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.

An all-time favorite of ours where we come whenever we are in the high country. Tonight we…read morecelebrated my husband's BD. The staff knows how to make the dinner special. From the little dinner rolls to the tasty appetizers and entrees we loved every bite. The pictures say it all. Thank you Jordan for great service and to Anita who keeps this place special. We wish you continued success.

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.

I had a really disappointing experience here. The owner told me it would take an hour to get food,…read moreeven though the restaurant would be closed by then (we wanted a quick takeout meal over 45 minutes before they were supposed to close). When I asked about it, he was aggressive and rude instead of simply being honest. I left feeling disrespected and unwelcome. There are plenty of places that treat customers better. I'd recommend choosing any spot but this one. To the waitress's credit, she was very sweet and helpful. Clearly she was uncomfortable by the owner's behavior. I'm sure this would be a great restaurant under different management/ownership

On vacation at Sugar Mountain over Memorial Day Weekend and I got a craving for a steak. My wife…read moreand I left the kids at the condo and snuck away to have dinner at Stonewalls. Without reservations we were seated outside without a wait, I'd recommend making a reservation though. We split a NY Strip medium, a baked potato with all the fixings, & creamed spinach. I opted to top the steak with blue cheese butter and sauteed mushrooms. It hit the spot.... Perfectly. Looking forward to our next opportunity to sneak away from the kids and have a steak at Stonewalls.

We got sat immediately despite there being no reservations online left. Our server quickly came…read moreover and filled our waters and took our drink order. My son's sprite came out quickly, and the bar drinks followed. I loved my holiday punch drink! The restaurant was still decorated for Christmas, but it made it more charming since we are in town to ski for the weekend. She brought out bread, but it wasn't warm, so that was odd. My son and husband still ate it; I did not. The escargot was ok ; not as good as other places we have had it. The fried deviled eggs were INSANE. We loved them so much. My son got the ribeye and a baked potato. He ordered it medium rare, and it was more on the rare side, but he still enjoyed it. As he kept eating, it cooked up a little bit. He ended the night with a cinnamon roll bread pudding with ice cream and caramel. The server lit a candle in it. Overall, we had a great time!

We stopped by Holy Smokes BBQ during peak lunch on a very busy holiday Friday, so the line was no…read morejoke--about 30-40 minutes. That said, once we ordered, the food came out surprisingly fast (5-10 minutes), and they clearly had a solid system in place for how busy they were. It's an order-then-find-a-seat kind of spot. The $15.99 combo special is absolutely the move: a main/sandwich/hot dog, two sides, a drink, and a small piece of fudge. The sides are on the smaller side, but the sandwiches and hot dogs are generously sized, so it balances out. Plus, the fudge at the end is a nice little sweet touch. Plenty of BBQ sauce options that slapped, too. Food-wise, everything we had was really good--flavorful and satisfying. The only hiccup (and the reason for the 4 stars) was with a couple of items. My hot dog was supposed to come with nacho cheese sauce and caramelized onions (I even watched it get rung in), but it came out completely plain. The mozzarella sticks also came out cold, which was not great--especially when you're expecting a cheese pull. When I brought the items back, I was asked if I wanted the mozz sticks microwaved... which was a hard NO. I asked for them to be remade properly which is when an older woman--possibly a manager or owner-- stepped in and did offer to remake them but seemed visibly annoyed. I get your busy, but hey -- my order was wrong so you should probably address that before rushing to the next order. For the hotdog, I told her what was missing and instead of the nacho cheese sauce and caramelized onions that was supposed to come on it, I was handed cold shredded cheese and chopped raw red onions. The food still ended up tasting good, but the reaction to the mistake was disappointing. Overall, it's a solid BBQ spot with great value and good food. I'd recommend it and would go back, though I might try a few other places first. With better handling of small mistakes, this could easily be a 5-star experience.

Cozy shop and restaurant. The dining room has a nice view off the mountain and of the slopes…read more Counter service was great and they bring your order to the table. I got the bbq pork sandwich with macaroni and cheese and slaw. Being a SC girl I had to try the mustard based sauce. Overall everything was excellent. The barbecue had a good smoky flavor and the sauce was on point. The coleslaw wasn't too sweet and went well with the barbecue sandwich. Macaroni and cheese was chefs kiss. I could've eaten a tub of it. The spot also offers coffees and other non-barbecue food items. There's a cute gift shop to pick up something from your visit.

