Just wanted to give a shout out to our server last night Aden. Supposedly this was his first night at Banner elk Café. They were shorthanded and he did an awesome job. Very attentive, very personable. Thank you for the great service. We love the Banner Café. Also shout out to Manager Anna. She was making sure everybody was taken care of last night. Thank you. Nick & Tim Whitzel read more

This was our first day in the area so we stopped in this place. I have to say that when we were first seated and looked around I wasn't too sure if I wanted to stay. It was old where we were sitting, and everything could use a deep cleaning. But since we were tired and hungry we stayed. Despite the surroundings I'm glad we did. I had the tastiest margarita pizza. The crust was perfection and the flavor was outrageously good. My husband really enjoyed his Reuben sandwich. He had fries with his sandwich. Overall it was a great experience!! Our server was friendly and checked on us several times. This place has excellent potential as far as the food is concerned. They just need to clean up a bit and it would be a lot more appealing. read more

Banner Elk Cafe - Reuben sandwich with fries. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

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We stopped for breakfast and Katherine, our waitress was amazing! She definitely made our visit perfect! Of course, I ordered the Eggs Benedict. When you see the picture, you will find a reason to race here for breakfast! As always, I asked for extra Hollandaise! I always order my hash browns crispy so I can dip them in my Hollandaise. I get my eggs hard boiled. The entire experience is perfection with every bite smothered in Hollandaise! Thanks again, Katherine, for making my breakfast a glorious mean instead of just filling my tummy! MOST SINCERELY, Dayla read more

Banner Elk Cafe - Eggs Benedict- extra Hollandaise (as always) - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

First time in Banner Elk and wanted a hearty country breakfast. It did not disappoint! This is a great amount of food for a great price. The ambiance is rustic but clean and comfortable, and the service was good. Everything we ate was tasty and fresh, and the coffee was just right. You truly need to have a grizzly bear appetite to eat all this, however! lol. Oh, and the young waitress forgot our grits, but I got it and devoured them! read more

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We stopped in for a late lunch. Menu has a variety of items, but unfortunately, two of the three dishes we ordered arrived luke warm. My friend ordered a lunch menu item and asked if a side salad was considered a side, Alice told us it was. I ordered a lunch menu item with a side salad, as well. I was charged for my salad, my friend was not. When I asked Alice about it, she said "I have no idea how they do their pricing here." When I explained the situation, Alice explained again "I don't know how they do their pricing here." We are in town for a week, but will not be returning for mediocre food and uncertain prices?!? 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 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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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

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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This was a very nice meal, though one order outshone the other. My husband and I ate lunch here and sat outside. The seating outside was extensive and had covered and open options. There were two menus, one Italian food, one American flavors. They come from two separate kitchens, so be prepared for the possibility of food coming out at different times, if you order off different menus than your dining companions. We ordered the Hawaiian Chicken Pita and the Blackened Mahi Sandwich. The mahi mahi was nicely blackened but still very mild, and the topping of unseasoned cabbage made the sandwich quite bland. The Hawaiian Chicken Pita, however, was full of flavor but extremely messy due to the abundance of teriyaki sauce. Get plenty of extra napkins but that pita is highly recommended. read more

We had a party of 8. Waitress took our orders and then came back and said they were out of catfish. So reordered. Waitress brought our food and forgot one entrée and also forgot the salad. Garlic knots and dinner rolls hard as bricks. Waitress did not keep beverages full, food was not worth the price. Won't go back read more

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

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

The food is great and the staff are the best! Great prices and atmosphere. Trivia night on Tuesday is a must!

Good food for breakfast We did order grits and got hash Brie s but our server brought us the missing grits read more

The ambience is great at this cozy, dog-friendly space. Excellent food with generous servings. Kendal is a fabulous, personable and excellent skills. We will be back! read more

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

Well well....Been coming here for several years..2008. Party of 6. Got here early 4:50. Not so busy. Won't be eating here ever again. The Bar an crew are FABULOUS. We had a new waiter and he was as helpful as he could be. 3 of us got our food. Waited forever for pizza for the others...finally came barely cooked complained to Mgr. ALL I got was excuses. Finally told waiter about undercooked pizza. Mgr told him to pick up the pizza...then take it off bill..VERY BAD LATE AFTERNOON. read more

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

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

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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***I don't like to complain but my experience was not pleasant! Why? I don't know, you be the judge. Our visit was during the week, not a busy time. #1 Our hostess quickly walked to our table so fast ... we could not keep up...we lost her since we could not run up the steps...being in our 70's out knees are not quite what they used to be. (Notice to hostess: check out who you are hosting...is everyone in college or under 20? When you have an older couple PAY ATTENTION, show some consideration...your tip may show the appreciation. Take them to the entrance THAT DOES NOT HAVE STEPS??? #2 We had hope things would get better OR not be bad at all...we waited and waited...not only for our order to be taken but also our food to come out! (not sure why??) #3 When my Veggie Pita came out...OMG many of the veggies were missing!! No mushrooms ever, 1 slice of squash and no zucchini! I ordered the veggie pita for the veggies and I was shocked!! "What do you want me to do?" my server asked me. "Please bring the veggies that are listed on the menu!" I asked. I did not want to pay $13.+ for one piece of dry pita bread. I asked 3x's for the sauce on the side...OMG! I don't get angry ... I am very patient ... but I was ready to leave. #5 No apologies were given for the waiting, or the food mishaps...I felt the server was angry that we were somewhat disillusioned at what was happening. I ate my sandwich when "some" of the veggies showed up! I was done! Once again we waited for our check!!! AND waited!! I walked out to the car and no one noticed...we could have left...but we DID NOT. We paid ... and nothing was said to us. Very disheartening. I am so sorry that happened. :( It will be a long time B/4 I come back to BE Cafe I noticed other elderly folks looking a bit bewildered also, but they probably won't write a review and state the facts of what happened to them either! We all need to speak up and tell the truth so things can GET BETTER!!! I want all the restaurants in Avery County to prosper...not just be "so-so!" I HIGHLY recommend Puerto Nuevo, of Newland, Cellucci's of Pineola! Amazing service and absolutely delicious food!! You see...I do not like to complain but the truth is the truth! read more

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

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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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

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

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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We ate at this cafe on Thursday August 27,2026 around 3pm. Group of 3. Was a quiet time of day. Took several minutes to be acknowledged and seated. After we were seated no one came for 7-10 minutes to get our drink order. There were multiple wait staff coming and going and not one even spoke. I got up went to hostess stand found no one and waited a bit, left there went up the steps and found 2 wait staff, asked if they worked on the other side. She responded we work all over. I asked if she could get someone to come take our order. By now we have been exiting at least 10 minutes. Finally a waitress came and her first remark was you were not even on the board. We did not know you were here. Bull! She was one who had walked by us a dozen times and stood just across from where we were seated and talked to another waitress. Finally drink orders and food order given at the same time. Two of our three including me ordered a dish that came with salads. Waited and waited. One of our group order a sandwich and she got her food and we still had no salads. They came and food right behind it. We were sitting and eating with empty glasses. Stopped another waitress to ask for drinks. We have eaten there many times and recommend it many many times. I will not again. Poor service, mediocre food and over priced. read more

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

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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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

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

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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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

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

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