True southern comfort food! We've lived in the area for about two years and have never been to Caro-mi. Upon arriving we noticed a sign that said they do not accept credit or debit cards. So make sure you have a cash on you! The location is absolutely stunning. Right on the river with a cute little pass through bridge. Lots of rocking chairs on a big porch over looking the beautiful scenery. The menu is small but mighty as it has the comforts of the south. Every table gets a macaroni salad and slaw. Separate they're ok but together they taste delicious. I had the ribeye steak which was cooked perfectly and a delicious baked potato. My partner got the blacked Mahi and really enjoyed it. The sides they give you are also really great with green beans, biscuits and baked apples. Service was excellent. Most definitely would recommend this place and will be back. read more

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Last time I went was more than 25 years ago, long before they relocated to Landrum after the Helene flood destroyed the Tryon location. Food is typical of down home Southern cuisine...nothing really special about it. The old location was picturesque and had a good ambiance. Unfortunately, the new location in Landrum is not nearly as good...very limited seating and a small parking lot. Unless you come early or late and miss the rush hours, finding a parking spot is almost impossible. None of the businesses around them allow overflow to park there. If you want to sample Southern home cooking, there are many other local restaurants that are much easier and convenient to patronize; their food is just as good or better. read more

The trout is pretty good. The sides are terrible: they bring you a tasteless macaroni salad and some very sour slaw when you sit down. Not sure why. Then they bring you bad, cold biscuits and no butter but some apple butter. We all got trout and it was acceptable. It came with green beans: literally a can of green beans heated up a little. No salt, no butter. Nothing is seasoned at all. They also bring cooked, very soupy applesauce. It's ok. This restaurant used to be good but it's sort of coasting on its reputation now. The Caro-Mi is no longer in its former picturesque setting. It's in Landrum, SC, on an ordinary road. There's a porch, but no beautiful stream flowing by: just cars. Since the setting is no longer beautiful, the food needs to be better. It's not. It's pretty bad. read more

The only reason I'm giving this a 2-star is because the setting is GORGEOUS! The restaurant is in a cute old cabin right beside a beautiful river in Tryon. But that's the only good thing about it. And trust me, I really REALLY wanted to leave a good review because I've been wanting to try this restaurant for years. I wasn't expecting much on the inside because I had read the reviews and seen the pictures. We also weren't surprised about the prices (a little steep for southern fare) but since the reviews were good, we were willing to pay for good food. My husband ordered the scallops and I ordered the grilled Mahi Mahi. We were served macaroni salad and what we assumed was coleslaw before our meal came. The macaroni was decent, but the coleslaw... it tasted as though it was made with white vinegar and sugar, that's it! No spices or anything else besides cabbage. The bread rolls were served next. They were ok- not very fluffy or big. Then came our meals. My husband's scallops are TEENY TINY and rubbery! When he ordered he had asked how many came with the meal, our nice waitress said 8, so we were assuming they'd be bigger than a nickel!! My fish was so overdone it took me a while to chew each piece I was able to pull away. We left disappointed and saying we would have rather eaten at Cracker Barrel. I understand that Tryon is a small community and I give it grace for that, and maybe it was an off night... But we definitely will never eat here again. Too expensive for crappy food. read more

I have only had the pleasure to dine here one time but I cannot wait to go back! Beautiful setting, wonderful history you'll have to go there and ask yourself, and the food was varied and very well prepared. Our table of 10 I believe had almost one of everything and everybody enjoyed their meal, I think my favorite was the coleslaw but I really love coleslaw and it went perfectly with my trout. They only accept cash or checks so make sure you're prepared. This is obviously a picture of a hydrangea, I could not find my picture of the inside or the food or the beautiful porch overlooking a wonderful stream but just imagine this flower next to the stream and then you go eat a delicious meal ha ha read more

Caro-Mi Dining Room - Picture of a flower next to the stream upon which the restaurant sits on the bank - Southern Near Me - Tryon, North Carolina

