Tony was our server and he was wonderful. You should order the red sauce mussels. We will be back and we'll request Tony again.

My favorite place in Banner Elk, hands down. The salmon bowl, pecan trout, flatbread, and variety of burgers are delicious! Definitely my to go option when I don't want to cook. LOVE the staff here and they make you feel like family. They take great care of their customers and each other, awesome team. Especially love when Sarah Jo is bartending. She always brings a smile to my face. And boy can she sing! Call the cafe to find out which nights she is performing. You will love her beautiful voice and her contagious smile. I'd give this place more than 5 stars if I could! read more

Oh my!!! Really amazing place. Beautiful on outside and inside, clean bathrooms. Friendly and helpful staff. A huge menu!!!! There's the lodge menu and the cafe menu, both connected and technically same place, but the lodge is more fancy I'd say, at least for lunch and dinner time, the cafe is more chill vibe and more affordable prices, including coffee, lattes, teas, and a bakery!!! Me and my mom decided to order off the cafe menu. We had fried pickles appetizer with yummy ranch, then I ordered a Philly cheesesteak sandwich with potato salad. It was delish!!! Highly recommend! My mom ordered the southwest chicken and shrimp dinner entree with teriyaki kale and mashed potatoes with gravy. She liked everything but said the chicken was tough and overdone unfortunately. She loved everything else though, and we shared a molten chocolate lava cake and blueberry cheesecake, both were immaculate, but the cheesecake was top tier!!! Highly recommend! Our server was sweet and helpful, he had a good personality. We will be back for sure! Not a lot of parking, that's the only complaint. Otherwise, wonderful place to eat and chill at!!! Great outdoor space too!!! Gorgeous! read more

We stopped in for lunch and were not disappointed. First, our waitress, Cat, was amazing! She brought our drinks out right away and they have great iced tea! Then we started looking at the menus. They had a regular menu and a specials lunch menu which we all ordered from. Very reasonable prices and enough food for 2 meals. I had the BarBQ pork with fries and coleslaw, very good. Others had turkey and dressing, Black Bean burger, & Fried Chicken, all were yummy. You get2 homemade sides with your meal also. It was a nice day so we sat on the patio at an umbrella table. Beautiful spot with lots of flowering plants to admire. Cat took very good care of us we will go back. read more

We stopped at Banner Elk Cafe & Tavern after being up on Beech Mountain. The location is perfect -- right at the base of the mountain -- and the atmosphere is calm, cozy, and relaxed with a rustic mountain charm. I ordered the French dip with pasta salad, and it was genuinely excellent. The bread was real, fresh bread, and the sandwich tasted high quality and freshly made. My husband got the ham and cheese croissant with fries, and the fries were clearly made from real, fresh potatoes. On top of the great food, the staff were all incredibly friendly and welcoming. We'll definitely be back next time we're in the area and would highly recommend stopping here if you're visiting Beech Mountain. read more

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Ashley did a fantastic job. I love her personality for work ethic. We had a large party with two children that she was amazing with my highest rating for her Even though we put her through a lot of stress, she was a champ read more

Good spot. Nice service and nice beers & burgers. Also have an Italian menu as it's 2 kitchens.

This place was a perfect spot after a sunrise hike on Grandfather Mountain. The number one thing you look for when traveling with you dogs is is it friendly for Fido. This place truly is! They have a wonderful out door heated patio for our dog. They went out of their way to make sure it was nice and toasty for us and pup... much needed when the weather was in the teens. The food was awesome and came out FAST! Eggs Benedict was over the top and the eggs were cooked perfectly! The hot chocolate was the size of one of the Great Lakes. The full stack of pancakes was ridiculous! In the best way possible! Might have higher than the trail we climbed this morning. Had a wonderful chat with the owner who was actually from our hometown. Small world. Do not miss this place! read more

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I chose this restaurant because I loved the look of the place. It's a cabin style tavern. The hostess was very kind as she sat us. We ordered our food and the food was fantastic. The fries are excellent! All 5 of us were happy with our food. The prices were fair and the lunch specials are great deals. My wife and I both enjoyed our coffee from the coffee bar next door. We will definitely return next time we are in the area. read more

Why not? They are open at 7 am right in town Service was fast and food was good and moderately priced Coffee hot fresh and topped off 20 minutes later headed to Beech Mountain read more

A sweet young man named Tony served us and was so engaging and helpful and sweet. I recommend the mussels in marinara sauce. Delicious!

We saw customer service at its best. Sanders, a young server, had an extremely difficult couple next to us, asking for non menu items and alternatives to the menu. He's pleasant composure never faulted during the numerous trips to the kitchen to accommodate their requests. The service and food was excellent. read more

Monday night. 3/3/36 OMG... I've been there plenty of times. It's never been above average, but tonight it just sucked! I mean sucked! The wait staff can only serve what is given to them. I don't blame them. $32.00 for a ribeye that was a POS cut. No wander they want to cover it with Garlic butter. So they can cover up the nasty sub par meat. The black eyed peas were even worse. Sour. I don't think they drained the can before they heated them up. Im sure you guys will continue to serve this crap, tourist will buy it... but really, have some self respect. To the owners, do better. This really sucked! read more

Banner Elk Cafe - $32 for crap! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

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Kat was very attentive and patient. I had frozen my credit card and had trouble getting it unfrozen and she was very patient.

