We tried to get a table here almost every day of our 5-day trip, but it was packed! We finally…read moresmartened up and called a day ahead for a reservation. It might have just been the holiday rush, but I always figure "busy means good," so my expectations were high--and The Local didn't disappoint. We started with the nachos; they were delicious, though I do wish they came with a bit more meat. For mains, the burger was outstanding--probably one of the best we've had in the entire area. We also ordered the Brazilian steak, which was cooked perfectly and came with great plantains. The quinoa with tofu was good, too, though it was a little dry and would have been perfect with a sauce. The service really stood out. Our waitress was incredibly attentive and refilled my water at least four times without me asking. Great ambiance and an all-around good experience. Definitely worth the wait!

I was visiting my son in Boone, as we move him into college... Ordered the wings, I had what I…read morebelieve was a blackened goat cheese, and fig burger with caramelized onions, which was off the charts, my son had the Salmon. Ratings- He gave the salmon a seven I give my Burger a nine, and the wings were about a seven(dry rub). That said, sitting at the bar was absolutely a treat... Erin was fantastic. Will 100% return and this is definitely a spot not to be missed. Also fantastic beer selection!!!

Wonderful, delicious seafood, and a good value. The nicest staff you can imagine. Just a friendly,…read moregood place to eat. Very similar to the quality and preparations of dishes you get at the North Carolina coast (but in the mountains!) Service here is warm and excellent. Very highly recommended! A local favorite.

A hidden gem in Boone for great seafood taste, service, nautical restaurant. First time going…read morethere and now a beginning of a destination routine . Everything had flavors. Down to the green beans. If you don't like it, that just means more for me and family and friends.

Took a little day trip while visiting our daughter in Charlotte, and her boyfriend highly…read morerecommended The Speckled Trout Restaurant and Bottle Shop. It's definitely a bit of a drive from Charlotte, but well worth it if you're exploring the mountain towns and scenery in the area. The restaurant has a really cool upscale mountain vibe that feels relaxed and comfortable without being stuffy. Great atmosphere, friendly service, and the whole place just had that quality mountain town feel to it. My wife and I both ordered trout, which felt like the right move here. I had the almond crusted trout with basil potatoes and garlicky grits, and it was excellent. Everything tasted fresh, balanced, and thoughtfully prepared. The garlicky grits were especially good. My wife ordered the smoked trout, and let's just say they do not mess around with the smoke flavor here. It was seriously smoky. A couple hours later she was still burping little smoke rings on the drive home If you love strong smoky flavor, you'll probably love it. They also had a really solid craft beer selection that fit the mountain atmosphere perfectly. Overall, high quality food, great service, fun atmosphere, and absolutely worth the drive. Easy five stars from us.

On our annual trip to Blowing Rock in May, we had to visit Speckled Trout twice. We love their…read morelow-carb options combined with their custom crafted cocktails, this place is a must-visit for every trip to Blowing Rock. Their cocktails are crafted with homemade syrups, and change seasonally. I had the Garden in Tibet--a delicious drink with gin, Prosecco, sugar snap pea syrup (!), green elixir syrup, elderflower liquor, and lemon. You'd think this could be a too-sweet drink, but it was PERFECT. My husband had the Which Damascus the first time, with rye whiskey, cherry basil syrup, hickory syrup, Amaro Montenegro, Tiki bitters, Peychaud bitters, and orange. He enjoyed it, but I thought it was definitely too sweet. He had a Garden in Tibet on our second visit, and preferred the Tibet to the Damascus drink. We love their unique smoked trout deviled eggs as an appetizer. This dish has two eggs filled with smoked trout, and three filled with a deviled egg mixture. The accompanying house hot sauce is so good! For our entrees, we both had hickory-smoked trout on the first visit Mine was definitely saltier than his. We had three sides--collard greens, smoked Gouda grits (our favorite), and corn, hominy, yellow squash & chile hash (so fresh and delicious!). On our second visit, I had the almond and cornmeal-crusted trout with the smoked Gouda grits, and my husband tried their fried chicken sandwich with slaw. He absolutely loved the sandwich--the chicken was thick, juicy, and very tender. He'll definitely get the sandwich again. Service is always good at Speckled Trout, and I love that we can pay with ApplePay at the table via the Toast handheld. We can't wait to return.