We were so excited to finally to visit this restaurant. We treating our neighbors for help they had given us. First, the atmosphere was a definite improvement from the previous restaurant at this location. Bright, airy with friendly staff. But, the food was not to our taste. My Mom's family is from North Carolina and Kentucky so southern food is my love! The sides, cole slaw, macaroni salad, biscuits, and applesauce are served family style which I thought was great. If you want a baked potato or fries, that'll be extra. The macaroni salad was average, plain like at home - okay. The biscuits and warm, cinnamon applesauce were delicious! The cole slaw was vinegar and cabbage - none of the pepper noted in other reviews. And definitely not anything to cut the harsh flavor of pure, white vinegar. All 4 of us had one bite and stopped. My husband loves ham, and he never complains about anything being too salty. The ham was too salty even for him - he did not finish it. The shrimp was okay, and the chicken breast was dry. We all left hungry and went somewhere else. read more

I ordered the mahi-mahi blackened. It was very fresh. The coleslaw was absolutely delicious. It was extremely busy and it was very warm inside. read more

Cash or check only.. reservations are wise.. BYOB no liquor ..corkage fee..excellent fried chicken, macaroni salad, cole slaw, green beans, biscuits and applesauce .. the menu has seafood, steak and chicken.. the desserts -key lime pie, tarheel pie Al a mode ..yummy A one of a kind dining experience .. in feel like you are eating at your aunt or grandmother's house .. staff is excellent, friendly and attentive .. no one is standing still .. everyone is working ..highly recommend thi southern gem.. transports you back to another time! You will not be disappointed. read more

I love this restaurant. It has a lot of historical tradition. I enjoy going and sitting on the front porch. There's only one complaint. What is up with the plastic bags for take home? It's literally like a doggy bag. I've heard numerous complaints from unrelated parties about the bags. You've been around too long to do something like this. Please Dane, have some decent take home boxes for your customers. read more

If you want a fern bar cosmopolitan experience, this place is not for you! It is a timeless distinctive experience with southern comfort food. Comparing this negativity to Cracker Barrel is beyond belief. Expect the opposite of a generic chain store experience. I love it, but I also love Porsche 911s, Harley-Davidsons, and Jeep Wranglers. Just like these vehicles, it is not for everyone. I travel 90 minutes each way to enjoy the whole experience. It is nothing fancy, and not meant to be. In the cost versus value analysis, it is a great value - bring cash. read more

About 3 times a year we venture to Tryon and go to CaroMi. The menu is simple but food just has taste that reminds you of home. The restaurant is in and older home made into a quaint restaurant. The slaw and macaroni salads are my favorite! Love the trout and country ham too. It's worth the money but remember no credit cards..cash or check only! read more

The first time I went to CARO- MI was in 1945 At the time, it was located out of Sulada. My cousins and I stayed the whole summer. In 1957 the property was condemned for a water shed for Greenville SC. My Grandfather Ronald Mehaffey rebuilt CARO -MI in Tryon NC. My sister Diane and I along with our cousins Frank and Richard, spent the summers there when school was out. Hurricane Helene went through that area in September 2024 and Cari-Mi was flooded. The building came off the foundation. And the much loved covered bridge that spanned the river was destroyed. it will be missed by our family. read more

We have been coming to Caro-Mi for nearly 50 years. The food is wonderful and the location is great. Sit on the rocking chairs on the porch looking over the river and rocks is very peaceful. read more

I love this place! Out in the middle of nowhere is this great restaurant by the river!! It's cash only! But it's so worth the drive!!

The food and service are always 100%. I've never had a bad experience, and I've been here many times!

