I had a large party with kids, so they were a bit overwhelmed by us. However, the food all came out good, and we all enjoyed it. The owner came out and she was very nice too. My only suggestion might be to offer chips and salsa free with dinners, and to adjust the drink prices a bit. The menu was huge and solid. read more

World flavor right in downtown Spruce Pine !! Claudia and her husband do an amazing job bringing fresh tastes of mango and spice to a small town venue.. Don't pass this place if you are hungry.. read more

During our first visit to Spruce Pine my family decided to try this cute spot. So happy we did! We were greeted by the owner/chef who was friendly and informative about the large variety of Caribbean/Latin dishes. Portions were generous and everything was delicious. Nachos, empanadas, plantains, rice, beans and ALL the sauces were awesome. Don't miss out on this little gem. read more

Found ourselves randomly in Spruce Pines after a long day of hiking. They were very busy even during the pandemic. I got the grilled vegetable platter (vegan friendly) and it cake with fresh plantains and yucca fries which were both authentic and delicious!! One of the owners came out as we were finishing to check in us. Unfortunately my friend has ordered a dish and they ran out of Jamaican jerk sauce which he was very upset at, after mentioning this, Claudia went back in and personally gave us the last bit they had. She went above and beyond to make sure we walked away full and satisfied. Highly recommend if you want authentic Caribbean food! read more

We stopped by The Tropical Grill on a rainy Saturday, the owners and staff welcomed myself and family to dine inside. The food was authentic and delicious. The Pollo A Placha platter was delicious, spices were perfect. My wife had the Montego Bay BBQ sandwich, topped it with the creamy mango mayonnaise, was scrumptious. The appetizer Empanadas were so good that we ordered two orders to go after we finished our meal. Definitely a do again restaurant. read more

We thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The pulled pork sandwich was really tasty and tender, not greasy. The Tilapia salad had a lot of veggies and fantastic dressings. They make their salsa every day, and it was smoky, spicy and delicious. Save room for the Quatro Leches Cake. Yeah, that's right. They threw another milk in there. Que rico! read more

Stodgy, overpriced food, served a good hour after we ordered it. Drinks and starters brought one by one, 10 minutes apart. They even demanded 25c per glass of tap water. Staff vaguely apologetic, but also largely unprofessional. Avoid, unless you have time and money to burn. read more

My wife and I were very impressed. Wonderful, kind folks, delicious authentic food, generous servings. If we pass thru again, we will make another stop here! read more

Stopped by on a recommendation from our guest book at our first air bnb in Newland. Quaint and small inside, it's really nice and cozy and brightly decorated. The owner took our order and was friendly, personable and asked if we needed any recommendations. We had the Cuban and a Jamaican Jerk burger, said spicy but wasn't too hot. The food was delicious and the menu is awesome, a ton of choices. The place is a must see and you will not be disappointed. Very clean establishment. read more

We have loved the food at Tropical Grill for years! Service has been a bit slow through the years but I'm happy to report they've added to their wait staff and service now matches the delicious food! read more

Simply delightful. I had the grilled chicken breast sandwich and the wife had Tilapia. We arrived based on a recommendation from folks we met at Little Switzerland and so happy we made the short drive. The staff, food and atmosphere are all outstanding Best ever! read more

Beyond delicious. I am visiting Spruce Pine, a town with less restaurant choices than I am used to. Tropical Grill proved quality trumps quantity. We arrived late and initially were told the kitchen was closed. We were quite disappointed, then Claudia both the owner and angel, graced us with the opportunity to delight in her cooking. We had Chicken, Rice, Platinos, Salsa-made to perfection. The multifaceted seasoning, flavors, and textures of each component complimented each other magically. It was so good, that as I compose this review, my dinner companion is eating the remnants of food left on the table!!!! read more

Tropical Grill - American Near Me - Spruce Pine, North Carolina

I cannot say enough good things about the meal we had here. We stopped for lunch after going to Linville Caverns. The interior is small and loaded with crafts from Central America. Our waitress was a lovely Columbiana who mothered our 10-year-old son like he was one of her own. Very personable. We started with the chips and salsa just so I could try the fruity salsa, a homemade pico with mango and pineapple. It was wonderful. I had the marinated pork over black beans and rice with sweet plantains. Incredible taste to the pork with dominant favors of lime and garlic. My wife got the Mahi which she said was somewhat plain but cooked perfectly and paired with another one of the homemade salsas made it delicious. It's worth an hour's drive for this meal; if you're closer than that, don't miss it! read more

Really loved the food and atmosphere. It is really nice to see a nice and unique restaurant pop up here in the mountains. There were two customers that came in while we were there and the owner addressed them by name and seated them. It was obviously staffed by people who love the job. The food was great! Very unique from standard Latino restaurants, it's like I was eating in a deli in South America read more

Tropical Grill - Front of Tropical Grill - American Near Me - Spruce Pine, North Carolina

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Fantastic Caribbean food with an excellent vegetarian menu. The spicy black beans and rice was delicious. If you have the chance to eat or get some carry out from Tropical Grill you will be supporting a local business, and doing your taste buds a solid :) read more

