This was the cutest place to visit for a lunch time meal. They had the most amazing espresso martinis. They also had amazing sandwiches and omg the best salads...specifically the Greek salad . The service was amazing. Our waitress was the absolute sweetest and the bartender that made our drinks knew her stuff! I loved this place! read more

I came here with my family (party of 6) after a full day of zip lining at the Gorge (5 minutes away) and boy were we hungry! We ordered basically everything on the menu and there was not one take home box by the time we left. The staff was so friendly and accommodating! This is definitely a place I will go back to! read more

Purple Onion - Charcuterie Board and Pimento Cheese - New American Near Me - Saluda, North Carolina

I have been to the Onion many, many times over the years. I want to love it, but need to be honest in reviews. The food is usually, but not always, good. For example, the last time I had a steak I ordered rare and got medium well. Never once did the server ask how it was. I have never gamed for a free meal anywhere, but the steak was so bad it should have been taken off the check. Instead, the server had no clue it was bad. The service is uneven. Sometimes it is good. Other times it is awful. Never has it been first rate. Servers seem too busy acting busy to be helpful. Reminds me of most Asheville restaurants in this respect. Sort of a vibe of hipsters who think they are very good but who are mediocre on their best day. Hate to be negative but, again, the truth over many meals there. On the positive side, the music can be terrific, and is the main reason I keep going back. Would be delighted if management took reviews like this to heart and moved this restaurant toward a five star experience, After all, your prices are already there. Finally, I've always been a good tipper (20% at least) but usually leave the Onion wondering if I should have cut the tip to communicate to my server that his/her service was not up to par. read more

I highly recommend the pimento cheese as an appetizer!! This was so incredibly tasty and the BEST way to eat is put the jalapeño on top of the pimento cheese spread! When you eat it, it tastes like a jalapeño popper minus the grease. You may run into the issue of not enough crackers for your dip but you can just save it for the chips you get with your order! I've been trying to eat meat free when possible, so when I saw this yummy eggplant sandwich I knew what I wanted to order! I love eggplants so much but I seldom eat it. This sandwich was incredibly filling & tasty. The fresh mozzarella complimented the sourdough bread, the spinach was fresh, and the eggplant was beautifully roasted and juicy. The restaurant itself offers outdoor seating and indoor tables, I'm sure as a way to get as many people in as possible to try all of their amazing food! I've always wanted to try a peach Melba, peaches & black raspberries, so when I saw this in their beautiful cake display case I knew I needed to save space for it! Don't let the presentation fool you! I typically hate white chocolate, which is what's on the outside, but it wasn't painfully sweet and heavy so I was able to happy eat over half of my share the black raspberries and peaches were plentiful and fresh so I was able to convince myself this was a healthy dessert! read more

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This place is a little gem filled with unique, tasty entrees and appetizers. The service was prompt and friendly. The pricing was more than fair for today's inflationary times. I would say the Purple Onion is a must visit for sure. read more

First off, this is a cute, sweet little place with tons of charm, situated right in downtown Saluda. Great building, great location. My first visit was by sheer coincidence. My daughter and I, with her young daughter, were traveling the area, checking out properties. We were all tired, and were just expecting a quick stop at a "coffee shop." We were pleasantly surprised to learn that this is a sit-down dining spot. Even better, we found that the menu is chef-driven, and includes specials like, "Lobster Ravioli." They were also aware of food sensitivities, and helped me select an appropriate dish. I returned the very next day for lunch with my husband as we viewed properties. Yum, Yum! If you're in the area, Visit this Place! Friendly staff, good food, a tremendous location -- You'll enjoy it! read more

Purple Onion - Casual atmosphere, upscale food - New American Near Me - Saluda, North Carolina

Was so looking forward to eating there again at this charming restaurant with delightful food. However, Hostess and server both didn't have together, After 20 minutes of just sitting there with a lunch menu given to me 5 minutes before the switch to dinner.. no hello, "your server will be right there or is "so and so " no water... in short no introduction the lunch menu for dinner with other little I asked for the hostess for dinner menu to find if trout is offered. Still no courtesy, communication and waitress to be seen. Yet interestingly enough there were plenty of servers hanging by the register with the server!!!Hmmmm!!! I left the restaurant and brought my money elsewhere read more

My family really enjoyed the food and outside patio! The waitress was great and food too!

Here's an extremely limited review of one pizza we ordered to go: it wasn't that great. We ordered just a cheese pizza with pepperoni added and ate it outside. I LOVE pizza of all types from the cheapest Food Lion frozen pizzas to bick thick sicilian to napoli style wood-fired with the beautiful delicate crust. This pizza fell solidly between a decent $5 frozen pizza and a fairly typical amateur homemade pizza. The dough was medium thickness and definitely reminded me of grocery store pizza without much crunch or body or chew, basically just like the ones I make at home. (I try but a really good crust is an art). Perhaps you'll do better ordering one of their specialty pizzas but in my mind the pizza can never be much better than the crust. read more

Love that they're happy to seat you for dinner at 8:45pm. The food was perfect & the staff was welcoming. What more can you want!

