What a great place. The term vibe may be overused, but this place has such a warm, friendly, family atmosphere which is a tribute to the people that work there and the obviously excellent management. We all got the newly added breakfast buffet. Wow, it was amazing! Great, friendly service from the great guy cooking up lots of pancakes, omelettes, waffles and eggs. So accommodating and with all our favorites. Price is very reasonable, and so much better than any chain. Give these folks some love and make sure their place is full. Thanks for an awesome start to our day! read more

Elk River Depot - Amazing friends got to enjoy some great food and laughs! - Comfort Food Near Me - Elk Park, North Carolina

Food was beyond delicious, from fresh, artisan bread on the Club sandwich to shoe string fries with a hint of rosemary. We got buffalo wings and pizza as well, with all food being absolutely delicious! The waitress was very attentive and nice. I would highly recommend giving this place a try and making it a regular. read more

Elk River Depot - Comfort Food Near Me - Elk Park, North Carolina

We decided to give Elk River Depot another try after many disappointing visits over the years. We went for lunch today. We waited to be seated and waited on too. The food was fair. When my husband asked for the roll his special came with was told they were out of rolls. He was offered a biscuit and took it. Our bill was higher than it should be. I was charged for a drink on the work day special. The girl apologized and refunded $3. I asked for a receipt and saw that we were charged $4 for side salad trip to salad bar that we had understood our waitress to say that my husband could substitute one of his sides for 1 trip to the salad bar. My husband would have liked to choose mashed potatoes and gravy, but it was not listed on the sides on the menu. We heard a waitress offering mashed potatoes and gravy to a customer as we finished eating. We will not be back. read more

The Elk River Depot is under new management now, and the wait staff has improved considerably since then. They've recently made some menu changes as well, though nothing terribly substantial aside from the permanent addition of a pizza buffet and salad bar. I've heard those were pretty good, but my recent experience has been of the breakfast variety. The food is still good and relatively plentiful. The restaurant is still clean and neat. Coupled with the improvements in service quality, I feel comfortable awarding a fourth star. My most frequent breakfast order here: Corned beef hash (the new menu says "corn beef hash") Eggs over easy Hash browns Wheat toast read more

This is a quaint little restaurant that has a side restaurant called the "Pizza Depot" sort of attached. Regular menu items are available from the pizza menu that are made in that kitchen. Pizza's and flatbreads in the usual variety. They have a full breakfast menu 7 to 11AM. The staff is friendly, the decor is plain, but very clean. This is a straight up family restaurant with country food, comfort food and that includes pizza. We had a party of six and it was about 11:30 on Saturday. Decent number of tables in service, but not packed. It was clear that the staff all worked as a team trying to keep service at high levels and they did a good job. We felt that the staff was attentive to our needs. The food - we had a wide variety. One had the steak, sides of beans and collards and roll. This was standard fare. The collards were good, not the sugared kind (some places put brown sugar to counter bitterness), which is good. The veggie plate was well received with collards, stewed apples, fried okra and cornbread (a little bit sweet). One had a flatbread with bacon, cheese and marinara, which was a bit like glorified breadsticks served with a marinara dipping sauce, but it was well received. For my meal, I chose the Fish and Chips with a side salad bar, one trip, upgrade for $2.99 upcharge to substitute for one of my two sides. Which I am glad that I did. The salad bar was fresh, well maintained and held a wide variety. Iceberg lettuce blend and spinach choices. Items for choice included beets, black olives, banana peppers, jalapenos, shredded carrot, red and yellow onion, green pepper, cottage cheese, fruit (citrus mix), sunflower seeds, cherry tomatoes, and shredded cheese and actual blue cheese crumbles. Also the standard wide variety of dressings. Honestly, had I known how good this salad bar was, I would have just eaten this. And probably awarded five stars. But, alas, I had ordered the fish and chips and instead of using the flakier cod, it was with haddock. Typically this is a meatier, more flavorful and sweeter choice, but not if you overcook it. The fish presents nicely, but it was so tough it was difficult to cut even with the butter knife, and because of that, all the advantages of this ingredient are lost. I tried to plus it up with fresh lemon squeeze and salt. Didn't work. The side sauce turned out to be mayonnaise by mistake, instead of tartar sauce, but I didn't mention that because it was a lost cause. The fries were medium cut, and just an okay diner style fry, nothing special. I will say, portions are big. So: Five stars to the staff. Very good service. Three stars for food - bumped up in spite of the fish dish by the portion sizes and seeing the other dishes my party ordered and the incredibly good salad bar. Ambience - four stars, about what is expected, clean, not too loud, not cramped. read more

