Reviews for Ponderosa Restaurant & Brass Rail Lounge in Orofino, ID

In Orofina, Idaho (Population 3,142, Elevation 1,030?) the place to go for breakfast is the Ponderosa. It is on the Lewis and... Clark trail, but there is no evidence that they ever ate there. OK, that was a joke. The Ponderosa is old, but not that old. Youcan park in the lot in the back. The back door opens to a long hallway where you can peek into the well equipped kitchen. Thereis a sign on the ice machine claiming that the ice is for restaurant use only. No personal use. I racked my brain, but I couldnot think of a circumstance that would make that sign necessary, but there it was. There is also a sign in the hall saying thatfailure to follow Covid protections makes you guilty of trespassing. Don?t worry though, in practice, they are pretty looseabout following the guidelines. That worried me a bit, but the Ponderosa is the only game in town for breakfast. My girlfriend,her granddaughter and I chose a centrally located booth to settle into. Our waitress showed up with coffee and menus. The coffeewas just what I needed that morning and the menus had all the things you would expect in a classic American breakfast joint. Ilike a big breakfast and the chicken fried steak sounded like just the thing. My girlfriend went for two eggs with bacon and thegranddaughter had a pancake with sausage. We talked about our plans for the day when suddenly the food was there. My girlfriendcommented on the speed and the waitress explained that Mike, the owner, was in the kitchen and ?He likes to get things done.? Mygirlfriend loved her eggs and bacon. The pancake was huge and perfectly cooked. The chicken fried steak was not all I had hopedfor, but it filled me up. I would have liked more pepper in the gravy and a crispier coating. We were in a hurry that morning,so I could not dawdle over my coffee the way I like. Our waitress kept my mug full and I gulped down what I could while we paidthe check and dashed out. Read more

It is a decent place to eat. Prices are very reasonable. Rosie is what makes it more than mediocre! We enjoy the Lumberjack... Pizza. Read more

We stopped by the Orofino Lumberjack Days & Clearwater County Fair the day before (Saturday) and decided to stop by on our way... back Sunday. We wanted a local breakfast place, and this fit the bill. We had the ham & cheese omelet (hashbrowns/sourdoughbread) and veggie omelet (hashbrowns/whole wheat toast). Hot, tasty, and the portions were large. This is exactly what we werelooking for. The prices were fair, and the employees were great. Thanks! Read more

Good food, good people and we enjoyed the dinner.

Great customer service and even greater food. Would definitely recommend

This is their steak sandwich!... Does not look like one... What I got was a piece of toast with a steak that looks like someone... took a bite out of and very soggy vegetables. First and last time eating here Read more

While our RV was getting repaired, we stopped at Ponderosa for breakfast. It was so homey and it felt like we went back in time.... The restaurant looked like it still had original furnishings. It was very clean, food was good and the wait staff were verynice. Definitely recommend Ponderosa for breakfast. Read more

What an awesome homey diner experience. Had their New York Strip steak and it was cooked to absolute perfection, with a great... baked potato absolutely SMOTHERED in butter and sour cream, and perfectly cooked green beans with bacon. The service was alsoSUPERB. All this at a VERY reasonable price. The generous tip was well deserved. Read more