Kelly’s Mountain House

We came here twice while staying at a friends cabin over the weekend. When my wife, daughter and I arrived on a saturday afternoon there wasn’t another customer in there and we were a bit nervous. But immediately after sitting down we felt better. The staff was great, very nice and accommodating. We ordered bloody Mary’s that were some of the best I’ve had followed by some chicken wings that were also the best I’ve ever had.(second only to Pizzaria Grillo in Santa Rosa Ca) The second time around we went there for dinner the night after and again was blown away by the amazing service and food. I had a Jalepeno Burger that was amazing. I will continue to go there and support these guys whenever I’m in the area. The two guys that own the joint are new owners and very hospitable.

THis was our favorite place to stop and have a drink.
To bad they closed Jan 2013

Average fare… needs a makeover.

I need to go back and give them a second chance. My husband and daughter thought it was grand, my shrimp was too chewy to eat.

Hubby and I stopped here for dinner when we went up to our cabin and we were very impressed with the food and the service. The waiter was very nice and attentive. He chatted with us and made our experience good. Small town service is so hard to find so I really appreciate it when I do find it. I had the ribeye steak and it was excellent. When I asked for it to be cooked medium rare they actually welcomed that and cooked it the way that I wanted it. I like my steak rare and I am tired of restaurants looking at me like am crazy and then not honoring it even though I ask for it. I find myself having to ask for it rare at alot of places just so it will come out medium rare. I really hate that. The veggies were flavored with garlic instead of boiled and bland like at most restaurants. The mashed potatoes were excellent. I really enjoyed the food here. Then the dessert. I had their double chocolate cheesecake and it was heaven in a slice. It was sooooo rich and good. My husband had, get this, the deep fried oreos. The waiter convinced him to try them and believe it or not they were so good! The price of the food here was really good too. It started out as we are the only people in the restaurant but then it picked up. The staff knew the other patrons by name which I loved. I just really love and appreciate the small town feel. So great food + great service = a really great experience! Next time we are in the area we will be back.

Ask for the Bison Burger! Good anywhere, but these are fantastic!

Dropped in with another couple recently and was expecting a bit better. The waitress was wonderfully friendly and helpful, but the menu was unimpressive. If you watch any of the shows that try to resurrect a restaurant, you’ll see that there are certain things to serve that are simple but generate a higher profit margin. It looks like they took that advice to heart — which makes sense — but didn’t add on a wow factor.
For instance, sweet potato fries sound great, until you know that they sell them by the ginormous bag in a freezer at Costco. Same with the calamari. It seemed, from the look of the menu, that these were what made up the menu.
But, on the flip side, it’s still true that you need to eat some reasonable food if you’re visiting to the area. And the food was prepared well and served pleasantly. But it’s not a place (now) that’s interested in making any aggressive statement in interesting cuisine. And it’s worth knowing that there’s a pizza/​food place, not too far away, has surprised me with a relatively high-​end approach and some very interesting food despite being tucked away in an out of the way location.

We stayed in Twain Harte for a few days and decided to drive up the 108 to look for lunch. We saw a sign that said «lunch and dinner open 11−9» and decided to pull in although there was no sign telling us the name of the restaurant. When we walked in we were greeted kindly by Kelly. He was really nice and hospitable and went above and beyond to make us feel comfortable and keep us entertained. He even brought out books for us to browse through while we waited for our food. He said the place opened in July and he recently redecorated to give it a cozier feel. Great job. Not only was the service incredible, the food was also amazing. I had a chicken pesto sandwich and my boyfriend had a meatball sub. I would definitely recommend this place for a nice lunch or dinner and a place to feel at home. Also, there is a trail just across the highway with beautiful views of the mountains for an after-​meal walk.

Great place to dine, lunch or dinner. Great sandwiches, gourmet burgers. Sweet potatoes fries! Reasonably priced, too. The service has been excellent every time I’ve been here (4 times in the past few weeks).

We went to the newly reopened Kelly’s this past Saturday for lunch. The food was pretty good with nice touches like flaked salt on the fries and decent lettuce in the salad. The reason I’m only giving it three stars is the menu was very generic (burgers, fries, one pasta) and the interior is also very blah and the service was just okay enough. So even though the food was good it wasn’t a very «fun» place to eat. They need a theme (like British Pub) with décor to match. Both Mia’s up in Cold Springs and The Rock in Twain Harte are more interesting.

Kelly’s closed in 2005. The site is now occupied by Café 108 — see separate review.

When I’m in Twain Harte I often dine at the Mountain House. The Filet Mignon is vey nice with a decent selection of wine as well. The prawns are also quite good. A nice place to go when in the mountains.