I'm going to let the pictures speak for themselves here. If you're a quick Yelp scroller, take a…read moremoment and slow down and see the pics for this one. Fine dining at its finest! If you want a Michelin caliber trained executive chef...you have it here. Or you crave an amazing patio situated above a creek with deer eating alongside you...yep, here as well. Or you're a foodie in the mood for a memorable evening with one of the Southwest's most distinguished restaurants putting out exquisite dishes...then you've come to the right place. An "Amuse Bouche" not part of the dedicated menu with a crab cake, crème fraiche and caviar on top? You guessed it...it's here as well. Melt like butter blackened cod, bread service with layered and herb infused butter, tender tuna tartare, melt in your mouth osso bucco with homemade gnudi, the list goes on and on. Farm to table with top of the line ingredients that you can see, smell and taste. Add in artistic creativity...food for all the senses here. And hands down some of the best service out there. Sommeliers checking in on you, managers roaming, water glass never gets below half full, 8 servers at once serving a table of 8 all in sync and at the exact same time... I could write a novel of this place and it wouldn't do it justice. Take a look at the pics, make reservations in advance and plan a trip up here just for this. If you're a foodie lover who experiences food instead of just eating it, this is your place.

An extraordinary and singular culinary experience. Every course was imaginative, layered, and…read moremeticulously composed--at once inventive and deeply satisfying. The Venue The experience begins long before the first bite. A winding drive through a ranch-like entrance sets a tone of quiet anticipation, leading to a stunning property that feels both secluded and intentional. Valet parking is seamless, and from that first interaction, the service establishes a standard of excellence that carries throughout the evening. The Food The prix fixe menu is a true celebration of farm-to-table cuisine. Each dish is thoughtful, seasonal, and executed with remarkable precision. No two plates felt repetitive; instead, each course revealed a new perspective, a new technique, a new flavor story. We were told the menu evolves constantly with the seasons--aside from the bread, which thankfully remains a constant. And rightly so: it is nothing short of spectacular. While every course impressed, one dish remains unforgettable--the chocolate wasabi ice cream. Initially, we hesitated. Wasabi in a dessert seemed implausible, even risky. Yet our server confidently assured us it was exceptional--and his personal favorite. Trusting his expertise proved rewarding. The result was revelatory: balanced, nuanced, and utterly addictive. So much so that after finishing both desserts, we wished we had ordered a second serving of the chocolate wasabi alone. It was a moment of culinary brilliance we will not soon forget. The Service If the service could be described in one word, it would be excellence. Attentive without intrusion, knowledgeable without pretense. One gentleman, distinguished by his accent and effortless professionalism, stood out as a true asset to the establishment. Service of this caliber elevates the entire experience. Final Thoughts Living five hours away is almost unfortunate--but also an invitation. This meal alone is reason enough to return to the Appalachian Mountains more often. We are grateful to have experienced such a memorable and inspired expression of modern cuisine. Thank you for an evening we will long remember.

AMAZING! We make sure to enjoy dinner here at least once each trip. The steaks are phenomenal. The…read moreprime rib is the best we've ever had. The staff is super friendly. The best view of the mountain especially for sunset! They have a bar area, a formal dining room, and a dessert case that is a must to check out! Crab cakes 10/10 Calamari 10/10 NY Strip 10/10 Prime Rib 20/10 Baked potato 10/10 Sautéed mushrooms 10/10 Green beans 10/10 Be prepared for fine dining prices and be sure to tip well! It is worth every single penny! We talk about The Alpen all the time and compare all other steak dinners to theirs.

Nice place. Ate outside on deck. Great view of slopes. Food was very good. Wife loved the pecan…read moretrout. I had NY strip. Was over cooked & tough. Was disappointed. Flavor was great think if cooked to proper temp be great. Will return.

