We live in a food desert here in Polk County. Sadly, most of our restaurants, are either closed or have extremely poor food offerings. The the Purple Onion (Henderson County) is different. We went as a table of four and everyone enjoyed it greatly. I had a gluten free pizza, which for most places you can forget about it. Purple Onion nailed it. Everyone at our table had different options and enjoyed the food and drink. The atmosphere is wonderful even when I in the back of the patio staring at the wall! All restaurants should run like this. Bravo! read more

Another day, another fresh salad from Purple Onion. Enjoyed my Mediterranean Plate on the patio with great company. Comes with a generous portion of hummus and quinoa. Added the lemon chicken for a little more staying power. read more

Yummy food and friendly wait staff! We were seated as soon as we arrived and the bathroom was clean too!! The tables were all set with glasses and water pitchers. A cozy feel was the heater next to our table!! read more

Great atmosphere and food! Thoroughly enjoyable experience!! Highly recommend.... Service was also very good!!

My husband and I stopped her for lunch. The food was delicious!!! The appetizers were amazing I ordered the baguette and I ended up ordering a second one. My husband ordered the trout app and the smoked trout was great! I got the reuben with mushrooms and I Have been craving it again ever since!! read more

Wonderful setting, and great service especially during a music venue! Our dishes were perfectly cooked and the flavor was spot on. I read some reviews that were negative; but our dishes were perfectly prepared and seasoned. We will be back read more

This place may have good reviews in the past but our visit today was met with indifference from the bar girl and our server at the table. Both made mistakes on our orders and the food was nearly thrown down. Everyone has bad days from time to time but in this case I believe this attitude problem from both girls is deeper rooted. This was my first and last visit here, which is a shame as the food was good. read more

UPDATE: what a classy reply. We have always enjoyed the lunch team, and happy to give them another try at dinner. We have been here a number of times for lunch and love the food. This was our first time to try it for dinner and we were really excited. We made a reservation, got there on time and the hostess was gracious and expected great evening. After almost 10 minutes sitting there, asked a passing server if we had one and said yes. Another couple was then seated next to us and their server came right over. After another 5 minutes I went to the hostess stand and said I guess we'll just leave since we don't have a server, and she didn't even care. Shared that she might as well give our table to the people waiting, and she said okay. I am fine waiting my turn on Friday night because everyone is busy, but they didn't even care after 15 minutes. That's too bad, Purple Onion, you can do better.p read more

recent visit was terribly incredibly disappointing. Food was OK but wasn't great. Last time we were there. It was magnificent. The service has always been just OK but last time was much better. We were the only people in the restaurant and they were more worried about. The ongoing of everything else didn't really feel welcome and won't return. read more

My parents and I dropped by dinner after a day of kayaking on labor day. The ambiance is great for a casual or nice dinner - cute set up inside. We decided to eat outside and it is such a simple and comforting feel. We ordered the Mediterranean plate, Sicilian pizza, and the cast iron rib eye. Dad enjoyed his rib eye but found it to be on the thinner side - tasted good nonetheless. Mom and I shared the Mediterannean plate and Sicilian pizza. Both are greatly portioned for sharing. The plate is so refreshing and perfectly balanced with the pizza. The pepperonis on this are top tier. A little too much feta for my liking but the banana peppers helped to cut through some of it. The desserts were both delicious!! I liked the bread pudding a bit more. It was the right amount of sweetness without being overwhelming. I don't have too big of a sweet tooth but I think I could eat the whole thing on my own. Great place to visit if nearby. read more

See all

Excellent food with a great atmosphere and great entertainment as well. A great place for family fun. read more

Purple Onion - New American Near Me - Saluda, North Carolina

See all

We went up there, Saturday, October 25, 2025 and Zoe was our waitress and between the individual pizzas we had and her it was a great time. I hope she's there when we come back again. read more