Bring cash or check they don't take credit cards! Definitely down home cafeteria style food. Such a lovely setting. It could be a five star restaurant in the right hands. It was full of people so there are a lot of people that like that type of cuisine. No alcohol served, which is fine, but just letting people know. I've had a lot of people say their green beans taste like something out of a can. Not my type of food, not fresh vegetables, I don't think I'd go here again. Service was great. The people were wonderful. We did have some lady come right next to me and scream at the cook in the kitchen. There was a window open to the kitchen, which is a shared common wall. She proceeded to scream at the top of her lungs! She hadn't seen him in a long time! So that was something out of a movie. read more

Excellent "down home " food! Great service with a unique atmosphere of a mountain cabin sitting on a river!! Great spot for a unique dining experience. Very casual . Prices are very reasonable! read more

Beautiful restaurant on the outside and the staff were very nice but that does not make up for some of the worst food I have had in a long time. The biscuits were dry and stale, and the ham...the Ham! Was a salt bomb. Really, truly $22 for a couple of 1/8" slices of ham so salty I had to spit it out. My son had the trout and it was overcooked and pretty tasteless. Depressingly bad food after a very nice write up in Southern Living magazine. Nice people but some of the worst food I have ever had. Never coming back. Sorry. read more

We had a wonderful meal last Friday at Cato-Mi. My brother-in-law and I both got fried chicken which was prepared perfectly. Wife got fried flounder and sister-in-law got fried shrimp and both were excellent. We love the vinegar based slaw served with our meals and the fried apples. Macaroni salad, green beans and biscuits are a nice compliment to the main course. Also, we got chicken liver appetizer to share and it was great. Staff was friendly and the setting beautiful. Hard to ask for much more. read more

It took me a while to write this review because the person in charge of the restaurant was very nice but the food was not good. Place is quaint, outdoor view is beautiful but no seating outside. Sides came first and were abundant but the only good thing was the slaw and biscuits. If you like vinegary slaw,this is really good, not for everyone. The green beans seem like the ones from a can, pasta salad just ok, purée apples ok too. The main dishes were terrible, no flavor at all! I got the trout which was tiny, the presentation was awful, the skin soggy, the butter with almonds on the side to pour over had NO flavor, no salt, no nothing, I couldn't even finish forcing myself to eat it. My daughter got the fried chicken, it was cooked properly but again no flavor, barely any salt and zero spices. She's a kid and she even thought it has no flavor. I'm guessing the people that come here have been coming for a long time. Unfortunately I can't recommend this place. read more

This is what I would call a time-capsule restaurant and we really enjoyed our experience. The entire visit was like I imagine life in the 1950s might have been ... right down to no credit cards (cash or check only). The food is probably like it was prepared back then too. Old-fashioned and very tasty. Everyone in our group enjoyed their selections. The staff were delightful and attentive. Everything was handled like clockwork. The setting is beautiful and I loved the creek and covered bridge. Don't go here if you are looking for modern-day recipes and options. That's not what Caro-Mi is about. Rather, go here to experience life the way it once was. With the right mindset you will have a great time. With the wrong mindset, you will be unhappy. Bottom line -- I would not go here frequently but I would certainly return on a day when I want something distinctive and different. read more

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Love this place! The beautiful bridge crossing the Pacolet River and sitting on a rocking chair on the front porch overlooking the River. They serve the best food and the best livers I have ever tasted! read more

This place has been around longer than God. In fact, my church brought me and the other kids who graduated from my high school here as a graduation gift! The restaurant itself is in an old house with beautiful pine wood paneling that has been expanded a few times. You park on one side of the Pacolet River and cross a wooden covered bridge to get to the restaurant. While I don't think the original family owns it, it does have the same menu since from whenever I can remember. When you sit down they bring you out bowls of what they call slaw (I call it sauerkraut) and macaroni salad. Then you order your main course--country ham (and you get grits and gravy with the country ham), Fried Chicken, Chicken Livers, Shrimp (Friend or Boiled), and Delmonico Steak. Sides, green beans, cinnamon apples and biscuits are brought to you family style. It was good 34 years ago the first time I remember going, and it's still good today! WARNING: They take CASH or CHECKS only! :-) read more

Caro-Mi Dining Room - Southern Near Me - Tryon, North Carolina

One of the coziest and sweetest places I've ever been! The outside is gorgeous so I didn't mind the wait in the rocking chairs overlooking the creek. The slaw is TO DIE FOR. I seriously could have taken a bucket home full of the stuff. I got the country ham & grits with red eye gravy and would get it again!! Will be back to enjoy :) read more

