Tiffany's Bistro: Big Bear Lake's Historic Wine Bar & Live Music Venue

Most restaurants don't come with a scandal. Tiffany's Bistro does. Step inside Chateau Big Bear Boutique Hotel and you're standing beneath a 57-foot stained-glass dome that once crowned a tango house in Paris during the "Golden Age of Brothels" — disassembled piece by piece, shipped across the Atlantic, and reassembled here in the San Bernardino National Forest. Look closely at the glass and you can still find small imperfections left by champagne corks from its Parisian nights. It's the kind of detail that turns a night out into a story you tell for years.

Since 1987, Tiffany's has been Big Bear Lake's gathering place for good food, craft cocktails, and live music — a mountain-town bistro with a past far more interesting than its neighbors.

A Dome With a Past

The centerpiece of Tiffany's Bistro is impossible to miss: a 57-foot Tiffany-style glass dome, the largest of its kind west of Chicago. Long before it hung above a dinner table in Big Bear Lake, it adorned a Parisian tango house and brothel. Carefully disassembled and shipped overseas, it was meticulously reassembled inside the historic Chateau — champagne-cork marks from its old life still visible if you know where to look.

In recent years, the hotel's owners completed an extensive restoration of the dome, reported at a cost of roughly $500,000, to preserve it as the room's centerpiece for another generation of guests. Diners consistently call it out as the detail that makes the space — "a beautiful elaborate glass dome" that "really makes the space feel special," as one recent guest put it after a dinner there.

What to Order

Tiffany's serves bistro-style dinner fare with a rotating happy hour menu. Guest favorites that come up again and again in reviews include the herb-crusted salmon with pilau rice, a tender NY steak, chicken marsala with mashed potatoes and charred broccoli, spaghetti bolognese, an apple cranberry salad, and Brussels sprouts off the happy hour menu.

Craft Cocktails & Private Label Wines

The bar program leans into the room's old-world glamour. Look for the Old Fashioned, an Italian Margarita, and the Bloody Mary among guest favorites, alongside a cocktail menu built around drinks like the French 75 à la Tiffany, the Vieux Carré, the Chandelier Commons, and the Ella Fitz Spritz. On the wine side, Tiffany's pours its own Private Label Chateau Big Bear wines — vintages selected exclusively for the hotel and priced to be an easy pour, not a splurge.

Live Music Friday & Saturday

Tiffany's is as much a live music venue as it is a restaurant. Pianist Mike Cross headlines regularly on Fridays and Saturdays, often joined by a rotating cast of guest musicians — drummers, bassists, and vocalists — playing everything from blues to jazz standards to original compositions. Music typically runs 6 to 9pm, right in the middle of dinner service, so you can plan a table around a set.

Happy Hour

Happy hour runs from 4 to 6pm, with discounted small plates and drinks in the same room as the evening's live music lineup — a popular way to start a Friday or Saturday night without committing to a full dinner.

Host Your Next Event Beneath the Dome

Tiffany's Bistro is available for private events, from rehearsal dinners to milestone celebrations, set beneath the same restored dome that anchors nightly service. Reach out directly to start planning your gathering.

More History: From the Big Bear Inn to Chateau Big Bear

Tiffany's Bistro carries forward a legacy that goes back further than 1987. Before it was Chateau Big Bear, the hotel operated as the Big Bear Inn, once profiled in a February 1992 Inland Empire Business Journal feature as "the European Centre of California." Where Tiffany's stands today, the Inn's dining room was known as Orpheus, described in that same feature as a "Venetian-chinoiserie fantasy" of Victorian tableware, Murano chandeliers, and oriental paintings serving gourmet Continental cuisine. Next door, the Moonridge Lounge kept the evening going with a full bar, live music, and a dance floor, its walls dedicated to Greek, Spanish, and French impressionist art, while the Inn's Grand Foyer housed one of the largest collections of Greek Orthodox and Russian religious paintings outside of Greece.

Today's Tiffany's Bistro — with its restored 57-foot dome, live music, and craft cocktails — carries that same spirit of old-world elegance forward. You can read the original 1992 write-up in our hotel history archive.

Plan Your Visit

Tiffany's Bistro is located inside Chateau Big Bear Boutique Hotel at 42200 Moonridge Road, Big Bear Lake, CA 92315. It's open Friday and Saturday, 4 to 11pm, with live music both nights from 6 to 9pm. Thursday hours run seasonally, so it's worth checking ahead if you're planning a Thursday visit. Tiffany's is walk-in only and does not take reservations. Whether you're staying at the hotel or just visiting Big Bear Lake for the evening, everyone is welcome, and validated parking is available on-site.

Ready to pull up a stool beneath the dome? Stop by Tiffany's Bistro on your next Big Bear Lake evening, or plan your stay at Chateau Big Bear Boutique Hotel.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the story behind the Tiffany Dome?

The 57-foot dome above Tiffany's Bistro is the largest of its kind west of Chicago. It originally adorned a Parisian tango house and brothel during the "Golden Age of Brothels" before being carefully disassembled, shipped to Big Bear Lake, and reassembled inside the historic Chateau. Small imperfections in the glass — remnants of champagne corks from its Parisian past — are still visible today, and the dome recently underwent a roughly $500,000 restoration.

Is Tiffany's Bistro open to the public, or just hotel guests?

Tiffany's Bistro is open to everyone, not just hotel guests. It's a popular gathering spot for both Big Bear Lake locals and visitors passing through the village, whether you're stopping by for happy hour, dinner, or live music.

What are Tiffany's Bistro's hours?

Tiffany's Bistro is open Friday and Saturday from 4pm to 11pm year-round, with dinner service each evening. Thursday hours run seasonally, so it's worth checking ahead if you're planning a Thursday visit.

Does Tiffany's Bistro have live music?

Yes. Tiffany's hosts live music Friday and Saturday evenings from 6 to 9pm, featuring pianist Mike Cross and a rotating lineup of guest musicians.

Is there a happy hour at Tiffany's Bistro?

Yes, happy hour runs from 4 to 6pm with discounted food and drinks, ahead of the evening's live music.

Does Tiffany's Bistro take reservations?

No, Tiffany's Bistro is walk-in only and does not accept reservations.

What kind of food and drinks does Tiffany's Bistro serve?

Tiffany's serves bistro-style dinner fare — guest favorites include herb-crusted salmon, NY steak, and chicken marsala — alongside a craft cocktail menu featuring drinks like the Old Fashioned, Italian Margarita, French 75 à la Tiffany, and Vieux Carré, plus Private Label Chateau Big Bear wines.

Can I host a private event at Tiffany's Bistro?

Yes, Tiffany's Bistro is available for private events and special occasions beneath its historic dome.

What did this space used to be before Tiffany's Bistro?

Before Chateau Big Bear, the hotel was known as the Big Bear Inn. Its dining room, Orpheus, served gourmet Continental cuisine in a "Venetian-chinoiserie" setting, while the adjoining Moonridge Lounge offered a full bar, live music, and dancing surrounded by Greek, Spanish, and French impressionist art. Tiffany's Bistro continues that legacy of old-world elegance today.