The Pines Lakefront

Not great, food was eh, service was pretty bad and it was pricey. The lake view was nice.

I’d give zero starts if I could. I will say our drinks are good but the 19 dollar ribeye steak was more like a bad carne asada. We had hair in eggs and ants on toast. We are not a picky bunch. Just wanted a good breakfast with good cocktails and am very very disappointed in our breakfast.

Nice ambience. Cozy. Piano music. Food is only a 3. I had filet mignon. My wife had New York steak. Both were cold. New York was fatty like a rib eye and my wife doesn’t like fat. Whipped mashed potatoes were burnt. Server didn’t tell us about the specials. We learned later they had elk, wild boar, beef wellington and other items. This is our second visit and both times I would give them a 3.

Wow. Seriously wow. If I could eat anywhere for the rest of my life, it would be this place. My boyfriend and I just left and we are in food euphoria. A man, whom we assumed was the owner stopped by twice and even walked us out the door. Big plus! Took about 15 minutes for a server to touch our table and there were only a few other tables but everything besides was so amazing.

Old school kinda of a restaurant.
Very good food and great Service.
The staff including the managers are very attentive and the view is beautiful.
The restaurant is great for large parties too.
We will be back.

My husband, two daughters and I stopped by for a late lunch snack. We had a few appetizers they were all great. I have to say the crab cakes were the best !!! The view was also amazing !

This is one of fav restaurant in the area! Amazing view! Pretty cool managers\owners. Jerry and John! They are very accommodating and welcoming! They have gluten free, and vegetarian dishes available. We Their breakfast is pretty nice! We also came here for dinner as well! We ordered, Gluten free pasta with vegetables, comes with marinara or garlic olive oil sauce. Please try! They serve bread and butter in the beginning, you can request the bread as gluten free.

We had such a nice night here. We’re still talking about how great of an experience it was, and it’s been a few weeks.
We got here around dinner time with no reservation. The host told us there would be a 45min — 1 hour wait. We figured that was fine, we wanted a nice meal and didn’t have plans other than dinner that night. There was a nice, spacious indoor waiting area, and a bar area for sitting inside the restaurant. After a few minutes in the waiting area, we walked over to the bar and ordered some wine and beer to pass the time. The woman at the bar was so sweet — she was very attentive and friendly. While we were sitting at the bar, the owner came by and chatted with us. We weren’t even seated yet and he was still checking in on us to make sure we were enjoying our time there. Very excellent start to great service.
We sat down at our table after about 30ish minutes, give or take, but it didn’t seem like long. We were promptly told the specials of the night, which literally ALL sounded fantastic. As the owner was (very knowledgably) telling us about them, my husband and I glanced at each other with the same excited look. Venison, lamb shank, prime rib, pork osso bucco… how would we choose?! I chose the prime rib, and husband chose the venison (Pennsylvania raised… chose the venison… I should’ve bet on that) and eagerly awaited our meal.
We ordered shrimp cocktail for an appetizer. Although the portion was small, the cocktail sauce was very tasty with an excellent kick to it, and the shrimp tasted perfectly fresh and firm. I’m a sucker for good shrimp cocktail. This one was great, but not enough. It rarely ever is for me, though. No stars docked for that.
Our food arrived piping hot and smelling like absolute ambrosia. My knife practically melted into my prime rib. It was like butter; so tender and juicy. It was served with horseradish cream spread as well as au jus. I rotated between the two, enjoying both and appreciating the diversity of the cool horseradish cream and the warm au jus. My husband raved about his venison. I heard grunts and sounds of pure satisfaction from his side of the table.
All in all, the food here was divine. What made it a complete & earned 5 star restaurant though was the service. We were so well taken care of and given such fabulous customer service. We don’t frequent Big Bear other than a handful of trips a year, but we will definitely be back for each of those trips.

Bloody Mary bar check, lake front views check, excellent food check, friendly staff check. what can I say off the beaten path which is a good thing so its never crowded. I like this place, beautiful views of Big Bear lake. its nice in the winter and in the summer as well.

