We stopped in for lunch and were not disappointed. First, our waitress, Cat, was amazing! She brought our drinks out right away and they have great iced tea! Then we started looking at the menus. They had a regular menu and a specials lunch menu which we all ordered from. Very reasonable prices and enough food for 2 meals. I had the BarBQ pork with fries and coleslaw, very good. Others had turkey and dressing, Black Bean burger, & Fried Chicken, all were yummy. You get2 homemade sides with your meal also. It was a nice day so we sat on the patio at an umbrella table. Beautiful spot with lots of flowering plants to admire. Cat took very good care of us we will go back. read more

We stopped at Banner Elk Cafe & Tavern after being up on Beech Mountain. The location is perfect -- right at the base of the mountain -- and the atmosphere is calm, cozy, and relaxed with a rustic mountain charm. I ordered the French dip with pasta salad, and it was genuinely excellent. The bread was real, fresh bread, and the sandwich tasted high quality and freshly made. My husband got the ham and cheese croissant with fries, and the fries were clearly made from real, fresh potatoes. On top of the great food, the staff were all incredibly friendly and welcoming. We'll definitely be back next time we're in the area and would highly recommend stopping here if you're visiting Beech Mountain. read more

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Why not? They are open at 7 am right in town Service was fast and food was good and moderately priced Coffee hot fresh and topped off 20 minutes later headed to Beech Mountain read more

This place was a perfect spot after a sunrise hike on Grandfather Mountain. The number one thing you look for when traveling with you dogs is is it friendly for Fido. This place truly is! They have a wonderful out door heated patio for our dog. They went out of their way to make sure it was nice and toasty for us and pup... much needed when the weather was in the teens. The food was awesome and came out FAST! Eggs Benedict was over the top and the eggs were cooked perfectly! The hot chocolate was the size of one of the Great Lakes. The full stack of pancakes was ridiculous! In the best way possible! Might have higher than the trail we climbed this morning. Had a wonderful chat with the owner who was actually from our hometown. Small world. Do not miss this place! read more

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Monday night. 3/3/36 OMG... I've been there plenty of times. It's never been above average, but tonight it just sucked! I mean sucked! The wait staff can only serve what is given to them. I don't blame them. $32.00 for a ribeye that was a POS cut. No wander they want to cover it with Garlic butter. So they can cover up the nasty sub par meat. The black eyed peas were even worse. Sour. I don't think they drained the can before they heated them up. Im sure you guys will continue to serve this crap, tourist will buy it... but really, have some self respect. To the owners, do better. This really sucked! read more

Banner Elk Cafe - $32 for crap! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

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2 menus to offer from, lots of options. Never disappoints! 2 different sides of the restaurant with 2 totally different dining experience feels. One side is more formal with a bar, the other side has more of a lunch cafe vibe. Be sure to check out their desserts! The Banner Elk Cafe is always worth a visit. We've gone for lunch and dinner. With all of the options there is truly a meal for everyone! Service is solid. They also have a menu of coffee drinks. read more

Came for "wing wednesday" that was posted on the front door. My family was sat in an empty room which was the first red flag. We all ordered wings but were not told that the deal didnt start until 5pm and signage out front didnt have a posted time. When we questioned the waitress, told she forgot it was Wednesday with no offer to make it right.. disappointing read more

The service was good - took a little bit to get seated but once we did our server was great! The food was also really good! No complaints! read more

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Not what you expect from a "Cafe". It's so much better!! This place literally has a little bit of everything from burgers to pizza. The bruschetta was probably one of the best I've ever had! It's not your usual bread topped off. It comes with all the good in a bowl to self serve and it was the perfect ratio especially with the amount of cheese. I modified a chicken sandwich into a wrap and it was so good! Fresh and delicious. The wrap itself wasn't your basic wrap bread, it was the kind they serve with gyros, which is softer and fluffier. Yum! The staff were so nice and the service was great! Great for a quick bite! read more

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Great country breakfast - you will not be disappointed! Also amazing burgers & fries. Fun place to gather. Always reliable.

