Food was good and so was the service had a large group of 16 too would definitely recommendread more

First timers & the service, food, and atmosphere was great! The pretzels with beer cheese was to…read moredie for!! This was my first time ever trying catfish and man was this the perfect place for it! Absolutely will be coming back!

Hidden Gem Alert…read more Some places spend millions trying to manufacture "authentic." The Open Door at Alley's Ol' Store apparently skipped that meeting and just kept being authentic. The building looks exactly like what you'd hope to stumble across while wandering the North Georgia mountains. Rustic. Colorful. Cozy. The kind of place that makes you instinctively slow down because you know there's probably something interesting inside. Parking is a bit of a scavenger hunt, but that's part of the adventure. If you're expecting a six-level parking garage with valet service, you've made several wrong turns. The staff immediately made us feel like we'd wandered into Papaw's store and the grandkids were helping out for the afternoon. Two young ladies were running the place, one at the register and one making sandwiches. They weren't reciting a corporate script or trying to upsell me a rewards program. They were just genuinely friendly people who actually seemed happy we stopped in. Imagine that. This isn't a restaurant pretending to be a country store. It is a country store. There's no fancy dining room either. You can eat on the little front porch if it's available, but we grabbed our sandwiches and walked across the street to the riverside park. Honestly, I can't think of many lunches that end with eating beside a mountain river and making a few casts with a fishing rod before heading down the road. That's hard to beat. Now let's talk sandwiches. Three of us ordered the Harvest. Presentation? Maybe a 7 out of 10. Nobody is arranging edible flowers with tweezers back there. It's toasted store-bought bread filled with ingredients that simply belong together. Sometimes food doesn't need to perform gymnastics. It just needs to taste good. And it did. Every bite reminded me that somewhere along the way we've confused "artisan presentation" with "good cooking." The Harvest isn't trying to become internet famous. It's just quietly being delicious. My brother ordered the meatloaf sandwich, and if he wasn't already family, I probably would've stolen half of it. He declared it fantastic with exactly the right amount of condiments. The grandkids inhaled their grilled cheese and ham & cheese without a single negotiation, which every parent knows is basically a Michelin star. One thing that really caught my attention was the steady parade of locals coming in for takeout. That's the kind of review you can't fake. Locals vote with their wallets every day, and this place clearly keeps getting elected. Here's another tip: don't skip the neighboring art gallery. My daughter wandered in and came back smiling. The manager wasn't just selling artwork. She was telling stories. She explained the history of the area, how it shaped the artists, and why certain pieces existed. You could tell she genuinely loved what she was talking about. That's becoming a rare commodity these days. By the time we left, I realized something. The Open Door doesn't have the polish of a big destination restaurant. It doesn't need dramatic plating, twelve-word menu descriptions, or foam strategically placed with tweezers. It has something much harder to create. Character. If you're driving through Lakemont, call ahead if you're in a hurry. If you're not, browse the store, visit the gallery, grab a sandwich, walk across to the river, and stay awhile. Some places feed your stomach. Places like this feed your trip. That's the definition of a hidden gem.

We stopped in with our grandkids to get desserts after picnicking at the park across the road. I…read morehave a small service dog for a serious medical condition. My daughter was carrying her due to my grabbing some meds out of the car & she was told to leave - dogs not allowed. I stepped in and explained she was a service dog. The woman behind the register needs some training on how to handle service dogs because her response was embarrassing and uncalled for. She rolled her eyes and nodded her head and said "ohhhhkayyyyyy" and walked back behind the counter. We left without patronizing this establishment. Please read up on ADA guidelines for service animals so that this is not repeated for future customers.

Great place. Open bar. Outside seating. Inside is the big…read morestore with food, meats and gifts. Fun place to hang out and meet the locals. We heard a lot of stories about the business.

Had amazing smash burger! Would definitely go back again. Nice outdoor seating with view of Helen.read more

When I'm in town Sweet Pea's is my go too before 2pm. Anytime I can get a club sandwich with fries…read moreor when they have a Cuban as a special, I'm game. Cheryl is always so nice and greets me with a smile every time. Def one of my favorites in town with reasonable pricing

We had a delicious lunch here the other day. We sat outside, our waitress was lovely and friendly…read more We ordered the Reuben sandwich which hubby says was delicious. He ate the whole thing and I had the lunch special of turkey and bore with sliced green apples on a croissant. It was very tasty and I've forgotten how good sliced apple and turkey can be on a sandwich. Can't wait to go back to try more stuff.

My son and I ate here during the Rod Run and were both very pleased with what we ordered. The…read morefried shrimp and the Etouffee were both very good, and the grits were amazing. The couple that runs this place absolutely could not be any nicer. Just wonderfully friendly people. Totally recommend.

Amazing Shrimp both grilled and fried. The Gumbo is off the chain!!! It's so delicious I went back…read morefor seconds. The service is on point and everyone was so friendly. If you get to the North Georgia Fairgrounds you need to stop and try the food

Sandwich was very good - foot long BMT. They've got a good thing going there. Fresh ingredients and…read morebread. Ordered online and was ready when arrived.

We enjoy their Sunday brunch. Also love sitting at the bar for dinner. They change their menu…read morejust enough to make it interesting. Their pork chops and fish are usually our go-tos. Really good food. Have never been disappointed.

I was with our ladies group. Everything looked absolutely amazing. Except my falafel wrap. It was…read moreactually bitter, I think because of some bitter bean paste on the wrap, but I soldiered through half of it I looked longingly at my friends turkey and pimento cheese wrap, and kicked myself for trying to be adventurous I remember falafel as a breaded, fried, and extremely tasty herby treat Anyway, everyone else's food looked fabulous There was a huge , panini pressed cuban that looked yummy The portions of everything were very generous We will be back