Saddle Peak Lodge

Wanna get your rustic on? Saddle Peak Lodge is just about the best place you can do it in the Los Angeles area. An old time feel, country lodge decor and great gourmet food with an emphasis on wild game makes this place quite the destination.

We had heard interesting things about this place for some years so we thought it was finally time to visit. The Saddlepeak Lodge is located in the mountains of Calabasas, north of Los Angeles, just a ways inland from Malibu. It is a beautiful setting, winding roads, rocky peaks and big oak trees surrounding you. Less than an hour outside of the city proper, you feel like you have left California and are exploring the Montana mountains or something (neither of us have been to Montana, but you get the picture). In other words, if you like rustic and getting away from the city life, this is a great diversion. Romantic and beautiful.

The Lodge has been there since the 1800's! It was a hunter's lodge and supply stop in the, then, remote coastal mountains. It went through many incarnations from its rustic beginnings to stardom later on when Hollywood stars and starlets would party there after a long day filming in the area (countless shows and movies have been filmed in the Malibu and Calabasas hills over the years). At some point, the lodge was restored and turned into a restaurant. Because of its rustic, hunter origins, the wise choice was to play up on that and make the emphasis exotic game meats and such. But don't worry if you don't like elk or antelope, there are plenty of great "normal" things on the menu as well. For a complete history of the Saddle Peak Lodge, ask your waiter for the pamphlet they hand out that has the whole story.

The decor is beautiful. Game trophies, guns, old book collections and esoteric art adorn the walls and the furniture is old, rustic wood. You do feel like you are in an old hunting lodge. We went for our anniverasy (the grandparents watching the kids for a few hours so we could get away) and the staff at Saddle Peak Lodge treated us wonderfully. They took good care of the wine we brought (and didn't charge us corkage because it was our anniversary), gave us lots of extras and really made us feel at home. We sat in a cozy nook of one room along the side flanked by an old book collection.

While waiting for our food, we decided to randomly grab a book from the shelf and check it out. I reached out and grabbed without looking, and you wouldn't believe what I picked out... "Building a Successful Marriage"! No kidding! On our anniverary dinner!

The food was first rate. There are plenty of a la carte options but we opted for a chef's tasting menu. Each course was great, working through a progression of foods. Only a couple were that exotic or wild (the pork belly and elk tenderloin were awesome!).

All in all, a very romantic, fun and satisfying evening. We'll definitely be back!

Saddlepeak Lodge
419 Cold Canyon Rd.
Calabasas, CA 91302
(818) 222-3888

Hours:
Wed & Thurs 6pm-9pm
Friday 6pm-10pm
Saturday 5pm-10pm
Sunday 10:30am-2pm (Brunch) & 5pm-9pm (Dinner)
Happy Hour Wed-Fri 4pm-6pm