if I had a service dog, I said yes and I'm just picking up food. What am I supposed to do, flag someone down outside? Then I see a dog in a woman's lap at the bar. Discrimination much? Won't he going back. Work on your food and customer service. read more

Restaurant Gastrognome - New American Near Me - Idyllwild, California

Great service and good food . Thank You will be back for a good meal again. Recommend the ramen or sandwhich dip read more

Great food. Great service. I'll be back. They treated me in my wife, a nice honor anniversary. The chef even came out and asked was everything alright. That's one of my moves. Well done read more

My husband ordered the Pepper Steak medium well and pretty much left the plate spotless! I would say order the steak medium and you should enjoy a little more. Other than that the staff is AMAZING, FRIENDLY, and WELCOMING! I HIGHLY recommend coming here. Oh. We sat inside and let me tell you, it's cozy! Oh, wait! We order an incredible appetizer ; the spinach artichoke and crab dip. A must! read more

Restaurant Gastrognome - Beef Thai pasta. A MUST. - New American Near Me - Idyllwild, California

went here in Jan 2026 with my husband for a nice dinner for our anniversary. Ordered the Lobster tail for me ( $39.99), he got a sandwich. We shared a dessert and ordered 5 well drinks. ( Didn't realize they were $20 each!) Bill was about $191. left a cash tip. They charged an unauthorized tip for $47 !! More than the Lobster!! Who does that? I contacted the mgr right away, did he look into it? Did he apologize? Did he refund me? Nope so here we are still fighting it and it all could have been avoided. This could have been a great review . SMH. read more

My friends and I stopped in tonight for dinner, 4/10/25 at around 7:00pm. We ordered the pork chop, the chicken cordon bleu and the turkey BLT. Everything tasted delicious and the waiters were attentive and friendly. They have a bar so they can make drinks too, also Shirley Temples. The restaurant was cozy and had a comfy vibe. Dogs are permitted outside on the patio. I would definitely visit again and plan to try the blackened salmon dish or Gnomie's Ramen. Is a bit pricey though. read more

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I made sure to make reservations early because they were one of the few places open on Thanksgiving. So glad I did. Lovely pre-set holiday menu. They had pescatarian and vegetarian substitutions. I got the salmon w/ the traditional trimmings. They are a very kind and helpful staff. Super cute and cozy decor.. We will visit again! Thank you for making our holiday so chill and easy! :) read more

I ordered the special and it said on the sign that it came with greens but was rice The pork was so over done it was like eating a rock Expensive and definitely wasn't worth it. read more

Restaurant Gastrognome - Pork Belly - New American Near Me - Idyllwild, California

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Overdue review but don't understand all the negative reviews. We had a nice time, atmosphere was cozy, staff were super friendly, drinks were strong (or maybe it was the altitude), and the food was good. The beef stroganoff was great and would recommend. Compared to other restaurants in the area (we went to most of them) Gastrognome was our favorite. Will come back. read more

Restaurant Gastrognome - Beef stroganoff legit tasty - New American Near Me - Idyllwild, California

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Delightful. Food, service and ambiance were wonderful. Two consecutive days, large family dinner - friendly, professional staff and a varied menu selection had something for everyone. read more

My first time in Idyllwild for a weekend trip. As soon as we got here we were hungry and ended up at Gastrognome for lunch. As soon as we sat down we already regretted coming here. As my husband was looking through Yelp reviews and pictures our waitress approached us and took the order of the drinks. We decided it will be rude to leave so we stayed. She was somewhat friendly and took our order for food. Two orders of Cheeseburgers for my husband and son, I ordered the turkey blt. The burgers were somewhat good but the turkey blt was truly uneatable. I took a bite and put it down and didn't touch it. The bread smelled like the dirty grill (the marks on the bread) and the turkey inside was slice of actual turkey breast that tasted horrible, I was thinking it's deli turkey when I ordered. I truly can't describe how horrible it was. I only ate the fries that came with it which was ok. My family finished their burgers and we waited for about 20 mins for the waitress to come back , when my husband decided to go ask for the check and a to go cup for the soda my son got she told him she will get back to him at the table when she has a minute. Another few minutes passed she comes. Noticed that I didn't eat the sandwich and didn't even make a comment. Took the sandwich and dropped the check and left ... few minutes later brought the to go cup, we paid and left. Also keep in mind this place is old, the interiors smells like old carpet and furniture. It's very dark and not cozy at all. We ate at the outdoor patio area. Overall not a pleasant experience here and won't be back for sure. There are so many good restaurants nearby that we ate at during the days we stayed here. read more

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The food was amazing! The service was efficiently prompt, and the place is just beautiful to behold and view.

