We come up for a week every year, and the last couple times we've wanted to try this place. So glad…read morewe made the stop today! My wife loves eating outside, and loves hearing/seeing water, so this checked off those boxes. Nice to see they're very pet friendly too! For starters, our waitress Kiersten was a DELIGHT! So sweet, knew the menu, and a pleasure to talk with. She needs to get props for making our first visit so enjoyable, that we WILL be coming back! It was before 5pm and we wanted to take it easy, so we ordered the brussel sprouts app and the Philly Cheesesteak to share. Great choices! The fried sprouts app was HUGE and delicious, especially dipped into their homemade ranch! So much that we brought a third of it home! The Philly was very flavorful and the curly steak fries were crispy and filling! The menu is so big, that we are going to have to come back MANY times to try it all -- and that's something are looking forward to!

So we had dinner here tonight - $24 bison burger, $22 pot roast, two tap beers and ~$65 later we…read morewere underwhelmed. I asked for no lettuce on my burger (due to recent gastrointestinal events all over the news) but got it anyway. He had more mashed potatoes than pot roast on his plate. Service was mediocre - she was nice enough but just going through the motions, I think. Our table was directly in front of the house music. Strategic error on our part but it turned out ok. He wasn't singing and the music was mostly bland background. Our table was a high top and the stools were just a little too high for the table to be comfortable. Ah well, the best part was sitting alongside the mountain creek and sipping beer.

Since this place changed owners from Pavino's to Bizzaro's, every single review is 5 Stars when…read morefocused on food! Well, actually, aside from one that I just remembered. I don't know what was wrong with that guy, but as a writer and a human, I can assure you that no matter what you do, you can never make everyone happy all the time. That's why it's best to just be authentically you. I got a little off-topic there. What I saying was ... the only negative reviews are for long wait times for takeout or if the dining-in crowd thinks the takeout orders have taken priority over their food. It has nothing to do with the quality of the food. I dined-in and sat outside. The wait times for food were right on the money. I didn't feel rushed and it didn't take too long. I could enjoy my meal and the experience. I have been to Frankie's across the street and had two meals there: Chicken Parm and the Spaghetti & Meatballs. The Chicken Parm was much stronger than the Spaghetti & Meatballs. So when comparing the two Chicken Parm dishes, they are equal but polar opposites. Frankie's is a fancier place with all the bells and whistles. It's a great vibe but also a little expensive. The Chicken Parm is thicker and you get a side of pasta but have to pay for the salad. At Bizzarro, the Chicken Parm is a much thinner cut but still a large portion, you can get angel hair pasta (a rare treat), and you don't have to pay for the salad. For bread, you get traditional at Frankie's and garlic knots at Bizzaro's. I'm not a huge fan of garlic but during this meal, I realized I like garlic knots if I eat them upside down. As for vibe/atmosphere, at Bizzaro, I walked through the little service area to get to the outdoor tables. As I ate, there were parked cars right there, someone mowing a lawn in the distance, and the TV was on from the service area. I would usually not like these things, but I loved it here. It completely fit the vibe of feeling at home and just chilling on the deck. Add the friendly staff and you will feel very welcomed. While the Chicken Parms are different yet equal, Bizzaro's definitely wins for value as you get similar portions plus a salad at a much lower price. I'm glad I found Bizzaro's and I have added it as a go-to when in town. I'll still hit Frankie's too, but maybe Bizarro more often. It always depends on the second visit. I didn't try the pizza yet but I'm sure it's good. The only negative here is the awkward and small parking lot but no big deal. Highly recommended!

Decent pizza place. Pizza is tasty. The meat lovers pizza was heavy on the toppings. I wish the…read morecrust had a little more flavor. The garlic knots are tasty but small. The sauce has a strong tomato acid taste and is liquidy. The restaurant is small. Service is ok.

