Best Casual Restaurants in Truckee

Stella's on highway 267 feels like a hidden gem in Truckee. From the moment you walk through their doors, the atmosphere is warm and welcoming. One of the things I like best about it is the fact that it is not noisy and impossible to have a conversation like many of the restaurants in Truckee are. We've had family birthday dinners here twice, and it has always been a wonderful experience. The food is delicious and the staff are all very friendly.. I highly recommend Stella's.

Fantastic food, as always. The menu varies little but the quality is always extremely high and guarantees a wonderful dining experience. We ate on the early side and it was very loud due the apres-ski crowd in the adjoining bar area. That can be enjoyable too, unless you want to actually have a conversation over dinner.

Super good food spot love the view! Great Server! Would def come again next time im in tahoe :) I had the salmon salad w lobster soup

Food and service were excellent. The televisions with the football games on in the bar were too loud and intruded into our dining experience.

Our meal for four at the Dining Room @ Village Lodge was very good. The setting is beautiful, the service friendly and professional, and the food was solid-some terrific, some disappointing. The dining room is quiet, relaxed, and friendly. Our pretty table looking out on the snow was pretty and comfortable. We ordered cocktails while looking over the menu, and it took a while to deliver from the bar. In the mean time, home made incredible Parker rolls and a tasty amuse bouche from the chef arrived. Salads were fresh and terrific - one baby lettuce, and one chicory. Our three appetizers - hamachi crudo, scallops, and octopus- were worthy, especially the crudo and octopus (tender, with charred edges). All fantastic so far. The entrees were slightly disappointing. Fresh California halibut was fine but so overcooked that it was dry and tough, too bad! The risotto was a bit bland and starchy, probably because the flavoring ingredient was pumpkin. Mushrooms, asparagus, or other veggie would have been less novel but tastier bases. We asked for parmesan, which our server brought quickly with no complaint. Last, we got the duck breast, which was advertised as "confit" but was more like a regular duck breast (I am used to duck confit as the leg slow-cooked and tender, so may not understand what "confit" means with breast). Anyway, the duck was solid. We did not try the Brick Chicken or fresh sugo pasta, but neighboring diners commented favorably about them. We skipped the $95 australian wagyu steak. On a menu where other entrees are $30-$50, a $95 steak stuck out. And from 10,000 miles away? A $60 California or Nebraska steak would have been snapped up. The high price and superrich flavor of wagyu didn't excite us. Overall a good meal. More simple California comfort dishes would be better for us. The wine list is an "A" by the way. Short and with many excellent whites and reds for normal restaurant prices (and a few over the top prices).