This place had a very nice and accomodating staff, the food was good but not 5 stars... its really a 3.5/5 for me... I ordered the filet mignon- which while very tasty, was actually quite fatty (not what filet mignon should be)- the french onion soup was actually quite good=- even my 2.5 year old was obsessed with it... And we had some zucchini sticks too which need to be tweaked as the breading falls off of them... Had peanut butter ice cream pie for dessert which was way more chocolate than peanut butter but its HUGE, easily shared by two people... overall not a bad spot while in boone... read more

If you are going here to have a normal dinner. DONT . LOUD .. Food cold , not what I ordered . Teens behind bar loud , disrespectful, showing off tattoos by pulling shirt down past shoulders. read more

One of the nicest restaurants in Boone, established in 1985 and has withstood the test of time. Lunch and dinner menu with excellent lunch specials at a reasonable price. We chose a combination lunch special with a bowl of onion soup and a half roast beef sandwich au jus. The generous portion of onion soup was topped with cheese melted under the broiler, nice and gooey. No shortage of the carmelized onion in the broth. The roast beef sandwich was excellent as well. Nice atmosphere with a window view of snow-topped mountains and a quiet table. Lots of choices for tea to accompany your meal. Excellent service. read more

It was just about average all around. Very average service. Okay atmosphere. Would definitely recommend checking out other local places if you have the time. read more

Talk about a great place to just unwind and have a good meal with friends and family. The Red Onion Cafe does have all of that. The menu is loaded with Sandwiches, Salads, Soups, Pizzas and more. I started with the Red Bell Pepper Tomato Soup and it was delicious. Finished off with a Greek Pizza and the flavors are in every bite. Do yourself a favor if you're in Boone and swing by there. I highly recommend the patio area to dine on a nice night. read more

The Red Onion Cafe - Desserts Near Me - Boone, North Carolina

Low Country Salmon was very flavorful and had a nice sauce with polenta. My wife had A salad with a side of salmon on top. Again, very good.

Who would have ever thought of putting spinach artichoke dip into a quesadilla?! I have tried my best to recreate the AWESOME lunch I had here and have failed. I have decided that every trip to visit my mother-in-law WILL include this quesadilla. Four stars are because my husband's French onion soup was no bueno, full of herbs that seemed very out of place. However, my MIL loved her Chinese chicken salad. So two out of three ain't bad. read more

It's good but it's just not my favorite. They do have a lot of options and it's a good place for a nicer light lunch within budget! Everyone wears masks and the service is fine. read more

For year's we have driven by the Red Onion. What a mistake that has been. The Onion is a delightful place laid back atmosphere great food. A really good Gluten-Free menu. The Ruben was a tasty treat. read more

The Red Onion Cafe - Gluten free Ruben very tasty and very generous. - Desserts Near Me - Boone, North Carolina

Excellent service my food was outstanding. Will Watkins knows how to throw down on the grill

So delicious! Great pricing! Lunch combo French onion soup and 1/2 Rueben hit the spot! Highly recommend!! read more

The Red Onion Cafe - Excellent excellent excellent! - Desserts Near Me - Boone, North Carolina

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Super duper expensive for the quality. $13 for an Asian salad with grilled chicken and chow mein noodles. The lettuce was iceberg and there were literally about 12 noodles and 5 strips of chicken. What a rip! Would not recommend this place - not to mention it looks like it could use a good scrubbing! read more

My wife and I had a great experience. We went in for an early dinner (we hadn't eaten all day) so we were able to avoid any crowding. That said, they did a great job of making sure all tables are separated, and everything is very clean. We had the fried zucchini as an appetizer, it was great. My wife had the salmon and I had the Ribeye and both were cooked perfectly. One great surprise was that the vegetable medley that came with the meal was also excellent! Definitely a place we'll return to! read more

