Evan’s American Gourmet Cafe

There are not a lot of fine dining options in Tahoe, this place and Edgewood. I don’t know what else to add to the over 250 reviews. I highly recommend making reservations as the place fils up pretty quickly.
The highlight of the meals for us was believe it or not, the tomato soup with the pesto gilled cheese crostini and the desert sampler.

The Unilocal reviews set our expectations very high and we were not disappointed. Quaint homey setting. Great service. All of our meals were delicious. Amazing sweetbread appetizer — up there with one of our favorite dishes ever. Rack of lamb, sea bass and scallops were also worthy of a special mention. Deservedly pricey. This restaurant is on our must visit list for all future Tahoe visits.

We finally went to this AMAZING local restaurant!
Excellent service, convivial atmosphere, THE BEST food!
Huge portions, reasonably priced adult libations, Supremely Splendid Desserts!
We had asparagus soup with a bacon tomato confit topping and it was EXCELLENT!
My husband had the wild salmon special entrée stuffed with Maine lobster with a beurre blanc sauce, he loved everything about it, flavor was the best salmon he ever had he says and texture was perfect, he HATES dry fish and this was left just pink to retain the softer texture!
I had the New York strip special with wild mushrooms and a brandy demi glacé sauce… my steak was perfectly cooked, perfectly tender, not one bit of fat or gristle and the sauce was so good I wanted to lick the plate!!! I did eat more bread than I should have to get all the sauce I could!!!
we were seated and offered a complimentary chicken liver pâté with croutons, this was also excellent!
I am also an iced tea snob and their iced tea is EXCELLENT! no odd flavor or fruity perfume mess… just clean brewed tea in a nicely iced glass!
attentive staff kept our water filled and table clean!
Do not miss dessert! save room, split it amongst 4 of you it is HUGE
BUT I highly recommend the bruleed banana croissant bread pudding, it comes with butter pecan ice cream and candied pecans and the bread pudding is layers of deeply flavored banana custard and dark chocolate ganache… really rich and perfectly cooked, but a HUGE portion!!!
It is an intimiate setting with perhaps 12 tables total and they stagger seating to keep the kitchen perfectly timed and food coming our perfectly spaced courses with the right temperature!!!
Hats off to the new female head chef and the artist in residence, also called the Pastry Chef!!!
Not to be missed, but make reservations and plan on being hungry to enjoy all the goodness that comes from the kitchen.
Just parking and walking in you smell the wafting heavenly scents and know you are in for a treat!!!

Not that there are an abundance of options in this area for the genre, yet it still doesn’t stop Evans from getting everything right. An old-​ish house-​turned-​restaurant, don’t let the «café» in the name full you. More formal than most South Tahoe jaunts and and quite romantic (surprisingly?), it’s the food that sets it apart (as it should with restaraunts). In-​house pasta and desserts are their passion, but the meats etc deserve attention as well.

Great food and nice atmosphere.
Steak is out of this world. Chile cheesecake was outstanding as app. Finish meal with 3 chocolate cheesecake and raspberry ice cream

Positives:
Located in a lovely wooded area away from the Main Street
Restaurant space is small and cosy
Wine list is local and reasonably priced
Average:
Food is generally average and nothing special for hype of restaurant and price
Waitstaff seems out of it and not very helpful (slightly arrogant?)

If your in Lake Tahoe, and seeking that «date night» dining experience ~ visit Evan’s ~ close to the Y in SLT… if you are a «foodie» ~ oh my, you must go* Prepare for an intimate little restuarant and enjoy the way they express their love for the cullinary arts ~ you will never forget this little fine food oasis~*

This place is AMAZING! The food was delicious and the service was great, staff was very helpful and friendly.

In a region of South Lake Tahoe that has few top cuisine choices, Evans is the shining star. Innovative, creative off menu dishes abound nightly from its star chef in an intimate and personal setting. Started with complimentary duck pâté and crostini paired with our La Rochelle Pinot noir which was lovely. The Hoisin and orange glazed prawns with Asian style slaw is a favorite as is the butter lettuce salad with julienned apples and walnuts. Impressed with the wait staff attentiveness and willingness to oblige personal preferences. Enjoyed evening special of cedar planked wild coho salmon on a bed of mashed potatoes enhanced with cheese and onion. Generally most of the entrees have a side of mashed potatoes and would like to see more choices offered. Enjoyed the dessert sampler; particularly the lemon cheesecake. Note hat no substitutes are offered for the sampler.

