Restaurants
Hooded Merganser
About Hooded Merganser
A hooded merganser is a small diving duck with a fan of white on its crest, one of the birds that works the quieter water at the edges of Okanagan Lake. The restaurant that borrows the name is at 99 Lakeshore Dr, on the strip facing the beach at the north end of Penticton.
Lakefront dining sets its own terms. Patios and windows are the point, the view is the strongest thing on offer, and the difference between a table outside on a warm evening and a table inside in November is enormous. Reserving is the sensible approach for anything with a view in summer, and it is fair to ask ahead about outdoor seating, whether a particular table can be requested, and how the room handles larger parties. Sunset timing deserves a thought as well, since the light coming off the water is the reason many people are there in the first place.
Lakeshore Drive is the busiest address in the city through July and August. The beach, the channel entrance where the float down toward Skaha Lake begins, the events on the waterfront and the general summer drift of people between the two lakes all converge within a few blocks, and parking gets scarce by mid afternoon. Walking in from downtown takes only a few minutes and solves most of that. Out of season the same street is calm, the mountains across the water carry snow, and the crowds that fill the block all summer are gone.
Visiting Hooded Merganser
Getting there
In the Downtown Penticton neighbourhood of Penticton.
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