

This stylish, stone-lined bar in the historic Ahwahnee Hotel offers elevated pub plates & cocktails.
Address and Contact Information
Address: 9005 Ahwahnee Drive, Yosemite Valley, CA 95389
Phone: (209) 372-1489
Menu Photos
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Bar & Lounge @ The Ahwahnee Hotel, Yosemite Valley, CA
Reviews
What surprised us most is that we had no idea The Ahwahnee Bar actually serves food. My girlfriend took a quick walk and happened to pass by the bar, overhearing the host mention that the wait time was over an hour. She immediately put our names down and texted me from the room, what a lifesaver! The bar isn’t very big, hence the long wait, so definitely check in with the host early if you’re planning to eat here.
The Ahwahnee Bar carries the same iconic charm as the rest of the hotel: warm lighting, rustic-elegant woodwork, historic touches, and that classic Yosemite lodge ambiance that instantly relaxes you. It feels intimate, cozy, and timeless, the kind of place where you could sip cocktails for hours. The decor blends lodge charm with understated luxury, creating a mood that feels both upscale and wonderfully unpretentious.
Their menu is small, but surprisingly perfect, especially for a pescatarian like me. And the cocktails here are outstanding! I ordered quite a few throughout our 4-day stay (no shame!) and every single one was excellent. Service remained impressively fast and efficient, even with how busy they were all night.
We were a party of 5 and ordered:
Gathered Greens Salad with shrimp – This was my dish. Simple, clean, and exactly what I needed. Very happy with it.
Black Bean Puree Soup – Not for me. It’s giving thick black bean dip than a soup. My boyfriend happily finished it for me.
Half and Full Racks of Ribs – Enjoyed by the other four in our group. Huge portions with leftovers to take back to the room.
Pro Tip:
Whether you’re staying at The Ahwahnee or just visiting, put your name on the waitlist early. The bar fills up quickly and seats are limited. But once you’re in, it’s absolutely worth it, especially if you can’t snag a reservation at The Ahwahnee Dining Room.
If you’re looking for a cozy, delicious, and slightly underrated dining option inside Yosemite, The Ahwahnee Bar is a fantastic choice!
The host, Garrett said that we can only get drinks, and cannot order to go food, and did not mention a waitlist. He suggested that we go to the village store or eat at the sweet shop because there would be NO way we would be eating at the bar tonight.
Then we overheard Garrett tell the man directly behind us that he would put him on the waitlist because he “seemed cool”.
A few moments later, a black man asked if there is a waitlist which Garrett replied no.
As people continued to come in, he picked and chose which people he wanted to put on the waitlist, which the pattern I saw was white people on the waitlist and people of color – no waitlist.
As we were getting our drinks, we saw 2 white ladies get seated at the bar. I asked Garrett why he sat those two ladies and not us? He replied that he didn’t see the seats open (there was a total of 6 seats open at bar). Isn’t that the job of the host, to see if there is open seating? He did not tell us open bar seating.
He started apologizing and acknowledged he overlooked us and then put us on this magic waitlist and said it was 1.5 hour wait. He said he was only doing it for us and told everybody else no.
He also rejected a family with 3 children, didn’t offer waitlist or to-go orders.
We waited outside the bar for our name to be called. After several people didn’t show up for their reservation, we were seated after 20 minutes. We saw multiple white people leave with to-go food orders after we were told there were no to-go orders allowed.
After we were finally called and seated, we noticed that half of the bar had empty tables and empty seats at the bar, and the “cool guy” had already been seated and got their food.
After I got seated, I went to the restroom and Garrett happened to be walking in front of me. He walked over to the dining area to tell his friends that he was off in 10 minutes. He proceeded to leave the host area several other times, called somebody on the rotary phone. He seemed to be doing everything BUT his job to seat people (unless you are white and cool).
The bartenders were great, if it was service based on bartenders they would get 5/5 but Garrett’s service was based on how cool you are and made up this waitlist whenever he wanted to get people on it. We faced discrimination and only apologized for it when I confronted him about it.
This was the tip of the iceberg, there were several other things that happened at the Awahnee during our time here that were very odd, like an employee carrying romaine lettuce against her clothes from dining room to bar, uncovered.
We shared our experience with the manager at front desk, which he proceeded to do nothing about and told us that we can write a review online and somehow the dining manager will see it.
Patricia was our server. Kind and attentive. We really appreciate her.