Café Violette is pure culinary perfection in the heart of vibrant and spunky Blowing Rock. My wife…read moreand I came up for a quick getaway, and this spot turned out to be the highlight of our trip. We lucked out with a table on the cozy patio sitting on Main Street, where the town buzzes with life. The interior is beautiful and refined, but the outdoor setting, with the fresh mountain air and the hum of the town, created the perfect backdrop for a special evening. Service was impeccable. Gracious, attentive, and perfectly timed throughout the night. We began with a chilled French Chenin Blanc that paired beautifully with our appetizers. The escargot, bathed in a garlic cream and Gruyère sauce, was rich and mouth meltingly tasty. The braised and seared octopus was incredibly tender, deeply flavorful, and quite honestly, one of the best we've had anywhere. For mains, we shared the heirloom tomato burger, which was juicy, perfectly cooked, and packed with flavor. Alongside that, we split the mushroom burrata orecchiette, pillowy pasta coated in a creamy lemon pistachio pesto with locally sourced mushrooms. It was rich, bright, and beautifully composed. When dessert rolled around, we switched things up with cocktails. I had the old fashioned with a pistachio twist, complex and not overly sweet. My wife enjoyed a smooth and flavorful espresso martini. Both paired wonderfully with the finale: a creamy, light tiramisu and a house-made French éclair with fresh peaches. Each bite was the perfect ending to an already stunning meal. From start to finish, Café Violette delivered. The food, the service, the atmosphere, and the view all came together in the best possible way. This is French fine dining with soul, nestled in one of North Carolina's most charming towns. An absolute must-visit in Blowing Rock.

We had Stephanie she is the best waitress. This was the second time she was our server the fist…read morewas Mothers Day. Stephanie was chipper and it was the end of a long day for here. There were three of us and we had a lovely meal My daughter and I had amazing salmon so favourable it came with a bed of rice so creamy. I asked for bread it was hot and smelled so heavenly. We also had a small dinner salad I had Caesar and my daughter had regular small salad with ranch. Michael had steak and scallops cooked to perfection. The ladies had wine and Michael had his brown sugar old fashioned with extra cherries . Then we ordered two deserts a coconut cream brûlée and a pichstasio cake. We all liked the crème brûlée best. Stephanie was extremely attentive and we wanted for nothing. We will ask for her next time as well. Thank you chef and Stephanie for a lovely evening.

We weren't quite certain before we entered what type of restaurant this was going to be. Don't let…read morethe exterior dissuade you from entering. What a beautiful and unique restaurant. The food was top notch. Very high end. . Service was spot on. It was very unexpected. Ask for Burlene. She is fabulous. We will definitely be back again.

Twigs consistently provides delicious meals! The Thursday night bar filet is to die for! The steaks…read moreare always cooked perfectly. There was only one server in the bar area, but she did an amazing job if keeping all the balls in the air. This is more of an adult type of restaurant, with a cozy mountain vibe.

Went for Christmas lunch and it was AWFUL. Just AWFUL. Minimal offerings with a carving "station"…read morethat only offered bloody roast beef. Weird salad, of sorts. Cold popovers. Hard bread smeared with some cream cheese and topped with 2 whole red grapes. Scalloped potatoes cooked to mush, canned yams with some marshmallows melted on top, green bean something from cans, "creamed" spinach that was thawed frozen chopped spinach with breadcrumbs on top-- nothing "creamed" about it. Half the buffet was hours-old leftover breakfast items like rubbery scrambled eggs, dry grits, and -- the worst-- alarmingly undercooked quiche served refrigetator-cold. Thought of the quiche still makes me a little queasy. Dessert station was weirdly dominated by no fewer than five whole buttermilk pies -- the only pie offered. SHAME ON CHETOLA for even offering this, and at upwards of $100 per person. My fault for not checking recent reviews but it is hard to see how anything could go downhill as far as Timblerlake's has. Ugh. Just terrible.

limited menu.Food was delicious. my husband had the trout and he loved it. I had the bison…read moreBolognanase. a little heavy on the salt. pasta could have been cook a minute or so more. bread butter amazing. we also had r the Burrata dish. delicious but you def need the bread with it. service was Fabulous well informed staff.

First night in blowing rock we got a rez here. Such a beautiful inn and restaurant and great…read moreservice. I had the halibut and chose acorn squash (all entrees come with mashed potatoes too). Delicious! One got steak au poivre and it was highly peppered but so tasty. One got steak and crab cake. One got Parmesan crusted chicken. Everything was so good! We brought home their signature banana cream pie and a peanut butter pie. Both great!

Make reservations months in advance for this gem! Located in an old stone manor, the Best Cellar is…read morethe best restaurant in Blowing Rock! The rack of lamb and buttermilk chicken are some of my favorites. The staff are very professional and seem to continue working there for years. The renovated the gathering area to make a rustic, yet upscale bar. Parking is not a problem because they offer valet.

Not pictured - crab cake & Caesar salad & sticky toffee pudding…read more Every food dish was amazing!! My martini was great. Quiet restaurant & staff was very friendly. Service was quick as well. On the pricier side & small ish portions, but I felt that the food was worth it.