Not what you expect from a "Cafe". It's so much better!! This place literally has a little bit of everything from burgers to pizza. The bruschetta was probably one of the best I've ever had! It's not your usual bread topped off. It comes with all the good in a bowl to self serve and it was the perfect ratio especially with the amount of cheese. I modified a chicken sandwich into a wrap and it was so good! Fresh and delicious. The wrap itself wasn't your basic wrap bread, it was the kind they serve with gyros, which is softer and fluffier. Yum! The staff were so nice and the service was great! Great for a quick bite! read more

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2 menus to offer from, lots of options. Never disappoints! 2 different sides of the restaurant with 2 totally different dining experience feels. One side is more formal with a bar, the other side has more of a lunch cafe vibe. Be sure to check out their desserts! The Banner Elk Cafe is always worth a visit. We've gone for lunch and dinner. With all of the options there is truly a meal for everyone! Service is solid. They also have a menu of coffee drinks. read more

Great country breakfast - you will not be disappointed! Also amazing burgers & fries. Fun place to gather. Always reliable.

Came for "wing wednesday" that was posted on the front door. My family was sat in an empty room which was the first red flag. We all ordered wings but were not told that the deal didnt start until 5pm and signage out front didnt have a posted time. When we questioned the waitress, told she forgot it was Wednesday with no offer to make it right.. disappointing read more

Have you ever been to a place that has four menus? What about a coffee shop, a tavern, and a restaurant as three different sections? What about a one-person restroom? I shouldn't have brought that up? Doesn't mix with food talk? Okay.... My bad! Have you ever heard of a bomblette? If you answered yes to all those questions, then you might have been to Banner Elk Cafe. Banner Elk has a population of 1800, and I would guess at least 1,789 are not living in poverty. It's an interesting place and pretty laidback. As far as the Banner Elk Cafe itself... The seating options are excellent: Inside, outside, inside/outside, bar. The atmosphere is an easy W. And while the salad was good, and the burger and bomblette were reportedly good, it's not really a place to order Chicken Parm. It was decent as was the pasta but the bread might have been worst I ever tasted. I love bread! But I could only do half a bite, which I secretly spit out. There was an army of servers. Some were polite and friendly, others were not. Imo, it's not that hard to say hi or hey or nod. That said, it's probably not their fault due to dealing with some rude customers, which then makes them think you might be the same way (not the case). The prices here are excellent, especially for Banner Elk. Side Note: You can bring your dog. I was forced to do this for the first time ever because my son and I were heading home after lunch and it was on the way. It was awkward but Lulu (big black female lab that loves everyone) laid down and chilled the whole time. I think she just liked the sound of people. Cool for a one-time thing but I'm not a bring-your-dog-to-restaurant guy. Banner Elk Cafe is for the atmosphere and vibe more than anything. As for food, it's probably in the middle of the pack. Then again, I have limited experience at Banner Elk dining. read more

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The service was good - took a little bit to get seated but once we did our server was great! The food was also really good! No complaints! read more

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The staff, food, and atmosphere is amazing! If you get a chance when Sarah Jo is singing, it's a must! She's awesome, bubbly, goes out of her way for her customers. Highly recommend!! read more

Such a cute location. We had just entered town after traveling a few hours and so glad we did. They have a sweet fireplace along with awesome food of course. What was not pictured was the balsamic glazed cheese flatbread with diced tomato's on top... SO GOOD... Service was great as well! We will be back ! :) read more

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While I was in town from Cincinnati, when my brother was in the hospital, I was exhausted and really wanted a good burger. Last Tuesday, I decided to stop by the banner elk cafe. It was quiet and I was put in a booth near the bathroom. The beer was cold and a perfect pour, I decided to order the Gorgonzola burger. I asked for the sautéed onions and Swiss. The burger was cooked perfectly (medium) and flavorful. Very nice. I would suggest a more substantial bun so it doesn't turn to mush from the juice from the burger. The only other suggestion I would have is to not store frozen bananas near the onion rings. The Burger was a win and the beer was great after an intense day, so I was too tired to say anything, was sleepy by that point. Server was great. read more

What great service! Very friendly helpful prompt staff. I love a good croissant. This is unique with honey mustard & some thick slices of Turkey. There are lots of choices on the menu and 2 different kitchens to choose from; American and Italian. Breakfast, dinner and supper. Do you call it lunch? Me too.....sometimes but here dinner seems appropriate. The atmosphere feels like a small mountain town. It's lively but quiet. This has the feel of a locals-like -it too grub hub. I'll be taking some of this home. Big helping! read more

Banner Elk Cafe - Turkey croissant with fruit. Big ass coffee cup! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

We stopped here today with 20 motorcycle riders and they were amazingly accommodating. Thankfully they have lots of seating and great staff. The food was also excellent, get the dessert!!! Lots of variety on the menu and very reasonable prices. Highly recommend. read more

Banner Elk Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

Food was great so was the service. Place looked amazing inside and out. Very comfortable. We will be going back next time we are in sugar mountain. read more

The breakfast was plentiful, reasonably priced, and DELICIOUS! They know how to cook all styles of eggs perfectly. Anna, our server, was friendly and efficient! She didn't shy away from our large party (16 people), and handled all of our needs with ease. We will definitely be back next year! read more

Landon was great. Great service. After a long day of hiking group of 10 came in and was served quickly and was great.