Made reservations here for 6:30pm on a Friday. The parking lot was absolutely full - there were no…read morespots left except for a short-term spot that seemed like it was for pickup only. Luckily someone left and I was able to take their spot. We were seated next to the piano player which definitely a vibe. Our waitress was very friendly and brought us some bread and butter. I ordered the smoked old fashion and it was definitely the smokiest old fashion I've ever had. For appetizer we ordered the mozzarella fritti which were very good. Nice cheese pull. For my main I got the chicken parmigiana which I demolished. Everything was great and I will definitely be back here, but maybe come a little earlier to deal with the parking lot situation.

When the owner isn't being arrested for beating his wife, he does find time to produce bland,…read moreoverpriced, microwave-level food. I feel bad for the staff because they seem nice and work hard, but they are at the mercy of the owner. They report verbal abuse, walking on eggshells, constant staffing changes due to the high turnover. This business is only supported by tourists as locals know there are far better Italian options in the area.

I remember telling my wife the last time we were here that if I could build my dream cabin-it would…read morebe the Balsam here at the lovely and cozy Swag. Two bathrooms, two steam showers, sauna, living room with fireplace, outdoor balcony with fireplace and shower, and it's right across the fence from our nations most popular park-Great Smokey Mountains National Park. We walked right out our door to hike. Nearby trials take you to waterfalls, waterwheels, and the spectacular panoramics from atop Gooseberry Knob or Hemphill Bald. We returned from one of our hikes just in time for the Swag's stellar bbq picnic. That leads nicely to the food and service which is as good as it comes-and frankly what you can expect from a Relais and Chateau. Tables with your names for breakfast and dinner, nightly bites during happy hour, and even lunches to go for your adventures. Which, for us even included horseback riding at the nearby stables. Naturally, they were waiting for us when our ride ended in one of their electric fleet of Volvos to whisk us back up the windy road into a vacation of our dreams!

We have just enjoyed a wonderful fifth annual July visit to The Swag to celebrate our 56th wedding…read moreanniversary. The Swag is a premier lodge nestled on a mountainside in the Smoky Mountains high over Waynesville NC. It offers spectacular views, immediate access to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park by simply walking through a gap in the fence outside the main lodge, fine dining, pickleball courts, a spa, and a small gym and pool. An expert naturalist is often in residence and conducts a variety of activities, including organized hikes, talks about wildlife (bears, coyotes, bioluminescence and other interesting aspects of the natural world).  Other activities include a presentation on coffee making by their barista and wine tasting sessions. But if all you want to do is just have a wonderful place to  relax and enjoy being in the great outdoors, The Swag is one of the best places you can go. The Swag is a Relais and Chateaux resort so accommodations are excellent and range from a comfortable, well furnished bedroom for two to a cabin suitable for an entire family. À la carte breakfasts, packaged lunches (including backpacks and water bottles if needed), and four-course dinners are included in the daily rates. The lunch and dinner menus change daily, but dinner entree choices typically include beef, seafood, poultry and vegetarian options. On Wednesdays and Saturdays there is a mountain top lunch picnic with abundant food. Thursday evening is barbecue night. Food at The Swag is locally sourced and quality standards are exceptionally high.  Service at The Swag is truly exceptional. Every employee is focused on making sure all of your needs are met. The kitchen tries to accommodate any special requests. Much of the resort's clientele return year after year, and guests are automatically offered a return reservation for the same time and accommodation next year at the time of checkout. This is great for established clients and has allowed The Swag to build a large band of loyal followers, including us, but this does make it harder for first-timers to get a reservation for a time and accommodation they would like. My advice is just keep trying!  We got our first reservation after many tries when someone cancelled while we were on the phone with the lodge trying to get one. Tradition means a lot at The Swag, and that is a good thing. My only suggestion to them is to consider adding an à la carte section to the dinner menu as many other fine dining establishments do. It would give the kitchen more opportunity to try out dishes before adding them to the prix fixe choices and allow guests who may not want a full four course dinner every night an alternative. I realize that this would complicate the traditional pricing scheme, but that should be manageable.