Have you ever been to a place that has four menus? What about a coffee shop, a tavern, and a restaurant as three different sections? What about a one-person restroom? I shouldn't have brought that up? Doesn't mix with food talk? Okay.... My bad! Have you ever heard of a bomblette? If you answered yes to all those questions, then you might have been to Banner Elk Cafe. Banner Elk has a population of 1800, and I would guess at least 1,789 are not living in poverty. It's an interesting place and pretty laidback. As far as the Banner Elk Cafe itself... The seating options are excellent: Inside, outside, inside/outside, bar. The atmosphere is an easy W. And while the salad was good, and the burger and bomblette were reportedly good, it's not really a place to order Chicken Parm. It was decent as was the pasta but the bread might have been worst I ever tasted. I love bread! But I could only do half a bite, which I secretly spit out. There was an army of servers. Some were polite and friendly, others were not. Imo, it's not that hard to say hi or hey or nod. That said, it's probably not their fault due to dealing with some rude customers, which then makes them think you might be the same way (not the case). The prices here are excellent, especially for Banner Elk. Side Note: You can bring your dog. I was forced to do this for the first time ever because my son and I were heading home after lunch and it was on the way. It was awkward but Lulu (big black female lab that loves everyone) laid down and chilled the whole time. I think she just liked the sound of people. Cool for a one-time thing but I'm not a bring-your-dog-to-restaurant guy. Banner Elk Cafe is for the atmosphere and vibe more than anything. As for food, it's probably in the middle of the pack. Then again, I have limited experience at Banner Elk dining. read more

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While I was in town from Cincinnati, when my brother was in the hospital, I was exhausted and really wanted a good burger. Last Tuesday, I decided to stop by the banner elk cafe. It was quiet and I was put in a booth near the bathroom. The beer was cold and a perfect pour, I decided to order the Gorgonzola burger. I asked for the sautéed onions and Swiss. The burger was cooked perfectly (medium) and flavorful. Very nice. I would suggest a more substantial bun so it doesn't turn to mush from the juice from the burger. The only other suggestion I would have is to not store frozen bananas near the onion rings. The Burger was a win and the beer was great after an intense day, so I was too tired to say anything, was sleepy by that point. Server was great. read more

Such a cute location. We had just entered town after traveling a few hours and so glad we did. They have a sweet fireplace along with awesome food of course. What was not pictured was the balsamic glazed cheese flatbread with diced tomato's on top... SO GOOD... Service was great as well! We will be back ! :) read more

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We ate at Banner Elk Cafe today. We got the pizza slice and salad special. The pizza crust was burned and the slice of pepperoni pizza was so full of grease that I could not eat it. The crust was so soggy! Our waitress, Zoe was great. read more

Food was great so was the service. Place looked amazing inside and out. Very comfortable. We will be going back next time we are in sugar mountain. read more

We stopped here today with 20 motorcycle riders and they were amazingly accommodating. Thankfully they have lots of seating and great staff. The food was also excellent, get the dessert!!! Lots of variety on the menu and very reasonable prices. Highly recommend. read more

Banner Elk Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

What great service! Very friendly helpful prompt staff. I love a good croissant. This is unique with honey mustard & some thick slices of Turkey. There are lots of choices on the menu and 2 different kitchens to choose from; American and Italian. Breakfast, dinner and supper. Do you call it lunch? Me too.....sometimes but here dinner seems appropriate. The atmosphere feels like a small mountain town. It's lively but quiet. This has the feel of a locals-like -it too grub hub. I'll be taking some of this home. Big helping! read more

Banner Elk Cafe - Turkey croissant with fruit. Big ass coffee cup! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

Love this place! We go here frequently when in the mo mountains. The food is good the variety is good the atmosphere is great.

This is our favorite restaurant and we Always ask to have Bray as our server. He's the beast, the music was great and as always the best food. read more

The breakfast was plentiful, reasonably priced, and DELICIOUS! They know how to cook all styles of eggs perfectly. Anna, our server, was friendly and efficient! She didn't shy away from our large party (16 people), and handled all of our needs with ease. We will definitely be back next year! read more

Landon was great. Great service. After a long day of hiking group of 10 came in and was served quickly and was great.

Anna, was awesome. Great food and great coffee! I'm typing more so I get to at least 85 characters ! read more

Amber and Emily are fantastic! Super friendly and incredibly welcoming. Its my first time in Banner Elk and Ill be back for sure!

