Tony S.

Let's not talk about atmosphere here. Frankly, there isn't any. And service is also minimalist (you order at the bar, but they do bring your food to the table). Both the food and beer are why you're here anyway, and they are both excellent. We went for lunch and had beer flights. The stand out in my opinion was the Salt Rock Wit. I love wheat beers, especially on hot summer days. This one was one of the best ones I've had in a long time (and I've had A LOT of wheat beers). Their description was spot on: you get the wheat taste (although it is on the light side), a nice creaminess overall, and some orange flavor, with just enough of a tartness at the finish to give it some added complexity. The brewmaster's burger (subbing a portobello mushroom for the burger) was a solid good. Note though that their burgers and sandwiches don't come with a side (fries are sold separately). Since they are priced about the same as places that do serve sides included, the prices seem a little higher than they should be. That almost kept me from giving them a 5 rating. But I ended up at 5 because of this: the buffalo chicken flatbread. Great flatbread base, stellar buffalo sauce (some of the best I've had) and tasty chicken pieces, all covered with loads of some damn fine pickled jalapenos, Mexican cheese, chives and then a house-made hot sauce drizzled on as the finishing touch. I could eat this all day...and pretty much all evening long, too. This would be great at a party. If you go here, you have to order this. Beware, it packs some heat, but it's so good. Next time I'm in Sylva, I'd go back just for this, and another Salt Rock Wit!

Ashley T.

Pretty much every time we make our way up to Sylva we find ourselves at Balsam Falls! In a town filled with breweries and beers on tap Balsam Falls' "Buttah Beer" stands above them all! Now I have never been to Harry Potter world so I have no idea if it is comparable to that but I can tell you it is my absolute favorite! It is a seasonal beer which might make it even more special. Even though I know it's seasonal I still find myself asking about it every single time I stop in and on instances where they are not serving their "buttah beer" I can still always count on the bartenders to recommend something delicious! Most recently when we stopped in we grabbed some lunch and it was good solid bar food. I got a chicken sandwich and onion rings both of which I enjoyed. The brewery does a wonderful job of decorating for the holidays, they have these big windows that always have very fun and creative displays in them.

John C.

Yea, this is a great spot. I got into Sylva a little early so I strolled Main street before stationing myself outside the restaurant. Shortly, I was warmly welcomed inside by one of the staff members. You order at the counter and then take a seat anywhere inside or on their small patio. The restaurant has a good amount of space and lots of different seating options. I ordered a game dog with fries and their alcoholic frozen lemonade then took a seat at the bar. The bar top seems to be decorated with family photos from events and vacations. I spotted the famous St. Maarten airport. My food came out pretty quickly (helps that I was the first person there). Y'all, this hot dog is a MONSTER. The fact that the menu even hints at getting two is kinda ridiculous. Check the photo for evidence. It's topped with chili (with beans...legitimately my only complaint) and beer cheese (I added mustard too). Really really good. Fries were deliciously seasoned as well. The service was fantastic the whole time. As I left I texted my friends in Winston-Salem, "we've gotta come here on a roadtrip!" That's the ultimate sign of respect.

Bill M.

