Not many options in Sparta but me and wife always come back here good bar food great service…read moreeveryone is nice and most of the time they have live music.

Don't let "cafe" in the name confuse you, this is more closely akin to a bar scene than a cafe…read more Music in the main dining room so loud you could barely hear the waitstaff ask how many in your party. Minus the music attempting to perform for the local school of the deaf, the decor was very pleasant and welcoming. Cleanliness was very nice, a few dark corners with some dusty nooks and crannies. Overall very nice feel. Service was an odd mess.Very clumsy and nice but .... Clumsy. Had to get up and find my own refill on drinks, ordered chili on a burger only to receive a bowl of chili. (Honest mistake to make) Patio chairs are decent but can be uncomfortable. Never had a Mushroom Swiss burger come with lettuce tomato mayo, but that might have been an oversight on my part. Fries could have done with seasoning but food did come out hot and fresh. All in all a decent meal, not really worth the price, definitely not worth the risk of hearing damage. Will certainly come back to try again one day, but might try a week night next time.

We were greeted warmly by Jennifer, and shown to a table. She immediately took our drink orders…read more She answered our questions in a friendly, non rushed fashion I ordered a veggie omelet which was very tasty. My daughter ordered French toast and was pleased with the way it turned out. We were just traveling through on our way to Clemmons, NC. So happy we decided to give it a try!

We happened to stumble upon this little place while traveling down highway 21 today and I'm so glad…read morewe did! The service was great and the food was even better. I highly recommend trying this place out if you are in the area!!

Our group of four had a great time. The food and drinks were quite good and the prices are…read morereasonable. The salmon was seasoned and cooked as ordered. The Marsala chicken was tasty. They even have robots to carry out plates! The robot sang Happy Birthday to our birthday guy which was very entertaining. We recommend Crave and look forward to returning.

The ambiance is a little dingy but my server was helpful and thoughtful. The thing I was most…read morelooking forward to was a dud (peanut butter pie), but the caprese salad was fresh and flavorful and the Alfredo made vegetarian was full of wonderfully smoky vegetables.

The Bluffs Restaurant seemed like the perfect place for my celebratory lunch after making it to…read moreAlleghany County, my last county in the state. Bluffs is a historic restaurant located at milepost 241 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It opened in 1949 and was the first dining establishment on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The restaurant closed in 2010, but funds were raised to renovate and reopen it in 2021. Things needed to get up to code, and the kitchen needed to be modernized. But they made sure to keep the dining area as it was back in 1949. They kept the retro lunch counter and cigarette machine. The green-and-white checkered floor was preserved, and the restaurant has wooden tables. They went for a rustic style with high ceilings, exposed wooden boards, sturdy beams, and low-hanging vintage lights. The goal during the New Deal Era was for it to blend in with the Appalachian landscape. Then Hurricane Helene hit in September 2024, and the whole parkway was closed due to landslides, fallen trees and infrastructure damage. Eight miles of the parkway reopened in September 2025, and Bluffs could reopen. The restaurant is currently open Thursdays through Sundays, so plan accordingly. Reservations are not taken, and it is walk-in only. I had to wait for a table as I didn't want to sit at the bar. My table was ready early, and the host came looking for me nearby at the Parkway gift shop. I thought that was really sweet. Service here was spot on, and everyone was so friendly. I ordered the NC Mountain trout as I wasn't going to be able to get that anywhere else. It is a locally sourced fish and came from the Blue Ridge streams. It had a pecan crust that was tasty too. I chose the baked apples for my side, and some rice, veggies and cornbread came with it too. It was filling, but I was ready to try the peach cobbler. They didn't have peach cobbler by itself, but the version they had came with blackberries and peaches. I was taken aback by it at first, as it looked like cake and not the cobbler I was familiar with. But it is an Appalachian technique, or "lazy man's cobbler," in which the wet batter rises through the fruit as it bakes, creating a soft, cake-like structure. The flavors were good, and I enjoyed the fruit in it. Eating heritage trout surrounded by the historic 1949 decor was the absolute perfect way to toast my final North Carolina county! Completing all 100 counties has been an unforgettable journey, and I couldn't have picked a more perfect or historic landmark to cross the finish line.

We stopped in for a quick lunch while riding the motorcycle on the Blue Ridge Parkway. This is a…read morehistoric spot and somewhere we have been meaning to get back to since we heard they were under new ownership. When we stopped in, the place was packed for the lunch rush. We got seated relatively quickly and our server was very sweet. We order two beers, the hot pimento cheese dip, along with our mains. The beer and wine selection is pretty solid! The dip was great, but would have loved to have some more crackers and the pickles that were in the item description. Josh ordered the Meatloaf Sandwich with fries, which was very good! I ordered the Bluffs Burger and elected to add pimento cheese to the burger - but when it came out, it had replaced my side of fries instead, which I didn't mind. We did come in at a super busy time, so no worries. This place is a great lunch stop if you're on the BRP and the new ownership has really breathed new life into this place. We will be back!