Food and service were excellent. Highly recommend!The ambience was cozy exactly what you'd expect for a mountain community in Idyllwild.

The service was good and the people were nice but the entire time I was there, I wished that we had gone someplace else. There wasn't a single thing on the menu that sounded good to me but my husband wanted to try it. Again, cute decor but that's about it. I know it's been around since the 70s but if I had to guess, it's changed hands at least once. I think the current owner must be Thai because the (obviously) previously European-ish menu now has things like "Thai-style" ramen and "Thai Beef Spaghetti." Nothing against Thai food, but this felt like those little places in LA that have doughnuts and pastrami and Chinese food. No one is going to do everything well. My husband got the Thai-style ramen. He said the broth was good but the noodles were angel hair pasta and the top looked like something out of The Flintstones with huge honking ribs laid over the top. None of the usual ramen toppings. I got the pasta with portobello and asparagus. It was super salty and they included all the woody stems of the asparagus that you're supposed to discard. All in all it just felt like a wasted meal. I feel bad because they were nice but their menu is terrible and the food indifferently done. read more

Stopped by here after a very long hike so we were starving. We asked for outside seats and sat outside in a little half nook with a fan over us so no flies. We ordered mussels and tuna nachos for appetizers the mussels came out first and it was fresh and had a good flavor. Tasted like there was fish sauce in there, which we love. The nachos didn't come out until after our food came. I forgot to take a pic but did have a few bites. It was really dressed up. My friends got the steak and fish and they ate all their food. The flavor for the salmon was perfectly seasoned, and not salty. I however got the burger and not sure if it's because I was getting a sore throat but I did not like my burger. It was really greasy and I wasn't in a greasy mood. Our service was great and their water was really filtered and def not sink water. What sucked was they didn't have a glass of Prosecco, I would've had to order a whole half bottle. read more

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Decent outdoor dining on a nice sunny day. The staff was friendly, and my food was good, but not worth the price, frankly. However, it took 15 minutes before anyone took our order and almost an hour before we were served. We asked if they were short-staffed, specifically in the kitchen, and our server looked perplexed. read more

Restaurant Gastrognome - ASPARAGUS, PORTOBELLO & PENNE PASTA - New American Near Me - Idyllwild, California

Reading the reviews, I was a little hesitant going to this restaurant. I'm glad I didn't decide to listen to them and chose to eat here anyways. Out of all the restaurants I've had in Idyllwild so far, this is by far the best one I've had my entire trip. The interior was a little dated. However, I do not believe it is a drawback at all. The dated interior gives this place a certain warm and inviting charm/character that a lot of restaurants these days have lost. When you walk in through the entrance, your invited to a dimly lit bar with a dark wood counter. Some people were sitting and enjoying drinks which added to the ambience of the bar. It wasn't a very busy night, so we got seated quickly. We walked into a separate dining room with red carpet, stone fireplace, old wooden furniture, and gnomes sitting on the fireplace (as the name GastroGNOME suggests.) A server quickly offered some water and a breadbasket with butter pads. The bread wasn't anything amazing, but good enough to enjoy after a while of not eating since breakfast. The server came back very quickly and asked if ready to order. I ordered the spicy garlic edamame, beef dip sandwich and fried (which claims is a specialty for this restaurant on the menu) as well as the pork belly with mashed potatoes and asparagus. The edamame was a perfect combination of saltiness and spiciness with the garlic. There was a lot of Asian flavors which didn't taste like stereotypical Asian flavors. It was also not soggy in anyway and the edamame had a nice bite to it. The saltiness balanced perfectly with the mild sweetness of the edamame and the spiciness was comfortable which made me want to continually eat more. The spiciness is similar to the mouth-numbing effect of Szechuan peppercorns, but not enough to make it unbearable. Needless to say, I became addicted to it. The food came out in a timely matter, enough to enjoy the edamame appetizer. The pork belly was amazingly tender and didn't require heavy effort to chew. Pork belly can usually become too heavy for me because of the fat content, but the sauce on it was soy sauce based with acidity to it. The acidity helped balance out the fattiness of the pork and didn't become tiresome to eat. The asparagus looked very fresh and had a very nice green color to it. It had a very nice crunch while also being tender and had an under-lying sweetness to it. The mashed potatoes tasted like actual real potatoes with great texture and not something loaded with lots of butter or any other dairy. It became the perfect vehicle to allow the pork belly to shine. Lastly, the beef dip was nothing short perfect. The thick and slender slices of beef were sandwiched between what seemed like French baguette. The bread had a nice crunch with a great softness. The beef, again, were thick sizable sliced. But it was so tender that lifting a piece in the air caused it to break and fall onto the plate. It was nowhere close to being tough and was super easy to chew. The au jus that it came with was nicely seasoned and actually tasted like good au jus. The fries it came with were very tasty as well. Nicely seasoned and had a nice crisp to it while not having too much oil. Needless to say, I loved eating here on a cold December night with some soul warming food. I don't know how anyone else's experience will be, but I will say the mine was amazing and I will definitely dine here again. read more

