Driftwood Cafe

Stopped by here while staying down the street. It was a Saturday morning and a long weekend. The wait was about 15 minutes for a table for two around 10 am. The food was really fresh and the orange juice was great. The prices were reasonable and all the staff were super nice. We will definitely be returning here on our next trip to Tahoe.

Got the yogurt bowl. Nothing extraordinary. I just didn’t want a hearty breakfast. My husband got chorizo omelette with egg whites– that was good!

Arrived around 8am. Restaurant entrance was inviting. We were welcomed as soon as we entered. We were seated promptly, and our drink order was taken. Latte was served in a ceramic mug. Ordered a pancake sandwich and French toast. Portions were generous and presentation was nicely done. All staff appear to be attending to customers with care. Food quality telegraphed a homely feel flavored to satisfy the palate of any discerning dinner. Menu was is not bloated with entrees, but offers choices for everyone. Thanks for a pleasant breakfast!

Love this place! Eggs Benedict is the best!

Driftwood is probably the best breakfast place in South Lake Tahoe for the service, location, and quality/​taste of food. If you’re looking for a great breakfast, this is the place to be – don’t screw up by going to Red Hut Café down the street!
I got to try these 2 items and highly recommend either of them:
1) Eggs Benedict — Toasted english muffin with smoked ham, 2 eggs poached, topped with our «cheesy» herb sauce.
2) Carolina Connection — Two potato pancakes topped with grilled ham, two over-​medium eggs and country gravy. Served with a buttermilk biscuit.
The Eggs Benedict had a tasty herb-​y flavor that made the dish unique. The Carolina Connection was a unique presentation of basically delicious breakfast items over mashed potatoes in the form of a pancake.
The only bad thing about this joint is that there is probably going to be a line if you’re there at peak hours. You can grab coffee while you wait – beware it’s not free though unless you have some then leave before actually getting seated.

They refused to seat our party of 8 together because they «couldn’t» push tables together. I really don’t understand that. They had the room and enough tables to do it. Eight people really isn’t a large party and I feel like they just didn’t want to accommodate us.

We were out here for a wedding wanted to have breakfast with the family before leaving. There was 8 of us and we were told they don’t accommodate parties that big and we would have to sit separately. Apparently this place does not know how to manage seating well enough to push two tables together. What a bunch of idiots. Maybe it’s because my family is brown.

Great little breakfast place! My husband loves the chicken fried steak (we came here twice in a week). Service is good too.

Went here on the recommendation of our hotel. Glad we took his advice! Food was delicious. A little bit of a wait, 25 minutes, but well worth it.
I got the chili omelet and my girl got the French toast.
Definitely going back here!

This place is once again the bomb-​schizzle! Absolutely love coming to S. Lake Tahoe for many reasons and Driftwood Café service and food is at the top of the list. Thanks, everyone, for making breakfast today another great experience, we can’t wait to return again next year with Tour of CA if they’re coming through again!

The Ed’s Best Omelet is seriously omelet perfection.
Fast service, reasonable waiting times, and a wonderful breakfast.
The only negative is that it’s in South Lake Tahoe while I’m in the Bay Area.

I went because of you fine Unilocalers and you didn’t let me down. I was in a strange mood so I ordered a half order of biscuits and gravy which equaled exactly a biscuit and gravy, and I also ordered a green side salad. Pretty easy peasy stuff and it all came out just fine.
The service was friendly and efficient. Everyone seemed to enjoy what they ordered: Vegetable quiche, Mickey Mouse Pancake w/​bacon and a Huevos Rancheros type of scramble.
Nice atmosphere and a pretty safe bet for a solid meal. In other words I can’t imagine people being severely disappointed if they were to order something that they were somewhat familiar with.

Breakfast Saturday ⁴⁄₁₆.
Hubby and I decided to try somewhere different for a change. I was searching reviews on Unilocal,and this place stuck out.
The wait wasn’t long at all. The hostess said 25 minutes, but it was a lot shorter. We were promptly greeted by our waiter. I ordered the Basic America Fare. I had the potato pancake, substituted the toast for a biscuit added gravy and ham. Hubby had the meat lovers omelette with a biscuit and a side of gravy.
One tip, one side of gravy is sufficient for both biscuits
Our meal definitely exceeded our expectations. We will be coming back for sure!