I've been in the area for over 10 years now and haven't ever eaten at the Purple Onion in Saluda. I finally went this past Monday, and it was wonderful!!! Normally, I'm not a big fan of pot pie, but they were doing Pot Pie Mondays and the special of this past Monday was a beef pot pie. It was just like beef stew with the potatoes, carrots, and onions. Divine!! The restaurant itself had a wonderful vibe to it. The staff were truly friendly and knowledgeable. The menu was very diverse so I can't imagine you wouldn't be able to find a meal. I highly recommend if you are ever in the area! read more

We were 12 people including 5 children. They accommodated us very well. The food was totally delish. Only the people who ate pizza had some leftovers. We gobbled all the delicious food down. And it was good knowing it was fresh healthy food. I had the PO Burger. It was very good. Some had salad and some Had the Reuben. We sat on the patio. We were there for lunch. A very nice atmosphere. A very nice experience. Thank You read more

This place has a lot of hype due to having been a music venue a long time ago. The food is "mid" as they say but probably best described as extremely disappointing. Offensively overpriced. I truly believe this place has survived only because of the tourist season and for the most part being the only real sit down restaurant in town. Speaking plainly this is a tourist trap with subpar pretentious food. I would avoid it at all costs. Drive 10 minutes north west to Hendersonville and eat at Shine for truly good food, better atmosphere (even have a rooftop cocktail bar), and much higher value. Caveat emptor. The service is also atrocious. Be prepared to wait, be ignored, and wait some more. I could write a whole other paragraph about the service but I'll leave it at - not good. read more

Haven't been back to Saluda for a while. My partner and I were looking forward to a beet arugula salad and mushroom arugula pie. Celia is a pleasant and knowledgeable server was fun as well. The covered patio protected us from unpredictable weather. From the pizza crust to the toppings we enjoyed our main course. Bought the larger pie and had a couple slices to bring home. Did take a picture but disappeared! read more

On the way home from a job in the Carolinas we stopped for fuel in Saluda and decided to have lunch. The Purple Onion came up as open and rated well. Downtown was bustling but we found a parking spot in front of the police station which is next door. The restaurant is in an old storefront in a historic Main Street area. They did a very nice conversion to the dining room with a bar. We were greeted promptly and seated with the Sunday Brunch menu. Be prepared to make some tough decisions because there is an enormous variety and choosing one is a chore, in a good way. Our server was very helpful with answers and recommendations to narrow the delectable selections to a manageable size. We started with the cheese and local honey appetizer which was very tasty with delightfully contrasting flavors and textures. My pork belly and grits were a great choice with flavors that worked well together. The egg was cooked to medium and the hollandaise sauce was just right. The half salad/half sandwich my wife enjoyed looked great. Portions were large for being "half" so I was able to enjoy some of the salad and it was as fresh and flavorful as it looked. Saluda looks very interesting and we may just plan a day there when we're traveling through. read more

Great food, great cocktails, excellent music , great environment, friendly servers. Appetizers are amazing.

Small quaint restaurant in historic Saluda. I was up in Hendersonville for work and found this hidden gem. I got the bone in pork chops with green beans and potatoes and it was phenomenal. Looked like a solid wine list offering as well, I wasn't able to partake this time. Highly recommend! read more

If you are tired of cooks just dumping salt into food - go to Purple Onion. The food is excellent and innovative, using a multitude of spices and flavors ( NOT just dumping in too much salt ) your tongue will thank you. The wait staff is knowledgeable about the menu as well as attentive and friendly - however, Shania will probably NOT sing for you ( I asked ) Ambiance is nice, but I go for the food. read more

First had to wait 45 with at least 8 tables opened. which would be alright. However the service was terrible and our orders were all wrong and over cooked. read more

We had a delicious and thoughtfully prepared meal ...Tumeric Chickpea Soup start followed by the perfect fall preparation of salmon with spaghetti squash and the juiciest, tastiest pork chop. Service was kind and attentive and atmosphere charming . We will be back read more

food was pretty yum. we started with the ciabatta baguette and it comes with "garlic her dipping mix" that's mostly olive oil. it was still good though ($5 worth? that's up to your discretion)! we shared the mediterranean platter which was well dressed and a good amount of food. we also shared the green goddess pizza which had great flavor but the crust was a tad hard. service was fine. she was very nice but i think they are short on staff so we waited around a little bit. the ambiance is like a cute cafe with outdoor seating. i would go back :) read more

