La Fondue Restaurant & Bar

Um yuck. Not great food. Limited selection and very small portions. Kindof a joke really. I took my husband there for a special occassion and his first time for fondue and it was enbarassing. I kept having to say — it’s not normally like this. Stay away.

Even though they are the only fondue spot around it was well worth the money and service was handled well. You will enjoy

This place has a lot of potential. The dining room is cozy and intimate, as it only has about eight tables, and the decorations are attractive and inviting. I was surprised with the service. Our waiter was very kind and attentive, but he seemed like he was new perhaps, and was acting as if he was nervous, which I thought was kind of strange, but not really a big deal.
The food was decent. We ordered the cheese fondue appetizer and I was disappointed by the lack of nuttiness in the cheese. Normally, a Swiss or Emmentaler cheese is very distinct in flavor, but I couldn’t taste it. The bread was a little stale, which was a bummer. Oh well, it’s hard to go wrong with dipping food in liquid cheese, so we ate the whole thing! I ordered the vegetable platter for my entrée and by boyfriend ordered a beef & chicken combo. The sauces that they serve with the food are excellent, but I don’t feel as though the proportions were worth the cost. My vegetable platter was $ 15 and it came with two broccoli florets, two chunks of cauliflower, a crimini mushroom and a few slices of squash and zucchini. Vegetables are cheap so I thought I would get more than that.
Overall, I think La Fondue is a nice choice to take a date, or celebrate with a loved one, so we will probably be back.

Not so good if you’re hungry and with a large group. It takes a long time to cook the meat in that little pot. But it tasted alright. Sauces were good.
Lots of beers on tap. I found a nice IPA, which hit the spot with all that meat.
The veggie fondue, not so good. Don’t get me wrong – I love vegtables. I think they started with wonderful fresh veggies, that look delicious. But boiling and waiting, I was tempted to scarf them down raw. The were soggy and flavorless.
Ambiance was casual. I felt like it was more of a lunch time dive with my coworkers, than a pricier hot spot in incline village. We got there nice and early with the kids, but it quickly filled up with adults, people on dates, and of course, more tourists.

Well it is not quite Europe but it is a nice evening. I have never tried anything but the fondue but it is a fondue restaurant after all.
It’s small so book reservations during weekends or Holiday Season and have some fun cooking your own fondue.
Staff seems a bit harried, not cool seasoned professionals, one nearly dropped some utensils on our kids after smashing some glasses. Other than that they are generally friendly. Get a table away from the door during winter. I always wear a sweater as a cool breeze blows when the door is open.

What a gem hidden behind China Wok, providing a true Alpine dining experience. Alpine cheese fondue for 2 was spectacular, it was also very clever that the beef and shellfish could also be cooked in a broth rather than oil; very shabu shabu-​esque! The Pinot Noir washed it all down very well. And the chocolate fondue should definitely not be missed.

Great little place. We had the Fondue Experience for two, which comprised an authentic Swiss cheese fondue and bread followed by a great selection of meats and vegetables for cooking over the burner. We were offered a choice of oil or broth, and chose the oil which was delicious. Meats included bacon-​wrapped dates, shrimp, chicken, steak and meatball.
For desert we shared an ice cream fondue with no real clue how that would even work. The dish is a bowl of vanilla ice cream surrounded by a selection of sweet sauces — strawberry, cherry, chocolate, mint, butterscotch etc. all of which were flambéed at the table. Spoon out the ice cream, dip in the sauce and enjoy — delicious. A bottle of «The Prisoner» made the whole meal fantastic. We dined on the patio and the Ambience was quite casual and relaxed. Service was attentive, friendly and informed.

My wife and I came to Tahoe for our 30^th. We had fondue at the swiss chalet last visit and were planning to go there but it’s gone. Unilocaled and found his place and took the nice drive to Incline.
We had cheese fondue and really enjoyed it. Then had the chocolate fondue for dessert. Yummy!
Our server was from Serbia and she was nice but the real star was her assistant. He was friendly and provided A+ service. I wish i got his name (we were there july 6^th).
We are glad we went here.

