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Today I am going to profile Shelter Distilling, located in the Village at 100 Canyon Blvd #217 in Mammoth Lakes. Shelter is a fully operational distillery, brewery, and restaurant bar located just off the plaza in the Village. The cocktails are the specialty, and the food menu has a wide variety of options, from tacos to pizzas to sushi.
The Quick Details
Hours: Sunday – Thursday 11 am to 10 pm (kitchen closes at 9pm); Friday and Saturday 11 am to 11 pm (kitchen closes at 10pm).
Happy Hour: Drink specials 8:00 to 10:00 pm and food specials 8:00 to 9:00 pm on Monday through Thursday.
Kid Friendliness Level: No highchairs or changing table in the bathroom, but kid friendly food items like pizza and grilled cheese.
Dog Friendliness Level: Dogs are allowed on the patio.
Vegetarian options: The menu has many vegetarian options.
Gluten Free options: Yes, with substitutions. Ciders available.
Drinks: Cocktails and beer are the specialty!
Price point: Mid-range, with small plates for $8-$18; tacos $6 each; sandwiches $15; and pizzas for $13-$19.
Parking: Parking can be limited in the Village. There is some street parking, a paid parking lot, and a lot below the Westin. The village is easily accessible by bus, trolley, and gondola, and is walkable from many spots in Mammoth.
Reservations: None accepted.
Ability to accommodate large parties: Seating is first come first serve, and the layout is set up to accommodate larger parties.
The Experience
My bestie was in town, and she is one smart, sophisticated lady who knows the hospitality industry (having opened restaurants in New York City, Chicago, and San Francisco), and if anyone knows cocktails, it’s my girl. I wanted to take her somewhere where we could enjoy a fancy drink and share a bunch of food that would impress even her. We went early on a Saturday night during shoulder season – with my toddler in tow – to Shelter Distilling.
We got to Shelter around 6:30 pm and were able to find a table, but within an hour the indoor seating was pretty much filled up. The back patio was closed, and the front patio was empty despite the heat lamps, which was reasonable because it was super cold out. The indoor seating included bar seating, some high-top tables, and low tables. The tables were set to accommodate larger parties, and small groups would likely do better at the bar seating. There were TVs playing the baseball game (the World Series was on), and the music was pretty loud, I think due to the acoustics of the high ceiling and the metal distillers. We sat in the back of the restaurant where it was quieter. The décor was dark with an open, industrial feel – it is a working distillery and brewery after all! – but there were bright chandeliers that lit up the restaurant. Being inside a real distillery added a fun element to the vibe of Shelter.
Other people at Shelter appeared to be groups of friends meeting up and watching the game, girlfriends gossiping over cocktails, and a few couples on a date. I noticed one other family with older kids who were enjoying a pizza while their parents partook in the specialty drinks.
Like many restaurants post-COVID, the menu was accessed through a QR code that is linked to the table or section of the bar you are seated at. It is a quick and effective way to order and pay upfront, but it does require you to look at your screen and cuts down on the service/human interaction aspect. For us it was great though, and we immediately ordered a grilled cheese for my little, so he would be occupied. It came up very quickly, and my son was able to ignore the actual sandwich like a true toddler and eat all the BBQ flavored chips that accompanied it. Aside from that, we did not course ourselves well and our food did come up before our cocktails, so be aware of that if you care about the timing of your order.
Of course we both indulged in the extensive cocktail menu. My friend, who by the way is a superwoman, got the ginger cucumber margarita, which she described as “super-smooth, and definitely refreshing. The garnish was elegant, and the salt was tangy in a really pleasant way – something that I could have a few of.” I got the strawberry gin sour, served up and topped with an egg white foam. It is a sophisticated gin and juice really, but with sour grapefruit and lemon juices expertly mixed with sweet strawberry juice and lightened with egg white. There is an option for vegan foam. It was dangerously delicious.
We sampled across the menu and tried a little of everything that Shelter has to offer. We started with the tacos. You cannot go wrong mixing booze with tacos, and Shelter is brilliant for having such great options. We tried the vegetarian spicy chipotle sweet potato taco, the harissa shrimp taco, the crispy confit pork belly taco, and the Philly gordito taco. The sweet potato and shrimp tacos were served on corn tortillas, and the pork belly and Philly tacos were on a pita round, more robust. These tacos were largely nontraditional, but they were generous portions of fixins with a flavorful blend of ingredients. I would recommend trying them for sure.
You always need something green, so we got the blistered sesame shishito peppers. These are the Russian Roulette of vegetables, where you never know if you’re going to pick a spicy or mild one until you bite in. This is more fun for people who love both, while I am wimpy about the spicy ones. Normally my husband is a taste tester for me, but on this evening, I was on my own. Despite that fact I still loved this dish. The peanut dipping sauce that came with it was sweet and countered the spiciness. I also loved the toasted sesame seeds sprinkled over the peppers.
We tried the warm pretzel roll, which comes with a house IPA mustard and a white cheddar cheese sauce that was incredible. I wish I had eaten more of it, but my son ate the bread and cheese I bought for myself and I ended up eating his bread and cheese – the grilled cheese sandwich – that I bought for him. He loved the white cheddar cheese dipping sauce too.
On the sushi side, we got the spicy tuna handroll and the veggie roll. My first impression was that the rice was so good. It was sticky and flavorful, and from my elementary understanding of sushi, the quality of the rice is a big deal. The handroll was a generous portion of spicy tuna and rice mixed with avocado, cucumber, and spicy aioli. It felt like the distribution of tuna and rice was not even and depending on where you bit you’d have mostly rice or mostly fish, but the flavors were all there. The veggie roll was also good, with strands of fresh vegetables – avocado, cucumber, carrots and asparagus - mixed with the delicious rice. It came with plenty of ginger, which is a highlight for me.
I would have stayed for more cocktails, but it was bedtime for my munchkin. Shelter is a great choice for a date, a girls’ night, or for a big group of friends going out. There is something for everyone in the way of cocktails, beer, and cider, and lots of different types of good food. We had a great time and I hope you do too.
As always, please comment with any questions, thoughts, or your own experiences.
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