Eclectic top shelf dining in the heart of Banner Elk downtown. Love the downtown square here with numerous restaurants, walking, live music, coffee, dessert, you name it. And Chef's Table here is outstanding. Sorrento's is the Italian restaurant downstairs, while Chef's Table is the restaurant upstairs. One entry, two restaurants with completely separate kitchens and chefs. We started with a beef carpaccio, tomato bread and the Saluna specialty sushi roll. Everything was prepared to perfection. The main event was my sea bass. This was one of the best fish dishes I've had in a while. Perfectly cooked, tender and melted in your mouth. The buttery sauce lifted it to another level. If you're in the area, definitely try this place! read more

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This place is amazing! Upstairs hidden gem. Food is 5 star, great wine selection. The best part is the bananas foster made right at your table. Fantastic service! read more

We had reservations and were promptly seated. Food was delicious and servers were great. Very casual atmosphere but we were too close to bar and there was a loud party sitting there. They made a custom mocktail that was delicious. read more

The staff were friendly and helpful, super attentive and pleasant. The food was excellent! Tiramisu was perfect. Garlic knots fresh out of the oven. Everything we ate was delicious. The atmosphere was relaxed and the place was nicely decorated. Good for couples and families. Highly recommend. read more

Ate at the Chefs table Last weekend. I had the trout with butter caper sauce which was tasty. Wife got a filet that was over cooked to well when she requested medium. Got the wedge salad which was OK. Ambiance was eh. Apparently one person owns all the restaurants in the village and it was not busy in there for a weekend night. All of the Sorrentos restaurants are very expensive. read more

The Chef's Table at Sorrento's - New American Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

My family of foodies vacationed in Seven Devils and drove into Banner Elk on New Years Day to feast at Chef's Table, ringing in the New Year in our favorite way with incredible food and drinks. Banner Elk is an idealistic town giving the perfect Christmas vibes! We walked into this unique establishment, host to a variety of restaurants, one in each of their dining rooms, and our first impression was WOW! The host team was warm and cheerful, the entry aesthetic is gorgeous and inviting, and the ambiance was incredible with artwork by artist Kent Paulette covering the walls. We patroned both Sorrento's and Chef's Table in our brief time in town. We wisely chose Chef's table for our New Year's Day celebration feast which made even brighter by Felix, the friendly and now famous flambé chef/artist, and Brent the incredible, fun, creative mixologist tending bar at Chef's Table! Ask Brent for his bar tending history, give him your preferred flavor choices and liquors, and ask him to craft you a cocktail. HE WILL NOT DISSAPOINT delivering a killer smoked old fashioneds to making the best Cosmo's we've ever enjoyed, using tart cherry instead of a whisper of cranberry. Your testbeds will be dancing and ready for the amazing meal to come, thanks to Brent! As we sat and enjoyed the first few sips of our cocktails, we fully took in the appealing menu, the stunning artwork on the walls, and watched and cheered as Felix put on a wild show with his flambé artistry, much to our delight! The sushi, beef carpaccio, Filet, and Sea Bass! The sushi (saluna & yum yum), and beef carpaccio were hands down my favorite - until I got to dessert, Felix's specialty! The music was great, we sang and vibed all night long, loudly cheering on Felix (Felix *clap*, Felix *clap*, Felix *clap*, and repeat) all night long! We got the whole restaurant into the happy vibes cheering on Felix, ordering cocktails, laughing and really giving 2025 our best start imaginable, thanks to Brent and Felix (and the chefs, of course)!! BIG SHOUT OUT to the chefs working on 1/1/25 because their Sushi chef was out that night and the kitchen staff pulled through delivering some incredible sushi!! After dinner, we ordered flambéed cocktails, bananas foster and cherries jubilee from Felix! Felix and a group of our party share a birthday which resulted in more cheering and happy birthdays being chanted!! I am telling you, the experience was hands down one of the best we had all enjoyed in a very long time. We had already made reservations in their downstairs dining room for Sorrento's the next night where the pasta and sauces definitely delivered the wow effect for our group of foodies. But I firmly believed in the cocktail experience Brent delivered the night before and traveled upstairs to order more cocktails from him to enjoy downstairs for our Pasta feast. I'll tell you, the whole building should be called Chef's kiss for the experiences awaiting you inside their doors! On our last night dining out in Banner Elk, we decided as a group to cancel our other reservation and return to Chef's Table! The Universe rewarded us for this decision because that night, Chef's table had live music and we were taken care of by Eddie, an amazing server who brought tons of fun, his top serving game, attentiveness, and his great sense of humor really added to our more amazing 2nd evening at Chef's Table! We immediately greeted Brent and Felix, now feeling like we were all fast friends and forever committed patrons of their arts, but Eddie added to the evening and so did the gentleman who sang our requested Frank Sinatra, Van Morrison and even James Taylor (Sweet Caroline) songs all night long! By this time, Felix and Brent knew us well. The drinks, food, flambéed desserts and after dinner drinks were out of this world! Soon after arriving, we got the whole restaurant singing loudly right along with us, smiling, laughing and vibing together! Felix spoiled the kids with extra whipped cream and such a fun show of his dancing flambé flames and tasty goodies. If we ever vacation within driving distance to Banner Elk again, you can count on us returning again, and again to Chef's Table with Eddie, Brent, and Felix! read more

