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Hunger happens when you enter Lassen Volcanic National Park, especially when you're planning a day of hiking, and checking out the volcanic wonders of this beautiful area.  Sadly, I found the hiking trail to the top of Mount Lassen was closed for maintenance, so... what to do?  Enjoy breakfast at Lassen Cafe and Gift, located inside the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center.  Wow! ...that's a mouthful to try to say with one breath!

Photo:  Lassen Cafe and Gift is located inside the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center, at the southwestern entrance to Lassen Volcanic National Park.

Photo:  The comfortable, clean and spacious dining room of the restaurant.  The format is that you walk up to the counter, make your selection from the posted menu, pay for it, and when your order is ready, the friendly staff will bring it to your table.

Photo:  The menu is posted behind the counter, to the right of the photo, but additional items are posted on the blackboard.  I arrived at 0905, five minutes after opening, on Saturday, August 16, 2014, and noted the small selection of breakfast choices:  Breakfast burrito, or a cheese omelet.  So... what the heck?  ... I asked my friendly server/counter gal, Lucie, if burgers were available at this hour, and the answer was and enthusiastic YES!  So I ordered a cheeseburger for breakfast...

Photo:  After only about ten minutes after placing my order, and paying for it, my friendly server, Lucie, brought my cheese burger to my table.  Lucie hails from the Czech Republic, and has a permit to live, and work, in the U.S., which is a good thing, and a testament to the friendship between our two countries.

Photo:  It's 0915 on Saturday morning, August 16, 2014, and I'm enjoying a cheeseburger and a 24-oz draught beer.  Yes, it's a tad early for a burger and a beer, especially a beer of this size, but the 24-oz version was only a dollar more than the 16-oz version, and since I was going to be hiking for the next couple of hours, I said "go for it!" and went with the larger beer.

Photo:  I had the choice of several varieties of cheese for my burger, but I ended up with provolone, as that sounded good.  This how the burger arrived, with just the cheese, meat and bun assembled, packages of condiments, and veggies on the side.  It also included an amazingly-good scoop of potato salad, and my optional 24-oz draught beer. Surprisingly, only ketchup and mayonnaise were delivered to my table, and I had to go back to the counter and ask for a couple packages of mustard, which were cheerfully given to my by friendly Lucie.  I discarded the ketchup, as I'm not a fan of ketchup on burgers or hot dogs, as I prefer to relegate it to garnish fries, onion rings, or other deep fried veggies.

Photo:  My cheese burger is assembled, and ready to enjoy, after a couple more sips of beer.  The 1/3-pound patty was cooked medium, which is the way I like it, the bun was fresh, and the lettuce, onion, and pickle strips were fresh and delicious.  I loved the potato salad, too.  At $8.50 for the burger, and $5.00 for the draught beer, it was a tad pricey, but the quality of the food was high, the service was outstanding, and considering that I was in a national park, the meal represented a decent value.

The burger was delicious, the dining was pleasant, the staff was super-friendly, and the price was reasonable, consider the remote location of the restaurant, and the fact that it's a concession, located within a national park.  I enjoyed the burger, the beer, and the friendly staff.  Next time I visit the park, I plan to enjoy another mouth-watering cheeseburger at Lassen Cafe and Gift.

Lassen Cafe and Gift
21820 Lassen Park Highway
Mineral, CA 96063
530 595-3555


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