Excellent server..Anna. Fantastic food! Beautiful atmosphere!! Top notch meal! I had the roast duck with raspberry sauce and it was perfectly crispy outside and moist and juicy inside. The potatoes were delicious too. I chose the butternut squash side and it was so sweet and delicious I could have eaten it for dessert! The salad the comes with dinner is a generous size and very nice too. My daughter got the crab cakes which were in a lobster cream sauce and also fantastic! Light and crispy with no filler and creamy inside. Yum! She had the zuchinni stuffed with cheese etc side and she ate it so fast I didn't even get to try it! Lol She said it was delicious! This restaurant is a MUST DO if you are in town!! Ask for Anna!! She is so wonderful!! read more

Quiet, intimate and excellent service. While the prices are a bit high, each entree comes with a salad and side and excellent service. The horseradish dressing is a must try. The filet was perfectly prepared as well as the sticky pudding-just get it!! Room for improvement would be; 1. do away with the red skin mashed potatoes, they were bland and temperature was warm. 2. The restaurant could use white noise, like music or something so you don't feel like you are in church. Neither issue impacted our experience or our 5 star rating. read more

The Best Cellar - New American Near Me - Blowing Rock, North Carolina

Another wonderful dinner at the Best Cellar. Celebrating our 20 year anniversary and weren't disappointed. I had the Chilean Sea Bass and hubby got Filet Au Poive. The sea bass was excellent and the steak was cooked perfectly. We split the Caesar salad which was so good. Highly recommend the millionaire coffee after dinner. Our server Ashley was excellent. This will definitely not be our last time dining here! read more

Best "higher end" restaurant in town, Blowing Rock. Within walking distance of Main Street, it never disappoints. Make a reservation with the best hostess, ever, Missy. read more

We stayed at their Inn for our weekend in Blowing Rock and it quickly became our new favorite. But the restaurant was absolutely the highlight! Many good options in the area but to us nothing else compares to The Best Cellar. We had a seafood special as an appetizer, followed by entrees of Braised Short Ribs for my wife and and incredible Bone-In Rib-Eye for me. The service at this small very comfortable upscale casual restaurant was very personal and enjoyable. We felt like family. I loved that cell phones were not allowed in the restaurant! (I'm sure fine for emergencies but it was nice!) These guys deserve 10 stars. THANKS to the team at The Best Cellar! read more

This is hands down the best food I've ever eaten! I came here on December 27th for dinner Visiting from Miami, Florida. This place was beautifully decorated and everyone was very welcoming. Our table was underground in the basement. Our waiter was amazing and our food was hands down, the best food I've ever eaten. I ordered the burrata cheese and it was a pretty big portion that came with toast, olives, and a tomato vinaigrette. My husband ordered Rockefeller oysters and he absolutely loved them. We then ate the lobster bisque soup and it was incredibly flavorful! Our main entrees were filet mignon and Alaskan halibut. I had the fish and it was so delicious! The sauce was really good and the almonds gave it an extra crunch! Service was great and the food even better! I highly recommend it! read more

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The atmosphere at this restaurantth was incredible! Our waitress was GREAT and the food was fantastic. I had the Alaskan halibut and my wife had the filet. We had the scallop appetizer which was delicious. I would definitely recommend this restaurant. read more

This place is one of my absolute favorite places to eat at in Blowing Rock! Everything was amazing and the waiter was excellent! Me, my husband, my dad, my brother, and my brother's girlfriend enjoyed every bite from start to finish. My brother and I shared the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake for the starter. I am telling you, there just wasn't enough! We savored every bite. The sauce it comes topped with is absolutely delish. I ordered the Roasted Half Duckling with extra raspberry sauce. My husband ordered the Certified Angus Filet Mignon (which I might add was extremely soft) with a side salad (Oyster Spinach Salad). My brother and his gf ordered the Parmesan Crusted Buttermilk Chicken and Sautéed Mussels. My dad ordered the Bone-In Rib Eye (which was extremely soft as well). I know this sounds weird, but we all tried each other's food. We took a small portion and gave it to the other to try from their plate. Everything was amazing (as said)!!! I love this place. My only complaints: Small seating area and it is hard to get a table sometimes. You have to make reservations, so be forewarned! A couple canceled so we were extremely lucky to have gotten their spot at the last minute. Other than that.. I will be back time and time again! Don't hesitate to try this place. It's pricey but so worth it! read more

