My husband, his parents, and I ate here back in September. The food was wonderful, and the service was even better. I couldn't tell you at this point everyone had. However, I had chicken, rice, black beans, and plantain. All of which was extremely flavorful. We only live about 90 minutes away, so hoping to make it back some day. If you are in the area, definitely a place to stop into. read more

This little place is so charming. Service was great and staff very friendly. Food is excellent and very well prepared. I do wish they would open on Sundays. Very much worth the trip. Hope they stay in business for a long time. read more

The service is ok the wait is just too slow! An hour wait!? Even if I had time that day to sit and wait, the food isn't even that good.

We had eaten here once, a couple years ago, and were disappointed, but we were drawn back by the many 5-star reviews to try it again recently. On entering, it seemed odd that we were the only people there on a Friday eve in the peak summer vacation season. And there was no wait staff, just the owner-cashier. When the food came, we understood. It was all wrong. Stuff that had been cooked, hours, if not days before was microwaved. Bland or mis-spiced, gloppy textures. Cooked onions the texture of old noodles. We sent one dish back that was cold in the middle. It's a cute, hole in the wall place, with colorful S. American crafts as decor, but there was pressure by the owner to buy something-- to help the native S. American crafts people; a good thing, but a little creepy, considering the bad food. We scooted out, leaving most of the food on our plates. I'm puzzled about the dozens of very brief, but vague adjective-filled (super, fantastic, amazing, and very, very) 5-star reviews for this restaurant. Maybe we missed something, but can't help feeling suspicious that this was just a rare bad night at the Tropical Grill. EDIT- In response to owners' comment calling me a liar I leave mostly very good reviews-- including other restaurants near Spruce Pine. It's bizarre for an owner to attack paying customers who leave honest reviews. The purpose of reviews is to offer differing opinions. Most restaurants I've seen will reply to a bad review with an expression of regret that the restaurant did not live up to the customer's expectations that night, and welcome them back to try another time. They don't call them Godless liars. read more

Food here is authentic, prepared professionally and served lovingly. You feel like you are in Claudia's and her husband home. We have not been even slightly unpleased in two years of coming here. Can't get enough plantain appetizer with queso fresca. read more

Really delicious and freshly prepared food. The owners are friendly and very accommodating. The restaurant is charming too!

This is my favorite place to eat in the area. I haven't had anything there that wasn't absolutely delicious!! It's more than just amazing food they have created a great atmosphere. You feel transported out of Spruce Pine to South America. You will not leave disappointed! read more

Awesome meal and great service! Great recommendation from Zach H!

We've eaten at several places during our stay at Little Switzerland, and this is our favorite. My wife and I were interested in the a many combinations of salads to pick from, all are fresh and delicious. The Tropical Grill is highly recommended if you are looking for a healthy alternative place to eat in the Spruce Pine / Little Switzerland area. read more

We stopped into the Tropical Grill after a long day of Black Friday shopping. Everything we ordered was excellent! There are very few restaurants where every bite you put in your mouth elicits such savory delights. The mix of ingredients and sauces made for lots of sighs and groans of pure pleasure. We enjoyed green and sweet plantains, chips with an exquisite green salsa, yucca, mahi mahi salad, mahi mahi tacos, tilapia tacos, a Cuban and a couple of huge cheeseburgers for the kids. Everyone was sharing bites between our two families. The Cuban coffee was out of this world! We really enjoyed conversing with the owner about food, her mission trips, and the beautiful Guatemalan scarves and bags she sells for charity. In fact, we knocked several Christmas gifts off our list. We will definitely be back! read more

Delicious food, lots of selection, friendly wait staff. Did not expect to find such a good Carribean / American place in these small towns parts. read more

We stopped by for lunch. The fish sandwich was fresh with excellent flavor. The waitstaff was very friendly and attentive.

What a lovely surprise of a place! I had the Jamaican jerk special: tender, light chicken with a real kick of spice. The plantains were sweet but not heavy, and my dinner friend really enjoyed her fish tacos. Waitstaff is attentive, funny, and informative without being pushy. For the quality and quantity, the price was about half what I expected (or what they could charge in, say, a city). I'll be back, and I'm hyper-picky about my food! read more

My biggest pet peeve at any restaurant..."no substitutions or omissions". This place says it's "so you can enjoy the full flavor of their food". That's the biggest load of hogwash I've ever heard. How dare they tell a Cuban (me) that you can't "enjoy" a Cuban sandwich without mustard and pickles? I'm allergic to mustard and despise pickles...and I've had hundreds of Cuban sandwiches throughout the course of my life at tons of authentic Cuban restaurants. My co-worker wanted the BBQ pork but doesn't like coleslaw. They said it was already mixed in with the pork so it couldn't be taken out. OK, we could accept that...so he opted for a different sandwich and asked that the bread not be toasted. They said the bread was grilled and he asked that it not be...he was refused. We stood up and walked out. How difficult is it to NOT put mustard or pickles on a sandwich? How difficult is it to NOT toast or grill bread? This place's policy is beyond ridiculous. read more

Great meal for three of us. We never expected to find Caribbean food in the high country of North Carolina. What a delicious surprise. We ordered three different dishes and sampled them all. Each one was on point. The cozy and welcoming atmosphere added to our enjoyment. Can't wait until we can go back. read more

An unexpected delight! Amazing South American/ Caribbean food close to the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Mango Garlic Shrimp and the Mahi-mahi tacos were out of this world. I wish I lived closer to taste everything on their extensive menu. They were very accommodating with an egg allergy in the food preparation. The service was fast and super friendly. read more

My family and I are not sure what all the buzz is with this place. The owner was yelling at the waitress regarding what color cups she gave us to drink out of. She was yelling so loud you could hear her outside. Waiting 45+ minutes on food that was nothing special at all. read more

Delicious food. They actually know how to cook fried plantains. Super friendly owners too.