Elk River Depot - Menu lunch and dinnet - Comfort Food Near Me - Elk Park, North Carolina

I ordered the Chicken Pot Pie with baked potato and baked apples (had that oven hoppin'). Food was DELICIOUS! Had to ask for an extra roll to sop up the remains of the entree and both sides. Staff was extremely sweet and friendly! Ambiance was joyful; all customers seemed very happy to be there, the food, and their service. Friend with me order unlimited salad and pizza bar. He was almost as happy as I was -- but he didn't need and extra roll. The next time I'm in the area, I'm eating here!! read more

Food was great!!! I'm constantly traveling for work and my favorite food group is Pizza!!! so I have tried more than my fair share of mom and pop and High end slices of heavenly pizza. The Hawaiian is by far the best I've had. The Ham, Bacon and Pineapple blended perfectly with the crust and mozzarella cheese, every bite was a new experience. I definitely recommend this place, its ambiance and service were impeccable!!! read more

Elk River Depot - Best Pizza by far!!! - Comfort Food Near Me - Elk Park, North Carolina

We've visited here several times over the past two years. Our most recent trip to the cabin we visited here twice...both times for lunch and we didn't get the same experience. The first day of lunch was so wonderful. The service was beyond wonderful. There is a menu and you can also order the Salad Bar and there is a Pizza buffet. The prices are what is so amazing here. Great country cooking at even better prices. Our son's pizza buffet I think was $8 or something like that which we thought was great. He only eats cheese pizza and they brought one out almost immediately so he was happy. I ordered the 3 vegetables with bread and it came out with a delicious parker house type roll and the veggies were just really great. My son absolutely loved his pizza. The woman waiting on us was so on top of things and kind that she really made this entire experience for us. For our family of 3 we were so happy with the prices, food and service that we knew we would be back during our trip. A few days later we decided lets go again for lunch and grab a pizza to go for dinner later on! Wow was this experience different. We were seated right away but didn't get drinks for about 20 minutes. Then our server (who we think might have been the owner as she had a lot of things on her to dos) finally came back 15 minutes later to get our orders. I decided to keep it simple b/c I was hungry and ready to eat by this time. I ordered the salad bar this time so I could go right up. My husband ordered a lunch and salad bar. Our son (surprise lol) ordered the pizza buffet. There wasn't any pizza up when he ordered so he hung out while we got our salads. 25 minutes later 1 pizza was delivered to the buffet with about 4 people waiting to grab a slice. Another was delivered about 15 minutes later and then we didn't see any more. We had already told the server that we were going to order a pizza to go as well but after we finished all of our food she still had not come back over to the table. Empty drinks sat as did we for another 15 - 20 minutes. I even called to see if we could just order a to go from our table but the phone just rang and rang. Finally she came back, we placed our order, paid our tab and then waited another 15 minutes for the pizza. It was a long lunch for a 10 year old and two disappointed parents who just wanted to leave. After such a great experience the first day and totally different just days later I almost didn't write a review. But I feel like the 2nd visit just couldn't be the norm currently. We've visited so many other times for breakfast and lunch in the past and all of those visits really were like our first on this trip. So for that reason I'm sticking to a 4 star review (if I just based it off the first lunch I would have given them a 5 star all day). I wish I knew the servers name b/c she was just amazing and so kind. read more

This is what's left, because the rest was devoured. The pizza is AMAZING! If you're ever in Elk Park, you have to try this place. The crew here were all so friendly and personable. It adds to the wonderful atmosphere. I will be coming back!!!! read more

Elk River Depot - Chicken Bacon Ranch pizza - Comfort Food Near Me - Elk Park, North Carolina

We were in the area getting our Christmas tree so we stopped to have lunch. The salad bar is good. My husband said his burger was good but, the pizza and Ruben were tasteless. The Ruben meat was exteemly overcooked to the point it was beef jerky it had no cheese on it and a tablespoon of thousand island dressing and sauerkraut on it. We ended up sending it back and getting a salad bar trip. They comped it and made a new one so we took it home, it was a tad better. The pizza my son liked but I thought it was tasteless. The whole thing, sauce, cheese and dough had no flavor whatsoever, glad I got a side salad. We won't be back unless it's only for burgers. Staff is amazing! read more

Come here often when in the area. Mostly for breakfast. Good food. Good portions. Good price. Great staff.