I made a reservation on Resy while driving. This restaurant was recommended by a fellow traveler at our hotel. Arrived at the right time, but wrong day. My mistake. I give the Maitre'd my name and email. He says he can't find me. I proceed to search my email accounts. He lets me continue, until I give up. We start to leave and he says "so do you want me to cancel your reservation?" He could see I made the reservation on the wrong date, but was content with letting me squirm. I wouldn't recommend, based on this man's arrogance. The accommodations did seem dark and dated. No idea about the food. read more

We had a great service experience at The Best Cellar and the food was delicious!! Everything was great!

Second time we've been. We loved it so much the first time. However, this time was a bit of a let down We arrived a tad early and went to the bar. And waited and waited and waited. Finally got our drinks. Bartender did not give eye contact. ‍. Ok no big deal. We were seated and our server was great. Brought out app was delicious. Then salads and roll. Roll was frozen. She took it back without an apology. Came back with a warmed roll. Ordered fish. Sword fish. It was tough and raw in the middle. So raw it was cold. I'm not sure we'll go back. We were disappointed. Things happen I get it. But with a pandemic just opening back up in NC I'd expect better. read more

One of the best restaurants in the Blowing Rock, Boone area. I had a fantastic halibut dish & my husband had an incredible filet perfectly cooked. Don't miss this place! read more

What a great place. We were here with friends tonight and had a fabulous dinner. All four of us loved our meals and the service. We sat inside overlooking the garden since it was raining out. But would love to come again and sit outside. We would definitely recommend this place for anyone looking for great food with a lovely atmosphere. read more

This is one my favorite restaurants in the Boone/Blowing Rock area, where I have lived for 14 years. The quality of food and service are both outstanding. However, it is a special occasion type of restaurant for me due to the prices, although they are not out of line for a restaurant of this quality. read more

WE had an excellent dinner there last night for my daughter's birthday. Olivia our waitress was great. So attentive, friendly and helpful. Loved the halibut and spinach salad with fried oysters. Loved the mashed potatoes and garlic green beans as sides. My daughter and her friend shared the crabcakes and vegetable pasta and they both said so delicious. Fried calamari was a great appetizer. The atmosphere was great and the manager came and checked on us. HIghly recommend! read more

While the place is setup to what I think is high end? At least that is what their prices are like. The food is no where close to what it needs to be for the price. Service is very slow as well. I first had their filet minion which was covered in pepper and I had to send it back. I did see someone with pan fried scallop that looks good. Till I actually got them. Yes they were the size of a hockey puck but, they were over cooked and chewey. Thankfully my first and last time here. read more

The Best Cellar - This is the pepper crusted filet minion. If you are into pepper it's good. Personally I sent this back. - New American Near Me - Blowing Rock, North Carolina

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Based on the reputation of this restaurant, I know my experience was the exception and not the rule, but we made a reservation weeks in advance and ended up walking out after not being spoken to by anyone after being sat. We waited over 20 minutes without anyone speaking to us. Right before we left a table was sat next to us and it immediately got service. The hostess was coming to give us water next, but we were already up and out. To top it off I was planning on proposing to my fiancée over dinner. I expect more out of a place where we expected to spend $150 for a meal with drinks. read more

Came here for a business luncheon. A beautiful inn with dining space in a wine cellar downstairs, a cozy alcove upstairs, and the front porch. The Inn is small on a side street in old downtown. It looks small, but it is not and it is simply gorgeous. Dark wood throughout, stone outside, beautiful gardens. I had a fantastic open face portobello burger. Everything was fresh, cheesey, and tasty. The fries were shoestring style but overly crunchy. Great strong coffee. Great waitstaff forourgruop of about 30. Highly recommended for a luncheon. The restaurant manager was fantastic and friendly. Took us around the place gave us dinner menus to go. The menu has a ton on it. Pricey but the food looks lavish. I worry that they may have too many dishes to do it all well... Based on my lunch I'm thrilled to come back and see. read more

Music on the lawn, beautiful summer evening and a reservation at Best Cellar. All was going great...until the main course came out. The special was truffle filet mignon. It actually tasted like a poor cut of meat with French onion soup gravy on it. The veal scallopini was under cooked and very rubbery. What made it worse was the way management defend the dish versus simply apologizing. We were visiting from out of town but don't think we would come back to the Cellar. read more

