Good local place for solid drinks at a reasonable price. We had some tasty beverages and one of the best espresso martinis I've had. Paige is a rockstar behind the bar! The adult grilled cheese hit the spot and the chips were tasty. They have karaoke on Saturdays which was entertaining. read more

Was in the area at grandfather mountain State Park We stopped in to get a quick bite with the kids The kids got hamburgers one with french fries one with tater tots decent flavor on the burgers. We also got fish and chips with a side of mac & cheese. I ordered 9 piece, lemon pepper wings. A little overseas, but still great flavor. The fish and chips was on the dry side not much seasoning on them Fries were crunchy. Customer service was great. The ambience was more of a bar than a restaurant but great food options. read more

See all

We LOVE this spot. We own in sugar but rent it out and every time we come up here to visit from LKN, we always get this place!! The quality is really good, especially for a tavern. Best French Dip/Steak sandwhich eeverrrrr. & the pretzel with the cheese dip is SO bomb. All their food is real good. read more

See all

We went as a party of six, and it was a great experience. The service was great and the food was too. We had various entrees including fish & chips, wings, the Mac & cheese burger, and the nachos. The only thing we would not reorder was the nachos. We hope to return soon. read more

Our waitress was one of the best we've ever had anywhere. Wonderful and friendly. Made us feel like a local. Food was wonderful. Didn't take long at all to get our food. We will be back next time in town. read more

See all

As we walked in, it seemed small but there was an extending eating area towards the right. It's clean and has games for the little ones. I ordered Onion Soup with Mozza Sticks. There's more croutons in the Onion Soup than there are onions, sadly. There's a lack of flavor so I added salt and pepper. The potato Salad, which my father ordered, WAS EXCEPTIONAL!!!! I LOVED IT. It's so creamy and sweet with a flavor that excites your mouth. FYI, I was not shocked to find out that it is a chef own recipe. I could eat this everyday ALL DAY!!! Service great and food 50/50, just ask for recommendations. read more

Highlander's Grill & Tavern - Fish fried cod, side onion rings & potato salad - Sandwiches Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

It was freezing cold in there when we had lunch. Even the servers were bundled up. The onion rings were the worst Ive ever had. The hot ham and cheese sandwich was nothing to write home about. Wouldn't recommend read more

Meh It's like you want to love it, but it's hard. Upon entering it was seat yourself. The only issue with this is that it feels like no one realizes you're there. Waiting and waiting. Once the server notices you things improve. Great service, kind, refills, checking in. The food is mediocre, bar food. But, hit the spot after a long day of hiking. Beer is cold, so that's a plus. From walking in, to seating yourself, to server greeting you is lacking. From there it improves bit by bit. read more

This was such an amazing experience with my friends as we were traveling for a birthday celebration! Heather served us and she was so amazing would definitely come back :) the food was amazing as well !!! read more

Not fancy in the least but very good service and great music playing. Smash burger and fries were very good as was the hot ham and cheese sandwich. Will go back! read more

Very average. We got the boneless wings which were basically McDonald's chicken nuggets and a patty melt which was undercooked. Fries are very good in the server was very nice read more

What was Nick's for many, many years is now Highlander's, situated in the corner of the Tynecastle shopping center. Peeking in for lunch recently, I noted the following: This place was way understaffed. The bartender was having to bus tables throughout the restaurant. The crew was trying their best to keep up with demand, but they just don't have enough help, and that meant service was miserably slow. Conditions also appeared to play a part in the staff's attentiveness; I had to flag someone down to place an order, to get my drink refilled, to ask again for the check they forgot to bring...you get the idea. The layout of the bar has felt awkward all these years, and that hasn't changed. There ain't much bar seating. Good to see they've still got Guinness on tap. Six picks for a glass is a shame though. Not a bad club sandwich, but not especially memorable. I got the house chips as accompaniments, and the ones that were cooked were good. There were more than a few that were undercooked. I'm leaning towards 2.5 stars, but will give them the benefit of the doubt by keeping it at three. read more

Super smelly/smoky from the food being cooked. I don't like to leave smelling like my food so we sat outside. Food tasted bad, chicken for my wrap and my mother in laws tenders were over cooked. I don't remember what the rest of the family had but they didn't enjoy their food either. I asked for a highchair for my 1 yr old and my 2 year olds, the only two they had (a 3rd was broken) were being used and we had to hold the kids in our laps. They offered boosters with no straps which won't work for a 1 yr old. Wouldn't come back read more

Worst service I've ever had. I waited 30 minutes and they never even took my drink order. Multiple people who were sat after us got their orders taken. I have never walked out of a restaurant because of how bad the service was until this one. It was shocking how awful the service was. Drive 2 more minutes to a much better restaurant (Bella's Italian Restaurant). read more

Food didn't come out as ordered, plus my fries weren't cooked through. As for the "seasoned fries", out comes half cooked fries and a cup of seasoning. Beer was great up until I asked for a half Guinness and Blue Moon.... No clue how to pour. Gave me half a glass of foam, and never revisited to fix the drink. Whoever had control of the jukebox should've had there privileges revoked. I felt like I was living in a Sonic the Hedgehog video game.... My brain hurt after the fact. Won't visit again. read more

