I put this place off for a while because I'm not much of a game meat person but I had a bison braised short rib over risotto that was excellent and my husband had the Elkloaf. Both were delicious. Service was excellent and we'll be back more often. read more

Finally had a chance to visit Gamekeeper...and what a delightful experience! Our rez was early at 5:00, but they were open a bit early and ready for customers. The opening cocktails were excellent and early on it became clear that the serving staff was excellent, too. We both started with the really wonderful mixed greens and beet salad, and then moved on to differing entrees...one bison and one grilled emu. We've had great game dishes around the world, and Gamekeeper's entrees were on a par with anything we've seen anywhere. The accompanying veg and starch sides were totally enjoyable as well. Ok, the road in from Blowing Rock may be a little dodgy after dark, but Gamekeeper has just jumped to the top of my "favorite Blowing Rock restaurants" list. A casual, delightful experience not to be missed! read more

Delicious food that is not the usual fare. Plus the cocktails are so good. The biggest problem is getting a reservation so make sure you call for one in plenty of time read more

Really great food and cool location. The Game sampler was great but everything we had was good. read more

The Gamekeeper - Mixed Game Grill - New American Near Me - Boone, North Carolina

This was our second visit to Gamekeeper. We had been there in May and decided to try it again since it made such an impression the first time. In May we were able to sit outside on the patio and have the most beautiful view of the mountains and surroundings. It was lovely. This time we were inside and it was cozy & comfortable. Based on other reviews we started with the mixed game grill for an appetizer. WOW! Very nice with an assortment of mixed game, sausage and fries w/ dipping sauces. We ate every bite. Next we split the oyster appetizer w/ capers and key lime dressing. YUMMMM For entrees I had the ELK, the best meat protein I've ever tasted & my Boo had the Tenderloin. We both enjoyed our meals but my Elk was the better, very tender & tasty, not at all Gamey. We both kept asking how do they do that? How do they prepare such tasty meat? For dessert we took a bread pudding to go. I don't recommend that since part of the yumminess is the caramel sauce that goes on top & wasn't the same served on the side. Service was good, food was excellent! We will be back! Highly recommend making reservations ahead, at least a week in advance. Only picture we took was of the after dinner drink menu. All the food was gone before we thought about taking pics. read more

The Gamekeeper - some yummy options for after dinner! - New American Near Me - Boone, North Carolina

I've been here twice and the service and food has been spot on each time. A great place to celebrate a special occasion or date night. read more

The Gamekeeper - Bison - New American Near Me - Boone, North Carolina

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One of the best meals we have ever had. From the bartender to the super helpful sommelieri to the waiter you realize everyone knows everything they need to know about the food and spirits. There was a soup not on the menu... stock from a crawfish boil used with squash...heavenly! Oyster appetizer was fantastic. Truly incredible elk entree with an insane reduction...and a bison ribeye that should have been $75 for $60. They also handle food allergies with care... making me a bread pudding minus the pecan crumble. The place place around set beautifully in the woods with a stunning view! read more

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My wife and I made reservations for dinner on a Sunday, but the place didn't seem all that busy when we got there at around 6, or when we left after 7. We were convinced by the valet to use their valet service because weekends are busy, so we would have to park across the street if we didn't do valet. There were spots when we got there (which we didn't see until he took our car), and spots when we left. Not appreciated. As far as the food, we ordered the Mixed Grill as an appetizer. It had emu and elk as well as boar sausage and rabbit sausage. I enjoyed the emu and elk - they were cooked well, were not too tough, and were full of flavor. I think I preferred the elk over the emu, but both were tasty. Between the sausages, I liked the boar better than the rabbit - it just had more flavor to it. It came with fries and some dipping sauces, which were all good. The unfortunate thing about our dish was that it had hair in it. I did get to try a bit of everything before even noticing the hair, but we ended up returning the dish. Our waitress was kind enough to not charge us for it, but she said it might be from the way they prepare the sausages, because everything is done in-house? But I think I would have preferred human hair rather than rabbit hair, or that she not tried to explain the possible cause... it made the rest of the meal a little unsettling. Anyways, my wife got the Mixed Greens salad, which came with olives, grilled onions, carrots, and parmesan. She got the sun-dried tomato vinaigrette - it was a pretty standard salad. For my entree, I ordered the Rainbow Trout, which was stuffed with tomatoes, olives, rosemary, and capers. It came with a side of arugala salad tossed with lemon and toasted pecans. The trout was very juicy and tender, and I enjoyed the flavors that the tomatoes, olives, rosemary, and capers added to the fish. The side salad wasn't bad, but wasn't my favorite, either. In terms of the service, it was hit or miss. When we arrived, we were promptly seated and attended to. Our waitress was nice enough, but I had to ask her twice to refill my water after waiting a while with an empty glass. If a restaurant is going to charge that much for a meal, the service ought to match the price. And it still irked me that I felt tricked into using the valet service. Overall, the food was good, but there were just some things about the service and general feel of the restaurant that I didn't prefer. Not sure I'd come back just to try elk or emu again. read more

