Ponds Lodge
3757 N Hwy 20, Island Park, ID, 83429
Ponds Lodge Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Island Park for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Island Park for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Island Park for healthy meals suggestion.
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-
Address :
3757 N Hwy 20
Island Park, ID, 83429 - Phone (208) 558-7221
- Website https://www.pondslodge.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
Sorry, Store hours have not been updated. If you are the owner of this restaurants. Please update the store hours.
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Russ C.
Food much improved! Hello service? We've been coming to Island Park for many summers and Ponds Lodge has always been up and down over the years. The renovated restaurant is looking a bit better and the store has a nicer layout. It also has good gasoline prices for the area. And for free wi-fi junkies, the quick open network is much appreciated as the 3G network can be slow in this neck of the woods. Okay, to the the restaurant: It looks like it's improving in one area: The food! We heard they've hired a new chef and it shows. On the night we were there the dinner was vastly improved. We had a very tasty prime rib (split two ways) and the best blue cheese covered side salad i've had in awhile. And the kids were happy with their choices. The biggest frustration is that service isn't keeping up with the food prep. It's uneven and a bit spacey. And yes, the wait staff needs to work on the outfits they wear, but we are talking IP here - so I can let that slide as long as the service can keep up. After a great dinner we came back the following morning and breakfast service was as slow as pine pitch on cold Island Park winter. As our coffee grew cold waiting for our cream, we started to question our love for the place. It was redeemed a bit when the cook stepped out the kitchen to apologize and helped the clearly overwhelmed waitress - deliver our breakfast. This is all at the height of the summer tourist season. And the place wasn't even that full. What any place needs in my estimation, is great wait staff that remember to make the dining experience easy and relaxed. And a management that spends a bit extra to train and support this place that is clearly on the rebound in our favorite part of Idaho. Three and half stars for dinner minus 1 star for service plus a 3/4 of a star for the cook's handy work.
(3)Jeannette B.
I stopped at the bar to get lunch and watch football. The service was quick and friendly. The seats weren't super comfortable enough to stay for a long time though. Great Cobb salad, nice serving size, great presentation.
(4)Joe M.
We decided to take the long way from Jackson, WY. to Yellowstone National Park, and we took US 20 through Idaho. It was very early in the morning, and we decided to drive a while before stopping from breakfast. Needless to say, the longer we drove the less choices we had. Finally we stumbled upon Pond's Lodge. At this point, we would have been happy with just a pastry and some coffee. We pulled into the parking lot and it was slightly confusing. There's a small gas station, a convenience store, a saloon, and a restaurant, all attached to the same building. The property looked very clean, so we entered the convenience store to have them point us to the restaurant. It was still early in the morning, and we were told that they would have to seat us in the bar area, which wasn't a problem. The store was clean and had a large array of merchandise. The bar was very clean, quite expansive, and actually quite nice. There were big screen TVs covering the walls, a large bar area, dance floor, and many nice tables for seating. We were the only people in there, so we were seated and waited on immediately. Our waitress was kind and helpful, and she kept the coffee coming. There were 6 of us, and we all ordered your typical breakfast fare. The food was served timely and hot, and we were very impressed with its quality and with the portion size. I'm a large eater and that pancakes were thick, light, and larger than the plate. We all left filled and satisfied. The food was great and plentiful. The prices were very, very reasonable. The place was clean, and the waitstaff was polite. Should we ever get back to that part of the country, we wouldn't hesitate to go back. Definitely a great find!
(4)Gianna M.
We stopped here on our way to Yellowstone for breakfast and it was delicious!! The breakfast burritos are huge and very yummy and they give you lots of bacon and veggies in the scarmbles! Pricing is very fair too and the service is great. The girl who waited on us was super nice and made sure we always had enough coffee and that everything was too our liking. Seems like it'd be a great place to go watch the game at night too 8 huge tvs surround the room and they have a huge bar! The bathrooms are very clean, cleanest I've seen in a long time and the whole place seems to be newly remodeled! I would recommend to anyone!!
(5)Kim T.
My mom (a local) brought us here before a horse ride. We are visiting from San Diego and have our favorite breakfast haunts at home. The food here is on par with our faves at home. Breakfast burritos were delish. No greasy meats. Hash browns were fresh, no oily taste and perfectly crisp. Pico de gallo was perf with the burritos. My daughter's blueberry gigantic pancakes were delish and filled with whole sweet blueberries as well as topped with berries. So fresh. The omelettes (ranch, supreme, garden, denver)...all great! Beautiful walls and dining room (rustic and new)). Service was great, music added to the relaxing atmosphere. All 6 of us agreed to 5 stars (and we consider ourselves foodies).