I came here for my 21^st birthday dinner and it couldn’t have been better. The service was great and I loved how they had a whole board of specials brought to the table. Started with a bottle of 2008 JW Pinot Noir that was amazing. The fresh bread was ridiculously good.
Appetizers: the savory chile cheesecake and scallop quenelles with sherry-​lobster cream. Oh my goodness. Both were SO good! And dipping the bread into that lobster cream. Not even fair. The quenelles were light and fluffy and amazing.
Entrees: the lobster stuffed salmon, beef filet, and a halibut special. All I can say is that they were all amazing. Everyone ate until we couldn’t have another bite. But then dessert.
Dessert: we had a cheesecake and some sort of minty chocolate mousse. I forgot the names. Obviously they were amazing, this place can’t go wrong.
The décor was a little dated but it truly felt classy and special. I’d recommend this to anyone.

Quite simply put, the food here is amazing, and the service is impeccable. I came here with two of my friends, and among the three of us, we had the scallops, the steak, and a salmon dish. The steak was pretty good — juicy and tender, and the potatoes were great as well. The scallops, however, were HEAVENLY and PERFECT. I ordered a cheesecake for dessert, and was surprised by the huge cheesecake that came along. It wasn’t the best cheesecake ever (I was not a huge fan of the texture), but to be honest, that dinner was pretty great, so I didn’t mind at all. Ambiance is cozy and intimate, quite fancy (we dressed up a little to come here); I had a nice experience dining here.

An amazing night of food and a great staff, There was a loud ass gaggle of women acting like idiots but we did not let it spoil our evening. In the end we ended up shaming the noisy twats, earned the respect of the staff where they rewarded us with dessert and good port!!! Even though they were noisy we had an amazing evening and will definitely be back.
Forgot to mention the FOOD!!! First off, Seared Foie Gras over pecans, with onion strings and caramelized apple sorbet, I swear it tasted like a savory apple pie bite in your mouth, so GOOD!!! I had the Venison chops with asparagus and truffle risotto. The meal was delicious, and the staff again, were just epic. Since we were patient with the staff over the idiots, they were more than forgiving with us, and just made our evening a blast, as we hope we did for them too!!!

Fine dining options are slim in Lake Tahoe. Evan’s is a great option overall — been here twice. If you’re looking for a classy place for a romantic dinner, this is one of your better options. It’s very cozy and intimate there.
Food:
I think both times I’ve been there I had steak, which was cooked and seasoned perfectly. The last time I was there my wife had halibut which was slightly overcooked (we like medium rare at a restaurant) and the risotto that came with it was completely overpowered by the cheese that was one of the ingredients (or at least it tasted like that). We both loved the sweetbreads appetizer — perfectly seasoned. I did notice that many of the items featured a fruity/​sweet demi-​glacé which isn’t to my taste, but others might like.
Dessert menu options were very good (I wish they served a classic vanilla crème brûlée instead of flavored, but oh well) — I had their teacup tiramisu which was great although I could’ve used a little less frosting.
Ambiance/​Experience:
As I mentioned before, very cozy and intimate. Overall classy without being over the top. This last time we had reservations (recommended) but had to wait for a few minutes for the table to be set up, which was OK but a little odd. The staff is very very friendly and they are attentive without being annoying about it.
Note to management:
This last trip we were there, there was a guy wearing shorts and a t-​shirt as well as a large group that somewhat loudly took two phone calls at the table and also watched a somewhat loud video clip. Those two things definitely detracted somewhat from the experience I was expecting from my first visit.
Conclusion:
Good choice overall, I’d recommend it to friends and would come back again.

Delicious food. Great staff. And beautiful ambiance. Had an incredible dining experience here with my family!
You need reservations as this restaurant is very small (and intimate).
I urge anyone wanting a nice dinner out in while they’re in Tahoe to visit Evan’s

This was the best restaurant experience I’ve ever had.
My family and I went to Evan’s on my birthday. We didn’t have a reservation and called 5 minutes before arriving to see if they would be able to accommodate us. When we arrived to the restaurant the hostess asked, «Did I speak with you on the phone a few minutes ago?» When I confirmed, she led us to the table that was reserved for us. I hadn’t even given my name over the phone but there was a table waiting. The restaurant has a very cozy feel; all of the servers seem to take care of everyone and everyone is incredibly friendly. Hands down the best service I have ever gotten.
We ordered the wine recommended to us by the server and entrees. The wine was delicious and the food was incredible. Everything was beautifully plated and every morsel was delicious, full of flavors. I’m salivating as I write this review, and it’s been over a month since we were there. We ordered a steak, salmon over lobster, and scallops. Being the uncivilized people that we are, everyone helped themselves to everyone else’s plates and I can’t tell you who ordered the best item. Because they were all that good. My mom’s boyfriend finished his entire plate, which I’ve never seen him do. He took a break to «breathe and make room» but then continued to eat until all of the scallops were gone.
My mom and I then ordered dessert, because regardless of how full we were, we couldn’t pass up an opportunity to have dessert at hands down the best place we’ve ever eaten. We ordered a bruleed fruit tart and the mint chocolate lava cake. The fruit tart was very good, but I can’t focus writing about it because now all I can think about is the mint chocolate lava cake. Incredible. The mint flavor was so natural and light and the chocolate was so decadent and amazing and excuse me while I wipe the drool off of my chin.
We go to South Lake Tahoe every year and somehow we’d never been to Evan’s. I feel like a trip will never be complete without a dinner here.