I really liked the outdoor seating area. I did see the inside when I used the restroom, and it too had a cool mountain vibe. That is about where the good ends. We ate there for breakfast. The hasbrowns were cold. The eggs were rubbery. I really couldn't eat much of the breakfast. I had to force down what I could for the hike ahead. The worst offender was the coffee. I asked for it to not be too sweet/ lightly sweetened. My late tasted like the Koolaid we made as kids with a cup of sugar to a pint of mix. Seriously, if I drank that coffee, I'd end up in a diabetic coma and I'm not a diabetic. Nothing was done to make it right. There was no offer to remake it. The waitress just took the drink away to wipe the charge off because I guess if she thought I was going to drink it if it stayed at the table. Definitely not the case. This experience was a shame given the location and vibe. read more

Banner Elk Cafe - Barely eaten cold rubbery breakfast - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

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I would avoid if I were you. We waited an hour for our food. We ordered a chicken wrap, cheeseburger, trout, and corned beef and cabbage. Absolutely do not order the corned beef. It's not corned beef. It was deli meat that was chopped up and tossed with some cooked cabbage. Definitely not what any one would expect when they order corned beef. The chicken in the wrap and the fries were barely warm. Cheeseburger was only warm and did not come the way it was listed in the menu. Trout was bland and again just warm. This place has multiple menus but that is honestly not a pro for this place. Friendly staff but that can only go so far. read more

Food has always been great, the service not so much especially if you order something to go.

Food was delicious and the workers were super nice and helpful! Also feels cozy inside. read more

We ordered the Carbonara Chicken Pasta which was recommended to us as our waitresses favorite pasta dish. Well turns out it's 70% bacon & red onion, 10% chicken & 20% noodles. After about 8-10 bites the pic shows what's left. It also didn't have much sauce. We ended up asking our waitress if we could get more sauce and noodles to go with our plate of toppings and she said no. That we would need to order it and pay extra. Even though we made it obvious it was lacking noodles and sauce. Savannah, maybe try to accommodate guests a little better if they don't like their food. Other than the food and shotty service the restaurant itself is actually nice presentation wise. Has a log cabin feel inside the bar area, little outdoor area out back. I'm sure for beers and appetizers it's probably a good spot. read more

Banner Elk Cafe - Dog Food - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

Very difficult to review this place. On our recent ski trip to Sugar Mnt we ate at Banner Elk Cafe twice. The first visit was for breakfast and it was a pretty horrid experience. We were sat at a table upon entering but twenty minutes later we had not been visited by a server. I finally had to ask for a server and one came over looking very flustered and overwhelmed (this was around 10:15 am and the cafe was NOT busy at this time). The server took our drink orders and disappeared for twenty more minutes. Finally she brought the drinks back and we ordered just before breakfast ended. Another thirty minutes goes by and she finally returns with soggy french toast and bland eggs and sausage. I had to repeatedly ask for drink refills, utensils, and condiments and each time she would disappear again for 10-15 minutes. We noticed that several other tables were frustrated with the service as well. So breakfast was a complete bust - less than 1 star. However, we had seen good reviews on their pizza so we tried the Cafe the following day after skiing. On this visit the young waitress was very nice (though pretty clueless - she told me to walk to the bar to see what's on tap and couldn't find a pie server for our pizza or parmesan cheese). The bartender was very nice and extremely helpful. The beer selection is decent with local drafts and the pizza was delicious! We got the meat extravagance and the pesto based hawaiian and both were excellent. So, to wrap it up, maybe skip breakfast here (you aren't missing anything and the day staff seemed incompetent) but hit up this cafe if you're looking for good brews and excellent pizza. read more

This was undoubtedly one of the worst dining experiences I've had on every level. The food was terrible, the service (while friendly and chipper) was shockingly terrible. Some details: -Grilled Cheese: How to you make a bad grilled cheese? Here's how: uncooked on one side, cold and withered, as if it had been cooked 20 minutes and waited around getting soggy and flappy, before being served.. -Cheeseburger well-done: beyond well-done, charred so black and also cold and served with nothing - no lettuce, no pickles, no onion, no tomato - nothing. - After precariously perching the serving tray, our hapless (but sweet) server dumped half our table's meals on the floor and so half our table had our meals (which were cold) and the other half waited for fresh food, which took another 10 minutes and so by the time half of us had finished, the other half were just digging in. BTW, we had already been waiting for about 30 - 45 minutes, which seems like a long time for pub food. All in all, we were there for 2 hours, to eat a few cheeseburgers and fries. Here's the deal: If there are this many mistakes, money should be knocked off the bill - this didn't happen so I spent $40 on a cold, old grilled cheese and a burnt hockey-puck of a burger and a slice of cake. Thankfully the overpriced carrot cake was moist and tasty. Luckily, the terrible food and service didn't make us angry, but because we like to look on the bright side: it's a great story of a terrible dining experience. Upon returning home, we learned our friends had ordered take-out and every order was incorrect. And the kicker: the waitstaff, absent in the dining room, were clustered in the lobby, sitting on the chairs meant for patrons and scrolling tiktok...while all around the them, hungry diners wondered where the servers and food were.... AVOID this eatery if possible. read more