(5)Christie T.
Have come here for year's. Much better food now that they have a new chef. Fun bar or separate dining area that is sometimes open.
(4)Judi S.
Pond lodge is a popular place to stop on the way to West Yellowstone, Montana. There are large rustic tables with a large full bar, We just picked appetizers: nachos with smoked pork and a chicken quesadilla. Both were great choices. Ponds is being renovated. My husband used to stop at Pond's Lodge in the '50s and there was a parrot that he was able to talk to! Pond's exterior and interior are being updated with quality materials. There is pizza room if you want pizza. Truck drivers love to stop here in the winter during a storm.
(3)Raymond H.
My experience was much different from the previous negative reviews. The place looked okay from the outside, but very nice inside. We ate inside the lounge due to the restaurant be booked. Service was very helpful and attentive. I ordered a buffalo burger and my daughter ordered a pizza. The food was very good and I'm sure it was freshly prepared. I will definitely return when I'm back up that way!
(4)Randy M.
I brought a dozen friends from all over the world to visit Ponds, enjoy dinners, lunches, drinks and the lodges. We snowmobiled by day and enjoyed the comforts of the Ponds lodges and bar by night. The food was awesome, the service equally as good. I cant say enough about Abbie and Nikki, they were excellent servers every time we ate. Since we had dinner there 3 nights in a row, we had a chance to try various offerings. I personally had the steak, fish tacos, nachos, turkey club and prime rib. Every dish was as good as any I've had anywhere. The lodges are excellent. We stayed in #33 which was very roomy for the 4 of us, however some friends were in #16 and they became the poker palace. They had ton of room to spread out, large table for games. Next time were through Island Park, we will definitely stop by the Ponds.
(5)Caroline W.
On Mother's Day we decided to head north from Idaho Falls with the nebulous plan to "stop somewhere for lunch". It's been many years since we've been here (before it was remodeled). What an excellent choice. We all had burgers (patty melt, bacon-Swiss and Swiss with fried egg). My husband had a beer and I had the best Bloody Mary ever. There were two waitresses that masterfully handled at least 12 occupied tables in addition to the bar. Our waitress, Cindy, was very friendly and attentive. The prices were great and the portions were huge! We will be taking a "drive north" again soon!
(5)Mike F.
Ordered wings on the appetizer menu, they were soggy. But the atmosphere and service were great. Need to have a better quality control for the price I paid for the wings, would have been 5 stars.
(3)Branden C.
Just got back from a snowmobile trip and during our stay we stopped in for dinner at the ponds. The place has tons of TV's so no matter where you sit you have a good view of what's going on. The place was pretty busy so the wait for getting food and drinks took a little longer. But after trying their bacon wrapped meatloaf and washing it down with a local brew it was so worth the wait. My buddy's ordered the pizza and said it was awesome but a medium is to big for one person.
(4)Kelly A.
This was our first visit to Yellowstone and we stumbled upon Ponds Lodge by a referral from the other booked resorts. We are so happy that everywhere else had no vacancy, because we secured a night at Cabin 67 and could not have been more impressed. The staff was helpful and friendly, the food was great, and we left feeling relaxed and refreshed. 2 Thumbs UP!!!!
(5)Pen T.
