The Gateway Restaurant & Lodge

The river setting is gorgeous, and the scenery is worth enjoying with a drink. I wouldn’t count on the meal being worth the price, though. The chef salad was a good size, but many of the vegetables were wilted, which wasn’t what I expected at those prices. The burger was just okay, nothing special, and way overpriced. You’re paying for the view.

We never got drinks or food, and left after waiting around 35 minutes. We’d had a 7:00 pm reservation for Valentine’s Day and arrived a little early. Two groups who came in after us were served first. One received roses, and their waiter took their drinks and orders within five minutes. The other group was also served, and by then the first group had salads. I asked one of the waiters, who had walked past us several times, where our waitress was. He seemed rushed, showed no sign of apology, and said he’d find out. Five more minutes passed. I’m diabetic and need to eat at a specific time, so I was already upset. I then asked the woman who had seated us if we were ever going to be served. She gave me a nasty look and said something about finding someone to take our order. We left. We wondered whether the restaurant was owned by someone homophobic and whether this was intentional, especially given that it’s in the Central Valley. We’ll never go back. I know this probably won’t change their thinking, but someone should know what happened. I’ve already told my sister and friends. After we left, we found a much better restaurant and still had our Valentine’s Day. There, we got our drinks and food in about the same amount of time this place had left us waiting, and we gave the waitress a $60 tip.

The cabin was a mess of problems. The shower didn’t work properly, with water coming out of the button on the handle instead of the shower head. Under the bathroom sink, a 4x4 block of wood and a scissor jack were propping up the vanity. While cleaning before checkout, we found a dirty pair of women’s underwear under the bed from a previous guest. I’d booked the “honey moon cabin” for my wife, our one-year-old son, and me during a national park road trip for his first birthday. We’d started the day in Death Valley and driven all day to get there. At check-in, we had about an hour and a half of daylight left, so we went into the park. Later, dinner at the restaurant cost about three times what it should have. A simple chicken alfredo was $40 and, in my opinion, no better than Olive Garden. I’d had high hopes because the NPS suggested and booked this place. The views and location only go so far. It was overpriced and run-down, and we stayed two nights. Save hundreds by staying farther away in town. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone looking for a nice getaway.

The outdoor tables are the best part, especially on a nice day. Watching the **Kaweah River** flow right beside you is peaceful and honestly breathtaking. The food was solid and made for a great start before heading into Sequoia National Park. Gateway Restaurant & Lodge has a hard-to-beat setting paired with good food. Highly recommend stopping in for a meal if you’re nearby.