If you're looking for bland food with no flavor, this is it. We got the beyond burger and it was mushy and undercooked with iceberg lettuce, flavorless tomato, generic pickles, onion, and a cheap cheese slice on a basic bun. It didn't have any condiments or sauces and just came with greasy fast food-like fries. Tasted like an overpriced version of Denny's. We ordered the spicy edamame appetizer and it had no spice at all. It was just edamame with garlic in a pool of melted butter. We also ordered a side of steamed veggies and it was literally a stalk of celery and some carrots slices and one small piece of broccoli and cauliflower and they charged us $12 for it! The only thing good was the free fresh bread with butter they give you in the basket for free when you sit down. The atmosphere is cozy but they sat us next to a plug-in air freshener that was so strong, it smelled like we were eating in a bathroom stall. read more

Excellent food and had great atmosphere! We had amazing waitstaff but my only issue was the price. It is expected it would be high but it seems a little overpriced based on the food. read more

Restaurant Gastrognome - SAUSAGE RAGOUT & FETTUCCINE PASTA - New American Near Me - Idyllwild, California

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The power went out all over town after we ordered. The food was delicious and we had the restaurant to ourselves. The service was exceptional. It was the best. read more

Tasty lunch in the cozy dining room. Friendly service. Outside seating looked inviting (for a warmer day).

Inviting outdoor seating with heaters and blankets, and cozy indoor seating with fireplaces. We found the service to be attentive but we were there mid-afternoon so the place wasn't full. Nice variety on the menu. Excellent food nicely presented. Even the sliced chicken breast on my salad was tender and flavorful. read more

They had a special holiday menu. We ordered the veggie pasta and the house cider with homemade whipped cream! read more

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The Caesar salad is amazing!!! They have great wine selections and various dishes to choose from. My boyfriend got a classic burger and it was pretty good. They have a fireplace inside so it's nice and cozy. Service was okay. I would definitely come back for the salad though :) read more

Restaurant Gastrognome - New American Near Me - Idyllwild, California

Many good things to say about RG. Our food was great - ribs and Cordon Bleu - and it was presented in a reasonable amount of time. Seating by the window was fun, watching the goings-on outside. Devon was a good, personable server. And this is huge for me: Coke, not Pepsi, and served in a carafe! It wasn't the cheapest meal I've had in SoCal - I paid too much at the LA Convention Center for food that was awful - but at RG it was worth the price. read more

We went to Restaurant Gastronome last night for dinner to watch the tree lighting ceremony. We sat outside on the patio, the view was terrific and it had a very warm and comfortable feel; with a heat lamp and lap blankets in case you get cold. The service was excellent, all the staff were very kind and attentive. We had a great time and a wonderful meal! We would highly recommend this charming place. read more

We happened upon this place, and chose it becasue we saw other dogs on the patio. Food was delicious-I got the Ahi Tuna stack, and salad with chicken. My dog and I enjoyed dinner:) Service was good, once we were inside. We waited a long time for someone to come to the Hostess bar to seat us. It's all good! Beautiful patio and views of the mountains. read more

Restaurant Gastrognome - Ahi Tuna Stack, and salad with Grilled chicken - New American Near Me - Idyllwild, California

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What a pleasant surprise to find this gem in the small, artsy mountain town of Idyllwild. We were on a family camping trip that coincided with our wedding anniversary. After researching options, I called Gastrognome and was able to make a patio reservation with a super friendly employee. Apparently, the staff are all well trained because everyone that we met was friendly and attentive. The restaurant itself is super charming (we want to come back during the wintertime to check out the lounge!) and we enjoyed sitting outside on a warm summer evening. All of the food was executed very well. From the French Onion Soup (perfection), to pasta dishes (huge portions), to steak (flavorfully prepared). Oh, and the cocktails were delicious. It really was a delightful meal - elevated but not stuffy or too fancy. read more