Delicious food and fun, friendly owners! Love it!!!! Coconut shrimp tacos were awesome and the salsa is the best!!

Went there with my husband and two small children. What a wonderful lunch! The whole experience was great! Food was fantastic!! You could tell everything was really fresh and flavorful! read more

A very nice surprise in Spruce Pine downtown. Excellent food, friendly service, and a great location. We could hear live music downtown on our Friday night dinner outside on the patio. read more

Very tasty food. The salsas are particularly good. Reminded me of the really good Colombian and Cuban food I had recently in Orlando. You can't go wrong with the tropical selections. The owners are very friendly and can help you decide. Try the cinco leches cake for dessert if you have room. read more

Stopped in after a hike at Roan Mountain. Husband had a delicious Cuban sandwich. I had the chicken fajita--inexpensive but huge and packed with flavor. Staff was attentive, other diners were friendly . . . All in all, a wonderful experience! read more

Very good and very unique. If you're looking for a change and some authentic food, go here-- it's worth it. The quesadillas are great and so are the plantains. Get a shot of expresso while you're at it. The owners are super and you'll look forward to visiting again. read more

The Tropical Grill is a small restaurant located in the downtown area of Spruce Pine, NC. It seems that the establishment tends to focus on food from many different countries. I saw the result as being well-received among my party. I would imagine that all of the cuisine is homemade; everything that we ordered was bursting with flavor from the many herbs and spices that were used. Our waitress was pleasant, fun-spirited, a pleasure to be around, up-beat, and very friendly. She was attentive and treated us like guests in her home. The owners are Christian, and are involved with mission work in Guatemala. The restaurant's walls are covered with various products (colorful knit bags, clothes, trinkets, et cetera) that were bought from the Mayans. Their reasoning for buying these items lies in the fact that they wish to support various missions in Guatemala. Here is an excerpt from the Tropical Grill website regarding their inventory: "By purchasing our products, you are helping the Guatemalan people in many ways. First you help put monies into the Mayan economy. This provides economic opportunities for entire villages that otherwise have very little hope. Secondly, proceeds from your purchase go back to the missions in Guatemala that provide a much needed medical service and supply. But most important, understand it is our primary task to reach each Guatemalan with the 'Good News' of the Gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ." I personally felt led to review the Tropical Grill because of the wonderful things that they are doing for the Guatemalan people. read more

Me and my family had been looking for something to eat around this town for almost an hour when we stumbled across this restaurant. We didn't think it would be that great at the looks of it but as soon as we took the first bite, our eyes just lit up. Not only do they have great food but it is also a cute little store that you can walk around while you wait for your food. We defiantly advise anyone who is looking for a different and authentic type of dining to visit this place. read more

I have eaten here a couple of times. Very disappointing. The first time the potatoes in the potato salad were hard. The second time I ordered Tilapia with beans, rice and plantains. The tilapia was mushy and fishy tasting. The beans and rice were tasteless. The plantains were about all I could eat. The owner noticed that I was eating it and I explained that it was not very good and she shrugged her shoulders and walked away. And I payed for a lousy meal. At least and the proper thing to do is ask if she can get me something else. Would never go back. read more

Ahhhmazing! Totally didn't expect to find this place here but so glad we did. Well worth the stop, excellent food, service and smoothies too! read more

I had the Caribbean jerk chicken with black beans and rice was really good but the price was a little bit much

The wife and I came here for lunch during a nice motorcycle ride after finding great reviews on Yelp, and it did not disappoint. Owner was very friendly, food was outstanding, and the atmosphere is wonderful. It's just a tiny little restaurant, but it is definitely worth the trip! read more

Let me say in all fairness -- my food was not bad. AND they offered breakfast all day, a big plus. However, the only time I was there I was offended by the loudly blaring religious music. Not so much offended from the religious point of view as from the volume. 'Tho I do not personally enjoy religious music neither does it keep me away from good food. BUT there were two men, one w/ an apron on, loudly discussing religion -- of course it had to be loud to be heard over the music. As small as it is, my guests & I were very uncomfortable. 'Will not venture there, again. read more

Wrote a review about food not being good or fresh with cheese out of a can and a manager that was argumentative with a long wait !and my review is not on here. Don't waste your money or your time! There are much better places to eat with real and fresh ingredients and good service. read more

My mom and I drove up to go to the Penland gallery for the day and were looking for a nearby spot grab a bite. After reading the reviews we had to check out Tropical Grill and we were not disappointed. Everything is made fresh, from scratch, even some the cheese. We had Meat Empanadas, Plantanos Picaro and Chicken Tacos. Everything was excellent. It was a Saturday during leaf season, so pretty busy. and Caludia (owner) managed to take the time to get to know each, table, make recommendations and listen carefully to constructive feedback! These folks are truly passionate about what they do. I purchased an authentic Columbian bag which I will be giving as a Christmas gift. Claudia and her husband take a trip(s) each year to Comlubia and Guatemala where they purchase handmade crafts from the local artisans to help support them and their families. I look forward to returning and sharing another meal with these beautiful, caring and talented people. read more