Small place, cozy, a warm welcome by the owner. I live 3-4 hrs away, I'm sure I'm gonna drive back here just for the "Jamaican jerk chicken". Simply awesome. Must visit place if you are near by!! read more

Had another great meal at the Tropical Grill. We shared the Plantano Picaro appetizer and it was delicious - much more like a dessert than an appetizer. We had leftovers which we shared for breakfast the next day. Since we weren't too hungry we also shared the Garden of Eden veggie burger. It was delicious as well. The restaurant is small and very clean. They have outside seating as well. The wait staff was attentive and there are lots of options to choose from on their extensive menu. Highly suggest a visit if you are in the area. read more

We love this place. Great outside dining. Their Cuban sandwich is my favorite. Low key, great food.

Where is the ten star button! Honestly the best food I have had in my 46 years on earth thus far! If you are within 100 miles or more of here. Just come, I promise you will not be disappointed. Now back to savoring this amazing wizardly perfected blend of exotic spices and foods that I have never experienced before! Just wow, wow and lastly wow! read more

Fish tacos with mahi. Best fish tacos I've had. I opted for the spicy habanero addition and I put the mango sauce on it as well. The combination of spicy and sweet and the corn tortillas created a symphony of flavors. If you like spicy, You must try the fish tacos this way! I love good food and I'm very particular and this dish is fantastic! read more

Tropical Grill - Fish tacos with mahi, habanero abd mango sauce. 1 is missing, a casualty of war. - American Near Me - Spruce Pine, North Carolina

Stopped in for lunch this week, because the "fish taco special " sign got my attention. I ordered that as well as a Guava Smoothie. The fish tacos were the best I have ever had with this flavor! I am a big guy, with a big appetite and these fish tacos fit the bill in that dept as well! They did not skimp on the fish whatsoever!. The mango salsa along with the seasonings created a party of flavors in my mouth, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The Guava Smoothie was the real deal with real fruit and not a syrupy drink. That lunch made my day! The fresh guacamole was outstanding with the colorful chips on the side , making for a superb presentation to look at at well. I recommend this restaurant to anyone who like to try new things, and it is clean! I will be back! Well done! read more

The food is fresh, generous and very creative. Our party had the tilapia, chicken and steak tacos, dinner plates and salads; ALL were yummy and filling. We were so full we had to loosen our belts to finish the very decadent and original desserts. The atmosphere made me feel like I was at the beach. We found the service to be extremely friendly and attentive; our drink glasses were never left empty. It had been awhile since we were in Spruce Pine visiting the Tropical Grill and our waitress even remembered what I had the last time I was there. I really liked the fact that they are using proceeds from sales to help needy people. Dinner with a Cause; who knew. read more

We had a late lunch here on a weekday. The food was tasty and served hot - always a plus -, but it took an extremely long time to arrive, though the tiny restaurant wasn't crowded when we got there. It quickly filled up, being one of just two or three other small places in Spruce Pine. And, if you're looking for some quiet time, turn around now. It is packed with tables, so much so that people had to lean over to let us out. Last but not least, the very friendly and talkative owner extended her hospitality to the point of annoyance, trying to engage everyone in the conversation. If you enjoy a serene atmosphere, find somewhere else to go. read more

My parents told me to go here so I did when I had the chance. I'm a really picky eater so I only got chips and salsa and their curly fries. They were so good. The salsa looks weird but it sure doesn't taste like it. The salsa was so delicious. The chips and the fries were amazing. I can't wait until I come back. read more

Dined at the Tropical Grill April 28, 2018 during the Fire On The Mountain Blacksmithing Festival. The restaurant was busy and the kitchen overwhelmed but the menu and a placard at the door warned it would take a while to get your food. While we were they several customers were turned away. The food was well prepared, very tasty, and service attentive. We would recommend the Tropical Grill to anyone who does not have time constraints. It was good. read more

This was the worst mistake my family and I made on our trip to see the nearby waterfall and attractions. Our waitress was rude at best and not helpful. We waited a long while to get a minuscule basket of chips for the four of us and after placing our order waited what seemed like forever to receive our food. There was a sign posted that said "during season" the wait could be long but with only one other filled table we figured how long could it take? The answer is well over an hour! I have no idea what took so long considering the only other table was eating salads shortly after we were seated. Aside from the ridiculously long wait and crude service the food was awful. When I say awful I mean my dish was barely edible, my aunts tacos tasted like they had old frozen fish in them, and our waitress was nowhere to be found after we started eating. Once we had eaten enough to satiate our hunger we pushed our half empty plates aside and our waitress quickly brought over a check and scooped up our money. I would never recommend this place and am really upset we invested so much time and money into such a negative dining experience. I don't know how this place has good reviews but I'm guessing they're from locals or people with no idea what good, quality food tastes like. EDIT The "conversing" you are describing happened as we were leaving and paying. There were no pleasantries or niceties exchanged before or during our meal. We sat for a long time between the time we ordered and the time our food came with empty drinks. One refill was the wrong drink, even. My boyfriend asked for ranch at the time he got his food so of course the waitress has to oblige. Bringing a condiment is a waitresses job, not going above and beyond service. Also, when he was ordering he asked to make a substitution and the rude waitress said "no, that's what you get" when referencing the french fries. Clearly you are misinformed as there was space outside for us to sit but after hiking around we wanted to sit inside with air conditioning. In addition, our plates were not clean as you would've noticed I had to literally scrape the grossly sweet coating off my shrimp and left a considerate amount of the bland beans, and the fish taco dish was left with large chunks of the fish on both mine and my aunts plate after we both tried them. We didn't want to send food back because after waiting so long we were absolutely famished and it probably would've taken forever to get anything else. I understand you taking this to heart but I always make a point to leave honest reviews and feel your establishments service and food was subpar. I do not discriminate on religion, relationship, or whatever owners/employees choose to support. In fact, had you not mentioned it I wouldn't have even known. It just goes to show you're trying to rationalize this honest review by saying I am the bad guy and you are good. Where I am from, our experience would warrant this type of review and is unacceptable in my opinion. read more