One of our favorites in Blowing Rock. The service here is always stellar and to be frank the patrons over the years have been interesting, entertaining, pleasant dining companions. I love that this is a place for all age groups which you see because most are vacationers except for the strong group of locals that dine there regularly. This most recent visit was a Friday night and the place was busy but not slammed. Started with oysters Rockefeller which were tasty but the oysters were tiny, luck of the draw. Next up were garden salads that come with the entrees. Their blue cheese dressing is stellar and the salad ingredients very fresh. I had the slow braised beef short ribs which is enough to feed two. They are super tasty and very tender. Husband had the New Zealand Rack of Lamb which was perfectly cooked and quickly devoured down to gnawing on the bones. Entrees come with mashed new potatoes and choice of sides. I did asparagus and husband did the stuffed zucchini and both were good. Always a nice wine selection and good pour for cocktails and such but the bar does tend to get backed up with seating for dinner. read more

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We had a great dinner here! The food was excellent, the menu was exciting, and the service was great! What else can you want! Atmosphere? Yup, it's cozy and very Blowing Rock! Will be back! read more

The Best Cellar - New American Near Me - Blowing Rock, North Carolina

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Great spot with an awesome atmosphere we have always enjoyed coming here and love the food and atmosphere.

Arrived 20 minutes early and the restaurant has two tables seated, staff standing around. Fine, we were not expecting to be seated early. Got a drink and sat in the lobby and waited for our table for a reservation made about 6 weeks in advance. I made it clear that I did not want the patio if it was raining - it is pouring - I'm on the patio with my 75 and 80 year old parents. There is plenty of room inside and the GM Missy would not move us inside unless we sat cramed in one of the two bar tables. My mother definitely did not want to sit in the bar. While sitting in the lobby the hostesses had commented about the number of cancellations tonight. Why are we on the patio? I would have walked out, but it it hard for my mother to get around in the rain with a cane. The pictures below show how many tables are available inside. An hour and a half later only one additional table was seated while we sit with the rain. Food was ok, but absolutely not worth the price. I WILL NEVER COME HERE AGAIN! Epic failure Missy! read more

The Best Cellar - Vacant been here since 5:15 now 6 - New American Near Me - Blowing Rock, North Carolina

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The food was fantastic as was the service! We were downstairs and it was private and not crowded! If was a great evening!

This was our first evening meal in Blowing Rock and it was 'The Best'. The ambiance, service and quality of the food made this a very special evening. We recommend The Best Cellar unreservedly and have every intention of returning again, as often as we can! read more

Expensive but good. Service is warm and attentive. The lamb was wonderful and the banana pie unbeLievable!

Great food, ambiance and service. A must while in Blowing Rock, but be sure to make a reservation.

This restaurant is our favorite each time we visit Blowing Rock North Carolina. This time especially was our 50th wedding anniversary. The management and staff are the best and the food is always special. It is a worthwhile experience and I highly recommend it. THE BEST! read more

This place was so nice and peaceful. I sat outside and the atmosphere was quiet and romantic. It was great for a date nite. My husband and I both had steak and it was delicious! read more

I am a Blowing Rock local and has held Best Cellar in the highest esteem as my favorite place to dine. My adult sons were in town for Easter weekend and we had reservations for dinner. Sadly, my son's duck entree was over sauced with raspberry sauce and mentioned it to the waitress who was completely unresponsive to his concern. It put a damper on our whole evening. My son has previously worked as a waiter at a five-star restaurant so he understands that responsiveness to customer's concern is important. I was so disappointed as we had hoped to have such a lovely evening at one of my favorite restaurants in Blowing Rock. read more

Service, food, atmosphere- all excellent! We were a party of 5 and everyone really enjoyed their meal. The duck was crisp on outside, juicy and tender on inside. The trout was also really tasty! Braised short ribs- recommended!! Highly recommend this restaurant!!! read more

