Ponderosa

Our waitress, Sharon, took very good care of us! Good food that is reasonably priced. 👍

This is where I eat they have just about anything you can imagine for food or drink there's a bar for cocktails and quiet rooms for groups or families.
And if you get a chance try the Reuben it's my favorite for lunch or dinner it's right in the middle of town and walk-in distance to almost everything I love it and I think you'll love it too

Servers are very friendly but lack service skills. However, they care which is important. Food is average but usually produced in a timely fashion. The place needs a remodel but having said that, I guess that's part of its charm. Don't leave without having the Huckleberry ice cream. It's special!

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.
You can park in the lot in the back. The back door opens to a long hallway where you can peek into the well equipped kitchen. There is a sign on the ice machine claiming that the ice is for restaurant use only. No personal use. I racked my brain, but I could not think of a circumstance that would make that sign necessary, but there it was. There

The food was really good once i got it me and my friend went to get lunch and it seemed to take them forever to get food to us but it was overall pretty good food

Dated but descent food, veggies were steamed and not canned mush. Chicken fried steak was good and took me back to the 70's. Overall scary but good food and service.

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 also SUPERB. All this at a VERY reasonable price. The generous tip was well deserved.

We met friends here and enjoyed a nice conversation filled dinner.
Our friends both had the chicken fried steak ( a main stay in this part of the country) my bride went light and had the salad bar, and I had the hamburger steak covered in grilled onions with mashed potatoes.
I would say considering all our plates were empty it must have been good and it was.
We returned two days later for a good bye lunch with many different meals enjoyed around the table. I had the corned beef on rye, hmm...
not like a Jewish deli I'm used to but tasty none the less and my wife had a cheese omelet and hash

Signage is excellent. Ponderosa Pine employees are happy & excel in service. Coffee is fresh. 1 patty melt, 1 barbecue & 2 reubens. The Sides: Curley fries, onion rings & pickles. We will come back.

When you walk into this place, you think okay, there is NO way this place is going to be good. Keeping expectations low. The food here is surprisingly really good! The Rueben sandwich is my favorite! Better than most restaurants I've been to. The servers are never friendly but honestly that's part of the experience. This place is like going back in time. You have to appreciate it for what it is. It's a great small town cafe. I would give it 5 stars except the salad bar is seriously lacking. One of my favorite places to eat in Orofino.

Stopped in the bar for drinks and food. The beer was cold; good. The food was nice, except for two things: I refuse to eat canned green beans (make the vegetable fresh and seasonal!), and the pressured cooked chicken was great, other than the batter had a tad too much salt.

Baked potato was great!

Stopped by for lunch with 7 guys it was quick only took about 10-15 min to get food. Staff was friendly and the meals were decent. I would come back

My fiance and I were out on a date night in Orofino tonight and decided to try The Ponderosa. Walk in about 5:30 and sit down as the sign says to seat yourself. I see a waitress helping another table, she looked right at us when we walked in. She goes and sits at the end of the bar and starts eating without even acknowledging us. We sit in our booth for a good 10 minutes before I get up and ask for menus, to which she asks me how many with a mouth full of food. I ask for 2 and go back to our booth and she sits back down at the end of the bar and keeps eating. Two couples and a party of four walk

NO!! I ate here about two years ago and the food was BAD. Tried it again tonight. Should have stayed away. Worst place ever!!! Started with the house salad that looked wilted and had pieces of bad lettuce scattered within. Had chicken fried steak that tasted like oily breading. No meat flavor or texture. This was served with hot tater tots, cold corn and milk gravy. I think that nothing is made from scratch. You can't call yourself a cook if you screw up something as easy as chicken fried steak.

The evening excitement was when the waitress spilled a full glass of water on our table

Great breakfast... must try the chicken fried steak! Very clean and amazing service.

Decent. Expensive. Does not deserve a 1 or 2 star rating. Just know that you're not there to get in and out within 30 minutes. Their salad bar is pretty good. Burgers are meh... (Go to the Riverside Bowling Alley for a good burger. It is on US 12 heading towards Lewiston, roughly 2 miles past the bridge into Orofino). Avoid the weekend buffet, it is okay. Friendly staff depending on when you go in. Their french dip is great. Soda refills are NOT free (kinda stupid). Cinnamon rolls are good, French Toast is excellent.

It's a small town cafe, so don't expect a royal treatment

Cheeseburgervwas ok, service slow,. I know there's not many choices in Orofino, but really? If I wasn't a firemen I would relocate and open a real restraunt in this town. Love Orofino, but not for the food lol.

This place hasn't changed since 1981. It was mediocre then and it is mediocre now. Problem is that Orofino has so few choices for restaurants, it doesn't have much competition. It is the old standby for the locals. The Ponderosa is a meat and potatoes kind of place that provides a side salad consisting of iceberg lettuce with dressing (not even a crouton!). Our waitress was friendly, but service was extremely slow (I think she forgot about us at one point). All in all, not a place I would recommend unless you have no other options.