Fine dining in the mountains, and some of the best dishes and food at this elevation!…read more This place hits on all levels if you're in the mood for a great evening out. Elegant inside and out, friendly service and top notch food. We sat at the bar and our bartender took care of us all evening. Had one of the best old fashioned's in the area. He knows his stuff! The food was fine dining at its best. A garlic buttered escargot with puff pastry just melts in your mouth. Lobster bisque full of flavor and full of, well, lobster, and a ton of it. I have to say, the extra touch to the tasty French onion soup was a talking point all evening...it came with dedicated scissors so you could cut the cheese. What an amazing touch. And they sure did help lol. The center cut medium rare filet mignon paired with some frites was definitely the showstopper this evening. Thick, tender and juicy...one of the best steaks on all levels. Whenever we're in town and want an elegant evening out, this is the spot!

Stonewalls Restaurant was one of the more pleasant surprises during my time in Banner Elk. It's a…read morebeautiful restaurant, and I had been looking forward to dining there for quite some time. From the moment we arrived, the staff was warm, welcoming, and attentive. The atmosphere, however, felt a little mixed. The restaurant seemed to have two distinct personalities. The newer side, where the bar is located, felt polished and cohesive, while the older dining room--where we were seated because it had more availability--felt like it hadn't quite received the same attention. The lighting on that side of the restaurant was particularly harsh, which made the dining room feel less intimate than it could have been. Since it's also the larger and busier dining space, I think small touches like candles on the tables or softer lighting would go a long way toward creating a warmer, more personal atmosphere. I also noticed an interesting contrast between the beautiful leather-bound menus and some of the furniture and wall décor, which felt more reminiscent of a hotel dining room than the upscale mountain restaurant the food suggested. Thankfully, the meal more than made up for those observations. I ordered the wild mushroom pasta with lobster, and it was the standout dish of the evening. The pasta was rich without feeling heavy, the mushrooms added wonderful depth, and the lobster was cooked beautifully. It's a dish I'd gladly order again. My boyfriend ordered a steak, which he thoroughly enjoyed. We also started with the escargot and the crab cakes. The escargot, while not quite on the level of some traditional French restaurants I've visited, was still very well prepared and enjoyable. The crab cakes were outstanding--full of crab, nicely seasoned, and easily one of the best appetizers of the meal. Our only complaint was that there was only one crab cake on the plate; we both found ourselves wishing there had been another. Overall, Stonewalls Restaurant delivered an excellent meal with genuinely welcoming service. While I'd love to see the older dining room updated to better match the quality of the cuisine, the food alone makes it well worth a visit if you're in Banner Elk.

While in NC I decided I needed some Carolina BBQ. Heard decent things about Holy Smokes so decided…read moreto give it a try on a Monday night. Got there about 6:00pm because they close at 7pm! We were the only ones in the restaurant besides the staff. Ordering is Fast Casual style. They have the usual suspects: Chopped Pork, Brisket, Pulled Pork & Sausages in sandwiches or plates with 2 sides. I got the 2 meat plate ($21) with sliced chunks of Brisket which was very good & the chopped pork which was also good. Wifey got the brisket as well and our 3rd wheel had the brisket burnt ends which she loved. My sides of Mac & cheese was excellent & the coleslaw was fine. Seating is both available indoors at picnic tables or outside as well. Overall a very pleasant experience and worth trying if you're in the area.

Wow! Such a beautiful view and very delicious food. They have a gift shop area and they sell fudge…read more Some of the stuff is Wizard of Oz because the Land of Oz attraction is close by. You order your food at the counter and choose your own seating. They have a ton of options but we had to go with the patio view which was stunning. Definitely gotta try the sauces! We even took a bottle home which they sell near where you place your order. The staff was very friendly and kind. I will 100% be back next time we visit. We really enjoyed our time!

While staying in a campground just outside of Boone we decided to start our day in the Banner Elk…read morearea. After looking at our choices of restaurants for breakfast we chose Bella's, our wait was as long as it took to wipe down a table across from the side entrance. The hostess was very outgoing and struck up a conversation while leading us to our table, our server continued the hospitality as she took our drink order and made a few recommendations. The restaurant was busy being it was nearly filled but it appeared like us no one waited on anything the service here was outstanding. We both order different versions of the egg plate one with two eggs over medium, link sausage, creamy grits and an over-size biscuit, the other one egg scrambled, fresh made home fries, country ham and a biscuit. The food was outstanding and delivered to our table hot from the kitchen just waiting for a fresh pat of real butter for the grits and biscuits. I'm sure there are lots of breakfast options in the area but we loved our choice. This is definitely a restaurant I'd visit again when in the area...