Ugh!!! I cannot believe this restaurant's guts to charge the prices they do. Yes, the area is high fallutin, but cut me some slack. I made reservations here for date night with my husband after we received gift certificates through the army. The atmosphere seemed great, we got seated rather quickly. Our waitress came by and introduced herslf. Since it was an army contracted event, we had a limited menu. Waitress told us that they had a sampler appetizer of oysters, calamari, shrimp and crab cake, so we jump on this... The calamari was unseasoned, the oysters were so tiny, that even after using my cocktail fork, there was barely anything on it. The crab cake was dry and the shrimp was cooked perfectly. We ordered dinner, I had the glazed salmon and my husband had the trout. The food took a while to get to the table, however, my disappointment and disgust was taken to another level. My salmon was bland as hospital salmon could taste. My husbands trout was nothing worth getting excited over. Infact, the most amazing thing we had in this egregious restaurant was the baked acorn squash with a brown sugar cinnamon reduction! We asked the waitress for our bill, and boy were we in for a surprise. The appetizer sampler was 24$! The waitress then took it upon herself to calculate her 20% gratuity into our bill. She tipped herself for shitty service and then took 20 mins to bring me back my change. My suggestion to the best cellar, stick to wines as that is the only thing you can brag about!!! Make sure signs are posted letting your customers know about your "gratuity included" policy as if I'm going to tip a waitress 22$, I'd like to feel as welcome as possible! Just ugh!!! read more

My bride and I were pleased to snag a reservation for New Year's Eve. We were very disappointed with the food. My braised short ribs were tasteless and not as good as what I get at the cafeteria (although considerably more expensive). The gravy was right out of a jar and bland. My wife's pasta with lobster was equally without taste. To top it off, when I offered my valet ticket to the manager to retrieve my car I was instructed to walk out into the freezing cold parking lot in search of the attendant, then waited in the cold for my car. The valet was the only person who asked how the food was. read more

Best lamb shops I've had I a long while. Even my husband that does not really like lamb liked it. The mashed potatoes with the stuffed zucchini was super good. The Burrata (not pictured) was really good together with the lobster bisque. My husband really enjoyed his Rib Eye and the mashed potato with green beans. For desert we had the creme brûlée (not pictured). Kelly gave us the best service and it was a pleasure to meet her. read more

After staying at the Meadowbrook Inn during a snowfall we decided to stay within walking distance to our hotel and eat dinner here and while we both felt underdressed for the restaurant in jean's and hoodies the food and service was impeccable. We both got steaks and they were both Perfectly cooked and delicious. Definitely worth stopping in for a meal here!! read more

First off I would like to say this is my first review on Yelp. we arrived on October 19,2020 to celebrate my wife's birthday, the grounds were set perfectly for pictures with giant pumpkins and wonderful seasonal flair. I decided to go in and check our coats to only to find out they do not have a coat check. That was surprising. we were told our reservation was for outside when we requested to be inside. Apparently they had no record of that information and they had no way of moving us inside since they said all of the tables have pre-reserved. We were assured that the outside seating had adequate heating. We were guided through a beautiful old building with some great oak antiques holding our coats. I was in amazement when we were taken outside to a carnival like tent that had the fake grass floor lawn furniture. I kid you not the floor moved with every step. It was like being at an out door barbeque except the restaurant did not even have any background music playing. (I ended up playing some Mozart on my phone) were very disappointed. Every step made by an employee or guest was easily felt through the weak floor as they walked by. Our sever approached the table with a very dirty apron and dirty old black sneakers. As looked around the other servers aprons were also stained and unacceptable for any full service restaurant. We were informed of the specials and no mention of a wine list said, I had to ask for one. The server brought over a wine list that was several pages laminated with a cheap metal ring holding it together like a middle school report handed in by a student. I studied the list and made my selection Paradox only to find out they were out of it. We then decided to switch to Cakebread Chardonnay with the four appetizers we ordered. Again to find out they were out. We then ordered a bottle of Prisoner and for the third time. We finally settled for a bottle of Duckhorn Cabernet. The apps arrived and were tasty. The issues was not the food, Only the service and atmosphere. When the Manager stopped by I informed her of all the issues While she did apologize and said that she will inform upper management about our concerns, it did not feel like there was a true concern on how to make it right. I will end on the dessert. I mentioned to host that it was my wife's birthday and there was never any mention at the table. We did order a dessert and there was a candle on the cheesecake. I was even more shocked that they charged me for the dessert. I have never seen where a high end restaurant charges for the birthday dessert. Overall, The food was 3 out of 5 stars The service 1 out of 5 The atmosphere 0 out of 5 (the outdoor setting) Overall experience not worth it. We spent over $300 read more

