We have eaten at Gamekeeper many times over the years And we have always have an excellent meal. Their veggie plate is consistently the best in the high country as well as their fish dishes. The setting and service are 5 star. The Gamekeeper is one the best restaurants in Western, NC. We wholeheartedly recommended it for anyone who wants a special dinning experience. read more

We have been to this restaurant several times and NEVER been disappointed. Some of the reviews here make me believe they missed the Gamekeeper and went somewhere else....either that or they are pretentious creatures. Service is great, ambiance is quaint and quiet, views are superb and food is spectacular. It is pricey but worth it. read more

Our dining experience here was wonderful! Our waitress Kate was just perfect and the food and wine were exceptional. The view didn't hurt either! We had salads that were the freshest and most flavorful we've ever tasted. The trout and salmon were amazing. We would have gone back during our trip, but they had large parties that had sold out the restaurant. We plan on making another stop to Gamekeeper on our next trip to the mountains! read more

We have been going here for Thanksgiving Dinner for the past 4 or 5 years now. Make a reservation. Thanksgiving is a special dinner menu. A bit pricey for the area, but worth it. Food is always beyond excellent. read more

Excellent service. Amazing variety. Superbly executed dishes. Even my children enjoyed every bite.

Restaurant reached out to me and my husband to give them a second chance. We were going to go this weekend, but snow is altering our plans. I applaud any business who "rights a wrong," and I look forward to updating my review once we return. ***Update*** (2/1/16): My husband and I returned to Gamekeeper after having to cut our first visit short. Our second visit was wonderful! The ambiance of Gamekeeper is really something. I love the old lodge feel to it, with roaring fire in the stone fireplace, and I especially enjoyed sitting next to the window and watching the sunset over the Blue Ridge. After the kitchen sent us a complimentary (and delicious!) amuse-bouche of cured salmon, watercress, and wasabi cracker, my husband ordered the full cured salmon salad. He was extremely pleased and ate the entire plate. I ordered the beet salad which was also quite good. It's also important to mention (a second time) just how much we love Gamekeeper's wine list. It's an extensive and playful collection of very good wine. Wine enthusiasts will not be disappointed with the offerings. For dinner, my husband ordered the grilled duck breast and was thrilled to learn Gamekeeper is "exchange friendly" when it comes to swapping sides. My husband doesn't like sweet potatoes, and the kitchen had no qualms enhancing the sweet potatoes for roasted rosemary potatoes. The duck was perfectly cooked with tender meat and crispy skin. It had a lovely sweet and savory smoke flavor. I ordered the elk filet with green peppercorn jus. It's rare to find a restaurant that cooks its meat true to order, but I can say my filet was promised to be medium-rare and it was! (It's always a shame when other restaurants over-cook their steaks.) The filet was juicy, tender, and well-seasoned. Next time, I might ask for the sauce on the side because I like to go really light on sauce. I also loved the roasted root vegetable medley that accompanied the meat: parsnips, carrots, and collards in a delicious (and not overwhelming) balsamic reduction. I could have eaten an entire plate of those veggies! For dessert, we ordered the special tiramisu and pound cake. Personally, I enjoyed the pound cake, which had a sugary crispness to the edges and soft inside. It was drizzled with a yummy caramel sauce and topped with a dollop of cold vanilla ice cream. It wasn't sickeningly sweet like some desserts can be, and was a great ending to a extensive and delicious meal. I'd be remiss to forget to say how attentive the service was. Taylor was regularly checking in with us--as did the manager--without hovering or making us feel rushed. In fact, if you dine at Gamekeeper, make sure you plan accordingly. This isn't a restaurant that wants to turn tables as quickly as possible. Diners at Gamekeeper can expect the meal to be an event where guests can sit, relax, and indulge themselves in good conversation and good food. I wouldn't recommend coming here if you have a strict timetable to attend to, but if you're going to spend $30+ on an entree, why would you want to rush it? Sit, exhale, relax, enjoy. Thank you to Gamekeeper who made our second visit possible. We will definitely be back and will recommend the restaurant to friends and family both in-town and out-of-town. read more