Beautiful mountain setting. Excellent service. Delicious, unusual appetizers and entrees. Highly recommend. Easy to get reservations. Love this place! read more

Nestled beside the fabled Saluda Grade Railroad tracks (steepest standard-gauge mainline railway grade in the United States!) sits the Purple Onion Cafe & Coffeehouse. Take a truly beautiful interior, simultaneously rugged, rustic and lovely - add a quaint outdoor patio seating area surrounded by flowers and the stunning brick exterior of the downtown Saluda brick buildings - and you get a unique experience. I am not sure if "Mountain Chic" is a term yet, but this might fit the bill. We came to the area as amateur waterfall-hunters, so stopping off for an early lunch to fuel up before was a no-brainer. This little cafe is adorable, and the food is quite good. I treated my trip as a brunch, getting the daily special - a truly delicious rendition of steak and eggs with arugula and potatoes. Brunch for me means three drinks, duh. Bloody Mary (delish), coffee (tasty) and water (mountain water is so crisp). Other fares upon which we dined included the charcuterie plate and the wild mushroom pizza app - all good stuff. Everyone in my group seemed to really enjoy their meals, which is saying a lot! This joint seemed to have a cool selection of beers on tap, daily specials, local art for sale on the walls and neat coffee drinks. I would check this joint out if you are anywhere NEAR the area, fur schwazye. read more

Purple Onion - New American Near Me - Saluda, North Carolina

Ver nice clean place Good variety on the menu great service but highly recommend food was hot and fresh read more

I ate here on 6/24/24 and sat outside. It started off well, with a great server who was super friendly. We ordered a few drinks and they were okay. We ordered our food and it took about an hour to come out but we ordered several pizzas and steaks so that's expected. I ordered a medium rare steak that came with mashed potatoes and seasonal veggies. It came out medium well, with polenta and blanched asparagus. It was a pretty pricey steak so when it came out the way it did I was pretty upset. It was also extremely salty so be prepared for that. Our friend also ordered a steak with onions and gorgonzola and it didn't come out with either of those on it, when we told the food runner or other server who brought it out she seemed pretty mad about it and said "okay" and once our friend was nearly done they brought out the blue cheese and onions on a side plate. Mind you this cost extra so again pretty upset about that as well. Another friend got the same steak but medium and his came out later than everyone else's food and his steak was medium rare. The pizzas that came out were very good so if you're coming to eat here I'd recommend only getting a pizza. Also had to get up to grab one of our cards because the left it at the POS. Pretty mediocre experience and probably won't be back. read more

The Purple Onion is fantastic. I tried to go just the other day but they were slammed so I passed by. I wish I stayed. I've been here a few times now and it is always wonderful. I've had goat cheese pizza, salads, fresh trout and more. I've never been in the evenings but they have live bands. If you're traveling along HWY 26 this is about 7 minutes off of the road, and of course if you're staying in Saluda chances are pretty good that eating here is at the top of your list. If it isn't, it should be. read more

Staff were all very kind. Food was meh for anyone with a dairy allergy or vegan. Of the limited vegan options, it just wasn't all that appetizing after they removed all the varieties of cheese off the plate including the dressing. For a Mediterranean plate, it was just alright and not really all that Mediterranean. read more

Great food, relaxed atmosphere, reasonable prices. The Spring Caesar salad was particularly good and I wish I had ordered the large size because I definitely would have finished it! read more

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Excellent drink selection, imaginative menu, and eclectic atmosphere. Love the dog friendly patio. Love music events are fun too. read more

Place is a gem! Everything they serve is fantastic, including the coffee. I bought a bag it was so good. The soups are hearty and flavorful. Their pizza's with the greek crust was so good I ordered two back to back. Highly recommend. read more

We went here for a birthday celebration. The pacing of food was on point and the food was delish! We made a point of getting different entrees so we could sample the variety. We couldn't decide which dish was best because all was amazing! It was on the expensive side, but worth it! You get what you pay for and I felt like we had an amazing evening and that is priceless! read more

Stopped for lunch. Atmosphere nice, service good at bar. Crab dip excellent. Blackened chicken gyro had a lot too much pepper, overwhelmed any other flavor. Would try again read more

The best pizza I've ever had - hands down. Ingredients were so fresh. Wait staff were all amazing. Kelcie and Conner were so full of personality! We felt right at home. So glad we stumbled upon this little gem. read more

Purple Onion - The amazing Caesar salad pizza - New American Near Me - Saluda, North Carolina

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I had lunch there with friends. The Purple onion never fails to satisfy. I've always loved the atmosphere and the food. I really wish there were more restaurants like Purple Onion in Polk county. read more

You know the drill. They put the bomb in bombdiggity. Always a fun spot to eat and grab a drink. Staff is always hustling and the old building is calming and serene. read more

Great place to eat in a great little town. Purple Onion is doing a nice job dealing with the Covid issue. The staff is friendly. Indoor and Outdoor seating is available. I love the Classico Pizza! read more