Great little gem! Menu has a great variety. The salsa would make shoe leather taste great! Flan is fantastic!! Would definitely recommend! read more

Tropical Grill - American Near Me - Spruce Pine, North Carolina

Fantastic latin american and Caribbean food. We had the grilled grouper sandwich, the pork panini, and the cuban sandwich. All very, very good. Also the tostones and the yucca fries to start. The salsa brought with chips was excellent! We will be back. Patio seating was pet friendly. read more

Ordered the special, Caribbean jerk chicken. If you like hot, spicy, chicken and deliciousness then this is your meal! Service was fun and friendly. All four of us had great food! read more

This place is truly fantastic! I had lunch here today with my boyfriend and had the best experience. We ordered the fish tacos and the Tropi Chopi Beef. Without a doubt these were the best fish tacos I have ever had (don't forget the mango creme dressing). The Tropi Chopi Beef came with delicious plantains and was a very authentic dish. We had the empenadas as an appetizer. They were fresh and delicious with the homemade salsa. The owner was great to talk to and she provided us with the best service. Definitely check this place out if you're anywhere in the area - or make a special trip! read more

Great food and great service!!! Went there 2 nights in a row!! Hawaiian Pulled Pork sandwich the first night and Garlic Shrimp Platter the second... Black beans were out of this world!! (Oh yeah... the fried Plantains were delicious!!) Highly recommend!! read more

Wow! The food here is a flavor extravaganza. My husband and I were in town for the gem and mineral show and just decided to drop in for a late lunch. I had the grilled Maui tacos, which included a wonderful spicy mango salsa, dour cream, and guacamole. My husband had the Tropi Choppi platter, which was a very very flavorful shredded pork over black beans and rice with a side of perfectly prepared plaintains. We loved it! read more

The food was very bad I had the tacos the sever/owner was a little rude put I thought because this place is packed she was stressed I got my food it did not looked good the taco shells where soggy the chicken was dry and had no taste the veggies had dirt on them but there is more the owners asked me what religion I was and I said Christian non-domination then they looked at me and laughed they told me that was not a real domination and I needed to get my atheist butt out of there restaurant and find a real domination I felt hurt DO NOT EAT HERE. EDIT- wow calling me a liar you're the liar is against The Commandments to lie read more

Amazing. Everything is amazing. Especially the Cuban sandwich. Best I've ever eaten!!

Stopped here for lunch while on the Toe River Studio Tour. Friendly staff and good food. I had the coconut shrimp salad and it was fresh and delicious. Nice place to sit outside in good weather. read more

The food here is absolutely amazing!!! During my first visit earlier this summer I ordered the jerk chicken!! It was to die for and the fried plantains could not be beat!!! My husband and I recently visited again and we shared the tropical bbq sandwich with half-sour pickles on the side. I can not begin to tell you how much I HATE PICKLES!!! But these half-sour pickles were amazing!!! I mean AMAZING!!! I highly recommend this beautiful little place in the heart of gorgeous Spruce Pine!!! read more

After almost a year of dreaming about it, we returned to the Tropical Grill while on vacation near Spruce Pine, and thoroughly enjoyed our dinner. I asked Claudia for her recommendation, and after quizzing me about my preferences, she suggested a Cuban pork dish that was delicious. The brightly colored and casual atmosphere, along with the friendly staff, made our dining experience fun and relaxing. read more

Absolutely delicious. I had the coconut shrimp and the salsa that came with it was incredible. My husbands plate was authentic Columbian cuisine and the meat was cooked to perfection. I would recommend this place to anyone. Also... If you love sweets, try the cuatro leche! read more

Diamond in the middle of the mountains. Food was fantastic, cooked properly and fresh. You must have the Quartro Leche for dessert. Great find read more

I don't give five stars on a regular basis. This is an exceptional little place for a variety of tropical foods. Great service. Basic seating so not a sit and linger kind of place but fine especially on a nice day outside. Small with limited seating can cause a wait sometimes. Yuca and mojo is a great app. read more