Came here for breakfast, thought it was really good. Best waffles I've ever had. Service was consistent and friendly. Had a large group and she got all the orders right. read more

Staffing needs some work but the chefs are on their game.. I'd be perfect except the staffing has serious issues. One girl is pregnant and I know she doesn't want to be pregnant. Does this say it all. And than she feels it necessary to snap on folks that aren't even talking to her.. I hope they fix this soon. Cause it's the only restaurant close! read more

Food was bad, service was slow, and there is no ambiance. Local men seemed to like the place.

For a local spot that is not fast food, this is great! We went for lunch and will be back for dinner because we hear the fish fry on fridays is great. For lunch, I had meatloaf, fried okra and cole slaw, with a side roll. Hubby went ahead and got the flounder, even thought he'll be eating it again this evening! He thought the flounder should be fried darker, but said it was still good. My meatloaf was an ample portion and the sides were great as well. Highly recommend you try this place...and they are building a very nice deck on the front for outdoor seating!...so excited and hungry to eat, so my pic is After a bite or two! read more

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We stopped here on a whim after a fun-filled family day at the Land of Oz. The staff was beyond accommodating and friendly for our table of 8. All of the food was delicious, fresh, and warm when it arrived to the table. Everything came out within a timely manner too! As for portions- it was a great amount of food for the reasonable cost!! No complaints from anyone in our party... Land of Oz will be a family tradition and a big meal at Elk River Depot afterwards may become one too!! read more

Ordered the steak frites. Ribeye was about a 1/4 inch thick and mostly fat. Ordered medium and came out rare. Second a little more done but still mostly fat. Fries overdone. Definitely will not go back. read more

I eat here quite often but last week was probably my last time. They have serious staffing issue and need to work on time management.

Lunch time on a road trip and no restaurants forever. Blew past this place and did a u-turn and so glad we did. Friendly waiters and homey dining room. Food was outstanding. Had the Depot Burger and was really one of the best burgers ever et. Outstanding potato salad too. SO had chicken fingers and veggies. Really excellent chicken fingers, moist, flavorful, generous portions. Good strong iced tea. We'll be back again! Heard they had the best chicken fried steak anywhere AFTER ate the burger so looking forward to the return. read more

Elk River Depot is a family run version of Cracker Barrel except not as good. Our party of four had an interesting experience at an early Sunday lunch. Lots of locals coming from church were part of the scene. I think the restaurant is probably much better than what our experience revealed. Our biggest concern was that several parties were seated after we were seated and they got their food and we're leaving before we received our meal. Our waitress was a young lady who appeared to have just moved up from being a bus person and she wasn't quite sure how to take care of her customers. We thought we saw several of our dishes in the kitchen window but she did not want to bring them until all were ready and when they did arrive things were barely warm. The very thin pork chops we're overdone, Our hamburger steaks were nice but barely warm as were the mashed potatoes and my wife's vegetable plate again was barely warm. If everything is working right this restaurant would offer good food and good value and it's unfortunate that we had the experience that we did because I was looking forward to not only a good meal but providing a very positive review. They seem to be short staffed which is an unfortunate reality for many restaurants these days. I typically leave a 25% tip but in this case I left 15% and felt that was generous. I would certainly give this restaurant another try but my wife said if I did, it would be without her if you get my drift. read more

Very friendly staff and good diner food. Stopped in with a party of 8 after checking out the land of Oz and they accommodated us very quickly. I got the popcorn shrimp with fries and Mac and cheese and would order it again. ADDRESS IN YELP LOADS INCORRECTLY IN APPLE MAPS. Physically type the address in for accurate routing. read more

We got to our table at 10:45, first had a server come by at 11:20. We were told they only serve breakfast until 11, even though we were there prior to 11. They also had a sign on the door that said Breakfast only on Saturday and Sunday. They took the sign down when we informed them of that. Disgracefully understaffed. read more