The Chef's Table at Sorrento's - Brent! The master mixologist at Chef's Table, Banner Elk preparing a delicious smoked Old Fashioned - Cheers, Brent!! - New American Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

The staff was absolutely excellent and amazing. We came here every single day we were here. I absolutely love it and you should totally make it out here! read more

The Chef's Table at Sorrento's - Bananas Foster & Cherries Jubiliee - New American Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

The Chilean sea bass was seasoned and cooked to perfection . Our server , Kerri, was outstandingly proficient and friendly. We enjoyed our desert cocktails and flaming cherries jubilee in the lounge area, per Kerri's suggestion. What a delightful evening! read more

We went here for a birthday celebration. Since it was in the offseason some of the highest end restaurants were closed, so Chef's Table looked like the best bet for a great meal. It's inside of an Italian restaurant, upstairs from it actually. But the menu is totally separate. We had "tomato bread" as a starter and it was fresh focaccia bread covered in a tomato purée and cheese. We both had fish dishes for mains. My gf had the trout and I had the sea bass. The bass was quite good. The trout had an unbalanced sauce that left it to tangy from vinegar. Our waitress was nice and kept us fresh drinks. I would rather have a higher end experience for the price but it was good. read more

The Chef's Table at Sorrento's - Tomato bread - New American Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

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My wife, our friends and I decided we wanted a nice dinner out in the Banner elk area. We had never visited Sorrento's Chefs Table so we made reservations. Our reservations were for 845. We showed up on time and we were told that there wasn't a table available for us so they would take us to a lounge area? Once there we waited in a silent restaurant while awaiting an open table. We ordered drinks while waiting. The drinks were quite pricey so we expected them to be great. We waited for approx 30 min and the manager even came over to tell us he was sorry but the guest musician was so great that "none of the tables wanted to leave". He said how great this musician was, which made us excited to hear her. When we finally got to the table we asked the waitress and she said the musician finished at 9? We sat at the table and finally got our drinks that we ordered 30 min prior. The old fashioned I ordered was 16$ and was as basic an old fashioned as you would find at the VFW. We ordered an 18$ sushi roll, which was also very basic and flavorless. The food sounded great on the menu but was quite underwhelming and overpriced. We ordered the filet, duck, and sea bass. The only things we felt were worth what we paid were the Brussel sprout appetizer and the bananas foster. It seemed as though they were closing the restaurant down the entire time we were there. I feel this restaurant wants to be a fine dining establishment but really misses the mark as far as I'm concerned. My wife and I walked out paying around 250$ with the tip and felt sick to our stomachs because we've never paid that type of money for a meal we were unsatisfied with. We will not be back again. read more

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Great food and environment. Inside is much classier than the outside suggests. Service was amazing...attentive, fun, respectful and their recommendations were on point. Where else can you get Felix's tableside masterpieces? Will definitely be back next time we're in town. read more