This was my second time here. The dinner food was better than my previous lunch visit. The ribeye…read moresteak and crab cake were delicious. The waiter was very friendly and informative. The apple sonker was definitely a great local treat.

2026 June 17, 18:03; Elkin NC…read more Parking - 2 Downtown street parking is hit and miss. Location - 4 Prime location for walking downtown Decor/Ambiance - 3 rustic Customer Service - 4 much improved Pricing - 2 / 3 based on surrounding it is pricey, especially in this economy. However, the food is very good. Food Flavor - Presentation - Product Variety - 2 few selections. However, the selections seem targeted to offer a spectrum of flavors. Restrooms - Cleanliness- 4 very clean and orderly Seating- 3 limited,, but may be adequate depending on the evening. Time To Order - 4 quick to take our orders Time To Food Arrival - 3 average Conceal Carry Allowed - no signage This is a return for us. Time to see what has improved and if there are any areas that have slipped. The service has improved and I found it to be very pleasant and professional. The food flavors are still well prepared and Amazing!

Fine dining in the mountains, and some of the best dishes and food at this elevation!…read more This place hits on all levels if you're in the mood for a great evening out. Elegant inside and out, friendly service and top notch food. We sat at the bar and our bartender took care of us all evening. Had one of the best old fashioned's in the area. He knows his stuff! The food was fine dining at its best. A garlic buttered escargot with puff pastry just melts in your mouth. Lobster bisque full of flavor and full of, well, lobster, and a ton of it. I have to say, the extra touch to the tasty French onion soup was a talking point all evening...it came with dedicated scissors so you could cut the cheese. What an amazing touch. And they sure did help lol. The center cut medium rare filet mignon paired with some frites was definitely the showstopper this evening. Thick, tender and juicy...one of the best steaks on all levels. Whenever we're in town and want an elegant evening out, this is the spot!

Stonewalls Restaurant was one of the more pleasant surprises during my time in Banner Elk. It's a…read morebeautiful restaurant, and I had been looking forward to dining there for quite some time. From the moment we arrived, the staff was warm, welcoming, and attentive. The atmosphere, however, felt a little mixed. The restaurant seemed to have two distinct personalities. The newer side, where the bar is located, felt polished and cohesive, while the older dining room--where we were seated because it had more availability--felt like it hadn't quite received the same attention. The lighting on that side of the restaurant was particularly harsh, which made the dining room feel less intimate than it could have been. Since it's also the larger and busier dining space, I think small touches like candles on the tables or softer lighting would go a long way toward creating a warmer, more personal atmosphere. I also noticed an interesting contrast between the beautiful leather-bound menus and some of the furniture and wall décor, which felt more reminiscent of a hotel dining room than the upscale mountain restaurant the food suggested. Thankfully, the meal more than made up for those observations. I ordered the wild mushroom pasta with lobster, and it was the standout dish of the evening. The pasta was rich without feeling heavy, the mushrooms added wonderful depth, and the lobster was cooked beautifully. It's a dish I'd gladly order again. My boyfriend ordered a steak, which he thoroughly enjoyed. We also started with the escargot and the crab cakes. The escargot, while not quite on the level of some traditional French restaurants I've visited, was still very well prepared and enjoyable. The crab cakes were outstanding--full of crab, nicely seasoned, and easily one of the best appetizers of the meal. Our only complaint was that there was only one crab cake on the plate; we both found ourselves wishing there had been another. Overall, Stonewalls Restaurant delivered an excellent meal with genuinely welcoming service. While I'd love to see the older dining room updated to better match the quality of the cuisine, the food alone makes it well worth a visit if you're in Banner Elk.

Have to say I'm local but never went here because of old mixed reviews…read more Went last Sunday, and have to say service and food was fast. The portions are huge for a very reasonable price. Had the flounder, oysters and shrimp. Plus hush puppies. Could only eat half at lunch. Air fried the rest for dinner. Was excellent, thought I was at the coast.

Haven't been here in a number of years but this place is easily better than four stars. I don't…read moreknow what those one star givers were on, but look at the number of reviews they've given and you can see for yourself they are nothing but complainers. We were here on a Sunday and Candice our server was awesome. I had three cups of coffee and never had to ask. I had a regular catfish plate that was huge. It came with a baked potato and delicious Cole slaw. There were hush puppies that were very tasty too. The wife had a shrimp special with large tasty shrimp & slaw, plus potato. Our friends had the flounder that was also great. I might say that this catfish may have been the best I ever had! Food, service, and atmosphere were fabulous.