A beautiful, floral and herbaceous gin. Especially delicious with black cherry juice and a squeeze…read moreof lime. I look forward to visiting in person.

Not many places get me excited, not many places make me want to go back, and not many places are as…read morefun as Oldknow. I am not local to the area and I do wish I could revisit this establishment. My bar fly days have been long gone, yet I guess "closing the bar" is part of my genetic structure, and these things don't go away. It's not something that I intend on doing, but the conversation flows with me and around me, and people just don't want me to go home! So, we ended up hanging out with one of the owners, and this gave me an insight to the whole idea behind this concept. If you are interested in local, unique products, and search for new flavors, this is the place to find excellent quality drinks. There's in-house gin and bitters, and that is all I will say. Well, one more thing I will say: don't be surprised if this bar becomes a national destination. The bar itself is classy and inviting, the music is great, the crowd is cool, but the hospitality is above tops. This place has it all and deserves a visit. Closing statement: very few places deserve 6 stars, this is one of them.

Cannot thank you enough for another fabulous experience at Paeoletti! You helped make my husband's…read morecelebration truly special. The food was outstanding--every dish was fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented. Brian provided excellent service, and Natalie, the hostess, went above and beyond. She's truly one of a kind. Highly recommend!

This place was highly recommended. Service was fabulous, ambience top-notch. My dinner, Pollo…read morelimone, was sub-par. Description was pecan-crusted chicken breast topped with lemon garlic butter. Chicken was breaded, flattened cutlet tasting of lemon. The cutlet was so flat it was hard to see/taste chicken breast and I couldn't tell if it was pecan crusted or just breaded like in a fast food restaurant. I ordered a side of spaghetti with lemon butter sauce. The spaghetti itself was fresh and tasty, wonderful on its own - should've ordered it without sauce. The pasta sat in a pool of lemon butter sauce that overwhelmed the spaghetti. The prices didn't deter me, I'm used to spending that much and more on a good meal. But that's the problem-for me, this wasn't a good meal. My husband had the lasagna and enjoyed it so maybe it was this one particular dish.

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.

Ambiance is awesome. Love ol south roads and the shops that dot them. Food ok, bread dry like it…read morehad sitting out. Wait was longer than should be for 2 sandwiches. I'll give them another try, maybe it'll be a better experience.

This is a great little spot off the beaten path in Helen. We stumbled across it while wandering…read morearound during Oktoberfest. Two things made this spot really stand out. First, it has probably the best selection of beers on tap in the city. Second, they have lots of TVs that were all tuned into various games of college football. It was incredibly nice to have a solid selection of beer and to be able to watch all of the relevant college football games. Now, it's not a particularly big spot, which adds to the charm in my opinion. And they don't have their own bathroom. You have to walk a bit. But none of these are even remotely deal breakers. I will visit Helen again in the relatively near future and this place will be on the agenda.

We LOVED the Tap Room. This is our 4th year in Helen and we've been to the tap room each visit…read more However, this year when we got there, we realized it had closed. Now it's the Chatt St Tea Room. No taps, just teas and coffees.

So glad we came here for our 2 year anniversary dinner. Madisons downstairs was booked but the…read moremanager up in the Hummingbird Lounge on 7/6 took great care of us. She got us the perfect table in the corner and made us feel so special. Food and ambiance is unbeatable. We found our new favorite spot!

Cool vibe and excellent cocktails!!! Smoked Old Fashioned is a can't miss. Unfortunately, I have…read morehad mixed experiences with the service at Hummingbirds, so no five star for you!

Was here the beginning of May. I still remember the…read moreexcellent service, food and ambiance. I'll be back again next year when I'm in the area. Highlands Supper Club is definitely a positive dining experience. Peace Love Health Happiness Always Rockmusicradio.net & Bill Bodonavich

10/10 -- If I could give more, I would!…read more Service, food, and atmosphere, absolutely top tier. Don't think twice... BOOK that reservation!!!!! I highly recommend this place. Kyle, our server, and Joe, the general manager, went completely above and beyond!!!! We started with the Caesar salad -- super crisp lettuce, a generous portion perfect for sharing for two, and it came with a crunchy baguette topped with a smoked trout cream cheese-style spread. Such a unique and delicious touch! We also tried the trout fingers from the kids' menu since we'd only had trout once before, and they were good. For entrées, I had the barbecue lion's mane mushroom with slaw, potatoes, and asparagus and wow, don't let my picture fool you, it was absolutely delicious! My husband ordered the elk with grits, asparagus, and a rich demi-glace... and it was FANTASTIC. We almost never order dessert, but I'm so glad we did! The pecan pie (with a whipped cream cheese topping) was incredible -- not overly sweet like traditional versions, but perfectly layered and full of flavor. We loveddddd this place. Can't wait to come back!

One of our stops as we were out and about checking out waterfalls…read more Very nice tasting room! Great wine options and food as well. Grabbed the classic tasting. Came with 5 wines. The Soup Patch Pinot was my fav. We had table service so pick your wine and they will bring it to you. Sip back and relax!

Absolutely NOTHING we didn't enjoy…read more Had their Bold @ Beautiful wine flight ... wonderful. Had the Davis rendition of the Super Tuscan ... it was! Shared a charcuterie plate - it lacked nothing and shocked with a few spectacular items. Ordered a smoked meat tray from the (next door) smokehouse and every part of it rocked. Nuff said. Staff were very knowledgeable, and wonderfully courteous. Location is quaint and welcoming, though out-of-the-way unless you're vacationing or live in the area. But for us ... well worth the hours trek through the mountains on a hot summer's day.

The final (and perhaps the most awesome) stop on our wine tour was here at Sylvan. We stuck to the…read moredrinking areas and skipped the tour of the lodge. A bunch of folks did that because they were planning to host an event or some such. I did hear great things about the lodge. As for the drinking, we did get a special pour of the Twisted, which may or may not have been in their usual tasting menu. Sitting outside by the gas fire pits and watching the changed leaves fall to the ground is fabulous. Doing so with a tasty glass of poetry and wearing toasty clothing made it even better. Very cool, very relaxed, and pretty far away from the craziness of day-to-day life. We enjoyed our time at Sylvan Valley. [Review 18924 overall - 562 in Georgia - 2447 of 2022.]

Luke is doing GREAT business here. His vision for the future is so exciting. There is so much to…read moresee here. The back garden area is SO amazingly beautiful. The view is stunning and simultaneously relaxing. If you want a place to contemplate life's deep and beautiful mysteries. We did the (tasting of course) and the sweet Rose was absolutely perfect. Sherm had a flight and everything Luke picked for hom was amazing. Is it too soon to think about another vow renewal? What of it is destination themed? In the future Sylvan Valley lodge will feature a tapas menu, live music and group event Specialty catering. This is all according the their savant General Manager who will take you under his wing and make you feel like you are the only people who matter. I am really not sure what else to say. If the above descriptors don't let you know why you should visit this place I am not sure what would.