We had heard about the restaurant on top of the mountain and had to check it out. The Summit House didn’t fail. The service, food and view were by far the highlight of this outing. Even though the view wasn’t crisp and slightly hazy it was still a lot of fun.
We went a couple summers ago. It was for our anniversary. The girls were at camp and we thought we would treat ourselves to a great day out. Got to the mountain which isn’t to far drive from our house. We are so thankfully placed right in the middle of Western Washington. Took about an hour to get here. Was definitely a warm day out. Got up here early walked around hiked a bit and looked at all the hotels, scenery, had a little snack at the bottom of the mountain at the cafe’. Was good, a little expensive, but for something simple this hit the spot. We had got a dinner reservation at the Summit House so we weren’t in to big of a hurry to get to the top.
Our transportation to the top of the mountain was going to be by gondola/ski lift. We decided to head up to the top and do a little more hiking and sight seeing.
The ride up the gondola was a lot of fun. We were able to get a car to ourselves. Was smooth, well aired. Wasn’t stuffy or confined. Was actually pretty large. If I were to guess 6-8 people could ride in one of these comfortably. The windows were clear and clean making for nice viewing of the alpine ranges and views. It took about eight minutes to get to the top. There was also a gift shop up there that we wanted to check out and buy some little trinkets for the kids and a magnet for the fridge. We got up there, was actually a lot of people up there. Some rode up, some hiked, some lounging on the mountain side taking in the view. There were also some lounging chairs out by the restaurant that were full. We were able to hike the crest of the mountain before checking out the gift shop and checking in for dinner.
We checked into dinner, decided to eat alfresco, we were seated along the garden edge of the porch with an unobstructed view of Mount Rainier under a nice umbrella. There was a copy of the menu at the base of the mountain to view before going up. We checked it out already knowing what we wanted. The restaurant is an American diner, so burgers and fries type place. Andy and I both ordered the Rainier Burger. It was seriously fitting the to view. Nor did they disappoint on the size. This burger came with it all. Egg, ham, cheese, avocado, onions, pineapple, brisket, half pound pattie, lettuce, condiments and was served with seasoned fries. OMG! Was soooo good. We haven’t been back here since this time. We have since heard they’re not offering the Rainier Burger anymore. We had looked it up online to go again and wanted to make sure they had it, wasn’t on the menu. We of course indulged in a nice glass of wine and a shared desert.
The service during our experience was wonderful. We just thought the price of lunch at the base was a bit spendy for a plain burger and bag of chips with small drink. Then the ticket price of $21 per person to ride the gondola was a bit much. Food up to was decently priced. Our total was only $62 with tip included. I would definitely eat up here again. Will be trying out a different dish this time and maybe eating inside to really be able to get a feel for the alpine restaurant.
For more information about this restaurant and the mountain check out this website.
https://www.crystalmountainresort.com/summer/summer-dining/summit-house/
G.O.A.L.S. 