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Solid choice for dinner. Suggest the Mixed Grill appetizer to try the different exotic meat options (you can get without the fries so won't be so filling). I always prefer the Elk steak and it does not disappoint. Wine selection is very good. If fall or spring, suggest to sit outside. read more

Wow Wow Wow! Admittedly, I am not a meat eater, but who doesn't love mac n chesse? Blue Cheese mac n cheese? I AM IN! My very favorite restaurant in the area. The BEST drinks in town and a great outdoor vibe to boot! I am not sure where my pics went, but I assure you, this is worth it! read more

first of all we waited an hour and a half for our food-then one entree came out and the second came out 20 minutes later. the server did not even check on us for a good 30 minutes. so disappointed read more

Hopefully Yelp will agree with publishing a review of a restaurant we have never visited, so here it goes: My wife and I had reservations at The Gamekeeper Friday, February 28th. We were confirmed earlier in the day. Driving to the restaurant, we got a call from a Blowing Rock number we could not answer, for we were busy maneuvering the NC mountains. As soon as we were able to, we checked our voice mail and noticed someone named Gaby from The Gamekeeper had left us a message. She said that due to inclement weather and unpredicted snowstorm, the restaurant would be closing earlier than anticipated, therefore she was calling to cancel our reservation. She apologized several times, and asked to please visit or give them a call the next day or coming week if we were still in town so they could have us back. She wished us safe travels, a good night and hung up. We honestly felt this was the most thoughtful, well meaning, sincere message we have ever gotten from anyone in the restaurant business. So Gaby, if you read this, please accept our apologies for not calling you back, but your message was well received and very appreciated. And to The Gamekeeper team, know that you have in Gaby a professional that represents you and your restaurant very well. We are from Florida, so not sure when we will be able to be back in the area, but rest assure we will be visiting The Gamekeeper next time we are in town. read more

Our first visit to this fabulous restaurant for our Anniversary. Food was exquisite. Service impeccable. We both had the Elk dish and it was delicious. We also had the mixed grill appetizer and it was also excellent. The restaurant gave us the bread pudding dessert since we were celebrating our anniversary. We will definitely go back to this restaurant! read more

The Gamekeeper - Elk entree - New American Near Me - Boone, North Carolina

I drove up from Charlotte for the day to hang out I Boone. Been to Blowing Rock plenty of times. Quite honestly I got a little bored quickly and started looking fo r a good place to treat myself to a nice dinner. I was researching steak houses cuz I really felt the need for a nice hunk of beef. I came across a review for this restaurant.Saw the menu and thought that's exactly what I need. Something different. And in a beautiful mountain setting. The bartender was awesome and served me up delicious dirty martini with blue cheese stuffed olives. I had a fantastic appetizer of fried oysters that was just amazing. But then the big reveal... grilled emu with spinach risotto. Never had emu in my life but it was tender flavorful rich but not too gamey. It was fantastic. Sitting at the bar looking out the window to the moss covered rocks and then the Treetops was really special too. read more

The Gamekeeper - Grilled Emu with spinach rissotto. Fabulous. - New American Near Me - Boone, North Carolina

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After a tricky drive up the mountain after dark, my husband and I only had to wait 10 minutes after our reservation time for a table. Our waiter was very helpful and pleasant. My blue salad was delicious. The escargot appetizer was tasty, but, like most, floating in butter. My husband enjoyed his emu dish. My pasta dish was a little disappointing...very little duck and mostly small pieces of veggies in a broth. The bread pudding was very good. We hope to return at a later date but, actually, we were a little disappointed in our experience here. We had big hopes. We hadn't been here in over 10 years. After waiting for our table from our 15 min before early time of arrival to 10 minutes past our reservation time, we were seated in the bright bar area, by ourselves, with gnats buzzing around our heads. The ambiance here was greatly lacking what the outside patio and the dining rooms offered. Had it been made clear to me that that was to be my designated table at 9pm, I would have declined the offer. read more