I ate here and as a vegetarian, I found their vegetarian options to be lacking. We called ahead and found out one of their offerings are green beans. They normally cook them with pork, but they offered to cook some without pork, for which I was grateful. However, the green beans came straight from a can. A restaurant of this caliber should serve fresh green beans. The only vegetarian main course is a plain baked potato. Suggestion to the restaurant: offer vegan or vegetarian options besides a potato. You could offer spaghetti, eggplant parmesean, lasagna, a Beyond Burger, a veggie wrap, a large salad, a roasted vegetable medley with spices, or something along those lines. A plain potato doesn't cut it these days. Back to their food, their cole slaw was the best tasting food they served me. It was quite good. Their unlimited refills of side dishes is a neat concept. The wait staff were nice and efficient. The restaurant was clean and decently decorated. The meal price was a bit expensive, but I would be happy to return if they offered something more that fits my dietary choice. Until that happens, I will choose other restaurants. read more

Dined at Cato-Mi on a Thursday evening with reservations. This establishment is a BYOB (no liquor license) and cash or check only. Very odd on both accounts in this day and age. The menu is solid in seafood. Each table comes with a heavy vinegar Cole-slaw, macaroni salad, rolls, apple dessert compote. The Carolina Mountain trout was outstanding finished table side with drawn butter & almond slivers. The fried sea scallops were average, not bad but not outstanding. The atmosphere inside was more of a supper club and outside let's you drive up to the restaurant over a one-car bridge alongside the Pacolet River. I give this eatery a 3-Star overall rating. To earn 4-Stars, 1) Accept credit cards, 2) Get a liquor license & you will be amazed at your profit margin. 3) Mix-up some new menu items including desserts too. Thanks! read more

Been here many times and it is a part of the family experience now. Normally I've always enjoyed the food and service. Tonight though, service was great but the food was disappointing. Fried chicken wasn't hot or crispy. It came out warm and fairly oily. Scallops were room temperature and I was disappointed as this close to the coast, they should be hot and fresh. I believe it may have been just an off night and I'll certainly be back as I'm a local, but still. In the immortal words of President Biden, "come on man"! read more

This is a favorite of some family members, so when they mentioned a family dinner (all adults), I tried to stay open-minded, despite the less than flattering images on their website. The meal starts with a very vinegary slaw, bland macaroni salad, and biscuits served with apple butter (they were too cold to remotely soften regular butter). Upon the arrival of the entrees, we were also provided with green beans and spiced apples (both appeared to have been from a can). Comments made about the entrees at our table: trout had little flavor, the fried chicken had more skin and breading than meat and the country ham was dry; all the entrees were served at room temperature. Needless to say, neither the flavor nor portion sizes justify paying $20 per person. read more

What a huge disappointment. The only good thing about this place was the server...she was great. Bowls of "slaw" (cabbage and vinegar), "pasta salad" (macaroni and mayonnaise), and biscuits are placed on the table. These are "all you can eat", but who wants to eat it? A veggie plate includes these pseudo-veggies with a baked potato or fries. The chicken is unseasoned, and the skimpy fried scallops come with a piece of lettuce and a tomato slice. If you ask to take leftovers home, you will be given plastic bags for your food. The food is canned quality at a premium price. read more

Beautiful setting with very good service. I had fried chicken that I thought was ok, but not as good as I expected from a country home style restaurant. It was kind of bland, as was the macaroni salad. The coleslaw was more like cabbage with vinegar. The apples and green beans were very good. My wife liked her fried shrimp. We found this place years ago on a country drive and made a note to ourselves to try out sometime. I really wanted to love it but can't say that I do. Worth trying once. It is possible that you may love it. read more

The Caro-Mi Lodge is very unique, or at least we Yankees thought so! There is a charming front porch and covered bridge that crosses a river. Once inside, the decor is plain and maybe a bit dusty; you can definitely feel the age of the place (it's been around for 60+ years). In some ways, it feels more like you're dining in a home rather than a restaurant - the plastic cups and simple dishware, the series of small, interconnected dining rooms. The menu is one small page, with (very reasonable) prices written in pencil. There are just a few entree choices - trout, country ham, fried shrimp, fried chicken, maybe one or two others. I enjoyed my trout; the country ham was a hit with Mr. L. Oh, and they bring you a ton of sides to go with your meal, and you can get "seconds." My faves were the slaw, biscuits, the green beans and the apples. Oh, and it's BYO! read more