LP on Main is one of those spots that just feels good the moment you walk in. It's warm, it's…read morecharming, it's got that little mountain-town magic going on, and on the night of the annual Banner Elk Christmas parade, it was packed. Honestly, it looked exactly the way a restaurant wishes it looked every night in December. And that wine list is impressive. They've curated it well. We started strong. The BBQ shrimp over grits was the star of round one. The grits were phenomenal, silky and flavorful, the kind of grits that make you pause and appreciate how simple things can be done exceptionally well. The fries were perfect, crisp and hot, and the beet salad was fresh and bright. And then... the lull. There was a noticeably long gap between appetizers and mains, you could see the food flow from the kitchen just stop. Our server mentioned a chef was out sick, which we totally understood, especially on a night when the whole town seemed to be out celebrating. But the wait was long enough that it changed the rhythm of the meal. When the entrées arrived, mine had clearly been living under a heat lamp a little too long. I ordered the bison meatloaf. The meatloaf itself was good, nothing to complain about but nothing to rave about. The mac and cheese, though -- gummy, sticky, just not its best moment. My husband ordered the cioppino, and the flavor was really good, but it was served in such an oversized bowl that you practically had to tip it to get to the broth -- and cioppino is all about the broth. Still, even with the hiccups, I'd absolutely go back. The charm of the spot, the genuinely excellent starters, the thoughtful wine list, and the overall warmth of the place far outweigh the blip we hit -- and on a wildly busy parade night with a short-staffed kitchen, it's understandable. LP on Main is worth another visit, and I'm confident that on a normal night, the kitchen timing would match the quality of the food they're capable of putting out.

Really a 4.5 and maybe a 5.0 for this area. And be quite honest a huge surprise given where it's…read morelocated. My son had the roasted chicken and I the primary New York strip... Both were off the charts as well as the grilled Caesar salad. Excellent wine selection albeit, small very well curated. Our sugar was Michael her who is attractive, personable, and been working there for sometime and offered tremendous value throughout the meal from his knowledge of the menu to the surrounding area. Looking forward my next visit! Next up there for me to try all the pasta and homemade sauce

The decor and ambiance are top notch!! Awesome big roaring fireplace, good bourbon selection (and…read moreI'm a bit of a snob) and the ribeye was KILLER! My second dinner in Boone (week long stay), and The Beacon takes the cake as best restaurant I've eaten at! Broccolini was damn good!! Well done y'all!!

My wife had the Sunburst Trout and I had the Tuna Schnitzel. They were both amazing!!! The fish…read morewas cooked perfectly and extremely flavorful. What a WONDERFUL experience. We both agreed we will revisit this establishment on our next trip to this area. Fortunately, I saved enough room for dessert. If you are not sure you can do that, I would recommend ordering the peach cobbler as an appetizer. Our server was very attentive and anticipated our next request. The soft jazz playing in the background just made the entire evening perfect for us. WOW

Our favorite restaurant in Banner Elk!!!! Small town, with few restaurants, we weren't expecting to…read morefind great quality food. But we did. We ended up coming to eat dinner here twice, in two days (vacation was over after that). The name should probably say "bistro", instead of cafe and catering, to give the correct description of this restaurant. The ambiance inside (and the food) gives you a "bistro feel"- but we sat outside at a picnic table both nights because we brought our dog with us! The staff both nights was very friendly, with the entire team pitching in to bring you drinks and food, and checking on you. The cocktails at this place were unique, and well-constructed; my favorite was similar to a tart pisco sour!! They also have a wine and beer selection. For dinner, one night I ordered the steak of the day, which was ribeye, served with asparagus and potatoes. The steak was cooked perfectly, and was both juicy and tender. The second night I ordered the pasta of the day, which was casarecce pasta served with clams. The pasta was 10/10- the noodles were cooked al dente, the sauce was thick and flavorful, and nestled into each noodle really well. We also tried the snow crab and the NC oysters off the seafood menu, and the chocolate banana milkshake and the strawberry cloud/meringue off the dessert menu. All of those items were delicious (the strawberry dessert was my absolute favorite and I got it both nights). Really nothing but compliments to say about this restaurant! Every dish is flavorful, well-seasoned, and cooked nicely. Highly recommend and would definitely go again if I am ever back in Banner Elk!!

Superb evening at this sleek and modern lounge and restaurant in the lobby area of The Embers…read moreHotel. We weren't expecting such a high level experience when we first booked a stay at this newly finished hotel. Classy cocktails, beers, plenty of wine variety, you name it. Went with the Old Smokey as a starter. An old fashioned kicked up a notch. The house smoked maple syrup and charred orange peal knocked his cocktail out of the park. I could smell that smoky flavor from the other end of the bar as it was being made. Bartender was super friendly and had some great mixology skills. We opted for apps all evening, but can't wait to come back and try some more of the menu. The homemade bread is a must. These puppies come out hot and steaming, with this amazing bacon butter to lather them in...outstanding! Our server also recommended the mushroom pate. Mushroom pate you say?! Yes, yes I do. One of the best pate's we've had in a long time. Super flavorful, creamy and smooth. And the homemade chips sticking out of it were the bomb! Then the goat cheese fritters...I had to battle my wife for these flavor bombs. This place is outstanding and not many people know about it...yet. Newly finished in 2024, this is going to be our go to when we want to be right in the heart of Blowing Rock.

I enjoyed our dinner here, but I wanted an upscale romantic restaurant, and while it came up in my…read moresearch, that's not how I would describe this space. The restaurant is right off the lobby of a hotel. There is a small bar, and it's a small, but open concept dining area and it is LOUD in there. I enjoyed the old fashioneds, I got one smoked and one not, they were both very good. We split fried goat balls, and then I got the southern style fried rice. I thought both had creative flavors but enjoyed the rice better. You have to be very committed to that type of cheese to eat more than one - they are intense. I think I'd rather eat on the patio than inside and enjoy the fresh air and music they had. Lastly, give yourself time to find parking, the lot was full and people were circling when we got there. We got really lucky with a spot after circling the block.