See all

We were up visiting friends and they recommended purple onion. Well we were glad they did, nice clean place and friendly staff. We were sat pretty quick, now we did get here at 11 am :) we always try to beat the crowds... and we were right again. Get her early and you won't have to wait. Now onto the main reason for you to read this review. I ordered the B.L.T - the T lol, hate tomatoes lol. I also ordered the chips as a side, I mean what's a sandwich with out chips right? The order came out about 15-20 minutes later, the place is starting to get busy so the the service slowed down as well. The sandwich was on really large multi grain bread cut somewhat in half. What really surprised me was the chips. Not sure if they stated this on the menu or not, but they are not potato chips... but tortilla chips. I though this was a very odd combination to say the least. Ok so first impressions are over, on to the taste. Bacon is bacon, no need to torment you with the mouth watering flavor lol the lettuce was plentiful. After eating the sandwich I realized that about 38-39% was lettuce and bread. They bunch up the bacon to make it look like a lot but its 4. At the end after I paid the check we waited for our waitress to bring out a box for my wife. Since they were busy we figured it would take a few minutes. Well the few minutes grew so I went in back to remind our waitress about the box. It really looked like she completely forgot. I know this sounds like a negative review, it's not. We just had some unfortunate issues. Overall this is a neat place with good food. It is worth a stop while you are in the area. read more

The food is usually very good here. The small personal pizzas are always a good thing to order: the crust is perfect. This time I had the hummus starter with little cherry tomatoes and pita bread. It was fine. This is a place you can rely on to be good. read more

I made a reservation for 6 online the night before Father's Day. Incredibly, there was no problem getting a table at 12:15. We were seated on a platform with just our table there. We ordered beverages (cans of Coke products) and looked over the menu. The menu is pretty small. It isn't a bad thing but be aware. We got three apps. A board with smoked trout and tzatziki sauce, a small pizza, and a baguette. All really good. I got a beet salad for my entree. Delicious! Everyone enjoyed their meal. We're certainly going to go back to the Purple Onion. read more

See all

We came to Saluda to try a different cafe, but walked by this one and went here instead. So glad we did! My husband had their chicken sandwich special and said it was the best chicken Sando he's had. My kids shared a gluten free pizza (didn't look appealing to me but they ate it lol) and I had a Reuben. Everything was delicious. We ended with the Nutella pot de crème and blackberry cobbler. Both were delicious. Server was very nice and attentive. Came on a Sunday at lunch time with no reso and only had to wait 15 min. read more

Purple Onion - I think he liked the blackberry cobbler - New American Near Me - Saluda, North Carolina

Amazing staff and cool looking restaurant and the food was amazing. Our waitress was on it the whole time. I

Charming little restaurant but don't expect exceptional dishes. Definitely followed all health and safety protocols during the pandemic. The dishes were okay. They tried with some of the ideas but not executed well. Their mushroom and arugula pizza with drizzle of balsamic. Sounds great on paper but the balsamic was not a thick glaze you would imagine but more of a balsamic salad dressing and doused so it made the pizza really floppy and drenched. Their crab dip- came out pretty cold so we asked them to reheat under the boiler once more...their appetizer (Chia seed bread) accompanied with olive oil. If it's going to be just the bread that's the main highlight then I think the bread and the olive oil has to be another level. You have to be able to distinguish the olive oil. The beer choices were great- had a really tasty Rosé cider! Overall- for a little town called Saluda the restaurant was warm and charming. read more

See all

Stopped in here for lunch a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of the dish I had (it was a special that day), but I do remember it was fresh and thoughtfully put together. Sneaking peeks at other diner's meals, I feel safe saying fresh, tasty and well put together is standard here. Ambiance was friendly and since it was lunchtime, quite lively and bustling, but not in an off putting way. Our server was well informed, efficient and friendly. I look forward to a return trip, as their menu is varied and sure to satisfy many different palettes. read more

Nice lunch in a small town. We had the pepperoni pizza. They seem to have a large clientele, very busy on a Monday @ high noon.