This is our 2nd time dining here. The 1st time, we dined in was lunch time and it was 5 star all the way. We expected the same type of service, if not better, during dinner hours. Tonight we waited over 30 minutes for an appetizer. Actually our appetizer arrived after our entrees. I was terribly disappointed as we ordered smaller entrees and didn't "go all out" because we anticipated enjoying an appetizer. Once we brought the delay to our servers attention, she stated that we were behind a big ticket. Keep in mind when we ordered we can see the full house. We can see that most people, at any table, consists of two people with the occasional 4 count. There is no excuse. Just freaking be honest. Honesty goes a long way. Making excuses is not stellar customer service. I appreciate the truth even when it totally blows. Ugh! The food was excellent. It always is. I really love this place. I will most definitely be back just wish our special evening didn't have the lingering black cloud over it Our waitress, mess up and all, was good. Had we received our app in a timely manner this meal would have been a 5 star review. Please be honest next time...shit happens. read more

The menu has a lot of variety... something for everyone. Last visit Oct 2021 we had a surly male server, always had good service in the past. They did manage to meet my friend's gluten free needs. read more

This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to Boone, NC and to The Red Onion Café located practically in the shadow of Appalachian State University. This local eating establishment boasts that "An evening at Red Onion Café promises to be an experience to remember!" and they were correct, even though we visited at lunch. Dora here. It's winter and the planter boxes are empty, but picture this patio with the lights on and colorful flowers lining the ledge. Wouldn't that just whisper, "Come sit down. Relax. Eat. Enjoy." I can't wait until the temperature warms up so we can do just that. During a Sunday lunch, the inside was jammed with regular patrons, and I can see why. With their extensive menu, everyone can surely find something. For my lunch, I chose the Baja Fish Tacos, two soft shell tacos with blackened Tilapia, grilled pineapple, spicy cilantro slaw and topped with a creamy sriracha sauce. So with a restaurant named Red Onion, you know I have to try their fried onion rings. Dipped lightly in a homemade batter and fried to a perfect golden brown, they were outstanding! I like onion rings that, when you bite into them, you don't end up with the entire sloppy onion ring in your mouth while holding the batter in your hand. The tacos were equally great with just a little heat from the slaw and sauce. Excellent choice! Dora here. The Chicken Fajita Wrap was ginormous and loaded with chicken, lettuce and tomato. Cheesy good, but it was missing some heat. I would've liked a kick of flavor to give it more depth. Onion rings: Thick batter or thin? And where's your favorite place to get them? We'd love to know! ~Ernie & Dora Hiers, Fiction Faith & Foodies Blog http://bit.ly/2oj8eHk read more

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Loved it! Excellent food, ample portions. My wife had the lasagna and I had the tilapia. Service was excellent. So nice to find a restaurant with great food and service while traveling and away from home. read more

The Red Onion Cafe - Tilapia - Desserts Near Me - Boone, North Carolina

Went here with a large group and the staff was very accommodating and friendly! The restaurant felt very clean and the bread appetizer was delicious! Our waitress kindly brought us several additional loaves. Food was really good, lots of options, and not overpriced- would come again! read more

Tired place, mediocre food. Salmon on salad was good but only approx 2.3 oz. of salmon. Skipped pasta dishes because we asked and the chef keeps pre-cooked noodles hanging around and dips them in hot water before serving. Come on chef, where is your pride? Ordered chicken red pepper sauce instead, this is where it got bad. Tiny breast, rock hard, served with overcooked rice and a thimble-sized medley of different potatoes. Chef, two starches, really? Remember the question about pride? Never mind creativity. So we left there quite dissatisfied and kinda hungry. Understanding covid-related challenges, I would not have minded the 8% inflation surcharge had the quantity of food been ample. But they cheaped out and starved us. I hate that! The only reason for the second star was the waitress; she was very sweet and a good waitress, plus she accepted our feedback professionally. Red Onion, get out of the 80's and bloom into something tastier! read more

Customer service really lacking here. Called to see if they could accommodate our group and they said they may have to split us up but that they would not have a problem getting us in. Once we arrived they totally changed their tune and did not want to seat us stating they had to honor existing reservations. Good luck Red Onion - not winning over any new customers like this. read more