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.

We had reservations and were promptly seated. Food was delicious and servers were great. Very…read morecasual atmosphere but we were too close to bar and there was a loud party sitting there. They made a custom mocktail that was delicious.

The staff were friendly and helpful, super attentive and pleasant. The food was excellent! Tiramisu…read morewas perfect. Garlic knots fresh out of the oven. Everything we ate was delicious. The atmosphere was relaxed and the place was nicely decorated. Good for couples and families. Highly recommend.

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.

Top shelf martini to start this Friday night. And weekend getaway!…read more I had the pomegranate martini which was a perfect start to the evening just a little sweet. We started with the potato skins and pub chips. The pub chips are home made and is a must. The potato skins were good hot from the oven. Maybe they need more bacon. For dinner I had the JD bourbon burger. Which was filling! And messy to eat but so worth it. My side I tried the broccoli salad. A little too salty for me. My husband got the burger with bacon and the fries he said the fries needed to be cooked more. But overall very good. For dessert we took the cheesecake to go. A great late night treat! Service was great. We sat at the bar. Both bartenders were attentive and friendly!

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.

The Elk River Depot is under new management now, and the wait staff has improved considerably since…read morethen. They've recently made some menu changes as well, though nothing terribly substantial aside from the permanent addition of a pizza buffet and salad bar. I've heard those were pretty good, but my recent experience has been of the breakfast variety. The food is still good and relatively plentiful. The restaurant is still clean and neat. Coupled with the improvements in service quality, I feel comfortable awarding a fourth star. My most frequent breakfast order here: Corned beef hash (the new menu says "corn beef hash") Eggs over easy Hash browns Wheat toast

We stopped in for lunch and were not disappointed. First, our waitress, Cat, was amazing! She…read morebrought 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.

We stopped at Banner Elk Cafe & Tavern after being up on Beech Mountain. The location is perfect --…read moreright 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.

We had been driving for a very long time, had checked into our fabulous Airbnb and were ready for…read moresomething to eat. I had checked this place out before hand, and it looked great! It was also a super close option that I wouldn't have to worry about us driving up a steep mountain at night! When we walked in...it was just..sad. I could see that they have a large open area for playing pool, several areas with booths, what looked like a stage (that housed some not so amazing local singer while we were getting ready to leave) There was a huge area outside with strung lights and a great fire pit. This place is ready for crowds of folks wanting to have a good time and enjoy some food and beverages. I noticed that a lot of the staff was dressed like Oz characters. I am not sure if this was something that they actually wanted to do but it was cool. Then I saw something that made me giggle and talk to strangers. A list of themed drinks!! I love a theme. I chose the ruby slipper drink, and then I saw that the menu is also on the counter and is super limited. So Im standing at a counter ordering a cocktail, which feels odd...and then there are only really a few items to choose from for food. I went with a cheeseburger with all the veggies and a special sauce, that I think was just mayo and ketchup mixed. We were given a number and told to pick a table. We went to the left and sat down. Not too long had passed and a server came out with my drink, and said ..oh you sat way over HERE. When the food came, I saw that this was probably a really great place to hang out when you live here, but when the town is so busy for an event, they can't handle the load of so many customers, and maybe aren't the nicest about it. I did enjoy my cocktail, the burger was an ok one, just nothing to tell Aunty Em about.

Lack of Common sense when opening this place. Burgers are as thin as a McD's cheeseburger. They…read morecost $20 bucks each. Bartender said they are not allowed to have sports on the tvs- first day of College Football??? Nobody there to greet you and tell you that you order at the counter and they will bring the food out. Burgers were lousy. Wings were overcooked and expensive. Their hot is just Texas Pete sauce..Glass of wine was way overpriced. Fries were decent. Music was way too loud. It was club music in the mountains??? This place won't make it. I can say that as a local. They have a nice building next door that is supposed to be for events. Minimum price $1500. They should have made it a restaurant. Won't last. Very disappointing because Beech Mt. needs more restaurants. Their hours are flaky too. Says their open and their not.