The new bartender, Brent, is fantastic! He was friendly and knowledgeable. He also made us laugh and elevated our drinks with our meal. The atmosphere was warm and inviting. Great evening! read more

This was our first time dining at Chef's Table. The restaurant was crowded so reservations seemed a must. There is a very pretty bar if you would consider eating there. We had a great server named Stone. She made solid recommendations, knew the menu well. checked in on us frequently, and even took the mike, singing solo for one of the songs sung during dining. Good menu. My husband had the swordfish---tasty but a little overcooked. I got the salmon, and it was very good. The flambe menu is one of the highlights of the restaurant. Flambe coffees and desserts. Felix has it down to an artform...such a sweet, talented personable chef. Of both our dessert and coffee choices, the coffees were the best! Of the two coffees, The Amaretto Coffee was amazing! We will definitely be back...more coffees and flambe desserts to taste! read more

What a great fine this was! Our server (whose name I cannot remember, but is a gentleman with glasses) was so incredibly friendly and knowledgeable and made great recommendations. We had the tuna tartare, duck two ways, fettuccine and the bananas foster - which was the pièce de résistance, was it was flambéed table side by Felix. The wine choices were great, the food was excellent and the service was too notch. Well done! read more

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Delicious. Only 1 waiter but good!!! Would def eat here again! Many people visit obviously nothing special but the atmosphere! read more

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We had an absolutely fabulous meal. The team was exceptional. Elizabeth served us and she is a pro! Her knowledge of the menu, wine and the way she handled a large group was 5 star. We look forward to returning soon. Thanks for the experience. David read more

As an owner for 10 years, I've been eager to try Sorrento's Chef's table. To sum up my review, I will tell you that not only the food, but the restaurant as a whole lacked taste. The atmosphere was dull and lifeless. It lacked any ambiance or warmth through its hideous paintings (which they were selling..?), although that is completely opinion based. Our waiter seemed to care less about us or any of his tables for that matter. He forgot some things we requested and was annoyed when we would kindly remind him. My friend and I ordered the pasta special, a carbonara with homemade fettuccine. And let me tell you it was far from that, special. It lacked any discernible seasoning or character. I could have been eating a Marie Calenders frozen meal for all I knew. I am thoroughly and extremely disappointed in the appearance, service, and flavor of this so called "prestigious" restaurant. The downstairs of Sorrentos is 100x better and I would advise all guests to avoid the "chef's" table because in my opinion, the chef must have taken a sick day. The lack of service from our waiter led me to observe the rest of the staff. The bartender, waitress, manager, and busboy seemed to truly care about the patrons in their restaurant. I believe in this instance we got unlucky with a waiter who was possibly having a bad day. The menu is flawed in concept; an Italian restaurant serving sushi is unpalatable to me. The sushi may be good but it belongs far away from "homemade" pasta. I understand this is a lengthy review, and I am not one to nitpick the kind of service I receive. However, this was the most underwhelming meal I've ever experienced and the entire dinner was a travesty. I was truly hoping for more from the "Chef's Table" at Sorrento's. read more

Best restaurant and best service in Banner Elk! We were here two out of three nights and were really satisfied. Reservations are needed since the chef's table portion upstairs is more upscale and is much smaller than the bottom two restaurants. read more

I enjoyed the food. However, the service isn't great. If you pay for pricey food you can afford better staff.

This restaurant portrays itself as fine dinning. Our first impression was the beautiful bar and ambiance that included mood music and a small flower vase with roses. Once we were taken to our chair, we saw a different side. The leather chairs are all ripped and destroyed. Once seated, the utensils were dirty and my husband wine glasses was cracked. None of the utensils and glasses are a matching set. We ordered the trout which was ok, and the mushroom pasta that was made to feed a toddler (4 bites). I requested Parmesan and was brought a Parmesan jar like the ones you'd get a a pizza place. The bread arrived with our meal even though they kept saying "it's coming, it's on the way". Our waitress was chatting for over 20 mins with another table while we waited for our check and we had to ask the bust boy to please bring it. Overall a big disappointment and not "fine dining, upscale, or fancy". read more

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Delicious food and great service! We already made another reservation because we have to go again before the end of our trip.