My partner and I have named this restaurant our very favorite restaurant in the years that we have been coming to Idyllwild. The best food, chef, waiters and staff....bar none. However on our most recent visit to the restaurant we experienced just the opposite in food and a waitress who was not very available and seemed confused in medium and medium rare steaks that were toughened for the price and paltry mixed vegetables that were hardly cooked. Disappointing experience for us both ~ Needless to say the price tremendously outweighed the value and satisfaction. I have heard from the owner who was very receptive to my experience and in all honesty of my exceptional experiences in the past, I cannot re-judge based on one day or one experience. read more

Excellent good and service and ambiance. Fantastic French Onion soup by the fire. This is the best restaurant in idylwild.

This is the best place in town! The food is delicious the atmosphere is great! I highly recommend this place. Best service in town. You won't be disappointed! read more

The server we had was so kind! She recommended the sausage pasta and it was so good! Also the bread and butter they give you is so delicious. read more

Servers are nice and friendly food is below average and expensive. Had fish and chips large pieces undercooked raw on inside. Arrived with vinegar, common of course and sweet salsa? Asked for tater sauce at the start and was told they were out. 10 minutes later the table next to me asked for and received c tartar sauce. Second entree Thai noodles loaded with garlic and over cooked beef. Tired the 1/3 desert options panna coda which was expensive and 1/4 cup. At lest the berries were good. They count on alcohol so if you drink soda the seem disappointed and you'll pay 5$ for each. Overall very disappointing, poor quality, unsafe fish and too expensive. If you feel you must go stick with the hamburger as we looked around it was the only thing people finished. read more

Nice old time feeling restaurant, hidden in Idyllwild. Stopped by here for lunch while up playing in the snow for the day. Nice and warm and real wood fireplace makes the place smell and feel so inviting! Being freezing and wet and cold and tired probably helped that cozy feeling also. LOL The place feels old inside but was clean and organized well. Very busy on snow weekends so get there early if you want a seat. On that note, they were totally ready for the crowd and handled it so well. We were seated about 5 minutes before they actually opened and given bread and water before they opened. I watched the action as almost a hundred people made their way in for lunch. Customer service remained awesome and the food was prepared as quickly as possible and ours was pretty good. Ordered the burger and Caesar salad with chicken. A little pricey but we were in the middle of the mountains at one of a few places that served good food. Totally worth the few extra dollars. The food was good. I haven't tried many other spots up in Idyllwild lately so I can't compare this place much. I would definitely eat here again. Check it out. read more

Restaurant Gastrognome - Classic burger. - New American Near Me - Idyllwild, California

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This place sits in the corner right across from the town center. Its location is pretty perfect as you can sit outside and take in the beauty of Idyllwild. The menu is simple but good. The portions are large too. The prices are reasonable. They have vegan options, and I believe I saw a gluten-free option too. Their drinks menu is quite extensive, with plenty of wine options (which are perfect for drinking during fall and winter). They also have mixed drinks, though. In case you need something a little stronger. The staff is beyond friendly, super well mannered, and accommodating. They kept checking on us and just making conversation, but never in an annoying way. We felt very welcomed. So why the four instead of 5 stars, you may ask? Well, you see, I have this thing with bees. Apparently, bees and wasps are somewhat of an issue there during summer and the start of fall. So we sat outside, not knowing this situation, and then boom, a cute little tiny yellow coat came for my food . I quietly got up, hoping that it would go away, and it did, only to come back stronger and uncute. Of course, they know about the issue of bees so, they immediately accommodated us inside, next to the lovely fireplace. Unfortunately, inside, it no longer felt like a mini-vacation it was nice, don't get me wrong, we just wanted the fresh air instead. Overall, we will be back when it's snowing, and the bees are too cold to fly also, I know some people has a bee allergy so now you know to sit inside. read more

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Website prices are significantly off to in person prices. $16 for the world's smallest margarita when it says $8.25 on the website . Plastic chairs for seating outside was somehow nicer than the inside seating. Staff was nice but stands outside and talks most of the time. The food wasn't bad but not worth the price. Over priced and mediocre food. Wouldn't recommend coming. read more