News, Tips & Bargains : A Little Less Dressy at Ahwahnee Meals

Folks who plan to have dinner in the dining room of the Ahwahnee Hotel while visiting Yosemite can pack a little lighter than they used to in years past--the famed restaurant has relaxed its dress code.

For years the requirement was “coats and ties for gentlemen, and appropriate attire for women.” Nowadays, however, when you phone the restaurant for a reservation the staff lets you know that gentlemen are also welcomed in a “nice sweater or collared shirt.”

While attire is casual at breakfast and lunch, dinner guests are asked not to wear jeans, tennis shoes, athletic wear or hiking gear. The relaxed rule has been in effect for a little more than a year, but the hotel has not publicized it, said Jennifer Wagner, assistant manager at the Ahwahnee.

The tradition-bound need not worry that the new code has hurt the atmosphere of the wood-paneled restaurant with its 34-foot-high ceiling and candle-lit ambience. A recent dinner visitor found almost everyone still dressed to the nines, except for those few men and boys who wore blue blazers and khaki slacks.

The chef, the food and the prices remain the same, with roast prime rib, roast rack of lamb and the nightly chef’s selections the most popular items.