My family had a wonderful dinning experience. Great sushi, prime rib shaved sandwich and delicious salads. The best experience was that of the dessert chef, Daniel M., who put on a table side show, making crapes, and a Mango flambé'. He also delighted us w/ an table side Italian Coffee which included amaretto and Kailua. Highly recommend this restaurant and save room for desert read more

Highly recommend! The food was incredible and our server, Lane, couldn't have been more attentive and helpful. Definitely coming back!

The service is where it's at for this restaurant. Raven, our waitress, took amazing care of our table of 4. She made chocolate milk for our kids and split our salads with no problems. Then we noticed the table next to ours was doing a special tasting, and she arranged with chef Niki to give us a sample too. On top of that, Chef Niki also came to say hi and ask us how we enjoyed it. They both conspired to make our meal amazing. Needless to say it was all delicious. We had the special salmon belly appetizer, saluna roll, sea bass and salmon. All were cooked perfectly. Also not to miss are the flambé coffee and desserts, this was a special treat. Felix is a master of fired sweets. Nothing charred at all. Everything was perfectly caramelized. We can't wait to come back. I've heard the owner will have a steakhouse soon and we are super exited to try that out when it opens. read more

Just ok Italian. The linguini with clams was bland. The burrata salad was boring (prosciutto would have helped) and the A La Vodka lacked depth. Decor wise it is 1990's fancy. You will know what I mean by the art in the back dining room. Sit outside if the weather allows read more

We loved our date night at Sorrentos! Huge thanks to Raven for great service and Felix for a fantastic dessert!!!! Highly recommend read more

Avoid at all costs unless you like expensive badly prepared food. Also there is a coverage charge they may or may not tell you about. Food seems to come from Jared ingredients. I order a past special that certainly had jarred artichokes. Service is good, much apologies for terrible food. Better choices in the area read more

Tyler and Felix were awesome. What fantastic food. I had the brussel sprouts sweetened with honey , Rainbow Trout, Salmon, and Yum Yum sushi. I can't even start to explain how delicious these were. Everything done to the food just brought out the flavor of the specific entree. I could go on and on, but you will just need to come in and experience it yourself. read more

The Chef's Table at Sorrento's - Banana Foster, Felix Mango Flambe , and Crepe Dulce Deleche. - New American Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

We had a reservation at Sorrento's on Saturday night. Upon arrival, we were greeted by the host, and asked if we had a preference of seating. We wanted to eat outside, but It was pretty full, so the host suggested we try The Chef's Table upstairs. She checked and they had a outdoor table up there. Bert, the manager greeted us and made us feel at home right away. He led us to our "private dinning area outside that was perfect. The wait staff and Bert, jumped into gear and had our outside table ready in a short minute. Our server, Elizabeth was not only attentive, but knowledgeable about wines and the menu. I asked if she had tried the Hanger Steak, and yes she described the dish perfectly because the wait staff comes in on Wednesday to taste each dish and learn the specials for the week. She was incredible and when we return, I will ask for her section again. Bert checked on us again and thanked us for coming. The food came out and was presented beautifully. Each order was cooked to the perfect temperature, ( the rare was rare ) and the portions were good. The plates were cleared and the desert cart brought out. Cherries Jubilee was prepared tableside. Again, very well done. The only thing that was not perfect the whole night, was the sauce I had on the Hanger Steak was heavy on the salt. I wish I had asked for it on the side. A little went a long way. I wish I could give 4.5 stars. Elizabeth gets 5 stars, the chef 4. Other than that, what a great night! read more

Excellent meal, service, and atmosphere. I would recommend to everyone. Kendal F was an excellent server! Thank you for a great experience. read more

