Friendly service in a laidback country atmosphere. Fried chicken and fried flounder were both delicious winners. Everyone enjoyed their choices for sides ( could of been hotter temps). Don't know why I didn't find this place sooner. Will definitely be back. read more

Great southern style food for the soul!! Portions are great and seasonings are perfect for green beans, collard greens and pinto beans. Everything is homemade and the dessert selection is amazing. Service is attentive and it has a country style diner vibe. read more

The food was outstanding. I had the fried chicken, collars, and homemade poyato salad. Let's not forget the delicious red velvet cake. I will definitely be back here. The next time I am in town. The service is slow, but the hospitality is truly southern and polite. The ambiance is extremely casual. All the food is made fresh and to order. Folks may complain about the slow service, but Dean's Southern Bistro makes up for it with their delicious food and amazing desserts. read more

As if completely f**king up my friend and I's orders wasn't bad enough, the waitress kept casually throwing around slurs. So I will not be bringing my business here again. Only giving 2 stars instead of 1 because the lady at the front desk was nice. read more

Good home cooked comfort food and service. Husband said the chicken livers he had were the best! Stopped on our way through town. Plan to stop again. read more

Food is not good I've been there 2 times same results. I will never go back there place not clean

Absolutely great food. I had fried chicken, pintos and collard greens! Delicious! Done right! Highly recommend this restaurant. The desserts are amazing! read more

The food is delicious. Dean's one of the hardest working chefs that know. He's a cook that most people aren't use to. My favorite foods ... mashed potato, Mac and cheese, fried catfish delicious. I am hungry just thinking about it. If you have not been, give it a try. I don't think you will be disappointed!! Most of all, the cakes that he makes are the very best read more

Amazingly delicious, Southern food! Definitely takes you back to a time when you were sitting at your mom's kitchen table and your grandmother was over to visit and your plates were piled high with warm, delicious food. Definitely recommend. read more

It's time to refresh this. Maybe if you have no patience you might try someplace else, but the food is cooked fresh, so what do you want? All their vegetables are outstanding, cooked like good soul food. I went back to my favorite this time and had the fried chicken, dark. The wife had fried shrimp and both of us enjoyed every bite. Service is very good despite some naysayers. This location is much better than their old one, ( over 2 years ago) and the place is very large. I highly recommend Dean's Bistro. read more

Wonderful down home cooking. You can't go wrong with entrees! The desserts are amazing as well.

treat home style cooking. Very pleasant service clean atmosphere. Great food , great food, great food read more

Of the four of us, only one had mediocre food, the rest was terrible. I never write negative reviews but this was remarkable. The worse meal I've had in recent memory. Instead of admitting they were out of tenders, they tried to pass off a disgusting chicken cutlet that my boyfriend referred to as a "true military meal" and probably came in a box marked "not for human consumption, inmate and soldier use only." I could write more but I feel I've already been pretty harsh. read more

Deans is a foodie kinda place . Chicken was lightly traded and juicy . Greens were great . If you like good food this need to be on your list..service is spotty food is made hot order and worth the wait ! read more

Deans Southern Bistro - Fried Chicken plate - Southern Near Me - Wilkesboro, North Carolina

See all

I'm not usually one to write reviews, but we chose this place for lunch based on an abundance of positive reviews and felt I had to share our experience. Our party of 5 came to North Wilkesboro for the Racetrack Revival series on a Wednesday. We left the track to go find lunch and found this place on Yelp. We love to eat local whenever possible. It started off rough when we had to repeat our drink orders several times because the server kept saying it back to us wrong. Luckily those came out right. We opted to go simple with food, ordering 3 cheeseburgers and 2 sets of 2 hotdogs. We told her what we wanted on the hotdogs at the time we ordered, and then she even came back a short time later to confirm (what she said initially was wrong but we corrected her). We all ordered fries. We waited wayyyyyy too long for our food considering we were the only ones in the restaurant at the time. Our food finally comes and I get only ONE hotdog, the toppings are not correct. They also served mine with chips instead of fries. My friend ordered cheese fries which was nothing more than crinkle cut fries with a piece of American cheese on top. Was not even melted, and she was able to just lift off the cheese to eat her fries plain. The two of us eating hotdogs also thought it was the spiciest chili we've ever had on a hotdog (and we've eaten a good amount of hotdogs in our life). The server went back to the kitchen to get my other hot dog but came back empty handed, saying she misunderstood and they were out of hotdogs. She also mentioned later that the guy in the kitchen was wanting to leave. The doors were actually locked when we went to leave, even though a sign on the door indicated they were open until 6pm on Wednesdays. Do yourself a favor and just pass on this one. read more