Absolutely loved this restaurant! Came here for dinner with my family (Hubby, Me and our three daughters). We were greeted at the door by whom I believe is one of the two owners, he sat us next to the windows for a spectacular view of the lake. As we were seated we were given water right away, with they’re bread and herb butter (delicious btw)… I had overheard one owner say they churn they’re own butter… They also brought us out a complimentary caprese salad with a balsamic glaze (also delicious)…our waiter was great! Dinner was superb!
Prime Rib with a ceaser salad
Kids had:
Filet Mignon
Mac & Cheese
They really enjoyed their dinner choices and received scoops of ice cream which of course they loved. After we finished, paid and walked to exit one of the owners complemented us on how well behaved our daughters are and specifically told the girls they’re were always welcome at his restaurant
I’m so happy I made our reservations to dine here. My family now has our «go to» spot when we visit big bear lake!

My boyfriend and I first visited the pines in June during our first trip to big bear lake. We sat outside on the patio and had a fabulous evening… The food, service and ambiance were all exquisite. We returned to big bear this weekend for my boyfriends birthday and decided to revisit the pines for his birthday dinner.
Everyone who works in this restaurant is extremely friendly and welcoming. We chatted with both of the owners and had a few drinks at the bar before sitting down for dinner. The bartender was super accommodating and offered us a taste of a wine they had on display when we asked her about it! One of the owners came to our table and told us about the many specials of the evening and you could tell he takes his menu seriously and wants you to enjoy a unique dining experience. We decided on two of the specials, the elk ribs and the venison chops. Both of our meals were heavenly to say the least… Cooked so perfectly and full of flavor! Our server was kind and attentive without being overbearing. When it came time for dessert, they brought out some kind of cake/​cheesecake combo on the house with a candle for my sweethearts birthday.
Overall, this was another great evening at the pines and we definitely plan to dine here anytime we get up to big bear. Thank you for such wonderful hospitality!

This place has been a favorite for years due to location. Can’t beat the lakefront views. Possible the best views on the lake. Also love the dock parking for when we have the boat in. Really love the upgrades and patio. The place was renovated last year and now looks like a 5 star restaurant. Love it. Keep up the good work.

We came here for a night to have a relaxing, enjoyable weekend. And this place was the first place we ate. It was walking distance from our cabin and was absolutely perfect. The wine list was very extensive with lots of choices and the food was absolutely delicious. I had the spinach and goat cheese stuffed chicken and my fiancé had the rib eye. Both of our meals were cooked perfectly and do flavorful. The butternut squash soup was absolutely delicious as well. The view was gorgeous overlooking the frozen lake and sunset turned all the clouds pink. Our waitress was extremely attentive and the owner came over himself and we had a very nice conversation with him. Next time we are in big bear, we will definitely be visiting again. What a wonderfully quaint experience.

Took the hubby out for his birthday diner. He had chosen this restaurant because there was a wine on their wine list he wanted to try. Even though they did not have the wine the host was quick to give us other options.
We both ordered steak, I had the filet (which was way undercooked… can you say blue), but they quickly took it back. My husband had the prime rib which he enjoyed.
For Big Bear this is one of the most upscale restaurants, without having to get super dressed up.
Only reason I gave it a 4 was they did nothing special for my husband as it was his birthday that day. For the price of dinner they could have at least given him a scoop of ice cream with a candle… something…anything.

If you are looking for excellent food AND service in Big Bear, try this place FIRST before the busy Village restaurants! Make a reservation for dinner, or show up before the rush at 6 p.m. (happy hour is from 3 – 6 p.m. throughout the entire restaurant: there is an extensive discounted food menu and glasses of wine starting at $ 4).
My boyfriend and I had dinner here on January 2. I’ll admit this wasn’t our first choice — we originally tried to dine in the Village, but every restaurant was on a 2-​hour wait by 4:45 p.m. due to the holiday weekend. I assumed The Pines would be a little out of my price range, but it was my boyfriend’s birthday, so we drove on over to this secluded spot.
We wouldn’t have been able to dine here if it wasn’t for Dr. Jerry’s generous and accommodating disposition. We walked in around 5:15 p.m. to a nearly-​empty restaurant because the majority of his reservations began at 6 p.m. Jerry invited us to sit at the bar while he looked over his list to see if he could squeeze us in. If it had been any other occasion, we would have stayed at the bar: the bartender was warm and friendly and you have access to the full menu as well as the happy hour menu. But luckily, Jerry came back over and sat us in the dining room within five minutes.
Despite the fact that we were squeezed in before numerous reservations, we never felt rushed to finish our meal, which is hard to come by in restaurants. The server didn’t even place the check until I asked for it. We ended up enjoying two glasses of happy-​hour wine each, entrees, and a dessert within an hour. I had the crab cakes entrée and my boyfriend had a steak that was cooked to perfection. Our server was also friendly and knowledgeable, and our dishes were boxed and bussed in a timely manner.
Our experience here was one of the best we’ve had in a long time. We both used to work at restaurants and understand how easy it is for managers to turn people away by citing «too many reservations.» We honestly weren’t expecting Jerry to find a table for us, but he proved us wrong. I was also extremely pleased that we didn’t feel rushed or like an inconvenience while we were eating. When we finally left, Jerry was still pleasant with us and actually upset that we didn’t tell anyone it was my boyfriend’s birthday — «we could have given you a free cheesecake!» We assured him that he and his staff had already done more than enough through excellent food and service.
Bottom line: Expect to spend money here, but know that you’ll receive your money’s worth in food quality and service. To cut down the bill, show up for happy hour (and remember to tip on what the regular total should have been!!).