The Purple Onion was recommended to me by one of the men at the Apple Valley Model Railroad Club. I toured their depot in the morning and chose to drive to Saluda for lunch. The rainy weather on that December day meant comfort food. They had a hearty soup and sandwich of the day. It was a perfect sharable between two people. The inside has an elevated spot for a musician to set up. There was no music the day I went, but that's OK. I love the small-town vibe, and my experience here complements it well. read more

Purple Onion - Soup Of The Day - New American Near Me - Saluda, North Carolina

Lovely little place in the downtown area of quaint, little Saluda. The tabbouleh with chicken was very good. It was a good size portion served on mixed greens. I got a warm blackberry cobbler with ice cream that was excellent. read more

Don't let this place fool you: yes, it exudes old town American country home cooking (makes me think Cracker Barrel), but take a peak at the menu, and you will FAST realize this place is far above the average everyday restaurant. The menu is quite full; full of appetizers and entrees with a healthy dose of twists and funky offerings. Our waiter was a young gentleman; once he caught on to i and my family's think sarcasm and funny demeanor, he join right in. Gave great descriptions of the daily specials (which are not posted on the main printed menu, so listen up!). We all shared a few appetizers to start, the Gouda & Honey Plate and Pear & Gorgonzola Salad. They were both incredibly good, the salad not having too much dressing (it was absolutely addictive!), and the cheese board was spectacular on its own simple creamy/savory/sweet merits! I shared the dinner special: Oven roasted halibut with sea scallops. It came with a golden beet sunflower hummus, which is what caught my eye. Sold! One word: Phenomenal. The fish was incredibly tender and not over cooked. I'm fluffing kicking myself that I didn't beg the chef for his beet hummus recipe. Every time I think of this dish, I salivate (quite obsessively, I will add), kicking myself I can't order that dip any damn time I want do to geographic restraints. The veggies? Sometimes I tend to think if one or two things on a plate are outta this world, then I should prep myself for the other sides to, well, basically just be space fillers and leave nothing to linger on my tongue, but the veggies side was a freaking POWERHOUSE. Dusted with a seasoning that left me craving more, tender but not mushy. I can't put into words enough detail; this dinner was way over expectations; I was absolutely floored how the decor didn't seem to quite match the food (based on initial walk-in first impressions) , and it was 100 percent worth every penny. It's local independent eateries like The Purple Onion that truly keep society alive and kicking. Eight stars out of ten, hands down. PS, get the Mango Hibiscus Refresher, it was wonderful!! read more

See all

Fun restaurant. Funky little town. Great eats! Everything is that good. Find your own favorites. Always look forward to stopping here and then taking in a few local shops. Must stop when in Saluda. read more

Food is Phenomenal, service is great. The Ambiance is like dining in someone's home. We so enjoy taking our Florida friends here because we know that it will be a wonderful experience. I am a chef and my friends are true foodies.There are few restaurants here in this part of NC that I love. This is one of them. Great chef and wonderful people who serve with a smile and see to your every need. THE BEST. read more

Such a great spot for local fare. We have had consistently good food and service here. The ambiance is casual yet sophisticated enough for a special occasion. The patio is fantastic! We love their mushroom pizza and my family raved about the pork chop. There are a few non-traditional creative combinations on the menu that we aren't in love with, but overall an excellent place and well worth a visit. read more

I'm not impressed with the food here. Brunch was just ok. The price for what you get is definitely not worth it. The menu is very small. The service was an 8/10. The atmosphere was nice. The restaurant is really nice inside. I wouldn't recommend this place. read more

This is a nice place for dinner and drinks. They also have great desserts. The service was very good and the people were very friendly. The staff seemed to enjoy their job and customers were happy with food. They seem to add special attention and extras to make food seemingly more appealing. It's a great place for those looking for extra! read more

The only thing worse than the food was the service! It took over an hour to get our food. Had to actually get up and get our own water! The turkey clubs were dry. There was no dressing on my Rueben and the bread was over toasted. The trout for the "special" was cold. Definitely will NOT be back! HORRIBLE experience! read more