We celebrated my husband's birthday here while we were visiting the area. It was recommended to us…read moreby our AirBnb host. The service was very attentive. The food was good and fresh. Italian/American cuisine. We were a bit surprised there was no alcohol available. We were looking forward to a cocktail after a long day of dirtbike riding, however the dessert display was impressive! We had the Snickers Chess pie, chocolate addiction, caramel pecan cheesecake and the brownie trifle. YUM! The ambiance was a quaint, quiet, and local, nice for a special occasion.

Stopped in with wife today and the food and service were amazing. We shared a caramel brownie…read morecheesecake slice and Wow it was delicious. Will definitely be stopping by again when in the area.

Service was very friendly. Fried catfish was really good, but the deviled crabs...not so much. I…read moredidn't taste much of the crab meat in it. The place was crowded. Definitely popular and for good reason. Definitely recommended!

This is where the locals come. Place is hopping. Service was astonishingly fast & courtesy. Food…read morewas amazingly delicious. Ppl were very polite & extremely friendly. Had a great time there. Everyone should check this place out if ur in the area. The atmosphere was crowded & loud in a good way.

My favorite restaurant in the high country. Visit often cause I have a cabin in Banner Elk, if I…read moredidn't it would be my choice place while visiting.

On vacation at Sugar Mountain over Memorial Day Weekend and I got a craving for a steak. My wife…read moreand I left the kids at the condo and snuck away to have dinner at Stonewalls. Without reservations we were seated outside without a wait, I'd recommend making a reservation though. We split a NY Strip medium, a baked potato with all the fixings, & creamed spinach. I opted to top the steak with blue cheese butter and sauteed mushrooms. It hit the spot.... Perfectly. Looking forward to our next opportunity to sneak away from the kids and have a steak at Stonewalls.

Absolutely a 10 out of 10! Service was phenomenal. Kale was so friendly and attentive. The food was…read moretop notch and the desserts were superb. A must try in Boone.

This was my first real experience at the gamekeeper which is one of the more well-known restaurants…read morein the Boone area. This was their special four course Thanksgiving Day event. We were greeted with a valet who parked our car and escorted to our table. The waitress was knowledgeable in all of the food options and helped us choose what we wanted. The four courses were soup, salad, entree, and dessert and everything was amazing. The owner came and spoke to us during our meal and was just super friendly. This was an amazing place and I cannot wait to go back! All of the food was perfectly cooked and just very delicious.

Delicious food! Friendly and quick service! Easy to find. Great location. Definitely recommend.read more

Found this place in the East TN Mountains I was in need of…read morea fried fish fix. This place was outstanding . Service was great Will definitely be back Better than most places in Florida

We had a large family dinner here recently. Jesse took great care of us. Everyone loved their…read moredinners. My father-in-law ordered extra hush puppies as a side. He loves the smaller hush puppies for the flavor and texture. They were good. Most of us did seafood combos with shrimp, clams, scallops, deviled crab, flounder. Food was very good and the portions were large

Service was quick, attentive and friendly. The food was…read moregreasy and salty. Reminiscent of Long John Silvers.

What a wonderful little roadside cafe - the staff was so friendly and accommodating and the home…read morecooking here is real if not all of it is prepared from scratch all the food is prepared with a love for what they do. We stopped here with friends who have a lot of connections to the area so this was the perfect meal to compliment the time we spent exploring today. This restaurant is simple and the signage and decor represents many of the current events of this community. The lunch special today was a 12 Oz hamburger steak with two sides for $13.95 which is such a bargain in this day and age - most of us chose the lunch special with different sides and the conversations all stopped when the food arrived and only resumed when it was time to order pie. I'm sure all the food here meets the level of our lunch today, it was simply delicious and I envy the people that have access to this restaurant. If your in the area I'd recommend you give them a try...

The food quality was atrocious. They serve instant mashed potatoes even. My founder was disgusting…read more Save your money avoid