Some things were wonderful, others not so much. We are a steak loving family. We ordered a $54 steak and it came out with some horseradish cream sauce on top. It was also on the mashed potatoes. It ruined the plate. Seemed like they put it on everything. My husbands steak was overlooked. My duck was good overall. The mashed sweet potatoes were wonderful! The bottle of wine we ordered was amazing. The decor and the fireplace were great--very beautiful. read more

Excellent meal here every time we are in town, great service as well. Loved the appetizer sampler and always order it when we come and it's always very good. The expresso martini's are also very good. read more

You get what's advertised! A cute little-cabin-in-the-woods feel with a nice selection of simply prepared game meats. The service was efficient and informative. Every thing was cooked adequately and the meats were tender and succulent. We tried the emu, the bison, the sausages and my husband had the meatloaf. The sides and salads were classic, nothing really out of the usual but just very well prepared and tasty. The drinks were fun, the wine selection was good. The desserts were a nice ending to the meal. My husband had the bread pudding which was also just very simply prepared and excellent. I had a more inventive honeydew and mint sorbet which was really refreshing after all the rich foods. We enjoyed it a lot. read more

Phenomenal food coupled with top notch service. Started with some great cocktails, followed by butternut squash bisque and potato soup. Hard to choose which was better. Had bison and the lamb chops for our entrees. Both were fantastic. Topped it off with a chocolate and caramel tart which was heavenly. This restaurant is an easy five stars. read more

The dining room is quaint and very comfortable. The service was absolutely wonderful. Great place to try hard to find meats (Emu, Elk, Alligator, etc.)!! A bit spendy, but overall a solid choice. read more

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Excellent adventure. Beware that if you don't like wild game, you probably won't enjoy it as well as those who seek this restaurant out for its unusual and diverse menu. Whether it's elk, bison, antelope, or emu that you get, you will love it! My wife is conservative with what she eats but tried the elk and can't wait to go back! read more

I sincerely hope that when I die I am sent to live out the rest of miserable eternity at The Gamekeeper. Everything about this place is perfect. The food is spendy but superb. The service is beyond compare. The ambiance is romantic. The people are lovely. The view is captivating. I would give this place 100 stars. This is my favorite restaurant in the world and I pity the fool who hasn't tried it. read more

Wonderful dining experience. Began with prompt valet parking. Pretty Holiday decor with lights all around and a roaring wood fire. Then to well prepared drinks and an appetizer of potato soup. I had the local rainbow trout, well prepared with a spicy salsa. The star of the night was my wife's elk dish. Tender, seasoned and excellent. Finished with the chocolate cheesecake and an Irish coffee. An amazing dinner. Can't wait to return. Only one thing - the road to get there was a twisty, curvy dark drive from Boone. read more

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Met a friend there for 1st Sat. Night since reopening from reservations to seating we appreciated the cordial communication & patience as the # our party fluctuated at the last minute. Covid Protocols On Point. The recent Remodel during their down time is most excellent & thoughtfully done w/social distancing in mind. Very accommodating to tweak Side dishes. The menu is varied but pared down in these times. The Roasted Veg platter would have to be pre/ordered as not listed. I would also urge more mushroom options for those not carnivore minded. Mixed Grill app good but mostly hidden by the fries & not quite as we remembered. The veg substitution requested was graciously dealt with & appreciated. The Elk Superb as always. Salmon not quite there & dessert of Bread Pudding very satisfying. Looking forward to going again & sitting outside in such a beautiful setting. Handicap access inside as well a bonus. #DoSupport this local iconic restaurant as they restart operations. read more

The Gamekeeper - New multi deck setting - New American Near Me - Boone, North Carolina

Need to up their "game". For an establishment charging fine dining prices, we were not given fine dining treatment. First, our reservation, which was made over 2 weeks in advance, was "lost". I showed the host a text confirming my date and time of reservation, and they did graciously seat us, however, we were seated in the bar area with the bartender as our inattentive waiter, and felt like we were in time-out. We had to ask for refills of wine, water, and iced tea on 4 separate occasions, even though we were in plain view of the bartender (and were the only people seated there) who did not appear to be busy making drinks. Then, my husband was served the wrong entree. They replaced it, with the bartender offering us a free dessert, but the manager, who was aware not only of THEIR scheduling mishap, but also of THEIR. Incorrect order, offered us nothing to compensate for this. We are foodies.... we don't expect anything for free. We do, however, expect exemplary service when eating at a nice establishment. I NEVER give bad reviews, but we were looking forward to this dining experience and were truly disappointed. Now on to the food..,,,, I must say, I had the bison, and it was amazing, even though I had to eat it alone while waiting for my husbands meal to be brought. We had the fried green tomatoes and the blue salad which were both excellent as well. My husbands Elk was mediocre at best, and very gamey. The bread pudding was great. If I were rating just the food, I would probably give them a 3.5 to 4, but given our service and botched evening, I arrived at a 2 for my rating. read more