S-A-L-T-Y ! Horrible food ! The waitress delivered our food and never returned to the table we had to ask for her to come back so we could pay for our horribly salty food ! read more

Very good diner-plus food; excellent sandwiches and meat and two veggies; very good service and engaging waitresses. Very clean. My wife and I eat there often. read more

This restaurant has the best breakfast in all of Elk Park, Banner Elk and surrounding areas! I always clean my plate because it's that good. It's warm & friendly atmosphere and top notch service makes you feel like family! Try the biscuits! read more

Tried it twice and wasn't happy with the slow service, so so food, and high prices. I've worked for restaurants my entire life and owned my own. I learned to take criticism, something this owner can't do. I considered trying it one more time but that's out after being criticized for my review on Facebook. That's no way to bring in customers. read more

I've only been here four times. Twice for breakfast and twice for lunch. The food was good and the wait staff friendly and ready to serve.

This is a very nice sit down Resturant. The food is above average with large proportions. The waitress there are very friendly and the proportions are above average. Highly Recommend read more

Service was good but not friendly. Food was really good I had meatloaf, mashed potatoes and cabbage my husband had a cheese burger and the salad bar. I would have had a hamburger and fries but I don't like steak fries and especially batter fries of any shape or size. Cashier was not friendly either but maybe because we weren't a regular. read more

Great food and service. Everyone was so friendly. Closest thing to home cooking in the area. Highly recommend fries and gravy. read more

We stopped in for lunch. Despite being crazy busy our Server was attentive and friendly. Food arrived hot and was great southern food. Chicken pot pie and country fried steak were both tasty. Homemade brownie for dessert was fab. We will definitely be back! read more

Horrible food, over priced, ham biscuit so thick you need a steak knife to cut it, go to Bojangles instead

If there is more than 8 cars in the parking lot they will turn you away. When 'rd Avery Ann was there it was an awesome place to eat.

Messes on 70% of empty tables. Coffee cold, biscuits and gravy cold, kids pancakes looked predone and cold. Not a place for hot breakfast. Service was slow to acknowledge. Won't be back. read more

Dependable and consistency from visit to visit is good. Gets a little busy but has decent flavor and presented well.

We had a pretty good experience! I had popcorn shrimp, coleslaw and Mac and cheese. I'm really picky about restaurant Mac and cheese and theirs is really good! It tasted fresh and the noodles weren't dry at all. Popcorn shrimp was good and didn't taste "fishy"! My husband enjoyed his burger but wasn't crazy about the fries. Covid-wise I'm not super impressed. The gentleman at the register was friendly but didn't have his mask up most of the time. We chose to wait in the sitting area for our food. Not a big deal considering the waitstaff all had masks on but it did bother me a little! I'd recommend it to someone who isn't high risk because they're doing a good job overall. I love to see the menu expanded a bit! read more

I really wish I could leave a good review but I cannot. The FOOD was good.... once we finally got it! The SERVICE does not exist - at.all.... We sat for 20 minutes & NO acknowledgement of our existence. I flagged down 2 people that promised "someone" - but NO one came. I finally GOT UP & went to the register to get help. I also GOT UP to get someone to bring us our food. I also GOT UP to get to go containers. It's really sad that someone would spend ALL THAT MONEY to open up there & have the EXACT same problems the other place did - terrible service. The folks were running around - not organized at all - waitresses bussing tables while folks were waiting for service - NEVER a follow up to see how things were.... Come on TRAIN your people. The "owner" showed up - did he HELP? NO!! He sat or stood around. I can understand watching for a little while to see what was working or not - but then SERVE YOUR CUSTOMERS!!!! It's ridiculous. I mean - REALLY bad! But like I said - the FOOD WAS GOOD - so maybe order to go - BUT CHECK YOUR ORDER before you leave. BTW - the tables are NOT 6' apart.... just sayin.... read more

First time at Elk River Depot. The food was delicious and the service was magnificent. Hope to return again soon. Stayed in Banner Elk Beech Mountain. The people are very sweet and polite. The cabin "Cozy Beech Mountain Retreat" was very comfortable. Just the best experience ever. read more