Our dinner reservation was at 7:30pm. We arrived at 7:25 straight from the App State game. Unfortunately, valet parking is not an option, it's required. So that gave me NO time to freshen up, change shoes, etc. At the hostess stand, we were checking in but had to wait while she answered a phone call and dealt with them. After a while, we just went to the bar instead of standing in the way. We were not seated at our table until 7:45 which was in a fairly small room and next to tables that were being set for a large party. About 20 min after being sat, and finally receiving our appetizer, the manager asked if we wanted to be moved since it was just the 2 of us and the large group table of about 20 men would be arriving soon. I appreciated that management realized it would be loud and moved us BEFORE the party got there, but the table we were moved to was open when we were sat and unfortunately was next to the restroom. So yes, when the door was left open I had a really nice view of the toilet. The food was mediocre at best. I had the bison and unfortunately, even at medium rare, it was tough and tasted like salt and garlic, as evident by the huge chunks of garlic all over the meat. And some of the vegetables that were on my plate were actually cold, not luke warm, but cold. For the price this was a HUGE disappointment. read more

Food was good not spectacular. Service was too slow - from sit down to check 2.5 hours- lots of down time to lose your appetite a little pricey for the quality -party of two drinks apps desserts etc 250.00. I will probably give it another try next visit in case it was just an off night read more

First time here and just blown away by the amazing food!!! Would definitely recommend as a top choice for dining in Boone and will definitely come back during our next trip!!! read more

Amazing dining experience. Everything is prepared exquisitely. Amazing flavors from the first appetizer to the last bite of dessert. Service was attentive and knowledgeable about all aspects of the restaurant and the view out the windows is priceless. One of the best meals I have had in a long time. Don't expect to put on the feed bag. With locally sourced ingredients and some once in a lifetime items, everything here is one of a kind. read more

My boyfriend and I visited the gamekeeper for our 3 year anniversary. I actually found the place on yelp and I had never heard of it before. The drive there was incredibly stressful! Our gps quit working so when we get to the end of poplar grove we had no clue which way to turn. After we got going the right way, the angle of the driveway up to the restaurant was so sharp and my boyfriend drives a 2500 chevy silverado hd diesel and it is lifted. Needless to say I had about three different heart attacks and we took out some bushes. The valet was kind of rude and when we pulled up instead of saying I can't drive your truck he said "buddy I'm going to let you park this one, I don't want to walk up the hill." I personally thought that was his job and he owed us a tip but that's beside the fact. When we finally got into the restaurant we were seated immediately, because we had made reservations. The setting is rustic but very intimate. We sat in the back room and there were lots of windows and a door leading to the balcony. It was very quant. First off everything they use is grown locally in North Carolina, which I'm personally a big fan of supporting local farmers. We started off with the mixed game sampler which was absolutely amazing!!! My favorite was the ostrich. For our entrees I had the venison and he had the duck. Both were amazing and cooked to perfection. We ended dinner with the martini cheesecake and the brownie dessert. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at the gamekeeper and we will definitely revisit! I highly recommend this place!!! Just next time we will drive my car and not his monster truck. read more

Wow! My wife and I ate there last night and we are still talking about it (while dining at another restaurant and wishing we were back in Boone). My wife is sure it is the best meal she has ever eaten and I am struggling to remember a meal that I have enjoyed more. This is a truly special dining experience and will become a tradition for us. We had the sampler, and then the trout for her and duck for myself. Every bite was perfect including the bread, salad and chocolate cake at the end. The service was excellent as was the atmosphere. I have no complaints about the price and look forward to bringing the rest of my family back for the experience. This restaurant alone is worth the drive to Boone. Five stars is not enough. read more

Great food, not your normal fare. Service was very nice and welcoming. I will return again when i am back in the area.

We've been here a couple times before and the food has always been incredible. We recently stopped in during the Plate Crawl, sat at the bar and had a few appetizers. As usual the food was great! The bartender was engaging and the conversation was lively. We had such a good time we may just eat at the bar from now on! We highly recommend Gamekeeper! read more

Overrated- I'm one to drop good money on excellent food and service but I am amazed people go back. The service was okay (I've been a server for years so I know how it is), there was not any ambiance due to the noise level and over-crowding. The food was disappointing. read more

Food was overall very good, many choices for those who might be hesitant to try 'game.' Service was poor, even for North Carolina, but they were friendly and acknowledged their mistakes by giving us free bread pudding, which was very yummy! Bad acoustics... cozy dining room... high prices... this restaurant is middle of the road, all things considered. read more