My family and I were able to snag last minute reservations here and loved it! The owner came by to each table to present the specials and chat with us a bit, he was super nice and friendly. The wait staff was also really great. Just about everyone went with one of the specials from wild boar to elk and all of the game meat we had was delicious. The meat was so tender, perfectly cooked. We were also pleased and it was by far the best meal we had in Big Bear! Lets not forget about the amazing view of the lake from their expansive windows.

While visiting Big Bear this past weekend we looked for a Lakefront dining experience. We found it at The Pines Lakefront. The mussels were succulent, tender and delicious. The New England clam chowder was very good, and the clams were so tender. The Tilapia, and the shrimp was also good.
Our waitress Katrina was exceptional, warm, and fun. Thanks for the experience.

On our trip to Big Bear Lake this previous week, we really wanted to do something special! I looked up restaurants near us and The Pines popped up! We saw the atmosphere was classy but dress was casual, so we made a reservation.
From the moment we walked in, we were greeted and treated so well. Multiple people came to help, someone to seat us, someone with waters, our waitress asking for any other drink orders, someone with fresh bread and homemade churned butter! A very well dressed man, who I believe was the manager, stopped by during the meal to make sure everything was great. Everyone was extremely friendly and warm.
Atmosphere was great, classy and friendly not uptight at all! Food was amazing the mussel appetizer is just mind blowingly delicious! The moscato wine was absolutely brilliant! Over all everything about the visit was perfect! We definitely plan on coming back and making this a stop everytime we are in Big Bear!

My mother was retiring, so my wife and I packed up for a trip to Big Bear for the weekend. Beforehand I called and made a reservation the day before. Wanted to take my mom out to celebrate. So we kidnapped her from her job, what are they going to do about it! :-) So later in the evening we brought her here. As it turns out this is one of her favorite places to eat. I reserved a table by the window, however the weather was so nice. We ended up eating in the patio. Since my mom eats here often, everyone knew her. We had a chance to talk to the owner, bartender, and a few of the customers. All were very nice.
When it was time to eat, I had the pork loin with garlic mashed potatoes topped with the Cheri and apple gravy. It was a very good meal. Mom had the pesto raviolis, and the wife had the filet mignon. My mom also enjoyed her couple of glasses of wine.
Besides a couple of issues with our server. We had a really great time. The reason why this was not a five star review:
Food:
Food was good, for the price you expect to be better.
Service:
Our server had a couple of brain freeze. I had to get the salt a pepper after requesting it two other times.
Facility:
Patio could be better, it just have chairs and table thrown under a patio cover.
Now that I know my mom loves coming here, I will make sure we will come here more often.

I have been here three times now since the ownership change. The new owners (at least the two of them that I’ve met) are extremely cordial, and seem to genuinely want you to have a pleasant experience.
The remodeled patio is probably my favorite place in Big Bear to go on a weekend morning for a light breakfast, and, of course, a bloody mary. Which brings me to the bloody mary bar; it has a good assortment of vegetables to help soak up the vodka — although on my most recent visit, the service was a bit on the slow side (even though there seemed to be a lot of staff running to and fro), and that translated to the bloody mary bar, which had empty slots on each of my two trips through. Also, because of how it is set up, there can really only be one person at the «bar» at a time, which can lead to a backup.
Also on our most recent Sunday morning visit, we were very pleasantly surprised to be entertained by a New Orleans-​style jazz band. It was a beautiful morning to sit on the patio, gaze out across the water (what’s left of it), and listen to some great music.