We had a terrific waitress but a very long wait for food. Once the food arrived our chicken strips were inedible they were so tough. Fortunately the fries and corn nuggets were good so we had something that we could eat. My husband said his Philly cheesesteak was "just ok" but our daughter said her chicken wings were delicious. I guess you can take your chances! The waitress apologized several times but we weren't upset with her at all. She made the best out of the situation. read more

I was in the High Country for the weekend. After enjoying the snow and colder weather I needed something to eat before heading down the mountain. Most restaurants were crowded so I stopped in the Highlander. The staff were disorganized and did not seem to want to serve customers on a Sunday afternoon. I ordered burger and tater tots. Receiving my order took an unusual amount of time. The burger was okay, nothing to brag about. The tots were not very hot but edible. The bartender was distracted and did not check up on me but a time or two. I would say this visit was a "one and done". read more

Highlander's grill. Bartender was very nice and attentive. Great place to eat and drink and play Keno and other bar games. Bar type foods best wings that had great flavor. The bbq was very good I had the regular sauce. Onion rings were crisp and flavorful. You can order good beer, local and non local. read more

Highlander's Grill & Tavern - BBQ no bun, coleslaw and onion rings - Sandwiches Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

I was very impressed by this grill and tavern! I didn't really expect much before we came over here. We came in after a long day on the slopes to get some wings and were not disappointed. They have a great location in town with both indoor and outdoor dining. The spot makes you feel at home and comfortable. They have a nice wrap around bar with TVs inside and plenty of other seating. What really impressed me was the food and service. The staff was so nice and welcoming. They made you feel welcome, gave you great insight on the food available, and were super efficient! Food was very good too. We order the traditional red chili and spicy garlic wings. My favorite was the spicy honey garlic wings. The sauce was very good and the staff did a great job of keeping them crispy too. Thank you for the wonderful meal and friendly welcome read more

Highlander's Grill & Tavern - Sandwiches Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

See all

Place is hot garbage. Server hates her job. Unpleasant would be a kind word. Out of wings, out of corn nuggets. Asked server to change the station for kids (they weren't busy), never happened. Steak quesadilla was all fat. Impossible to get refills. Burger was McDonald's quality. Asked for no horseradish on steak Sammy, came with it. Avoid at all cost. read more

Came here with my boyfriend on vacation from seattle. We stopped here after hiking grandfather mountain. I had the Carolina Burger, my boyfriend had the Highland Burger! Both with tots and definitely the best best burger this side of the Mississippi I tell you what! I would leave a photo but it's not pretty I promise I destroyed that burger in record time. read more

This is an after 9pm or before noon still drunk kinda place. Techno was playing here before noon on a Sunday. The kitchen is in the dining area, separated by a partial wall. Definitely could be my kinda place if I was in the mood to drink hard. But not today. read more

Best thing about this place is all the TV so I can distract myself from the wait time on food. They were low on staff, hostess kept taking tables when the one server on floor was clearly stressed. Food was solid but just overall not worth it. At least I could watch 4 NFL games at once read more

Orders were originally messed up but the food was amazing and the bartender was super nice considering they were extremely under staffed (no fault of their own). Even the locals tried to help us make sure we were helped. Cozy little place. read more

Our office has given Highlander's several chances and we have been disappointed every time. This was our last try at this newer establishment. To begin, we placed an order over the phone and were told it would be about 30 minutes until ready. After showing up when told, we waited for an additional 30-40 minutes food. Over an hour for an order of mainly quesadillas. Once we finally received our food and opened up our orders we were shocked with just how bad everything looked. We were immediately hit with an intense burnt smell followed by noticing that everyone's quesadilla was burnt to a crisp. None of them came with pico or lettuce as the menu suggested and half of them had 2-3 cubes of chicken in the entire quesadilla. Half of our office went without lunch... After an attempt to reach out to the business, I was told that the owner/manager would give us a call but we were never contacted nor did anyone at the restaurant attempt to remedy the situation. Unless you like long waits for food, un-edible meals, and poor customer service, choose one of the many other pleasant restaurants Banner Elk has to offer! read more

See all

My husband and I had lunch here on a weekend. Pros - Lots of tvs to watch a game Plenty of seating Large bar-like menu Friendly staff Good prices Cons - Could use a little sprucing up on the interior Sandwiches, while good and satisfying were on the greasy side read more

Service was great- friendly, knowledgeable Food was fair. Wings were very good. Burger not so much. read more

Our waitress was very sweet and food came out in perfectly fine timing. The actual food itself was not good. I got the Reuben and the bread was so soggy I could barely eat the sandwhich and the meat was extremely rubbery. The tater tots were good though! read more