When loved our dinner. It was incredible. Fondue and portions were perfection. I am sad to hear about the server issues some have commented on. Our servers were unbelievable. Most of the staff speaks English as a second language. So be patient. Our server was DELIGHTFUL. She was from Serbia, and was living in Tahoe for the summer. I will be back this summer just to request her table.

Let me start by saying that I have been to various Melting Pot Restaurants many many times so I thought it would be cool to bring my family to this place since they all love Melting Pot. It was dead inside when we entered but figured maybe we were just eating a little earlier than most people. There ended up being a few other tables when we left but for a weekend night it surprised me. This place is very one dimensional unlike the Melting Pot. You can only do the hot oil and there are not many different meat and dessert choices like Melting Pot. They have different dipping sauces at least but the meat quality and seasoning just wasn’t there for me. The cheese was good but then again there is only once choice for cheese unlike Melting Pot which has around 6 – 8. I really did not like that there were not built in burners on the table so in order for me to really watch everyones food that was cooking I had to stand up most of the time. The service was spotty after a few groups came in but who I think is the owner did not help the staff at all. He was messing around on some computer behind the bar most of the time. I saw the cook bring out food and had it waiting to be taken to a table but the waiter was busy with other tables so it just sat there. Meanwhile the owner/​manager did nothing. I won’t be returning to say the least.

On the positive side, the service was very friendly, our waitstaff capable. If the food was better, I would be back, but it’s sorely underwhelming. For example, I’d been talking up the chocolate fondue desserts to my children, because in my experience at other La Fondue locations, La Fondue offers many different choices and blends — milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, different liqueurs and syrups for blending. And to dip? Perfectly round balls of cheesecake, whole strawberries, marshmallows, pieces of candy bar, pineapple, bananas, you name it, they give you an enormous platter of it for dipping. At this location, we were offered a dessert menu with four choices on it, and only one of them was fondue. The others were standard restaurant fare, ice cream and such. So after telling my children they would be able to craft their own dessert, we ordered the only chocolate fondue on the menu to share. It was highly uninspired — just a bowl of what tasted like melted semi-​sweet morsels with a squirt of obviously canned whipped cream, and a plate of fruit with chopped up pound cake on the side. My kids said, where is the cheesecake? Where are the blends? And we don’t like dark chocolate! They were good sports and ate the fruit and mini marshmallows. The waitstaff offered replacement fruit when we ran low, which was thoughtful. But overall, disappointing if you are expecting a typical La Fondue experience.

Jesus is awesome. Great service. Cool for dateline, even better for the family. Will definitely be back.

This was probably one of the most uncomfortable and stressful dinners I’ve had. Just to preface this, the servers were lovely. They were a bit slow with everything, but it was understandable given how busy they were.
We sat at the bar and ordered our food. Everything was fine until the presumed owner showed up. He chastised the servers all night with no regard to the fact that we were sitting a foot away. It was beyond uncomfortable and made us feel extremely awkward and upset. He made what was undoubtably a stressful situation for the servers even worse.
Aside from that, the food was mediocre at best. It lacked flavor and was of poor quality. The meat tasted like it was purchased a week ago from a cheap grocery store. For the amount we paid, I would expect higher quality and better tasting food. I just got back to my hotel and feel sick after that meal.
In addition, there was a couple sitting nearby who began arguing and yelling at each other, so much so in fact that another table of diners started shushing them, but they still didn’t stop. This isn’t something that the restaurant could have controlled, but it definitely added to the discomfort of the night.
Overall, the servers did the best they could given the situation and that’s why I’m giving this restaurant 2 stars instead of 1. I would not recommend going here.

