South Lake Tahoe’s food scene doesn’t get nearly enough credit. As a local chef who guides food lovers through the best spots in town every week, these are the restaurants I trust enough to bring guests to on my tours.

Most people come to South Lake Tahoe for the skiing or the lake. But Tahoe is a four-season destination with far more depth than most visitors ever discover. Here’s what’s actually worth your time.

Every city has a neighborhood the locals love and the tourists miss. In South Lake Tahoe, that neighborhood is Al Tahoe — and if you want to understand what this place actually feels like to the people who live here, this is where you need to go.

There are restaurants you visit because you’re hungry. And then there are restaurants where the meal becomes the entire point of the evening. Toulouse is that second kind of restaurant.