Service! Service! Service! In our many trips to Island Park and West Yellowstone, we've only stopped at Pond's Lodge for a quick pitstop, having never been inspired to actually eat at the restaurant. Today, my husband and I decided to try the newly remodeled lodge after an afternoon of fishing on Henry's Lake. Maybe we should have kept going north to West Yellowstone or further south to Trouthunter Bar & Grill in Last Chance. At first glance, we were impressed with the remodel. Though still sparse in decorative elements, the restaurant was nice in the typical lodge style with new hair-on-hide booth seats which I thought was cool. It smelled new instead of smoke-filled as it had when the bar was on that side. Unfortunately, our first impression seemed to end there. We were seated in the back next to the kitchen door. It wasn't the kind of view I would have wanted for a restaurant experience and I suppose I should have requested another table but I felt that I could deal with it so we ordered our meal and waited. Unfortunately, the rather long wait allowed me too much time to linger on the oddities. I was seated on the chair facing that swinging door and watching it constantly open to a view of the dish washer and the dirty dishes from bussed tables was unappetizing. The waitresses were dressed a little too casually and off-par with the upscale feel, I assume the owners are trying to project with the restaurant. Our server was wearing a layered tank top (her bra straps were red-'nuf said), jeans and sneakers. Other servers pretty much looked like they grabbed the first thing out of their closet. We ordered a large bowl of clam chowder soup for a starter to share since she said that it is a 16oz portion (small was 8oz). We waited about 10 minutes and had to ask where it was. When it arrived, it was in this huge pasta bowl but there was this laughably small puddle of chowder at the bottom. At this point, I was ready to leave (for the second time) but my husband calmed me down and encouraged me to try it because it looked good. He agreed to talk to the server about adjusting the bill when we ask for our check since it obviously was not a 16 oz portion so I settled in. We also ordered a chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and broccolini ($15) and a spicy chicken penne pasta dish ($13). Alright, the flavor was great but, like the chowder, the portions...not so much. I don't mind paying well for a a great meal so I let that issue go and tried to see the food quality as a redeeming aspect. The bizarre-ness continued, however, when we requested our check and an adjustment to the bill. The manager (?) approached us, inquired about the problem and went back to the kitchen with no apologies or other comments. When he came back, he had the same bowl with a heaping-full serving of soup. We were surprised because we hadn't ask for a replacement and I thought he was going to give us another bowl. Instead, he holds it in front of our faces and asked, "Is this how much you got?" loudly enough for everyone to hear. I couldn't decide if I should be appalled or laugh at the rather lack of discretion. It didn't help that he was equally casual in his t-shirt, long shorts and flip-flops. After my husband told him that what we got was not as he had presented to us, he again left without a word and the waitress came back later with our check, with a comp for half the price of the soup. Granted, the price was a negligible amount but would you pay for something you didn't order? Our request seemed reasonable enough. And if a manager was going to put the effort to address a customer complaint, wouldn't you also expect some sort of apology? Apparently not in his "best practice" manual. So, yeah...it was a strange experience, the price we paid too high for both the portion and the ambiance, and the service leaves much to be desired. Jon Good is supposed to be the head chef there and a former sous chef to Mario Batali. I thank his team for the tasty dishes. But though Batali favors crocs as part of his uniform, I would think that he would "turn over" at the casual flip-flop, jeans and t-shirt dress of his kitchen/dining staff. Okay, 2-stars is appropriate because I have experienced better. That's generous but only because we liked the food enough to give the restaurant another shot to see if they've cleaned up their act a little...or a lot. So if the PL owners are reading this, please put together a better dress code. Manage with a smile and an apology when needed, and make sure that your kitchen staff understands their measurements correctly. Oh-and the broccolini is just a bit too teeny.
(2)Russ C.
Food much improved! Hello service? We've been coming to Island Park for many summers and Ponds Lodge has always been up and down over the years. The renovated restaurant is looking a bit better and the store has a nicer layout. It also has good gasoline prices for the area. And for free wi-fi junkies, the quick open network is much appreciated as the 3G network can be slow in this neck of the woods. Okay, to the the restaurant: It looks like it's improving in one area: The food! We heard they've hired a new chef and it shows. On the night we were there the dinner was vastly improved. We had a very tasty prime rib (split two ways) and the best blue cheese covered side salad i've had in awhile. And the kids were happy with their choices. The biggest frustration is that service isn't keeping up with the food prep. It's uneven and a bit spacey. And yes, the wait staff needs to work on the outfits they wear, but we are talking IP here - so I can let that slide as long as the service can keep up. After a great dinner we came back the following morning and breakfast service was as slow as pine pitch on cold Island Park winter. As our coffee grew cold waiting for our cream, we started to question our love for the place. It was redeemed a bit when the cook stepped out the kitchen to apologize and helped the clearly overwhelmed waitress - deliver our breakfast. This is all at the height of the summer tourist season. And the place wasn't even that full. What any place needs in my estimation, is great wait staff that remember to make the dining experience easy and relaxed. And a management that spends a bit extra to train and support this place that is clearly on the rebound in our favorite part of Idaho. Three and half stars for dinner minus 1 star for service plus a 3/4 of a star for the cook's handy work.
(3)Jeannette B.
I stopped at the bar to get lunch and watch football. The service was quick and friendly. The seats weren't super comfortable enough to stay for a long time though. Great Cobb salad, nice serving size, great presentation.
(4)Joe M.