Yum! Had the Rueben and Three Kale Salad out on the patio. Food was delicious, atmosphere lovely, and service efficient. Definitely visiting again! read more

The artichoke dip has actual, numerous artichokes in it! Awesome. I will make the drive for just the appetizers! There mushroom Florentine lasagna was great as an entree. Sit outside and enjoy the mountain views. read more

Impromptu ski trip brought my family to Boone and having heard so many great things about Red Onion, we decided to stop in. There was a bit of a wait (due to social distancing capacity) but not too long and the hostess explained the process well. We're sat about 40 minutes later, which was only 10 minutes longer than the original 30 minute expectation and had the opportunity to go off-site during our wait, which made it easy. We started off with the zucchini fries and the French Onion soup. This spot seems to be known for the French Onion soup and I found it to be fine but not really special. The tomato bisque was the soup of the day and was good. Our main plates were all very good. I had been craving a good burger for a while and the "All the Way" helped with that. The server did not ask how I liked my burger cooked and it came more on the well-done side than I would have requested; but, this isn't a deal-breaker for me. It is a good burger and I would expect it to be cooked to diner's specifications but may have just been a miss on this evening. Kids menu is limited but covers the mains for what most kids would expect. Our 10 year old decided to order off the main menu and went with the lasagna. She was very happy with the choice and I tried a taste as well. Overall, this was a good experience. I believe there were some misses that could be improved; but, none that impacted my belief that the Red Onion is a good spot that is built to last in Boone. read more

We had tried to visit this location last week, and we were told it was best to make a reservation. Knowing this, we made a reservation for a Thursday night when some friends from out of town were visiting. We started off our dinner with the onion rings which were fantastic! Everyone ordered a version of the pasta, and no one had complaints! Definitely a great local place to check our read more

Came here with my wife based on all the recommendations. We arrived at around 4:30pm and were pretty much the only ones in there. Our waitress promptly greeted us and we ordered French onion soup as appetizers. It was very hot and gooey. The taste was nothing to write home about. I'm used to a very beefy broth and this tasted like maybe vegetable broth. Not the best I've had; not the worst either. For dinner, my wife got a salad and was pleased with the honey mustard dressing. I ordered a chicken fajita wrap. I was given a chicken fajita salad! It's worth noting at this point that waitress never wrote down our orders. Anyway, they brought me my wrap and it, too seemed a little short on flavor and any type of seasoning. That being said, there are too many places to eat in Boone for me to WANT to come back here, so I probably won't. It was just an average experience. read more

First time to Boone and boy was it a doozy. Since we have never been here, we stopped by the Red Onion on our way into town. We were starving and got a table right away. Menu looked to be your classic sandwiches with fries, burgers, salads etc. we opted for a blackened chicken sandwich and a burger The food took awhile to arrive, and we were almost ready to bail. When it arrived, my " blackened " chicken sandwich was literally blackened. It was flattened and looked dry. It was sitting on a cold bun with a little interior piece of a romaine heart. Had to ask for mayo to juice it up. First bite tasted like a piece of charcoal, no joke. Fries were cold to top it off. I was so hungry, and plus the fact we hadn't seen our waiter since we got our food, I didn't want to send it back and wait an hour for new food. The burger was basically the same. Plain, cold bun with a dry looking burger. FYI: if you want a burger without the $$$, go to Hardee's around the corner after 2pm and they are $1.25. Sat by the window watching the youngsters vaping and smoking right where you walk in the front door. Thanks for the sick vape cloud bro!! Go elsewhere read more

That Creme brûlée slapped. Delicious gumbo for soup of the day and grilled cheese to go with the gumbo.