Love this place! We go here frequently when in the mo mountains. The food is good the variety is good the atmosphere is great.

This is our favorite restaurant and we Always ask to have Bray as our server. He's the beast, the music was great and as always the best food. read more

We ate at Banner Elk Cafe today. We got the pizza slice and salad special. The pizza crust was burned and the slice of pepperoni pizza was so full of grease that I could not eat it. The crust was so soggy! Our waitress, Zoe was great. read more

I really liked the outdoor seating area. I did see the inside when I used the restroom, and it too had a cool mountain vibe. That is about where the good ends. We ate there for breakfast. The hasbrowns were cold. The eggs were rubbery. I really couldn't eat much of the breakfast. I had to force down what I could for the hike ahead. The worst offender was the coffee. I asked for it to not be too sweet/ lightly sweetened. My late tasted like the Koolaid we made as kids with a cup of sugar to a pint of mix. Seriously, if I drank that coffee, I'd end up in a diabetic coma and I'm not a diabetic. Nothing was done to make it right. There was no offer to remake it. The waitress just took the drink away to wipe the charge off because I guess if she thought I was going to drink it if it stayed at the table. Definitely not the case. This experience was a shame given the location and vibe. read more

Banner Elk Cafe - Barely eaten cold rubbery breakfast - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

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Amber and Emily are fantastic! Super friendly and incredibly welcoming. Its my first time in Banner Elk and Ill be back for sure!

Anna, was awesome. Great food and great coffee! I'm typing more so I get to at least 85 characters ! read more

I would avoid if I were you. We waited an hour for our food. We ordered a chicken wrap, cheeseburger, trout, and corned beef and cabbage. Absolutely do not order the corned beef. It's not corned beef. It was deli meat that was chopped up and tossed with some cooked cabbage. Definitely not what any one would expect when they order corned beef. The chicken in the wrap and the fries were barely warm. Cheeseburger was only warm and did not come the way it was listed in the menu. Trout was bland and again just warm. This place has multiple menus but that is honestly not a pro for this place. Friendly staff but that can only go so far. read more

Food was delicious and the workers were super nice and helpful! Also feels cozy inside. read more

We ordered the Carbonara Chicken Pasta which was recommended to us as our waitresses favorite pasta dish. Well turns out it's 70% bacon & red onion, 10% chicken & 20% noodles. After about 8-10 bites the pic shows what's left. It also didn't have much sauce. We ended up asking our waitress if we could get more sauce and noodles to go with our plate of toppings and she said no. That we would need to order it and pay extra. Even though we made it obvious it was lacking noodles and sauce. Savannah, maybe try to accommodate guests a little better if they don't like their food. Other than the food and shotty service the restaurant itself is actually nice presentation wise. Has a log cabin feel inside the bar area, little outdoor area out back. I'm sure for beers and appetizers it's probably a good spot. read more

Banner Elk Cafe - Dog Food - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

Food has always been great, the service not so much especially if you order something to go.

Very difficult to review this place. On our recent ski trip to Sugar Mnt we ate at Banner Elk Cafe twice. The first visit was for breakfast and it was a pretty horrid experience. We were sat at a table upon entering but twenty minutes later we had not been visited by a server. I finally had to ask for a server and one came over looking very flustered and overwhelmed (this was around 10:15 am and the cafe was NOT busy at this time). The server took our drink orders and disappeared for twenty more minutes. Finally she brought the drinks back and we ordered just before breakfast ended. Another thirty minutes goes by and she finally returns with soggy french toast and bland eggs and sausage. I had to repeatedly ask for drink refills, utensils, and condiments and each time she would disappear again for 10-15 minutes. We noticed that several other tables were frustrated with the service as well. So breakfast was a complete bust - less than 1 star. However, we had seen good reviews on their pizza so we tried the Cafe the following day after skiing. On this visit the young waitress was very nice (though pretty clueless - she told me to walk to the bar to see what's on tap and couldn't find a pie server for our pizza or parmesan cheese). The bartender was very nice and extremely helpful. The beer selection is decent with local drafts and the pizza was delicious! We got the meat extravagance and the pesto based hawaiian and both were excellent. So, to wrap it up, maybe skip breakfast here (you aren't missing anything and the day staff seemed incompetent) but hit up this cafe if you're looking for good brews and excellent pizza. read more

The food was less than mediocre. The chips were the better of the two items we ordered. The wings were rubbery and cold. They were out of many beer selections and the service needs help. The live music was the highlight of the evening. It's a shame. The place itself is a really cute spot with a good view of the mountains. I can't say that we would return unless we hear they've had a major improvement. read more

Banner Elk Cafe - Loaded chips - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

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