We decided to take the long way from Jackson, WY. to Yellowstone National Park, and we took US 20 through Idaho. It was very early in the morning, and we decided to drive a while before stopping from breakfast. Needless to say, the longer we drove the less choices we had. Finally we stumbled upon Pond's Lodge. At this point, we would have been happy with just a pastry and some coffee. We pulled into the parking lot and it was slightly confusing. There's a small gas station, a convenience store, a saloon, and a restaurant, all attached to the same building. The property looked very clean, so we entered the convenience store to have them point us to the restaurant. It was still early in the morning, and we were told that they would have to seat us in the bar area, which wasn't a problem. The store was clean and had a large array of merchandise. The bar was very clean, quite expansive, and actually quite nice. There were big screen TVs covering the walls, a large bar area, dance floor, and many nice tables for seating. We were the only people in there, so we were seated and waited on immediately. Our waitress was kind and helpful, and she kept the coffee coming. There were 6 of us, and we all ordered your typical breakfast fare. The food was served timely and hot, and we were very impressed with its quality and with the portion size. I'm a large eater and that pancakes were thick, light, and larger than the plate. We all left filled and satisfied. The food was great and plentiful. The prices were very, very reasonable. The place was clean, and the waitstaff was polite. Should we ever get back to that part of the country, we wouldn't hesitate to go back. Definitely a great find!
(4)Gianna M.
We stopped here on our way to Yellowstone for breakfast and it was delicious!! The breakfast burritos are huge and very yummy and they give you lots of bacon and veggies in the scarmbles! Pricing is very fair too and the service is great. The girl who waited on us was super nice and made sure we always had enough coffee and that everything was too our liking. Seems like it'd be a great place to go watch the game at night too 8 huge tvs surround the room and they have a huge bar! The bathrooms are very clean, cleanest I've seen in a long time and the whole place seems to be newly remodeled! I would recommend to anyone!!
(5)Kim T.
My mom (a local) brought us here before a horse ride. We are visiting from San Diego and have our favorite breakfast haunts at home. The food here is on par with our faves at home. Breakfast burritos were delish. No greasy meats. Hash browns were fresh, no oily taste and perfectly crisp. Pico de gallo was perf with the burritos. My daughter's blueberry gigantic pancakes were delish and filled with whole sweet blueberries as well as topped with berries. So fresh. The omelettes (ranch, supreme, garden, denver)...all great! Beautiful walls and dining room (rustic and new)). Service was great, music added to the relaxing atmosphere. All 6 of us agreed to 5 stars (and we consider ourselves foodies).
(5)Randy M.
I brought a dozen friends from all over the world to visit Ponds, enjoy dinners, lunches, drinks and the lodges. We snowmobiled by day and enjoyed the comforts of the Ponds lodges and bar by night. The food was awesome, the service equally as good. I cant say enough about Abbie and Nikki, they were excellent servers every time we ate. Since we had dinner there 3 nights in a row, we had a chance to try various offerings. I personally had the steak, fish tacos, nachos, turkey club and prime rib. Every dish was as good as any I've had anywhere. The lodges are excellent. We stayed in #33 which was very roomy for the 4 of us, however some friends were in #16 and they became the poker palace. They had ton of room to spread out, large table for games. Next time were through Island Park, we will definitely stop by the Ponds.
(5)Caroline W.
On Mother's Day we decided to head north from Idaho Falls with the nebulous plan to "stop somewhere for lunch". It's been many years since we've been here (before it was remodeled). What an excellent choice. We all had burgers (patty melt, bacon-Swiss and Swiss with fried egg). My husband had a beer and I had the best Bloody Mary ever. There were two waitresses that masterfully handled at least 12 occupied tables in addition to the bar. Our waitress, Cindy, was very friendly and attentive. The prices were great and the portions were huge! We will be taking a "drive north" again soon!
(5)Mike F.
Ordered wings on the appetizer menu, they were soggy. But the atmosphere and service were great. Need to have a better quality control for the price I paid for the wings, would have been 5 stars.
(3)Christie T.
Have come here for year's. Much better food now that they have a new chef. Fun bar or separate dining area that is sometimes open.
(4)Judi S.
Pond lodge is a popular place to stop on the way to West Yellowstone, Montana. There are large rustic tables with a large full bar, We just picked appetizers: nachos with smoked pork and a chicken quesadilla. Both were great choices. Ponds is being renovated. My husband used to stop at Pond's Lodge in the '50s and there was a parrot that he was able to talk to! Pond's exterior and interior are being updated with quality materials. There is pizza room if you want pizza. Truck drivers love to stop here in the winter during a storm.
(3)Raymond H.
My experience was much different from the previous negative reviews. The place looked okay from the outside, but very nice inside. We ate inside the lounge due to the restaurant be booked. Service was very helpful and attentive. I ordered a buffalo burger and my daughter ordered a pizza. The food was very good and I'm sure it was freshly prepared. I will definitely return when I'm back up that way!