I wanted some REAL home cooked food today so we decided to take the 1 1/2 hour drive to Deans Southern Bistro just to get that. I live in Charlotte NC hwy 77 past exit 88 so it was quite a drive but as always I knew it would be well worth it! OMG! I had the cat fish, Mac & cheese, broccoli casserole, yams and the tomato & cucumber salad! Yep I ordered all of that and ate all of it! Oh and of course the desserts! I wasn't sure which one I wanted so we got the Red Velvet, the strawberry and the Italian Cream cheese! Everything and I mean everything was GREAT! HOT! FRESH and TASTY! We were welcomed & greeted when we walked in.. our waitress was phenomenal ! She was attentive , polite and very professional . I hate that it's that far was from Charlotte BUT I'll definitely make it my business to travel to it at least once a month. Nothing like a road trip especially when you know you're gonna leave full, satisfied without any regrets! Deans Southern Bistro is a must go to if you're in the area BUT well worth the drive if you're not! read more

Deans Southern Bistro - Monica Hailey Sharpe - Southern Near Me - Wilkesboro, North Carolina

I'm originally from South Georgia and once I walked in I felt at home, the food was excellent and the best part is that it's homemade.!the service is amazing, I'm handicapped and use a rollator and there is plenty of room to get around. you can order homemade cakes which will be the next thing I'll do for my son's birthday, I really want one of their Red Velvet cakes for his birthday. absolutely love this place! read more

Great food, worth the 1hr drive. Highly recommend all food , especially fried chicken, mac and cheese and collards. Cakes too read more

I came with my mother and brother for some good food after we had experience in another location. The guy that was serving had a great personality speaking with other guest in the location but when taking our order was very rude and not pleasant at all. We paid for our drinks and left. I don't recommend this at all. read more

This place has simple, delicious, home cooked meals. Today (Saturday) is the fried chicken special, two pieces, will probably order an extra piece, it was yummy. We had Mac n cheese, collards, cabbage and cucumber salad. Everything was delicious!! This is a small, simple family owned establishment. Slow paced.. no frills. We will be back, since we recently bought land in the area. Oh, the home made cake was also worth it. read more

Probably the worst restaurant I've ever eaten at. Most of the food was fried and not very tasty. The service was terrible. There were four of us and each meal came out separately (10 mins apart). We basically all ate alone and one of us left her whole plate. Don't go. read more

Wonderful home cooking, comfort food. The BBQ Ribs we're incredible and the sides are awesome. Great service, we'll be back read more

Yum yum food! Busy people, maybe a little slow but worth the wait . A casual diner with no flare but who cares!?!

Very good southern food. The fried Chicken is a must. Chocolate cake was terrific. Wait staff and owner were very friendly and helpful. Will be returning. read more

Amazing cuisine in Wilkes? YES! Hubby and I stopped in at 1 p.m. for lunch. Not too busy. Very clean restaurant. Greeted warmly at the door and taken to a nice banquette table. Megan stopped by on her way to deliver meals to another table to let us know she would be right with us, and she was. She was very nice and patient with us as this was our first visit to Dean's. They have a hot bar with different items daily as well as a beautifully fresh and extensive salad bar. While these looked good we went with ordering the daily special off the menu. It offered a choice of meat, 2 sides, and choice of bread. We chose fried chicken, limas, cabbage, potato salad, grilled salmon, mashed potatoes and stewed apples with yeast rolls. The fried chicken was tied for the BEST I've ever had! Yes, the BEST. Very fresh, juicy, large pieces and the crust was perfectly seasoned and delicately crunchy. The cabbage was not mushy and really tasty with just a little hint of sweet heat. Limas were seasoned well and plump. Potatoes were real mashed potatoes, not instant. Yeast rolls were straight out of the oven hot! Now let me tell you about dessert! They have a plethora of cakes and pies and they are all homemade by Dean. My husband chose the fresh strawberry and I chose the hummingbird cake. I was hesitant to order hummingbird cake because no one seems to make it like I remember my grandmother making it. It is labor intensive and time consuming to make. Well, let me tell you, I almost cried those cakes were that DELICIOUS! BRAVO Mr. Carlton! We can't wait to visit your establishment again soon! read more

See all

I really enjoyed this place. It was good home cooked meals. The red velvet cake was really good! I highly recommend this place. Service is a bit slow but the food is worth the wait! read more

I waited to review this place until I had a couple of visits under my belt. Also under me belt is some of the best fried chicken I've had. Sorry no photos...but you can take my word for it. The staff is excellent, very attentive, and just as authentic as the food. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is due to food availability. Both times I've been I've experienced the "I'm out of", "we ran out of", or "it will be 20 minutes before that will be ready". All of which are probably good signs that they're staying busy and turning the food over. read more