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This is certainly one of my favorite restaurants in all of North Carolina, and probably the best of anything west (sorry Louisiana Purchase) of Charlotte. The two owner/chefs here are a fabulous couple that pour their heart into every dish, and do a great job of interacting with everyone who visits. You can tell this place has been here for quite a while, as it definitely has that "lived in" vibe that old established restaurants take on, a fact aided by the reality of the restaurant actually being a renovated mountain home. You really can't go wrong with any of the dishes here, but if you drove all this way to dine at a place called The Gamekeeper I hope you step outside your comfort zone and try at least one of the more interesting house specialties. Anything from elk, to rabbit, and even boar or snake can be found here at various times of year, and they are all expertly cooked. I've had the elk and rattlesnake several times, and they are definitely my favorite options when coming here. I would suggest coming during the summer months, mainly because they are open the entire week then (Yelp doesn't list the days/hours, but they are very seasonal so be sure to check the website before planning a trip out here), but also because of you come earlier in the day you can really enjoy the beautiful ride up to the restaurant. Moss covered back-roads are pretty much all you'll take once you're off the main highway, so enjoy all the beauty, but be sure to pay close attention and drive slower than normal, as there is just barely room for 2 cars on some of the blind turns. Also, be sure to go to the bar at the back of the restaurant and check out the giant black bear out the window, great for photo ops! One last neat, unique thing about this place is that the chefs keep their own blog (http://gamekeeperblog.blogspot.com/) where they share inspirations behind some of the dishes. It's not updated all that regularly, but it does give you a hint into the type of things to expect here. read more

The Gamekeeper - one of the dining areas - New American Near Me - Boone, North Carolina

We had an amazing dinner. We got the emu tartar. I can't describe to you how amazing this appetizer is. We ordered the elk and bison steak. The elk had continuous flavor, so I preferred it. The bison was slightly lighter In flavor but more tender. Though they both are amazing, in a taste test or comparison, I preferred elk and so did my husband. They are both by far the best meat we've ever experienced and we eat venison regularly. We got both medium rare and more tender than any fillet we have ever had. They were cooked to perfection. The bleu Mac and cheese was next level. We also had the waiter recommend a wine that was made for wild meat, it was perfect. They have a repurposed cigarette machine that sells "crafts". We snagged a souvenir from the evening....a scorpion crafted figurine. I would rate the entire experience a 10/10 as would my more conservative husband. read more

Very nice place. The food was superb. I had Emu with spinach risotto and it was very good. My husband had Elk and blue mac & cheese which was excellent! Our service was not excellent, possibly a new waiter? Mixed our meals up, and did not do a great job at explaining the meals. Otherwise everything was great! read more

How this could be anything but a 5-Star is beyond me. The setting, the smells, the layout, the menu, and the staff. It was an all-around wonderful experience. We frequent the mountains and for some reason I had never been. I will be hard pressed not to go back each visit now. Kate was our waitress for the evening and was superb. Friendly, knowledgable of the menu and very helpful. We will certainly request her again when we return and would urge you to do the same. I started with the Pork Belly appetizer (root beer braised and charred pork belly with korean black barbecue sauce, local scuppernong grape syrup and fried shallots). My wife starrted with the Buttermilk Blue Salad (crumbled buttermilk blue cheese, and organic baby romaine lettuce with brandied granny smith apple vinaigrette, red onion confit, dried cranberries and spiced pecans). Both were fantastic. I love Pork Belly anyhow so I was immedately in love. My wifes salad was also fantastic. The red onion confit made it for me. The flavor combined with the bluecheese and pecans was perfect. I had the Duck for my entree (long island duck breast, grilled medium-rare, with blackberry barbeque sauce and sweet potatoes mashed with local honey) and my wife had the Ostrich (spice rubbed ostrich fan filet from hilltop farms in forsyth county, grilled medium-rare, with roasted garlic risotto and sun-dried). I already knew what I wanted when I sat down. I'm a huge fan of duck at restaurants like this because I know they'll prepare it perfectly. My wifes ostrich was also wonderful with a great crisp outer ring with wonderful flavors from the rub. We paired it all with a Saintsbury Pinor Nior and finished with a blueberry cobbler and some spiked coffees. Our experience couldn't have been better and again, it was from all criteria a perfect dining evening. read more