(4)Branden C.
Just got back from a snowmobile trip and during our stay we stopped in for dinner at the ponds. The place has tons of TV's so no matter where you sit you have a good view of what's going on. The place was pretty busy so the wait for getting food and drinks took a little longer. But after trying their bacon wrapped meatloaf and washing it down with a local brew it was so worth the wait. My buddy's ordered the pizza and said it was awesome but a medium is to big for one person.
(4)Kelly A.
This was our first visit to Yellowstone and we stumbled upon Ponds Lodge by a referral from the other booked resorts. We are so happy that everywhere else had no vacancy, because we secured a night at Cabin 67 and could not have been more impressed. The staff was helpful and friendly, the food was great, and we left feeling relaxed and refreshed. 2 Thumbs UP!!!!
(5)Pen T.
Service! Service! Service! In our many trips to Island Park and West Yellowstone, we've only stopped at Pond's Lodge for a quick pitstop, having never been inspired to actually eat at the restaurant. Today, my husband and I decided to try the newly remodeled lodge after an afternoon of fishing on Henry's Lake. Maybe we should have kept going north to West Yellowstone or further south to Trouthunter Bar & Grill in Last Chance. At first glance, we were impressed with the remodel. Though still sparse in decorative elements, the restaurant was nice in the typical lodge style with new hair-on-hide booth seats which I thought was cool. It smelled new instead of smoke-filled as it had when the bar was on that side. Unfortunately, our first impression seemed to end there. We were seated in the back next to the kitchen door. It wasn't the kind of view I would have wanted for a restaurant experience and I suppose I should have requested another table but I felt that I could deal with it so we ordered our meal and waited. Unfortunately, the rather long wait allowed me too much time to linger on the oddities. I was seated on the chair facing that swinging door and watching it constantly open to a view of the dish washer and the dirty dishes from bussed tables was unappetizing. The waitresses were dressed a little too casually and off-par with the upscale feel, I assume the owners are trying to project with the restaurant. Our server was wearing a layered tank top (her bra straps were red-'nuf said), jeans and sneakers. Other servers pretty much looked like they grabbed the first thing out of their closet. We ordered a large bowl of clam chowder soup for a starter to share since she said that it is a 16oz portion (small was 8oz). We waited about 10 minutes and had to ask where it was. When it arrived, it was in this huge pasta bowl but there was this laughably small puddle of chowder at the bottom. At this point, I was ready to leave (for the second time) but my husband calmed me down and encouraged me to try it because it looked good. He agreed to talk to the server about adjusting the bill when we ask for our check since it obviously was not a 16 oz portion so I settled in. We also ordered a chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and broccolini ($15) and a spicy chicken penne pasta dish ($13). Alright, the flavor was great but, like the chowder, the portions...not so much. I don't mind paying well for a a great meal so I let that issue go and tried to see the food quality as a redeeming aspect. The bizarre-ness continued, however, when we requested our check and an adjustment to the bill. The manager (?) approached us, inquired about the problem and went back to the kitchen with no apologies or other comments. When he came back, he had the same bowl with a heaping-full serving of soup. We were surprised because we hadn't ask for a replacement and I thought he was going to give us another bowl. Instead, he holds it in front of our faces and asked, "Is this how much you got?" loudly enough for everyone to hear. I couldn't decide if I should be appalled or laugh at the rather lack of discretion. It didn't help that he was equally casual in his t-shirt, long shorts and flip-flops. After my husband told him that what we got was not as he had presented to us, he again left without a word and the waitress came back later with our check, with a comp for half the price of the soup. Granted, the price was a negligible amount but would you pay for something you didn't order? Our request seemed reasonable enough. And if a manager was going to put the effort to address a customer complaint, wouldn't you also expect some sort of apology? Apparently not in his "best practice" manual. So, yeah...it was a strange experience, the price we paid too high for both the portion and the ambiance, and the service leaves much to be desired. Jon Good is supposed to be the head chef there and a former sous chef to Mario Batali. I thank his team for the tasty dishes. But though Batali favors crocs as part of his uniform, I would think that he would "turn over" at the casual flip-flop, jeans and t-shirt dress of his kitchen/dining staff. Okay, 2-stars is appropriate because I have experienced better. That's generous but only because we liked the food enough to give the restaurant another shot to see if they've cleaned up their act a little...or a lot. So if the PL owners are reading this, please put together a better dress code. Manage with a smile and an apology when needed, and make sure that your kitchen staff understands their measurements correctly. Oh-and the broccolini is just a bit too teeny.
(2)