This is actually not a new fondu restaurant. My family has been visiting La Fondu for over 25 years. This is the third time that it has changed ownership (at least that I know of), and unfortunately our last dining experience was very poor.
They have cheapened their meat selection, changed the oil that is used, placed cheap paper coverings on the tables, brought oil and vinegar out to the dinner to place on their own salad, served semi-​stale bread and overcrowded a very small space with too many inexperienced servers who rush you through dinner.
La Fondu used to be a real treat and a place that people reserved a place to dine at well in advanced and dressed their best to dine at. There would only be one-​two servers and you had the option to order filet and lobster and to relax in a cozy atmosphere. I am saddened that a place that set the bar for a true fondu experience has been surpassed by a chain such as the Melting Pot. I am also sad that the quality of the restaurant has fallen so low. Hopefully if my family gives La Fondu another chance you will get back to the wonderful restaurant you used to be, as for now the chances of that are pretty slim.
Sincerely,
A very disappointed customer of 20+ years.

We had a great time last night at La Fondue. By checking in on Unilocal,it unlocked a special that we ended up using, and it was a great deal. My friend and I both enjoyed the cheese appetizer (with fruit and bread), a choice of soup or salad, the entrée/​oil sampler, and chocolate fondue.
My salad was pretty good, as was her soup. The cheese fondue was not the best I had ever had, but still very good. I agree with other reviewers that the portion of fruit could have been bigger, and the cubes of bread could have been fresher, but this did not bother us so much, as it was part of 4 courses.
The entrée course was my favorite. In addition to the fresh proteins and veggies, they give you a couple bacon-​wrapped dates to flavor your oil with, as well as tempura batter to use to your heart’s desire. I’ve never experienced those elements before, and they were delicious. The prawns in the batter were perfect, and did not even need any of the selection of sauces they brought.
The (dark) chocolate course was good; the pound cake and strawberries were my favorite. We didn’t think the Mandarin oranges or kiwis made the best dippers, but were nice thoughts:)
All in all, if you are staying nearby, I would definitely suggest this restaurant, as it’s tasty, romantic, and a great value.

What a fun and unique dinning experience! We sat on the patio outside. Not knowing anything about what to order, we went with the experience for two. Our server, Jade, was so very helpful. We started with a delicious cheese blend with fruit and bread cubes. The cheese was smooth and very tasty. Then our pot was replaced with hot oil and we had a plate of veggies, beef, chicken, prawns, meatballs and bacon wrapped figs. The 6 dipping sauces were an excellent also. What really topped off the night was the singer who is there Friday and Saturday nights. Oh my, we all loved her voice and song selections! I highly recommend this place for a different and excellent dinning experience.

This place was great! My husband brought me here on my bday while we were staying in the area. It was a great experience. Tons of food! We got the dinner for two with champagne. The cheese was delicious. My kids had fun. The service was great and they gave me a free drink for my bday. If I’m in the area I’ll be back.

Went here for a Friday night dinner to try something different. The resturant is tucked in a corner and kind of hard to find with little to no easy parking. We ordered the alpine cheese fondue for two. It came with a soup or salad and I got the soup, it was uninspiring to say the least with little flavor. The cheese fondue came out next, it came with a ton of bread and a vary small bowl of fruit I was imagining they were going to be equal proportions of bread and fruit. The fondue was the same as the soup rather bland and unfortunate, with little flavor. We left kind of hungry and vary unimpressed for the $ 55.00 dollars for fondu and wine. We will never be back.

Tiny place! We wish our table was a little nicer.
But, the food was great, and the staff was very friendly! They even substituted shrimp for part of the meal when we asked. Good price for fondue too. We will be back next time we visit!

Their cheese fondue is deliciously made out of emmental and gruyère imported from Switzerland and is at a level playing field with the ones I’ve had in the Swiss alps.
The stuffed mushrooms were also deliciously cheesy and highly recommended.
The chocolate fondue was not as impressive: a bit less decadent than expected and with out-​of-​season fruits that were not very flavorful. If they cannot get seasonal fruits that would go well with chocolate fondue, then I would have preferred if the item was unavailable during the winter season.
We did not try any of the meats and vegetables + broth fondues (which the Swiss call «Chinese» fondue). But looking at other people’s tables, they looked pretty good.
Overall, I’m very happy with this place. It was the only fondue restaurant available in all of Lake Tahoe (another one in South Lake was closed for the winter). I highly recommend this one.