Just rolled into Sylva on a mountain town hop. Spied Balsam on the little main drag and thought I'd wet my whistle. I love the signage, and the interior space. The bar is large, there's plenty of seating at tables and booths. There is also outdoor seating on the "upper entrance" side of the building. That's facing Main Street for the map oriented among ya. I entered from the Mill St side of the building. I love the decor. The permanent stuff makes the place welcoming, the Halloween touches make it festive. Service was polite, and efficient. I opted for a 6 beer flight. A four beer flight is an option too. Music was good, at the right volume. The menu is expansive with plenty of beer styles to choose from and 11 ciders available on my visit. They offer a couple seltzers, a beer and chocolate pairing in a collab with Dillsboro Chocolate Factory, Meads, an intriguing Mimosa menu, cocktails, mocktails, wines and food. The food menu has burgers, wraps, salads, flatbread, a kids section, and a few desserts. The weekend brunch menu looks downright delectable. Now, as you know if you've read any of my other brewery reviews, I don't put much stock in beer reviews because tastes vary...but I had a nice 6 beer flight plus a single taste, so I'll run down my thoughts, but take it as one man's taste... First impression, this place does slightly better with the darks. The only stand out otherwise was the Into the Mist Southern IPA (a style I didn't know existed). The flight shook out like this for me: Elevensies Livener - great, malty, slightly dark, mild, brown. Lovely finish. Pint-worthy Fergus the Rat - a Chocolate Milk Stout that is barely any of those things. It has a touch of bitterness, a faint chocolate finish and a body that is more brown than stout. Color was darker than a brown, along the lines of a porter Downtown Oatmeal Brown - the second best beer in the flight. Definitely a brown ale, done pretty well. It would be worth a pint Bonas Defeat - a dark, potent porter (7%) with a noticeable oatmeal finish, oddly. I like it but probably wouldn't get a pint. It's malt-forward, and has a roasted taste to it, as advertised. The bitter finish was a turnoff for me. But again, that's me. It lacks the body that was expected given the "robust" in the name Into the Mist - a light but very tasty IPA. Very smooth drinking. I'd think poolside, kind of a slightly heavy session IPA at 6.5%. Definitely the pint to get if you're not drinking the darks. Laurachi - a pale ale (true to the style), my second favorite non-dark. I've had better pale ales, but I suspect the unique hop, Sorachi Ace, just isn't my taste. Otherwise, I think it's a well brewed beer. Go West - a west coast IPA. Honestly, I can't finish the small pour. Musty finish, with little bitterness, and an off-putting nose. Again, this is likely my lack of appreciation of the hop being used. Just not very good to me. Overall, the place has something that will almost certainly appeal to everyone in your party, so for that reason, it gets a 4-star recommendation. Cheers!

Debbie M.

We just got beer and a Greek salad. You order at the counter then sit down. The beer was good and the salad was great. It was an open type of atmosphere and it was nice. The two ladies at the counter were nice but the older lady (not that old) was really on top of her game.

Randy S.

Very solid beer with an awesome chef in the kitchen. This place is great after a day of sightseeing or hiking. The food is way above average, and the staff are very accommodating. Give it a try and don't forget to ask about the bar's backstory and it's famous mascot FERGUS....

Alexa C.

Definitely more of a restaurant style brewery offering a wide variety of different options in addition to the usual menu of beer. Wide open spaces and lots of room for big tables. The staff were so friendly and much better than some of the other breweries we went to in this area.

Jill R.

Great as always! I always love their hard seltzer drinks. Today I ordered the portobello mushroom burger and onion rings. The mushroom was so good. I also had a couple of different seltzer drinks that were amazing! Still highly recommend.

TJ H.

On a recent weekend we took a family trip to Sylva and rented a cabin just outside of downtown. (Awesome area btw!) On Friday we decided the whole group would go into town in the late morning just to walk through downtown and maybe do a little shopping. Convenient lot we parked in great public parking directly across from Balsam Falls and part of the group decided to grab a quick beer here before continuing our walk of downtown! Well, 4 hours later, the only place we had been was Balsam Falls and we did not see any other shops downtown! So that should tell you we enjoyed it! Really good location. And seating outside so you can hangout in the sunlight and enjoy a little piece of Sylva. The staff was great, tell them some things you enjoy and at least give their recommendations a try! I think the overwhelming hit for our group was this "crushing COVID" beer, but I really enjoyed a couple of the IPAs as well. For the non beer drinkers they also have some ciders that some in the group enjoyed. To me the biggest surprise was actually the food! We also grabbed lunch while there and everything we had was phenomenal. A personal favorite were the Spicy Asian wings! Crispy and spicy! But I had bites of Buffalo chicken dip, flatbread, and a harvest salad and they were all better than I ever would have expected from a brewery! If you're in town, stop by for a beer or better yet, go ahead and grab a meal. While we were there plenty of groups with children came in just to eat, so definitely child friendly as well!

Nicole L.

This is the portobello burger. It's has spinach artichoke on it. It was good but super messy. The tator tots side dish are always good. They top them with parmesan and seasonings. I stopped in for a quick bite on Tuesday night and it turned out to be trivia night. Don't come that night unless you're actually playing trivia because every time I tried to sit down, I was told the seat was reserved. Found lone seat by the kitchen LOL but all good. The trivia did look fun and I plan to check it out when I'm with friends. Wide variety of beers and I like how they include description on the menu. Some places like Lazy Hiker just have the name and you have to ask the bartender what each one is like.