The Pines Lakefront Big Bear review of food and views

The restaurant's own menu centers on steak and seafood, with less-common game dishes adding variety.

Reviewers repeatedly identify the lake view as the principal draw and often praise the service. Opinions divide on whether the overall experience represents good value.

Setting and dining

The Pines Lakefront sits on a property with a history in Big Bear dining dating back to the 1920s. It overlooks the lake and the surrounding mountains. The restaurant provides separate dinner, luncheon, breakfast, and wine menus. The adjacent Pines Tavern offers a place to enjoy cocktails, beer, and wine in a setting with a fireplace.

The restaurant's cuisine is described as New Orleans style, and it also features New Orleans jazz programming. Visitor information indicates a range of dishes, including smoked fish and game, Alaskan king crab, and Kobe burgers. For those with dietary needs, vegetarian dishes and gluten-free options are available. The property also includes docks and complimentary boat parking for guests dining at the restaurant.

Dining features

The garden patio at The Pines Lakefront is equipped with a shade pergola. This area offers an unobstructed view of the lake. The restaurant has hosted seasonal jazz performances on this garden patio.

The menu includes a variety of items, from seafood like Alaskan king crab to burgers. The restaurant's location on the lakefront is a primary draw, with the garden patio providing a direct connection to the natural surroundings.

Score breakdown

Our overall score for The Pines Lakefront is 7.6 out of 10. This score is a weighted sum of four criteria, each measuring a different aspect of the dining experience.

Criterion scores

Food and drink, which measures the quality and range of what is served, received a score of 8/10. The menu centers on steak and seafood, with game dishes adding variety. Strengths include steak, seafood, and game choices.

Value, measuring what you get for what you spend, scored 5.5/10. Reviewers note mixed opinions on value, which keeps the overall score from going higher. A limit is that opinions divide on whether the overall experience represents good value.

Service and wait, which measures how guests are served and how long the wait is, earned a 7.5/10. Reviewers often praise the service. A limit is that the setting can overshadow the food, and it is less suited to a quick casual meal.

Setting, measuring the room, the view, and the atmosphere, achieved a 9/10. Strengths include direct lake views and suitability for special occasions. The lakefront setting is a principal draw for visitors.

Our verdict is that the lakefront setting and generally good food and service support the score. Divided opinions on value prevent it from reaching a higher mark.

A look at the dining experience

The Pines Lakefront identifies Dr. Jerry Lemke and John Isaksen as its hosts. The establishment's interior features an open-beam ceiling, dining-room carpet, and wood flooring around the bar. Booths are situated on a riser toward the rear of the dining room to preserve views from other tables.

Dinner entrees at The Pines Lakefront are served with artisan bread, a choice of a small salad or a cup of soup, seasonal vegetables, and either a baked potato or garlic-mashed potato. The menu includes New Zealand rack of lamb with mint pesto. Seafood selections feature pesto-grilled Alaska halibut, lightly breaded brook trout, Pacific salmon, black-sesame-crusted ahi tuna, and cold-water lobster tail. The Pines Lakefront Salad is prepared with butter lettuce, pine nuts, blue-cheese crumbles, Roma tomatoes, and raspberry vinaigrette.

Offerings for all guests

For younger diners, The Pines Lakefront offers a children's menu that includes steak, filet mignon, smoked ribs, hamburgers, hot dogs, and chicken strips. The establishment also provides catered takeout and individual picnic baskets, suitable for sightseeing excursions. Dessert options include bread pudding with butterscotch-bourbon sauce.