Over the weekend a set of circumstances resulting from another restaurant reservation mishap left us with no place to dine. Having never been to The Best Cellar, I was intrigued by the offerings and the setting. When I called at the last minute, a very pleasant woman informed me that she would be happy to make accommodations for us at 7:30. We arrived to a kind valet who took care of our parking and we walked toward the port-cochere and the entrance to the inn and restaurant. The dark wood, hammered steel and warmth of fire lured us into a comforting setting from the cool night air. We confirmed our arrival with the hostess and order drinks from the bar. We wandered into the lounge and enjoyed conversation with other guests beside the glowing fire. Laughing and drinking lead to increased hunger as we informed our hostess we were ready at any time. A smiling gentleman asked us to follow him down the stairs with twisted wrought iron. With each step a rustic charm emerged with hints of necessary modern conveniences; like the dimmed lights and the glass doors leading to the expansive wine cellar. Around a corner we entered hand hewn rock room with a barrel ceiling and polished concrete floor and a plush area rug. Set around the perimeter were tables lit with candlelight. We were shown our table nestled in the corner of the stone basement. Our server began to share the night's specials as our mouths began to salivate. It was determined we would start with the appetizer sampler of calamari, perfectly crisp, shrimp cocktail with nice sized prawns and a s spicy dip along with Oyster Rockefeller. We combined this with the muscles in a butter sauce sautéed with tomatoes, garlic, capers and shallots. Needless to say our pupils dilated with delight after each bite. Within moments of our appetizer dishes being removed, out wine and scotch glasses refreshed, our salads arrived, fresh, crisp and with the house dressing adding a flavorful finish. Then the main courses arrived: a very large piece of Best Cellar's Tuna Marinade, the Sterling Silver Fillet Mignon served Au Poivre and medium rare, the nights special of a bone in porch chop finished in a marinara and mozzarella sauce, finally a large portion of Chicken Milanese. All of these savory delights were accompanied by wild rice, zucchini boats, baked acorn squash and roasted potatoes. Our conversation subsided as our mouths were busy enjoying every delectable morsel. Nibbles were shared around the table and everyone raved about the other dishes. The presentation, portions and taste were as incredible as the setting. Our plates sufficiently cleaned with nary a scrap remaining, we were tempted with a sweet ending. Who were we to deny ourselves a special night out with friends? Moderation was agreed upon and a sharing of the Banana Crème Pie and Sweet Street Chocolate Lovin Spoonful Cake elicited moans and smiles to complete our night. We were never so grateful for a reservation mishap before. If it were not for that we would not have had an amazing meal, decadent desert, flavorful drink and laughter in an incredible setting and delightful staff. It is without doubt we will think ahead and always plan to dine here! read more

The absolute best atmosphere and food in Blowing Rock! It was similar to being at Old Edwards Inn in Highlands. 4 star experience except the extremely rude staff, especially the hostess (older, short curly hair). We have eaten here many times bc we have a house here; very different experience this year!! We had a large group of 20, which is challenging, but 3 couples are restaurant owners, and we own a lodge, venue and hunting preserve, and we all agree, we would definitely not allow the poor hospitality & rudeness we experienced. Their personalities do not belong in the hospitality industry! We had 2 waitresses, our younger one was amazing and so she got the extra tip on top of the including gratuity bc she was really great and not ab ass! read more

If you choose to dine here expect to pay a premium price. Likewise, expect the food, the service and the ambiance to reflect that price. This is a dining experience! We were seated in the dining room and found it to be warm, cozy and romantic. There is also dining in the wine cellar below that we will certainly reserve on our next visit. We started with Oysters Rockefeller. Very enjoyable! I had the rack of lamb. It was served medium rare with mashed red skinned potatoes and butternut squash. Delicious! My wife ordered the veal and loved it! Great wines as well. Yes, the check for two can rapidly break triple digits, However, if you enjoy the experience of dining as well as the food, you will pay the check with a smile. read more

We made dinner reservations. Upon arrival we were seated promptly. Service was excellent, the food was out of this world! The four of us couldn't remember a meal we've enjoyed more. The atmosphere was really nice. Highly recommend!! read more