First impression coming into the restaurant was that the dining space was small with outdated carpets and little décor details. A host greeted and gave us option of where to sit upon entering the space.
We started with complimentary toast and pâté liver. They have gluten free chips to enjoy the pâté as an option. Then we choose appetizer from the special board: asparagus soup and Evan’s ceasar salad. The starters were delicious. Salad was crisp with generous amount of croutons and dressing. I had a spoonful of the asparagus soup with dried tomatoes, the flavors were spot on with a creamy texture.
For the entrée we choose was pan roasted duck breast and leg confit, lamb and venison meal (they were selected from the hours menu). All three options were divine and all protein was cooked to perfection. All the meals were prepared medium rare. The duck breast was a bit chewy but as expected with the way it was prepared.
Their raspberry ice cream was a delight. It has frozen bits of raspberry and was not too sweet which is refreshing.
The staff is great, friendly and upbeat. You get to see different people helping you throughout the night, which is great you get to see different personality of service in the restaurant. They also clean the crumbs and plates off your table before desert comes (great attention to details).
It is definitely a no surprise why this dining space and team is one of south Tahoe’s favorites. Whether a local or just visiting, it’s a treat to dine at Evan’s.

Fine dining without the attitude. Meaning you don’t have to dress to impress. No need to pull out a suit or your evening shoes. Love it, it’s so chill. The service is pretty impeccable, although you have so many different servers catering to you it gets kind of confusing.
For the appetizer we ordered the pumpkin linguine with scallop – everything in that dish was flawlessly crafted in terms of flavors and textures. For the entrée my bf ordered the filet mignon, he didn’t enjoy it too much, which made me sad because it was his birthday and I was really hoping that he’d to enjoy his meal. He is, however, a steak snob, and he does not get a lot of steak made to his liking. Me, on the other hand, I don’t eat beef at all. Whenever we go to a steakhouse, the only thing I ever order is chicken. Most steakhouse specialize obviously in making steak so the chicken entrees I order are usually disappointing. But Evan’s is different they made an absolutely delicious chicken entrée which totally took me by surprise and I was overjoyed to finally have good chicken at a steakhouse ;)
For desserts, my bf got a candle on his chocolate cake :) I ordered the crème brûlée which is… not like your typical crème brûlée. The flavors were a bit busy, it wasn’t my favorite, but I’m excited to come back and try give their other desserts a try.

Gordon Ramsey must pay this restaurant a visit!
I ordered the Grilled Beef Fillet, delicious!
My girlfriend ordered the Lobster stuffed Salmon Fillet wrapped in Bacon.
I mean great service, the pictures don’t do the food any justice. What else can you ask for?

My new favorite restaurant in South Lake! Evan’s is amazing and if you are looking for a delicious, flavorful meal, eat here!
We started with the special appetizer of Mashed Potato Pizza which was absolutely delicious! I ordered the Lamb dish and enjoyed every bite! It’s one of their top sellers and now I know why.
– Rosemary and garlic marinated rack of lamb with raspberry wine and demi-​glacé, parsnip mashed potatoes and minted zucchini curls –
My boyfriend had the venison which was just as good. We will be back to try everything on the menu, although I do want the Lamb again.
Definitely get dessert. The molten chocolate cake is a must!
Service was top notch! It’s a small restaurant so you get all the wait staff stopping by but they are all very friendly and welcoming and do their job well.
Call and make a reservation because it is a very small restaurant and they fill up quickly.
Evan’s has a very intimate, cozy feel to it. Great for date night!

Best of the best food ever!!! Super cozy and excellent service. Huge selection for a small restaurants. Their specials are amazing. We had amazing tuna salad appetizer, salmon, halibut, and fettuccine with scallops entrees. Fantastic pumpkin ice cream pie and banana bread pudding for dessert. My girlfriend loves it more than Per Se!