The Purple Onion is a gem of a place! We've eaten here a few times already while we're in the area and each time has been a delight! They offer several gluten free options as far as food, and speaking of which, the quality of the food offerings here is first class. Local, fresh, and flavorful! There's fantastic local beers at the bar, or check out their drink menu as there are many equally delicious options to accompany your meal! And make sure you save room for dessert! I adored the crème brûlée and my guys are the cheesecake fans-they we're even sweet enough to put a candle on my husband's cheesecake when we went for his birthday recently. If you have something special to celebrate or just as an act of self care-this is the place! read more

Food and atmosphere were incredible here. I had the pork chop and it was delicious! Wait staff was friendly, personable, and prompt. Living in Saluda, this will be my go-to for out of town guests, and anytime I need a dining night out! I highly recommend this local restaurant for great food great ambience, and a super staff! read more

This place is consistently my favorite in the area. The food is good. Salads are good. Hummus is good. Last time I was there, the BLT was surprisingly cheap and with the fresh summer tomato was perfect. We usually eat lunch outside. Always good beer on tap. If I'm driving down i26 around lunchtime I always stop. I like the vibe. There is a lady there sometimes who seems like an owner or manager, and she has a bit of a gruff exterior, but she's always on top of things. My kind of place. Swing by if you're close. read more

Nothing really special.. Seems like many of the items are made with mass produced restaurant quality ingredients. Wife said the chicken pot pie was good, but not enough chicken, my Greek salad with chicken was nothing special and my daughters cheese pizza was as if thawed from a multi pack. We probably wouldn't return. read more

I like this place and the food is usually pretty good, last time we ordered salads to go and whoever made them could've put a little more love in the preparation. Just kind of all jumbled up in a very haphazard and poorly presented fashion. All four of us who have had this exact same salad numerous times commented just not quite as good as usual. My only other comment is while some of the wait staff are super friendly, there are others who are absolutely horrible and have actually argued with some of the people in our group! You're in customer service, be nice and accommodating!!! I get it, you're busy but don't have such an attitude:-( read more

Went to the Purple Onion for dinner. Repeat customers each time we come down to Tryon. Menu is a variety of meats, fish and poultry. Keto dieters will love it too. Wish they would get Tito's Vodka behind the bar. I had the Almond Crusted Mountain Trout with arugula salad and better half had dinner special of sea scallops with zucchini ribbons. Band plays at 8:00pm (inside) on Thursday's and Saturday's. Get their earlier those two eves if you want to eat in peace. Highly Recommend! Thanks. read more

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Waited to be seated for several minutes. No one acknowledged me, let alone offered any type of customer service. Literally stood about 2 feet from two staff members who didn't even look my way and one who looked right at me but couldn't be bothered. Needless to say, we left. The food might be good but with that type of staff, not worth it. read more

The food and service was amazing. The prices were great too. I really enjoyed the blackberry cobbler.

I had the staple Purple Onion burger. The flavor and taste was outstanding. The portions size were extremely small the bun was the size of a small biscuit and it was complemented with 25 cent corn chips to fill the plate. To me the pairing was just off and wrong on the pallet. I would love to have another burger but the bang for buck just doesn't match up. The ambience in this place was very nice, very quaint very hometown. Two hours later my stomach began to pain me, meaning that burger wanted out... read more

Purple Onion - The purple onion burger was very small in portion. Seems like a sample size burger - New American Near Me - Saluda, North Carolina

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Have visited this great place a couple of times now with a large group of ladies on girl's trips. So patient with large groups - very accommodating. The cocktails are delish and everything on the menu is awesome. The vibe inside and outside on the patio are terrific. Highly recommend! Will visit next time I'm in Saluda for sure. read more

Every meal I've had at the Purple Onion has been wonderful. I always ask the waiter to tell me the specials. When he starts the third I've already decided on the second. It's always very good! read more

Our first time in Saluda and the purple onion last night. Amazing food, friendly service and a good time. Will be back for sure.

My wife and I went on a Valenvine's ROADTRIP, which ended in Saluda at the Purple Onion. The food and service(Risa K?) and live music was excellent! Thank y'all...we'll be back! read more

Purple Onion - New American Near Me - Saluda, North Carolina

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Food is always delicious, I get the pimento cheese every time. If i get food to go, the pimento cheese portion is very tiny. like a tablespoon. for the price i wish they gave a bit more. vibe inside is super nice, great date night spot. read more

At first glance, this restaurant is ideal for dining out. Cute outdoor patio. Decent looking menu. We were seated outside which was nice and served water in a pitcher which helped set the mood for the meal we thought we were going to have. Our table ordered 2 burgers, 1 sandwich, and a wrap. Unfortunately, the sides were limited and to our dismay the tortilla chips served were definitely from a bag with maybe a tablespoon of salsa. The burgers were standard medium cook according to the waitress, but both came out bleeding. All of our meals were served on paper plates which was very odd. We had no complaints about the sandwiches but they were not anything special. The staff was good but the food was really sub par. read more