Yosemite Where to eat and Drink

There are several places to either buy food for a picnic or stop and eat in the Park.

Deer in Yosemite Valley

Yosemite Village has the most options. Degnan’s Deli and the Village Store both sell sandwiches and picnic supplies. There are several restaurants including Degnan’s Loft, Degnan’s cafe and the Village Grill. The hotels also sell food. Yosemite Lodge has a broad range of eating options with a food court that runs from 5.30am through until 8pm and 9pm at weekends. Their restaurant is open for dinner and they have a lounge that serves food from mid-morning until 10pm.

The Ahwahnee Dining Room serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Reservations are a really good idea for dinner and there is a smartish dress code (coming straight off the trail is not a good idea). They also have a breakfast bar until 10.30 and you can get bar meals from 11am-11pm.

There are grocery shops in Curry Village and at Housekeeping Camp. Curry Village also has a bar, a couple of restaurants and a pizza place. Happy Isles has a snack stand open 11am to 7pm. This is particularly welcome for a cold drink after the Vernal and Nevada Falls Trail.

There is sometimes a snack stand at Glacier Point but this is only open at certain times of the year so check before you rely on it.

Giant Sequoia Tree

At Wawona you can eat in the Wawona Hotel dining room and the golf shop has a snack stand. You can buy sandwiches and other picnic materials at the Wawona Store and Pioneer Gift Shop.

Options along the Tioga Road are all seasonal and only open in high summer. Again, check before you rely on them. There are shops at Crane Flat and Tuolumne Meadows where you can pick up picnic supplies. White Wolf Lodge offers breakfast and dinner and will sell picnic lunches. Tuolumne Meadows Grill is open during the day and Tuolumne Meadows Lodge Dining Room serves breakfast and dinner. Reservations are recommended at the Tuolumne Meadow and White Wolf Lodge.

In my view, with the exception of the Ahwahnee Dining Room, none of the eating options are particularly good. They tend to be more at the mass catering carb-fest end. If you like burgers and American style pizzas you will do OK. Otherwise you will not be hungry when you have finished eating. The Ahwahnee Dining Room is worth visiting just to see the room but the food is better than elsewhere.

Food in the park tends to be more expensive than that bought outside. If you are staying outside the Park you may want to bring a picnic with you. Groveland is the nearest settlement to the Oak Flat Entrance to the west of the Park and has a few options including a grocery store and a couple of cafes. There is a market (small shop) in El Portal which is the nearest settlement to the Arch Rock entrance to the south west of the Park. Oakhurst, the nearest settlement to the South Entrance to the Park is much bigger than El Portal and has a grocery store and a couple of places that sell take out sandwiches including a branch of the ubiquitous Subway.