This was my second time visiting Bella's Breakfast & Lunch. We were able to seat our selves, and…read morethere was no wait. Autumn was our server. She was nice. The other server called out that morning, so Autumn was responsible for everyone there. It looked like the cook was also the food runner. Service was very slow as a result, which we did not blame on Autumn. She was working non-stop. I wonder if management could have helped them out. The food was decent. I would try it again.

Eclectic top shelf dining in the heart of Banner Elk downtown. Love the downtown square here with…read morenumerous restaurants, walking, live music, coffee, dessert, you name it. And Chef's Table here is outstanding. Sorrento's is the Italian restaurant downstairs, while Chef's Table is the restaurant upstairs. One entry, two restaurants with completely separate kitchens and chefs. We started with a beef carpaccio, tomato bread and the Saluna specialty sushi roll. Everything was prepared to perfection. The main event was my sea bass. This was one of the best fish dishes I've had in a while. Perfectly cooked, tender and melted in your mouth. The buttery sauce lifted it to another level. If you're in the area, definitely try this place!

This place is amazing! Upstairs hidden gem. Food is 5 star, great wine selection. The best part is…read morethe bananas foster made right at your table. Fantastic service!

Great bar and grill in the heart of downtown Banner Elk. TVs all over, a menu with variety,…read morefriendly staff and tasty drinks. Went on a Monday which is their wing day and it was packed. Plenty of seating inside and out, with a really nice outdoor covered patio. Ordered some wings, an enormous fish n chips plate, and a few cold ones to wash it all down with. The wings were a bit underwhelming. I ordered them first and they came out 30 seconds later. They were most likely sitting there in the kitchen instead of made to order especially on a wing night. It showed since they were a bit chewy and not hot and fresh. Everything else was amazing. The fish n chips knocked it out of the park! I wasn't planning on ordering it, but after the 3rd plate of it went by I couldn't resist. 2 huge fresh, hot and crispy fish on top of their homemade chips. The fish was outstanding. Perfectly fried with that outer crisp and inner tenderness. I will have a hard time ordering anything else here. If you haven't had it here, get it for sure. With a fresh and made to order wings dish, this place is a 5 star review with no hesitation!

Great! We sat at the bar and had a great experience all…read moreevening watching a football game. The bartenders were all super attentive and the food while several mistakes were made they promptly fixed them and all was fine. Would definitely enjoy another night out there.

What a great place. The term vibe may be overused, but this place has such a warm, friendly,…read morefamily atmosphere which is a tribute to the people that work there and the obviously excellent management. We all got the newly added breakfast buffet. Wow, it was amazing! Great, friendly service from the great guy cooking up lots of pancakes, omelettes, waffles and eggs. So accommodating and with all our favorites. Price is very reasonable, and so much better than any chain. Give these folks some love and make sure their place is full. Thanks for an awesome start to our day!

Food was beyond delicious, from fresh, artisan bread on the Club sandwich to shoe string fries with…read morea hint of rosemary. We got buffalo wings and pizza as well, with all food being absolutely delicious! The waitress was very attentive and nice. I would highly recommend giving this place a try and making it a regular.

This was our first day in the area so we stopped in this place. I have to say that when we were…read morefirst 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.

We stopped for breakfast and Katherine, our waitress was amazing! She definitely made our visit…read moreperfect! 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

Amazing lemonade hand squeeze in front of you! and can't wait to try the hot dog burritos!!!read more

For a sidewalk stand this place was better than I could have ever imagined. The hot dog was a New…read moreYork fat boy blessed by a rabbi and 100% all beef. Had that snap on the first bite that was unmistakable. The chili wasn't from Texas but had beans and a ton of paprika. Fresh bun was deep pocketed so that the chili rode the bun well. Bermuda's were cold crisp and fresh chopped. I can't imagine eating two of these monsters. Don't try to eat one with one hand. Especially not in three bites while riding a bicycle. It was a fine chili dog that wore part of around the rest of the day proudly.