Stateline Brewery & Restaurant

June 1, 2014

South Lake Tahoe, California – After being ‘stranded’ in Lake Tahoe when our car broke down (guess there are worse places to get stranded), we were looking for a place to have dinner. This restaurant happened to be walking distance from where we were stuck, so we decided to try it out.

Stateline Brewery & Restaurant is conveniently located at Heavenly Village in a glass, wood, and stone mall. You enter from street level. The main dining room is located downstairs. It’s huge and it was packed when we got there for dinner. A cycling event had just ended a few hours earlier and dozens of cyclists chose this place for their ‘victory meal’. There is also patio seating upstairs on street level. On a warm day/evening, the patio would be a nice choice but you’d miss the atmosphere (and party) downstairs.

As we descended the stairs we saw several huge brewing tanks on the premises, which are also plainly visible from the main dining area. My expectations for a good meal just went up. Several television screens are hung on the walls around the room, mostly showing sporting events. There is a private adjoining room for larger groups. Today the private room had been reserved by a large group of cyclists also celebrating after the same event I just mentioned. The large bar area seems like it would be constantly busy, as it was when we arrived.

Stateline Brewery has a rotating selection of their own beers – some brewed right on site – plus a selection of other craft beers. Local microbrews from nearby towns and counties up and down the West Coast are also featured. Local brews rotate so it is possible what you enjoyed today may not be available when you come back next time. The wine selections aren’t bad, either.

The extensive menu has a range of salads, sandwiches, burgers, pasta, and steaks to choose from. The service was pretty good considering how busy it was. Our waiter was very friendly and even gave his opinion when I asked for some recommendations. Based on our conversation, I got the Brew Burger ($12). The patty is ½ pound Angus-Kobe beef blend. It comes with interesting choices of sides: beer-batter fries, broccoli-bacon salad, quinoa salad, cole slaw, or fresh fruit. (I also had a local beer but since I wasn’t planning to write a review I didn’t note the name. What I do remember was that it had a slightly hoppy taste and didn’t pair very well with my burger but would go very well with something lighter like chicken or maybe even a deep-water fish.) Choice of sides for today was the fries. I think the beer batter mentioned in the menu description had a little something to do with that.

When our meal arrived, I was pleased. The big portions were definitely appreciated. The burger was delicious. Juicy and very filling. You could really taste the beef itself through the condiments. The fries were good, too. I liked that they were battered and then fried.

This is definitely a place for at least two or more. If you prefer a quieter meal and want to people-watch, definitely choose the patio. Downstairs in the main dining area, though, is where the party’s at.

Stateline Brewery & Restaurant is an excellent choice for après-ski, or after a full day of boating, paddle boarding, biking, walking, shopping, gambling (if you didn’t lose your shirt in the nearby casinos), or whatever you happen to be doing in the Lake Tahoe area.

Stateline Brewery & Restaurant – 4.5 forks. Highly recommended. They have one of the cleverest logos I’ve ever seen.

Note: Occasionally Kanale Eats will post a short review. Most of the time it is because I had not planned to write a review during the visit. This is one of those times.