Dinner and a view. Fresno-area restaurants serve guests on rooftops, waterfronts
There’s nothing quite like sipping a cocktail or eating a delicious meal with a front-row seat to an incredible view.
Scenery can make the experience as much as the food can.
So where to get a meal with a good view in the Fresno area?
The city doesn’t have many places with waterfront or mountain views, but our surrounding areas do. Here’s a look at four places for a special night out, all within an hour and 20 minute drive.
Restaurants with a view
Sukai at Table Mountain in Friant
Table Mountain Casino’s new building has a restaurant, Sukai, on the 12th floor with views in every direction.
Miles of hills, trees and rocks can be admired from the floor-to-ceiling windows. Views are especially impressive at sunset and in springtime when the landscape is green. Sukai is on the top floor of the hotel and casino built two years ago that’s about a 20-minute drive from Fresno.
It’s a Japanese restaurant featuring teppanyaki and sushi. Reservations are recommended.
Customers can be entertained by chefs throwing fire tricks while they prepare your meal in front of you. Or, order off the rest of the menu at a regular table. There’s also a sushi bar.
A separate full bar with $18 cocktails and small bites is also available. It has a balcony ideal for Instagram photos.
The Gateway Restaurant & Lodge in Three Rivers
For the nature-loving types, the deck at The Gateway Restaurant & Lodge in Three Rivers is a place to relax while enjoying the views and sounds of the Kaweah River. You can also see the historic Pumpkin Hollow Bridge built in 1922 from the tables.
The casual restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The menu features steak, salmon, pasta, burgers and salads. It has a full bar with more than 60 types of whiskey, including Pappy Van Winkle.
Under an hour and a half from Fresno, The Gateway is less than half-mile from the southern entrance to Sequoia National Park.
Three Rivers also has several other restaurants with riverfront views, including the River View Grill & Bar for nightlife seekers, Sierra Subs & Salads (which is on a Yelp.com Top 100 list) and Three Rivers Brewing Co.
Elderwood Restaurant at The Darling Hotel in Visalia
Elderwood is a rooftop restaurant and cocktail lounge atop the five-story Darling Hotel in downtown Visalia. The former Tulare County courthouse opened in 1935 and the entire building has been renovated but retains its art deco style.
The restaurant has two patios and an indoor seating area with air conditioning and heat. It’s got views of downtown Visalia in one direction and the Sierra Nevada in the other.
It’s open for brunch and dinner. Reservations are recommended.
The menu features new American cuisine with local ingredients that change seasonally.
Dinner might include a T-bone steak with black garlic compound butter, or honey soy pork belly bites. The brunch menu features avocado toast, and cornflakes encrusted challah bread French toast sticks.
Ducey’s on the Lake at Bass Lake
Ducey’s on the Lake next to The Pines Resort is a little over an hour away from Fresno with plenty of views of Bass Lake and cooler temperatures.
The restaurant has a mountain lodge feel with both indoor and outdoor dining overlooking the marina.
It’s open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Reservations can be made online.
The restaurant features locally grown produce and Harris Ranch beef. Expect seafood, steak, burgers and pasta.
Ducey’s Bar & Grill has a more casual menu — including more sandwiches, burgers and fried food — and lower prices.
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