Restaurant: Round House Lodge

There are three ways to get to this restaurant. You can hike, ride a mountain bike, or take the gondola that is used in winter to transport skiers. As you can imagine, Debbie and I did not hike or take a mountain bike, although in fairness Debbie could have done either.

The gondola ride provides an opportunity to look out over Sun Valley and environs from an ever increasing height. (The gondola is not great for picture taking because it is fully enclosed, although a large part of the enclosure is glass.) There is a second gondola/lift that goes from the restaurant level to the very top of the mountain. There is a fee for use of the gondola, but tickets are readily available at the parking lot level before heading up the mountain.

What is not obvious when you head up the mountain even by gondola, is that, once you get to the gondola landing, there are fifty-five stairs up to the Round House Lodge.

The restaurant has three areas. The center has a bar area and regular tables, as well as the restrooms. It is separated from the next “round of the restaurant” by wood/glass walls with large open doorways. This second layer goes half-way around the restaurant, and includes two lines of tables with a large walkway between them. There is a wood and glass wall with doors that close to separate this layer from the final half ring, which is open-air. Interestingly, it is also open in the winter months.

We would have had to wait for at least a half hour to be seated if we wanted to sit outside, so we sat along the outer wall of the second layer.

Debbie ordered Shrimp Ceviche in an Avocado half and an order of Sweet Potato fries. I had an excellent Gazpacho with apples and a Salmon Burger. Happily, this restaurant uses ground salmon along with cornichons, red onion, oregano vinaigrette on a challah bun.

The food was good, but the real treat is the view.

The fifty-five steps down to the Gondola landing were a bit easier than the fifty-five steps up.

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