This place is quite popular, & I can't imagine why. Since certain family members love this place & I haven't been able to convincingly fake an illness so I could stay home & watch Monk reruns, I have had to go spend an evening in this establishment way too many times. First off let me say that this place is rustic - not in any nostalgic way, but in a manner that makes one think that I'm sure glad for modern conveniences & I hope if I must use the restroom they don't point me towards an outhouse. 2nd their menu is short but not sweet. You have only a few options, must of which consists of something fried (chicken, shrimp) or country ham. They bring out an assortment of vegetables for the table, none of which are worth eating except for a truly exceptional slaw that is vinegar based instead of mayonnaise based. The slaw is this restaurant's only saving grace. I usually eat this macaroni salad that is drenched in mayonnaise simply because I'm hungry. If you order the country ham (I have to order something), you will get your sodium load for a month. Their fried food is tasteless. To make matters worse, this restaurant is quite popular among the elderly. It gives me an eerie feeling. I know I'm not a spring chick anymore, but do I really want to feel like I'm in a retirement home when dining? There are more hairs growing out of men's ears than on their head. I'm just hoping someone's abdominal aneurysm doesn't burst when I'm there because I really don't want to do CPR on anyone here. Hope this helps you decide. If you ignore these warnings & end up here someday, don't say I didn't warn you. read more

This place was hands down the worst meal i've ever eaten. i must admit, the outside of the building was cute. they first brought out some sides - macaroni salad, green beans, cole slaw (vinegar with a side of cole slaw) and maybe some other irrelevant bland-tasting objects. the waitress was oddly friendly unlike what i heard on other reviews. but she was super touchy. like she made sure to rub your back when she filled up your glass of water. when ordering, three people in my party tried to order a "vegetable plate" which resulted in either a baked potato or french fries stacked on two plates. hard to imagine that they charged us $14.50 for the singular baked potato(?!?!). the wait was a solid 45 minutes and you would think that'd be enough time to season any of the food- but you'd be wrong. as 45 minutes passed and the macaroni salad looked like it had expired at least three years ago, our food had arrived. to picture the main course: image the most disappointing meal you've ever seen (small portions and a laughable garnish alongside it: a whole piece of lettuce and a slide of a tomato). one person in our party ordered scallops and about 3 and a half arrived on his plate. after an extremely disappointing four minute dinner they sang "happy anniversary" (in the tune of happy birthday) to our grandparents. before paying the check we had jokingly ask if there were any to-go bags and the waitress said she'll grab some DOGGY BAGS. and lord and behold she came back in 3 to 5 business days with some plastic, gallon sized doggy bags. i hope to god that you read the reviews before going here. i thought i was on some tv prank show during the whole meal. i can't believe they would let a restaurant open and run with the experience i had. read more

I always enjoy dinner here! Bring my on beverage, food and service is always great! Always greeted at the door!! Key lime pie is awesome. Best to call ahead for reservations. read more

Authentic Southern Food created from recipes of yore. Delicious fried chicken, amazing fresh fried shrimp you'd think you were visiting the coast. Nostalgic comfort food surrounded by colorful collegiate pennants. read more

This is a great little dinner joint in the middle of no where. The decor was awesome and service was friendly and welcoming. The food was awesome and wore the hour drive. read more

We have lived in the area for 3 years now and always wanted to try this place. The setting is beautiful and it feels like a step back in time which I love. However, we were so disappointed. When we arrived we were asked if we had made reservations and we had not. So the hostess says okay you will have to sit in the back (very odd). They brought out their famous slaw, macaroni salad and biscuits. The slaw had a very odd taste to us and the macaroni salad needed seasoning (it was basically macaroni and mayo). They had no butter for the biscuits and they were dry. We ordered our entrees, which were mahi-mahi, fried flounder and fried jumbo shrimp. The mahi-mahi was dry, the flounder was obviously frozen and the best thing about the shrimp was the homemade cocktail sauce. The other family style sides were green beans and baked apples. The prices for the meals were expensive to us for the quality of food we received. There are other restaurants in this area that are way less expensive for food that is 200 times the quality and taste. I'm glad we tried it because we always wanted to, but for our family it is one and done. read more