3÷18÷16: Decent place. I think this was the second or even third time I came – it’s definitely one of the more popular and highly rated breakfast places in the area. However, I think people must be high and excited from the slopes, and just happy to have a good breakfast before tearing it up out there, cause personally I don’t think the food is anything too special. Mostly typical breakfast items, though I was happy to see potato pancakes, which I’ve never had before. And of course I ordered it…
1. Bloody Mary $ 6: Very standard. As standard as it can get. But hey, it’s 6 bucks, so I guess you can afford to get 2 – that’ll definitely put a good alcohol-​induced smile on you. ⁵⁄₁₀
2. Carolina Connection $ 10.25: So, yeah, it combines my favorite breakfast item, biscuits & gravy, with potato pancakes, which I was super eager to try for the first time. Awesome. Well, the idea anyway. It was good, but nothing too memorable. Gravy had standard flavor and texture. Biscuit was standard. The ham though was actually a little bit better than average – kinda plump and juicy. That was nice. As for the pancakes, I don’t recall a thing, which I guess means nothing bad or good. Guess I’ll just have to try them again someday to nail down the taste. ⁶⁄₁₀
So yeah, good place to grab a good fill before the your next adventure. Solid.
³⁄₅
#breakfast #americanbreakfast #americanbrunch #brunch

We were cold and we were hungry. We need food and needed it now. We saw this place walking through the Heavenly village and decided to give it a go for brunch.
We got the crazy fries (I forget the name) and they were less than memorable. See, I even forgot the name. You can skip it. I ordered the Carolina connection and although it was hitting all my fat kid points. It was eh. The gravy wasnt as flavorful as I would have wanted. And being a part of the Jew crew I know my potato pancakes. Mine didnt have the «crisp» I look for.
It was A-​Ok. I dont hate it but I dont love it.

The Driftwood Café is a great spot to grab lunch. Half of my meal was amazing, while the other half was lackluster.
To start — wow, that New England Clam Chowder with the side of bread was fantastic. Loved it, I highly recommend a bowl. On the downside, my sandwich — The Tasty, just didn’t taste good. Maybe it just wasn’t for me, but the combination of sandwich toppings just didn’t do it for me. My table companion ordered the Steak & Eggs, and his meal looked pretty awesome.
I would come back here again and would try out a different entrée.
Tip — ask for extra bread with the soup!

The food is a little overrated. It’s decent american breakfast place at a somewhat higher than average price. $ 11 – 12 meal with $ 4 – 5 for drinks.
Please do expect a wait of 20 – 30 mins during busy hours and they don’t validate Heavenly parking tickets.
They do have VERY GOOD customer service. From the host, to the waitress to the people bringing the food was beyond excellent.

My bf and I decided to pay Driftwood Café a visit based on Unilocal reviews and for the most part, the reviews were correct. For non-​locals, Driftwood Café is located within vicinity to the shopping center with the Raley’s. Note, it is not in the same shopping center, but use that as a landmark when trying to find the café because it is easy to miss.
Our wait time to get seated for just two people was 45 minutes long. There is a small bench inside that acts as the waiting area that will seat at least 3 people. There are also seats outside in case you want to sit down while waiting. Driftwood is kind of old school and does not offer the convenience of texting or calling you on your cell when your table is ready. My bf and I didn’t want to wait outside in the snow because it was freezing so we walked around and checked out the shops nearby until our table was ready.
When our table was finally ready, I ordered the Eggs Benedict ($ 11.95) and he ordered the Carolina Connection ($ 10.25). We also ordered coffee and orange juice. The orange juice is freshly squeezed (12 oz is $ 3.25 and 8 oz is $ 2.25). The local Alpen Sierra coffee was not good at all. It had a weird unpleasant taste to it. It was not worth the $ 2.50.
The Eggs Benedict came with toasted English muffin with smoked ham, 2 eggs poached, topped with a cheesy herb sauce served with a choice of potato pancake, hash browns, or home fries. I chose the potato pancake due to all the rave reviews on Unilocal.This dish was not like your everyday regular Eggs Benedict, the sauce tasted like it had some sort of delicious Italian seasoning/​influence to it. It was very flavorful. The potato pancake was pretty good as well. The dish comes with a side of sour cream and apple sauce.
The Carolina Connection comes with two potato pancakes topped with grilled ham, two over-​medium eggs and country gravy served with a buttermilk biscuit. This dish also came with a side of sour cream. The meal was very hearty and delicious.
Overall, the food was pretty good, the prices were decent, and the service was good, but the wait to get a table is super long. If you have some extra time on your hands, I say check the café out, but if you don’t, I would recommend going elsewhere.

Only downside was a 35 minute wait.
Food is delicious! I had eggs Benedict and they were cooked to perfection with a really delicious herb sauce.
Potato patty is soooooo GOOD! I am not big on potatoes but this was good I’m glad I ordered that.
Pancakes are huge and tasty.
Had a almond milk latte which was also good.
The service is great, our server was quick friendly and knowledgeable on the menu.

I came in and was cheerfully greeted by the owner Bud. Elizabeth quickly came and took my order. I love biscuits and gravy. So No Wait. I ordered with bacon and 2 eggs over easy on top. It came to my table looking like I wanted it too. I slapped it with some hot sauce and Bob’s your Uncle.
When I was done I was in fear of being seen licking my plate clean. Every order around me looked amazing. Eye appeal and taste. They have a success here. Word is on the street, and I was recommended this place. A good sign when the locals send you here.
Every time I looked through the window, they looked busy. Another good sign. Great location. Parking across the street. They Rock ! ! !