What a unique, laid-back classy find in a casual place like Boone. Located in the beautiful curvy mountains, The Gamekeeper comes up out of nowhere looking like a big intriguing, log cabin. The cocktails, delicious. The MEAT, beyond delicious. The FRIES, omg the fries. Ostrich, rabbit, elk, bison... you name it. They constantly change their menu, ensuring that their frequent customers never get bored. This is one of our FAVORITE places to celebrate a special occassion, and we never regret it. read more

I still haven't recovered from how badly we were treated -- both times we visited. Somehow both times we had the misfortune of being assigned the same waitress, who I think is actually the hostess/manager. She was in a horrible mood, never told us the specials on our first visit and acted like she hated life and like it wasn't really her job to be waiting on us. Maybe they were short-staffed or someone hadn't shown up for work, I don't know. But both times were special occasions, and she really ruined the place for us. Yes, the food is delicious, but that's true of a lot of places that are easier to get to and not outrageously priced. Plus, you can find more courteous service at a takeout window, just about anywhere. read more

Despite being local to Boone, it was our first trip to the Gamekeeper. It is a bit pricey so we chose to wait for a special occasion, an early Valentine's dinner. Friends had recommended the rattlesnake, however when we got there it was not on the menu. A wonderful sounding Bison dinner WAS on the menu and is what my boyfriend chose, but we were told by the server they were sold out of it. These disappointments are the reason for 4 instead of 5 stars. Otherwise, the Venison Osso Bucco and Bleu Cheese Ravioli with Duck Confit were fabulous. We also had the Oyster appetizer, I'm not big on oysters but between the breading and the sauces I enjoyed them. The recommended Bread Pudding was good, not great, and the service was outstanding. read more

Wonderful staff, and service. I'm not a big fan of meat in general but the wild boar on the appetizer sampler we ordered was phenomenal! I ordered the Duck entree with the mashed sweet potatoes- wow. It was great. My husband ordered the Bison flank steak and bleu cheese macaroni and cheese- it was delicious. No complaints here. A must in the High Country. read more

My partner and I dined at the Gamekeeper last week on a cold rainy night. As we entered we immediately felt the warm and welcoming lighting and ambiance of the awesome tucked away gem in the woods. We first had Tom Collins from the bar that was excellent (no skimping on the alcohol). Everything we ordered was most definitely 5 star this evening from the okra salad, to the Onion crusted Rabbit, and the pheasant. We walked away with a memorable night to tuck away. Fabulous service as well. Primo!! read more

All of the info on the website is wrong, including the phone number .. Which goes to an awesome cabin company that's helpful & kind but yet they don't know & can't find the correct number. Try making reservations read more

What a fantastic time! We were unable to get a reservation but the woman on the phone said if we wanted to come in right at 5. We could likely get a seat at the first come first serve tables. We did that and got in with no problem. Hunter was our bartender and server. He was awesome! After a short conversation it turns out we went to the same high school. We had a couple drinks and glasses of wine before ordering the oysters. Guys, these oysters were incredible! I mean INCREDIBLE! You have to get them. I asked what appetizer the couple sitting next to us had and they said it was some type of meat sampler. Ended up talking to them the rest of the night. My date ordered the beef tenderloins which he said was amazing! I ordered the emu and it was just amazing! I have a pretty adventurous pallet so I was game for game! What a fantastic dining experience. We had such a great time with great food and a great experience with great people. read more

This place was a disaster this visit. We arrived 7 minutes before our 8 pm reservation. They told us our table wasn't ready but would be ready soon. We thought no worries and went to the bar to grab a drink. Over 45 minutes later our table was still not ready and no one was informing us of anything. It turned out everyone in the bar was waiting over 30 minutes for their reservations. Yes it was graduation weekend but they ruined our nice meal out in celebration of graduation. The hostess lacked the manners expected by a hostess. She would be annoyed when asking when our table would be ready after 30 minutes of waiting. Once we were seated the service wasn't that great. It wasn't horrible but nothing special and we had mentioned we were celebrating graduation. The cocktails were great. They should learn how to book reservations. Usually when we come here it is fantastic service. But this visit was horrendous. It really made us wonder if we will be returning here in the future. read more