Wandered in here thirsty and hungry, left super satisfied. They were busy, and the servers/bartender traded off taking orders, bussing, and worked great as a team. $2 draft PBR. Moving onto the sandwiches, the boyfriend and I ordered a Patty Meltadd pickles and tomato and a TBS with tomato. Even though they ran out of rye bread for both, sometimes it happens, we were impressed at the execution and tastiness. These amazing sandwiches were buttered and grilled to absolute perfection. Needing extra napkins is a good indication someone did their job right. Slaw and extra crunchy fries were great sidekicks, no complaints there. Compliments to the kitchen... yes indeed! My goodness we straight devoured everything, WOW so delicious. I usually take half a big sandwich like this home, but seriously I could not stop myself from polishing off the whole TBS. read more

Highlander's Grill & Tavern - TBS -Turkey bacon Swiss add tomato - So good - Sandwiches Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

See all

My wife and I were looking for a pet friendly restaurant close by. This place was less than 3 miles away...perfect! Arrived and was directed to the outside seating area. Promptly waited on by our server and given menus to peruse. The beer was a dollar a pint... win, win! I ordered a burger and my wife got a chicken sandwich. Oh, and our pet got a bowl of water and a dog treat! The burger was huge, fries were perfect and my stomach was done for the day. My wife's sandwich was spot on and she was a happy camper! Next time in the area, this place gets a revisit. Thank you Highlanders Grill & Tavern! read more

HORRRRRRIBLE SERVICE...Gentleman who greeted us, got our drinks and never again stopped by the table. waitress, took our order and never saw her again until after i got up, got my own to go boxes and then had to get her attention to give us our checks. Then had the nerve to include a 20% gratuity, without providing any service. I don't mind tipping, i pride myself in ensuring i tip well, however when no service is given, i should be allowed to choose the amount of tip i give. Not tack it on and provide no service at all. No one checked on us if we needed refills, to check if everyones food was ok, if we needed anything at all. We practically cleared our own table to ensure everyone had enough room to eat after the appetizers were gone. Meanwhile, the staff are chatting everyone up arounds us. Checking on them, making sure their food was ok. If you have some melanin, don't eat here.. can't say for sure that was the reason, but that was the only difference between my table and EVERYONE ELSE in the place. read more

Great food and service. Karaoke was fun getting to laugh at people. Boss burger, Brussel sprout app were really good. Guinness on draft is a bonus as well. read more

The Brussels Sprouts were *insanely* delicious! Delicious elevated pub fare. Service was excellent - Emma was so friendly and accommodating! Can't wait to go back on our next trip to the mountains! read more

Agrodolce leghorns (chicken tenders tossed in this delicious sweet and spicy sauce) were absolutely amazing! Best meal I've had in awhile. Try them you won't be disappointed. Hubby had chicken wings and they were the biggest chicken wings we've seen in a restaurant in a long time. 5 stars! read more

Highlander's Grill & Tavern - Agrodolce Leghorns - Sandwiches Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

The place reeks of local regulars including what seemed like the owner who make fun of tourists/guests after they leave the establishment. They sit at the bar and have fake conversation and then make fun of anything that was said that didn't match their indoctrination. The establishment allows vaping indoors-- eww. They praised right-wing extremist politicians efforts to "turn this country around". The irony is that the bar has a sign posted saying "no whining zone" and literally the locals complained about everything...I'm a white person and I didn't feel comfortable here-- can only imagine what a person of color would experience. I would have left 1 star but gave it 2 because the wait staff genuinely seemed nice and helpful. If you're a visitor looking for a unique local Sugar Mountain experience, don't waste your money here. This isn't it! read more

Not a lot of competition in the area but it's a good restaurant with a decent tap wall

Waitress was good and patient. There was no wait and we got to choose our table. We got the tater tots for an apetizer and they were good. It had good music and the food came quick. The chicken was good but the fries werent the best i would recomend. read more

Highlander's Grill & Tavern - Resturaunt - Sandwiches Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

Waitress was great. Hamburger was overcooked and on the dry side but the Carolina gold sauce was absolutely amazing and made up for a lot of the other stuff. I liked it all in all. Order your burger maybe a little less than you normally would. Medium came grey clear through and dry. read more

The food was great but the best part was the service! They were short staffed but several other workers pitched in to make sure everyone was served in a timely manner. That was awesome & much appreciated! read more

I stumbled across this one. It is located in a convenient location. The Good: They told us 30 mins to be able to take orders but it only took about 10 mins. The food was ready in a timely fashion( it wasn't crowded at all though) The Bad: You sit wherever you want and at some point they come to you. So lack of organization on that part. For some this might be positive, who knows, due to the fact that you don't wait to seat. The server was kind but apologetic due to lacking menu items like FRIES! Most of the items sold here go with fries. I don't lie when I tell you I haven't been this disappointed with food in a long time. I ordered the Famous Fish Fry and still trying to decipher why is it famous because it was the most bland piece of fish I ever had. Half was cooked right the other half a bit on the dry side. We ordered a burger medium well which came out well done (flavor not too bad on that one). Cooks with long beard and long hair not wearing nets. read more

Highlander's Grill & Tavern - Bar area towards main dining tables. - Sandwiches Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

See all