The food was less than mediocre. The chips were the better of the two items we ordered. The wings were rubbery and cold. They were out of many beer selections and the service needs help. The live music was the highlight of the evening. It's a shame. The place itself is a really cute spot with a good view of the mountains. I can't say that we would return unless we hear they've had a major improvement. read more

Banner Elk Cafe - Loaded chips - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Banner Elk, North Carolina

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Please spare yourselves! We didn't heed the warnings supplied to us by the yelp reviewers or the people in the booth behind us... and for that we suffered greatly. My egg and cheese sandwich was secreting a mystery cloudy liquid. The grits were not cooked thoroughly, the eggs were simultaneously cold and overcooked, the bacon burned, the latte watered down, the hash browns undercooked. It honestly takes a certain level of skill to have so many issues at just one table. read more

This is a very casual place with a warm mountain feel. The food is as you would expect for such a place. The dessert case looks amazing, but I've not yet indulged. The best feature was the service. Our server, Anna, was particularly cheerful and down to earth. We'll be back! read more

What a cute place to grab a coffee! We came during the New Year's holiday and could tell it was a great place by the amount of people stopping in to have a meal or even a coffee. We would've loved to eat in but we just stopped in for a to-go cup of coffee to try and warm up. They had a variety of flavors available even though they were out of peppermint, but that was okay since the butterscotch flavoring was delicious. For as busy as it was, the staff were still friendly and managed to keep a smile. The only reason I didn't give 5 stars was because it was a little hard to find. You have to walk through the restaurant. read more

Apparently, they are shortstaffed because they had multiple tables available, but still we had a 20 minute wait. After being seated, it was about five minutes before anyone came to our table. Our waitress was nice but didn't seem to have any waitress experience. It was odd that she had to go take a picture of the bar taps and then come back and show us. And she said something strange like she did us a favor for getting us the picture. While we're waiting for the food, I started reading yelp reviews on this place and I read a review that was similar to what I just said. The reviewer said they were told to go take a picture of the taps and then tell the waitress what they wanted. Could've been the same waitress. Now onto the food. My daughter and I got the pizza. Although it was tasty, there were some issues. The bottom was totally soggy. You pick up a piece and it would just fold in half. Too much cheese I think. Also one side of the pizza was loaded with sauce And the other had very little. Personally, I like very little. My dad got a house salad which consisted of spinach lettuce, and two small slices of tomato. Nothing else. And he said the blue cheese was not good. I saw it and it was creamy like ranch. No blue cheese chunks at all. I saw a lot of other food coming out and it looked decent. Maybe we just made bad choices. But I'm not interested in going back to find out. read more

Came here for brunch on Sunday and Anna was phenomenal! So attentive and kind! Biscuits were amazing!

Best restaurant in town. We ate there three times! The young lady that sang on Saturday Night (12.20.25) rocked the house with a beautiful voice. Love to know where she sings as we would follow her. read more

Had to wait awhile to be seated The grits and bacon were delicious Western Omelette was not good, egg was dry, not enough cheese way too many onions. Scrabbled eggs with cheese- dry no taste It's was a little chilly inside the dining area. read more

Our unexpected/random date night found us dining at the Banner Elk Cafe... Live music, great food and drinks, and the best server. Maximilian (Max) was awesome very helpful and always had a smile... he never said no, and went above and beyond to make our night awesome!! We highly recommend the Cafe, eating outside and try the delicious desserts. read more

Awesome restaurant!! I'm giving this review a 5 Star because of an employee who did an outstanding job during our visit. Jeannine was the best server we've had the pleasure of meeting in a very long time. If I could give a 10 Star review she would get that. The food was awesome, perfectly prepared and everyone got their meal at the same time. Service was impeccable. We were unfortunately seated in an area of the restaurant that is set up for larger groups of 6 or more. I won't let the extremely negative experience with the crowd of 16 next to us deter my review score. There are people in our society that should not go out in public and show their ignorance and total disrespect to others. Pompous, entitled and arrogant individuals. They was disgusting. Shame on you. I can't speak highly enough of Jeannine and the Banner Elk cafe in this review. Extremely well done. Terry read more