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My favorite higher end dinner in the Boone area. Food is unique, delicious. I highly recommend the ostrich. The cocktails are well mixed and I suggest branching out and trying one of their more unique cocktails as well. If you're looking for great food, great atmosphere, a unique experience; then this is the place. A little hard to find but worth the drive. read more

You expect it to be good.....and it always is. Start with the Mixed Grill appetizer and order your main course based on that.

We have eaten here a couple of times over the last few years. It is a wonderful place to go to celebrate a special occasion. There is really no place like it. You cannot get the wide variety of game meat that they serve here anywhere else. The sampler app is a good way to start. And you can't go wrong with the emu, bison, duck, or the filet. read more

Looked up restaurants before I came into town for a training meeting. Being from Texas I appreciate local game and well prepared meat, and decided on a whim to try this place out. First off the drive to get there is stunning. Check out the Blue Ridge Parkway route in daylight or at sunset. Service was great, we were seated in the bar area since we did not have a table reserved. I ordered the Elk steak with blue cheese macaroni and it was delicious. Only wished there was more of that shiitake mushroom sauce on the plate. Friend had the venison osso bucco and it fell off the bone, also delicious. Tried the venison sausage and was not a fan but loved the pheasant and emu on the tasting plate. Capped it off with coffee and some bread pudding. If I did not live a thousand miles away I would eat here regularly to try new game and flavors. Love the use of local ingredients and game meat. Hat's off! read more

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This place is a must go. The charcuterie board had things that had been harvested from their own gardens. The various types of meats were top notch. The Emu was amazing. read more

The Gamekeeper - Mixed Game Grill - New American Near Me - Boone, North Carolina

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My wife and I went to The Gamekeeper for our first night on our honeymoon and were blown away! It was absolutely delicious. The service was great, everyone was very friendly and helpful. They were also knowledgeable of the wild game on the menu. We got the Emu and Venison, both were delicious! The cocktails were great too, get the whiskey sour! read more

We went there for their new years eve dinner. The food was all spectacular. Tried a bunch of things, I probably would have never ordered on my own but they were all amazing. The elk was great as was the emu. I can only imagine how good their normal menu was. The Baked Alaska was by far my favorite thing! The drinks were also amazing, the moscow mule was great and the manhattan ranks top 5 in what I would have. The service was prompt, but my 4 stars as opposed to 5 is based on service, our waitress semi treated us like we didnt belong there. Not enough to ruin the night or rating, but just something we noticed. read more

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Second visit here and this visit was very consistent with the first. There were some highs and some OKs. The concept is interesting and the setting beautiful, but for the price the OKs bring the rating down a star. Highs on this second visit were huckleberry fritters with lamb. Delicious, party in the mouth combination of flavors. The escarole salad with shaved venison was very tasty, almost a play on a wedge salad. My wife had the mule-hoof pork chop. It was by FAAAARRRR the best pork chop I had ever tasted. I wished I had gotten it instead of the bison, which was OK but came out a bit cold. Last, the bread pudding was much better this time around. We were told that the restaurant had to close for several months to dig a new well and that the staff (including in the kitchen) had turned over nearly 100%. That made the consistency in the cooking more impressive and the glitches in service (e.g., a long delay in getting our wine out) more understandable. read more

My wife and I were in Blowing Rock for the weekend. Decided to give it a try. What an unbelievable dining experience. Ever notice someone or something that's so good at what they do, that they aren't pretentious. This is it! Emu was perfectly prepared. Bread pudding put the nail in the coffin. Sooo good. Can't wait to go back. read more

The Gamekeeper - Long Island Duck - New American Near Me - Boone, North Carolina

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This restaurant is a gem. Amazing food, great atmosphere. We cannot wait to come back. GET THE BISON! Emu was great too but the bison was more tender. Both had a charbroil taste and were great. The portions are huge also. My husband and i split the Bibb salad and potato soup and it was plenty and we couldn't either of us finish our dinners. Incredible food! read more

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They sat us at table in bar. It was pricey but delicious. Pretty setting for a restaurant.