***Buyer beware*** I first want to say that this was one of my favorite restaurants and I am not sure what has happened but it is really not good. Tonight I arrived (8:30) with a party of 3 and was seated immediately. The place was relatively busy but it is not that big of a restaurant. The waitress was very nice and took our order promptly. Then everything went from ok to really really bad..... So the bread lady comes out and says they ran out of bread and they have tortilla slices instead... no joke! It was like I was on a episode of punked.... so we roll with it and say ok... that is strange but it is just bread. 35 min later and we still are waiting on our drinks. The waitress comes by and tells us that it is a new bartender and that he is backed up but I am not seeing anyone in the room getting any drinks. 5 min later we finally get our drinks but we are also noticing no one is getting food. I have seen enough restaurant TV shows that I get a weird feeling that I might be waiting another 2 hours before I get my food. So I approach the woman who was either the manager or the hostess and ask if they are having a bad night and if I should consider leaving and paying for the drinks. She assured me that everything was good and there was no problems. I decide to ask the waitress and she tells me the truth that the restaurant has been shut down for the past few months and everyone there is new. The kitchen is severely backed up and it probably would be in our best interest to leave and cut our losses. It is a real shame since I really like this restaurant but the fact that they would lie and say everything was what made me decide to write this and also the fact that it is a bit out of the way to get to this place. So you have been warned.... There didn't seem to be any concern from management for this lack of service and they are gladly keeping the drinks flowing at 10 bucks a pop while you sit there waiting on your food. read more

I couldn't figure out what the "hoop-la" was all about! The dinner portions were tiny, VERY overpriced, and the service sucked! We decided to eat our anniversary dinner at Gamekeeper, they knew it was our anniversary, but did not even acknowledge it. Our server did not know (or offer) the specials & seemed to have other things on his mind. I would never go back. On a positive note, the building was cute. read more

This is our event restaurant in the area. We live in Boone, and a drive out to Shulls Mills Rd. is always a great way to start a terrific meal. The restaurant started as a wild game specialty restaurant years ago, and this is still honored by the current chefs. A turn toward the organic (really wild, right?) is seen and the menu is imaginative and uses local/regional foods often. A solid wine list and a competent bar service make this a great night out. read more

Ok Ok I have heard about this place for the past 18 years but for some reason have never been until I got a text yesterday morning from some friends inviting me to join them and their treat! OK I said. The hairpin turn into their driveway is interesting but hey we are in the mountains right. The valet parkers to help you as their parking area is steep. A beautiful view of the valley off Shull's Mill Road which is an adventure in itself. The restaurant is perched on the side of the mountain. We were show to a lovely table by the windows with a nice personable waitress who quickly got us started with a lovely special beverage and the Gamekeeper Sampler Platter. Oh my the tastes were wonderful of the Bison, Venison, Elk (and something else I can't remember) and 3 dipping sauces and house made fries. I chose the rabbit for my entree which was delicious in a creamy sauce with noodles and fresh veggies. A huge portion for sure. Then I followed up with a specialty coffee and a very delicious bread pudding with some fresh berries. It ranked up near the top of my bread pudding list I keep in my brain. The meal, the conversation and the place were wonderful. So why have I not been here before? Probably the reputation for sticker shock upon seeing the menu prices and that was true but hey I was a guest and I have to say it was worth it. Thanks go out to my very generous friends for a great evening. read more

This place is incredible. I got the boar chop and I feel I'll never be satisfied by pork chops again. Ambiance was really nice, too!

Beautiful setting, excellent service, great variety in the menu, food was excellently prepared. It is way up on the mountain and for those of us from the flat lands a scary drive in the dark and rain so I would go knowing that, but well worth the trip. read more

I try to make it to the Boone area a few times a year to enjoy the mountains and have been to Gamekeeper 4 times now. Each time was wonderful. During my last visit, I mentioned to the waiter that I am avoiding gluten and he assured me the dish I was choosing was free of it. It was the bison tenderloin with veggies and potatoes. When the dish arrived, there was clearly breading on the potatoes. He took it back and returned shortly with an entirely new meal prepared by the chef (who was sympathetic, and happens to have Celiac). Other than that minor hiccup, the meal was fantastic as always. In fact, the 2nd dish was better than the first. Wonderful wine list. We also had the mixed meat appetizer. Everything was cooked to perfection. The elk was obscenely tender. When making a reservation I requested a quiet table off to the side. We were seated at just that. A quiet table near an open window with a gentle breeze. I will definitely be back, though if you have food allergies or restrictions, it's best to call ahead as the servers may not be well versed on the menu. read more