Fantastic lunch service. Staff was very friendly and helpful with recommendations. Food cooked perfectly to order as well. Sweet potato fries were excellent. read more

I'm not sure which was worse, the atmosphere (or lack of), the food or the fact that they didn't have anyone to make drinks. Overall it was an awful experience. Not sure why there is an overall 4* rating on this p,ace. read more

Definitely wasn't my favorite, pizza I had was very doughy, chicken was bland. Wait staff wasn't very attentive and told the staff I ran out of TP in the bathroom I had just enough and they didn't even care. They still didn't take care of it before I left. I was thinking was a great place before because parking lot always was full but I wasn't impressed. read more

Horrible. Just do not understand how this place has survived for 3 decades other than to say that maybe once they were the only place in town with an appearance of upscale. That train has left the station a long time ago. First time to Boone and just pulled in this place as the lunch window was almost over. We drove from Asheville and were very hungry. Pretty limited menu but settled on basic burger and blackened chicken sandwich. The service was just ok. The waiter came for our order 3 times within a minute of us sitting down and then he disappeared for 10 minutes. Asked for WiFi code and what an ordeal that was. Acted like we just landed from Neptune. After asking several people the WiFi didn't work at all. They said they would look into it Not! Anyway the chicken was blackened to a charcoal crisp. Really inedible but we were starving so we forced ourselves to eat it. Burger was as mediocre as they come. We mentioned this to our waiter who was nice, and they ended up cutting our bill by 50%. Would no way in hell would we eat here again. read more

Food was fantastic (salmon salad, Cajun chicken pasta, orange glazed salmon). Outdoor seating was nice and service was good. Food was a little slow coming out but the tasty bread tided us over. An unexpected item was the 8.0% "inflation charge" that just showed up on the bill on top of the menu prices. A little deceptive and unusual, but it wasn't worth arguing. Will definitely go back sometime. read more

French dip was great roast beef but fries were weak. Pizza was undercooked. Artichoke dip was bland (like just canned artichokes with cream cheese). Boys liked the meatball sub and nachos. Onion rings were nice and crunchy. read more

The orange glaze salmon with potatoes and green beans left A LOT to be desired. Order something else if you're hungry. Chicken fajita salad had no fajita peppers or onions. Think standard grilled chicken salad with some tortilla strips. Also ordered to-go and didn't get any utensils. Wouldn't visit again. read more

The Red Onion Cafe - Desserts Near Me - Boone, North Carolina

Have always had a good meal at the establishment. Servers are almost 100% college students. read more

The Red Onion Cafe - Desserts Near Me - Boone, North Carolina

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Food was delicious. We had a party of 5 got seated right away. We all had different things. I didn't get a picture we were ask very hungry I totally forgot. We had an awesome waitress. She was friendlyand nice. I wish I could visit this place again. read more

It takes a special place to entertain and feed 20 retired teachers who are celebrating two more joining the group. Taylor, I think that was her name, seamlessly interacted with menus, water(we are retired, so no soft drink orders for us), food, napkins and promptness. It was very enjoyable! Oh, and the food, as usual, was outstanding! This is our "go to" place for all things celebration! Wendy J. , retired teacher from Boone, N.C., Watauga County Schools read more

Low key place for lunch. Friendly welcoming staff. The menu has a nice selection of burgers, sandwiches and salads. What caught my eye was Pimento Cheese as an appetizer. Pimento cheese flavored with cumin served with carrots, celery sticks and toasted rounds of baguette. Now I know I'm in the south. The blackened fish taco with pineapple, slaw and a pepper sauce hit the mid-winter spot. read more

The Red Onion Cafe - Pimento cheese appetizer. - Desserts Near Me - Boone, North Carolina

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A great place to eat in Boone! Staff is always very friendly and parking is normally not an issue unless it's a football day.Food is pretty reasonable price wise although they are now charging an additional 8% above what is on the menu?? Sometimes they give you bread while waiting on your food. Great pizza, chicken salad, and hamburgers. read more

Tried calling in for two nights, would not accept a take out order for staffing shortages. After the third try, got an order in. Food was acceptable to say the least. One entree had a crispy potato medley that was anything but crispy and the entree was simply a grilled chicken breast sitting on spinach. Got to say, I was not impressed and the meal was expensive for an entree and 3 burgers. Third time was not the charm! read more