Where do I start...we were traveling in the South and wanted some good Southern Fried Chicken. We were not disappointed! The Fried Chicken was fantastic and the Mac & Cheese, well, let's just say I'm a Mac & Cheese junkie and this was the best we've ever had! Oh, and the rolls we fresh and warm. :) The service was also great, fast and with a smile. It may not look like much, but it's definitely worth checking out. read more

Deans Southern Bistro - Southern Near Me - Wilkesboro, North Carolina

This place is slap your mama deliciousness!!! Meat & 2 veggies & bread for $8!!!!! All homemade & fresh cooked. Meatloaf & mac n cheese were just like your grandmas!! No cheese whiz here!!! Sweetest server ever!!! Brought me collards just to try!! Not a fancy place just a loving family atmosphere!! If you love down home country cooking you can't pass this one up!!! read more

Deans Southern Bistro - Southern Near Me - Wilkesboro, North Carolina

Always good customer service and fabulous food. Such good flavor, very reasonable prices and don't forget the desserts. Some of the best homemade and lots to pick from. Today we got the fried chicken with collards and rice and fried flounder with mac and cheese, collards, and sweet potato casserole. Super pleased, super delicious, my baby was very happy! read more

Deans Southern Bistro - Fried flounder mac and cheese collards and sweet potato casserole Fried chicken collards and rice - Southern Near Me - Wilkesboro, North Carolina

I only gave this place a 1 star review bc I could not give it a 0. The food was horrible, the service was worse and the inside is dirty. Do your self a favor and go hungry before you take your loved ones to this hell hole. read more

Love the food!!! Soul food for sure! Ate the fried chicken, mac & cheese & mashed potatoes & gravy. Everything was great and compares well to Caseys in Wilmington. Wait staff friendly and I'm too full to type anymore read more

Deans Southern Bistro - a plate of food - Southern Near Me - Wilkesboro, North Carolina

Busy busy due to Sunday after church but MAN so delicious. I had the fried chicken (it comes with breast and wing) with cabbage, pintos, and sweet potato casserole. This place was amazing, a new go-to when visiting Wilkes. Took the red velvet cake to go!! Can't wait to taste! read more

OH MY WORD!! The best meal I have eaten in a long time. Like going to grandmas ... REAL food.. we had fried chicken, meat loaf, real mashed potatoes, green beans, broccoli casserole, yeast rolls.. and Italian cream cake . Unbelievably wonderful food.. we will be back. read more

It's been 3 years since we ate at Dean's, just not on that side of town. We stopped Sunday afternoon about 3:30, they close at 4:00. We asked if it was too late, they said come on in. Wife got vegetable plate, cabbage, pintos, and broccoli casserole, I got fried chicken and 3 sides, mashed potatoes/gravy, corn and lima beans. Cornbread and iced tea for both. Order came out quick and hot. Best fried chicken I've had in a long time, 2 medium size breast. Great crunchy skin, super moist inside. All the vegetables were seasoned great, a little sweet tasting but great. We were stuffed, had to get the hummingbird cake and coconut cake it takeout boxes. Delicious, we'll definitely not be waiting 3 more years before going back read more

We have eaten at Dean's many times over the last four years, and just today. Our service has always been friendly & the southern-style food excellent! It's popular in Wilkes County NC because it's just what you're looking for when you want good, old-fashion, home cooking like we used to make at home! read more

Skip this one. Read all the one stars and you'll see a consistent message, poor, slow service and food that's just so so or hit n miss. We got lunch sandwiches and seriously they were laughable. Cheapest white bread imaginable. Fries from a frozen bag. And they were cold. Also went for dinner about a month ago. The food is supposed to be good southern cooking so I'm guessing that means the fried stuff should be great. I thought it was ok. I've tried four different slices of their cake and I'm telling you, it's nothing that wonderful. I don't get all the hype about this place. As for me, I've tried it twice and I'm out. read more

Deans was the first restaurant I went to in Wilkes by myself! I was amazed, where I am from "southern food" isn't something people get excited about or open a restaurant for... but OH MY GOSH they should! I didn't now I liked fried food, but I do now! And their cakes, we got a slice of every cake they had that day! I couldn't have been happier with my experience. read more

But far the best southern food I've had in a long time. I can't imagine how they get the cooked cabbage to taste like that. And, don't skip the red velvet cake. It's moist, light and yummy. read more

Deans Southern Bistro - a slice of red velvet cake - Southern Near Me - Wilkesboro, North Carolina

I love Deans!! Food is always amazing and service is great!! Definitely one of my favorite places when I'm feeling some home cooking. The Mac and cheese is delicious and the red velvet cake is out of this world!! They always have great specials too! read more