Merced Restaurants

Ducey's on the Lake: A Yosemite-close dining jewel at Bass Lake
As one of few resorts that’s within a few miles of Yosemite, tourists flock to The Pines Resort at Bass Lake. But they often find themselves spending less time inside the world-famous national park than expected because it’s so hard to leave the lake. The lake and especially the resort’s restaurants—Ducey’s on the Lake and the Lakeside Grill—may not compare to Yosemite Falls or the Ahwahnee Dining Room, but they’re awfully nice.

Read More >>

17th Street Grille: Best Burgers in Butterfly Town
Located in “Butterfly Town, USA,” also known as Pacific Grove, the 17th Street Grille has numerous details highlighting the monarch butterfly, paying homage to the delicate creatures that migrate to the breeding sanctuary here each year. There’s a butterfly flag in the patio and butterflies painted on the dining room wall. Most people don’t come here for the décor, however, they come for the burgers, wraps and quesadillas, which the 17th Street Grille dubs as the “best in town.”

Read More >>

La Pinata: One of the East Bay’s most popular Mexican restaurants
La Pinata has seven locations in the East Bay, but the festive Mexican restaurant is not your average chain. It’s family owned and operated by the Guzmans, who’ve spent the past 25 years turning La Pinata into a staple name.

Read More >>

LB Steak: Prime Beef at a prime location
LB Steak is the first restaurant you see driving along Santana Row, San Jose’s premier shopping and dining district, and it’s one of the best. There’s plenty of sizzle on the entire menu, but there’s a reason why steak is in the restaurant’s name. Every beef item on the menu uses only USDA Prime Beef, the highest grade, which accounts for only two percent of beef produced in the U.S.

Read More >>

The Grill on the Alley: Back to the good old days
The Grill on the Alley is a step back, several generations back. It’s inside the modern Fairmont Hotel in the heart of resurgent downtown San Jose, but does a nice job of recapturing the food and the mood of the big-city dinner clubs and grills of the 1940s.

Read More >>