Caro-Mi Dining Room - a stream running through a wooded area - Southern Near Me - Tryon, North Carolina

Wow, it is bewildering that this establishment is so popular. There are so many better places in the region for Southern dining, it boggles the mind! This is a mediocre sugar and salt extravaganza. Well, the good thing about Caro Mi is that it speaks to my grandpa's generation - he feels so content & comfortable here, and loves to talk to other patrons about the "old days" while waiting for a table. It's pretty cute. Plus it's located in a beautiful spot. That being said, I hope you enjoy looking at the river, because you'll be staring at it for at least an hour getting eaten alive by mosquitos while you wait for a table. As far as the situation inside, there is nothing going for this place. The food is terrible! Expensive! Tacky decor. Poor service. They run out of dishes every time we come. Turns out, every person in my family under 70 has loathed this place over the years, but never said anything until now. We all had a bad experience for one reason or another - it actually became laughable at one point. For me, they were out of the one thing that I would order: fried chicken. I said that I would just share a plate with my husband, for which they had to charge me a whopping $14. That's so that I could partake in their bland "vegetable" side dishes (by the way, there are only 2 actual vegetables offered in this whole restaurant... grits and macaroni salad do not count!). How can such unhealthy food be so flavorless? What's the point of all that lard if you can't taste it? They were also out of biscuits - I don't even know what to say about that. This might sound harsh, but honestly the owners did not seem to give a crap about quality anymore, and just charge the maximum that they can get away with with the lowest quality ingredients on the market. It basically cost me $14 for coleslaw, apples, and macaroni salad: do the math on that profit margin. And I won't get into what an attitude the waitress gave us because she was nearing the end of her 3-hour shift. Anyway, my husband ordered the Country Ham, which can be described as "Dead Sea" salty. Before I even made it out the door to leave, I noticed that I had developed edema in my feet from eating one small piece. Never had that happen before... I think the icing on the cake was that to wrap up your leftovers, they bring you a clear plastic bag - the only thing you want to do with it is throw it at cars as you blast out of the parking lot. We are putting our foot down, never to return to Caro Mi again. As my aunt properly said, "it's so tragic to be in such a lovely setting but have such dreadful food." read more

If you live in the Piedmont area, chances are you already know about the Caro-Mi. For those of you who are not in the know and are bound to be taken here by your family as one of their favorites let me tell you what you are in store for: *A beautiful porch lined with rockers to pass the time while you wait for your table or to let some of the nosh you just chowed down on time to digest. *Friendly family service. *Sides-sides-and more sides. My favorite is the slaw. A perfect mixture of vinegar and garlic- trust me- it is perfect. I also loved the macaroni salad. And do not be afraid to ask for some apple butter to go with your biscuits. * The main meal. My southern taste buds are growing, but I am not quite ready for the country ham (too salty for me), so settled on the fried shrimp. Next time I am want to try the trout. Do not worry if you cannot decide- the people around you will be ordering off the small but complete menu so you will get eyefuls of the different choices. * Dessert? No way- I was so full of sides, shrimp and sweet tea! *Time and money well-spent. Be warned- this place gets mad-crazy busy on the weekends, but they do take reservations. So call them for your own bit of southern lovin. read more

Charming restaurant building too bad nothing else is! Service was horrible. Told my kids they could not have French fries because they were out. When my steak came she said we are out of baked potato's so she brought me, you guessed it, French fries. My wife never got her food. Waitress was having a bad day and took it out on us. When I asked to see the manager he got in my face like it was my fault. The waitress's quote "well you could at least tip." Tip are you freaking kidding me! All my friends rave about this place. If you bring up this place in my presence I will rail against it for 30 mins to who ever will listen! No stars!! Don't go! read more