Tahoe residents and visitors selected their favorite places around the lake to eat, drink, shop and play in TQ’s 2025 Best of Tahoe Readers’ Poll. Due to the expansive size of North America’s largest alpine lake, the multiple-choice poll was separated into two categories: South Shore and North/West/East Shore, which includes Truckee. Here are the results.

 

EAT & DRINK—NORTH/west/east SHORE 

Best Family-Friendly Restaurant

1. Lanza’s Restaurant 

2. Fire Sign Cafe

3. Zano’s Family Italian & Pizzeria

 

Best Upscale Dining

1. Soule Domain

2. Wolfdale’s Cuisine Unique

3. Smoke Door – Lake Tahoe Saryo

 

Best Outdoor Dining

1. Sunnyside Restaurant & Lodge

2. Gar Woods Grill & Pier Restaurant

3. River Ranch Lodge and Restaurant

 

Best Pizza

1. Whitecaps Pizza

2. Mofo’s Pizza

3. Great Gold

 

Best Breakfast

1. Fire Sign Cafe

2. Donner Lake Kitchen

3. Squeeze In

 

Best Sushi

1. Drunken Monkey Sushi

2. MakiAli

3. Tahoe City Sushi

 

Best Burgers

1. Inclined Burgers and Brews

2. Fat Cat Bar & Grill

3. Cult Burger

 

Best Sandwiches

1. Full Belly Deli

2. Tahoma Market & Deli

3. West Shore Market

 

Best Coffeehouse

1. Tahoe House Bakery & Gourmet 

2. Coffeebar

3. Dark Horse Coffee Roasters

 

Best Bar

1. Pete ’n Peter’s

2. Alibi Ale Works – Truckee Public House

3. Moody’s Bistro Bar & Beats

 

Best Brewing Company

1. Alibi Ale Works

2. The Good Wolf Brewing Company

3. Truckee Brewing Company

 

Best Wine Tasting

1. Uncorked Truckee

2. The Pour House

3. Uncorked Olympic Valley

 

EAT & DRINK—SOUTH SHORE

Best Family-Friendly Restaurant

1. Getaway Cafe

2. Lake Tahoe AleWorX

3. Sprouts Cafe

 

Best Upscale Dining

1. Chart House

2. Edgewood Restaurant

3. Kalani’s 

 

Best Outdoor Dining

1. Beacon Bar & Grill

2. Riva Grill On The Lake

3. Lake Tahoe AleWorX

 

Best Pizza

1. Lake Tahoe Pizza Company

2. Base Camp Pizza Co.

3. Lake Tahoe AleWorX

 

Best Breakfast

1. Ernie’s Coffee Shop

2. Bert’s Cafe

3. The Getaway Cafe

 

Best Sushi

1. The Naked Fish

2. Off The Hook Sushi

3. Sushi Pier

 

Best Burgers

1. Big Daddy’s Burgers

2. Burger Lounge

3. California Burger Co.

 

Best Sandwiches

1. Tahoe Bagel Company

2. Tahoe Keys Deli

3. Sprouts Cafe

 

Best Coffeehouse

1. Drink Coffee Do Stuff

2. Cuppa Tahoe

3. Bare Roots Coffee Roasting Company

 

Best Bar

1. Emerald Bay Bar & Grill

2. Kalani’s

3. Community Speakeasy

 

Best Brewing Company

1. South Lake Brewing Company

2. Sidellis Lake Tahoe

3. Cold Water Brewery & Grill

 

Best Wine Tasting

1. The Cork and More

2. Tahoe Tastings

3. The Idle Hour

 

RECREATION & ENTERTAINMENT—NORTH/west/east SHORE

Best Music Venue

1. Crystal Bay Casino Crown Room

2. Sand Harbor Trepp Amphitheater

3. Commons Beach

 

Best Golf Course

1. Old Greenwood Golf Course

2. Incline Village Championship Course

3. Old Brockway Golf Course

 

Best Mountain Bike Trail

1. Flume Trail

2. Donner Lake Rim Trail

3. Tyrolean Downhill

 

Best Ski Resort

1. Palisades Tahoe

2. Sugar Bowl

3. Diamond Peak

 

Best Chairlift

1. KT-22 Express, Palisades Tahoe

2. Crystal Express, Diamond Peak

3. Aerial Tram, Palisades Tahoe

 

RECREATION & ENTERTAINMENT—south SHORE

Best Music Venue

1. Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harveys

2. Tahoe Blue Event Center

3. Lake Tahoe AleWorX

 

Best Golf Course

1. Edgewood Tahoe

2. Lake Tahoe Golf Course

3. Tahoe Paradise Golf Course

 

Best Mountain Bike Trail

1. Angora Ridge Trail

2. Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride

3. Corral Trail

 

Best Ski Resort

1. Kirkwood

2. Heavenly

3. Sierra-at-Tahoe

 

Best Chairlift

1. Aerial Tramway, Heavenly

2. The Wall, Kirkwood

3. Sky Express, Heavenly

 

RETAIL & SERVICE—NORTH/west/east SHORE

Best Outdoor Gear

1. Ace Mountain Hardware & Sports (Truckee)

2. Alpenglow Sports

3. Tahoe Dave’s Boardshop 

 

Best Bike Shop

1. Olympic Bike Shop

2. Paco’s Truckee

3. The BackCountry

 

Best Ski/Snowboard Shop

1. Tahoe Dave’s Skis & Boards

2. Start Haus Ski & Bike

3. Village Ski Loft

 

Best Home Décor

1. Tahoe Modern

2. Mountain Hardware & Sports

3. High Camp Home

 

Best Art Gallery

1. Piper J Gallery

2. Gallery Keoki

3. North Tahoe Arts

 

Best Hardware Store

1. Ace Mountain Hardware & Sports

2. Swigard’s Ace Hardware

3. Truckee-Tahoe Lumber Company

 

Best Mechanic

1. Ward & Sons Automotive

2. Big Bear Automotive Repair Inc.

3. Truckee Automotive

 

RETAIL & SERVICE—SOUTH SHORE

Best Outdoor Gear

1. Tahoe Sports Ltd.

2. Shoreline of Tahoe

3. The Village Board Shop

 

Best Bike Shop

1. South Shore Bikes

2. Tahoe Sports Ltd.

3. Sierra Ski & Cycle Works

 

Best Ski/Snowboard Shop

1. Rock House

2. Rip N Willies

3. Tahoe Sports Ltd.

 

Best Home Décor

1. On Tahoe Time

2. DIY Home Center

3. Welcome Home Shoppe Gifts and Decor

 

Best Art Gallery

1. Twilight and Rust Gallery

2. Pacific Crest Gallery

3. Wyland Galleries

 

Best Hardware Store

1. South Lake Tahoe Ace Hardware

2. DIY Home Center 

3. Meek’s Lumber & Hardware

 

Best Mechanic

1. Steve’s Transmission Services

2. Five Star Automotive

3. Eloise Automotive & Alignment