We finally tried Chefs table to other night. Overall we really liked the atmosphere. We went for early dinner on a week night. Staff was attentive. the menu was in on smaller side but I've been told that you can get items from downstairs (Sorrentos) to supplement their menu, but they didn't automatically give us a Sorrentos menu and the wait staff didn't mention it. I did see a family with kids that ordered a pizza (not on menu) I ordered the Braised Calabrisi Chicken. The chicken was delicious, the pasta I couldn't figure out what it was. We didn't see any sides listed on the menu and both our entrees didn't come with anything on the side and truthfully the entrees were a bit on the small side. For us it was ok because we are not big eaters, but even we noticed the lack of bread and sides. I've attached a photo of the chicken looking lonely :-) We did have the white bean hummus and it was delicious. Changes I'd love: I really wish they would bring bread to table and offer a few vegetable sides w the entrees. read more

The Chef's Table at Sorrento's - Braised calabrisi chicken - pretty tasty but lonely without any sides. - New American Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

Kevin was our bartender and he was amazing !! We went to every restaurant in the area . Kevin was hands down amazing !! Thank you Kevin ! read more

The Chef's Table at Sorrento's - a bar with a variety of glasses - New American Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

We loved the new concept of The Chef's Table. The upscale decor and the friendly staff are a perfect fit for Banner Elk. My husband had the steak sandwich that was unbelievably delicious! I ordered the shrimp and grits and thought the flavors were well balanced, creamy and rightly proportioned--grits to shrimp. We enjoyed the live jazz music on Wednesday nights and the outdoor seating will be nice in cooler weather. Sorrento's has always been our favorite Italian Bistro, now the owners have added another great dining experience for all of us to enjoy. read more

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Food was good, but to call yourself a "chef's table" with a flagship restaurant that's been successful (yes, Sorrento's is an excellent restaurant) it's a bit misleading. Doesn't help if you're "lucky" enough to get Meghan as your waitress & you don't hear about all the specials where some might actually be your favorite but instead you get sh*tty snickers pie sold to ever damn restaurant on the whole east coast (possibly the world). Think the owner who I believe was sitting just off our table has gotten lazy, it'll trickle down. Won't be back. PS- how the hell can honey from Hungary be cheaper (or of chef's table quality) than down the road??? read more

Great dinner and drinks! The Brownie Bananas Foster was incredible though. Highly recommend

The little town of Banner Elk is indeed blessed to have this restaurant in its midst! I have eaten at fine restaurants all over the globe, and as a result, have become very skilled at recognizing mediocrity in food preparation, presentation and service. I've dined at this restaurant twice and both times the food has been outstanding and the service was first class. We had the good fortune of being served both times by Gregory. Gregory was very attentive to our requests, he thoroughly understood the preparation for each item on the menu, and was very helpful with wine selection. I've tried the NC Trout - excellent and the shrimp and grits which was delicious. My neighbor had the small filet and said it was one of the most tender and tasty filets she'd ever eaten. We didn't imbibe in dessert - but, I've no doubt it would have been fabulous. One detail that I feel obliged to mention - if you have difficulty climbing stairs because of "ouchy" knees or hips, please be aware that you must be able to climb one flight of stairs to enter this restaurant. read more

Chefs table is a beautiful atmosphere with great food and great service, I would definitely recommend to a friend. The workers are all wearing masks, practicing social distancing and sanitizing. The sushi is absolutely amazing as were the entrees. They offered table side dessert including crepes and bananas foster. The bananas foster was absolutely delightful and a perfect way to end the night. Overall the food was so fresh and amazing. Will definitely be back as soon as possible!! Thank you. read more

The Chef's Table at Sorrento's - Saluna and yum yum rolls! - New American Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

Wow! I can't believe there is a restaurant like this in banner elk it's a bit hidden cause it's above sorrento's but I was pleasantly surprised when i came in without a reservation the atmosphere was lovely and the food was even better. The sushi was excellent and very fresh good quality fish. My husband had the filet and it was cooked to a perfect medium rare. Absolutely loved it will be back. read more

We had the best time, we come here everytime with friends. There was a problem with our reservation. But Bruce was quick to correct the mistake and went out of his way to make it right . Lane our waiter handled our table of 10 like a pro, thank you Lane read more

I sat at the bar and had wonderful service with Tessa! She was delightful and extremely knowledgeable. She made an excellent cocktail and her food recommendations were on point. I recommend eating at Chef's Table and sitting at the bar with Tessa the bartender. read more