This used to be a favorite, but after last night's visit we won't go back. Wilted salad topped with raw apple that had turned brown. Stale bread. Good quality meat but overly salted. Waitress was attentive but she seemed to be rushing us to leave although the restaurant was far from full. She brought us the wrong coffees. Best part of the meal was the yummy strawberry shortcake with lavender biscuits. Apparently Gamekeeper is under new management; if so, they'd better get their act together. read more

out in the middle of nowhere and kinda expensive, but really awesome if u want a memorable meal for a special occasion, take someone who knows how to find it though! it's near yonahlosseee read more

Went here for our anniversary dinner and were definitely disappointed. It came highly recommended by a co-worker. We made reservations ahead of time and told them we were celebrating something special. Upon arrival we had our car valeted. We were promptly sat in the most awkward of tables in between two other couples. The place was pretty empty. We sat there for a good 10 minutes and even asked another server if we could see a drink menu. He told us no, our server would be with us shortly. The menu is eclectic and overpriced. My husband had the elk and I had the fish. Both of our veggie side dishes were undercooked. Service was okay once we got a server. We were by far the youngest couple (in our 30s) and they didn't seem very attentive. Bread was okay. We looked at the dessert menu but passed, only afterwards did the waiter offer something for our anniversary. This place surly didn't live up to the hype. We were looking forward to it all week. I'd give it 3.5 stars if possible. read more

The Restaurant atmosphere was the best part of the experience. My son and I both made it to Exxon gas station after dinner to buy antacid and left most of the dinner in the parking lot. Good luck! read more

My wife and I are foodies and try to eat at different spots until we find what we like. I've been to some great restaurants but what puts this one over the top is the service. You can have really great food and crap service or flip it. You can have great service and the food sucks. This is the best of both worlds! We had salads, an appetizer, I had the Emu and my wife had beef. It was slap the chef good. Can you hunt Emu? Idk...so 5 on food. It was our lucky#13 wedding anniversary. They mentioned we would get a desert. By the end of the main course, forget it! We were stuffed. Fast forward a few weeks we were eating dinner and decided to go back to gamekeeper to just grab desert. I ordered bread pudding and my wife had an apple dish. The bread pudding was slightly overcooked but still delicious. The manager recognized us and remembered we never had desert on our anniversary. She then proceeded to comp the bread pudding! All star performance! That type of service is long gone, but not here!! I highly recommend paying them a visit. Start to finish that place wins. We can't wait to go back and continue to explore the menu...if you eat there and turn your nose up to it! Thank you...we will gladly take your reservation. read more

We went here for my son's birthday and had a party of 6 with reservations at 8pm. We had the mixed grill as an appetizer along with a tomato plate. The mixed gill was awesome although he tomato plate was just ok. For our main dish 2 people ordered Elk, 2 Bison, 1 Emu and 1 Duck plate. Everyone absolutely loved their meals and we all shared small pieces so we could try each one. I'm pretty sure there wasn't anything left on any of the plates when we were done. For dessert we got the chocolate cake and wanted the blueberry cobbler but they had run out. Three people in our party got the coffee drinks. Everyone left very satisfied and we had a great experience. Service was a little slow but we enjoyed the entire meal and the quality family time. Definitely a great place to try! read more

It is great, cozy and friendly restaurant. I strongly recommend those meats grilled on real wood BBQ.

A memorable experience and dinner. Restaurant is off beaten path and situated in an old house, but ambiance in the restaurant was very nice. Service was excellent. Food: diver scallops, venison, local organic pork chop, bread pudding. Everything was excellent, well thought out and presented. Both the venison and the pork were extroadinarily tender and delicious. Expensive, but well worth the money (unless you are one who demands volume over quality). read more

One of our absolute favorites. It's a bit of a way from either Boone or Blowing Rock, but that's half the fun--one of the prettiest drives in the area (and deeply exhilarating during an icy winter!). We're not fans of game, but the fish is always outstanding and the vegetable plate is absolutely fantastic. 'Local' is all the rage right now, but the Gamekeeper has used truly local produce, goat cheese etc. for as long as I've been going there (years) and I've never had a less than great meal. The ambiance is comfortable and quirky--you'd be comfortable wearing anything from jeans to fancy finest. read more