We love this hand-tossed pizza!…read more The pizza was so phenomenal I have to give it five stars. The service was five stars too once we got seats brought for us our front. We had our pup with us, and it's still COVID, so we sat outside in one of the three two-seater tables on the walkway. They had a doggie water bowl for our pup. There were no chairs outside, so they had to bring some out for us, and they had some miscommunication, so it took a minute. Once we had the chairs, our server was so helpful and friendly. We figured out what we wanted quickly, even though it is an extensive menu with various items we would try. We began with a glass of Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio and waters (good small ice). After my first glad, I switched to a Pinot Noir (not pictured). As an app, we had the small antipasto salad with Italian dressing. It was a good enough size for us to share. While we were eating our salad, an elk walked by on the other side of the street and then crossed over to our side. Now that I eat meat, we decided to get the veggie pizza and add pepperoni. We were excited because the veggie had eggplant on it, which is a unique topping. We ordered a medium pizza, thinking we could eat it all. Well, we were so wrong; their medium is, like most places, large pizza. There were eight large slices. I had her bring me a side of Caesar dressing to dip the yummy hand-tossed crust in. This was a very cheesy pizza, and we were correct; the breaded eggplant was a fabulously unique, tasty veggie topping. Bonus- our motel (Route 19) had a toaster oven, and so we warmed up the pizza for lunch the next day, and it was just as tasty. We were delighted we picked this place for dinner (and lunch).

The server here was rude, unprofessional, and passive aggressive. We tried to make friendly her but…read moreshe was acting very annoyed at our presence. She did not make us feel valued as customers. My friend had the chicken alfredo and when she was about 3 bites in, the roof of her mouth was stabbed by a bone in the chicken (photo provided, but cannot be seen very well) it was a long projection coming out of the chicken. when we told the waitress about it, she said "oh... we don't have anything with bones" and said said she would tell she chef. she yelled across the restaurant "(name of chef) you're fired!!" it was in a very passive aggressive manner and did not come across friendly or anything. My friend's food was still charged at full price as well. no compromise. I'm not sure why the server was acting so passive aggressive, me and my friend had just come from pride and had small flags face painted on our cheeks, so it makes me wonder if she were judging us based on our sexuality. The portion sizes on the pasta are very small. it is not worth $15 before taxes and tip for that amount of pasta. I will say, the one nice thing about this establishment is the interior design. it is cozy inside, but the rude behavior and comments from staff are what lead me to leave a review at 1 star.

Stopped here for lunch while visiting Maggie Valley. We were greeted immediately upon entering and…read morewere told to seat ourselves. I liked the warmness and cozy feeling inside. A few different waitresses stopped by our table and made sure we were taken care of. I got the chicken salad croissant and it was delicious. I liked how they toasted it. The macaroni salad it came with was a little too vinegary for my taste but it was still good. I will definitely be back.

No ambiance but good service. Food was good for a quick lunch on a hot day. Seems to be a local…read morecrowd. Ok for kids.

Last night was our group's second gathering at the Valley Tavern and was our choice for our…read moreChristmas party. We were not disappointed! We ordered appetizers before our meals and they were a hit! We enjoyed the cheese curds, potato skins, and several types of wings. They were awesome! (Do yourself a favor and try the bourbon wings!). I had the fish and chips and my bride enjoyed the Reuben with a side of broccoli. Everything was delicious and the portions were so large that many in the group needed to go boxes. McKayla took care of our group of 11 and provided superb service! Our drinks were never empty, our food came fast - even on a busy Saturday night, and she made sure we had everything we needed. I am not sure how she was able to do this so quickly; I think that she may be a ninja. Thank you, McKayla! Thank you, Valley Tavern, for a memorable evening! We will see you again soon!

Pretty easy to find parking, was pretty confused on how to enter the restaurant part but it's a…read moredoor in the back. The waitress was quick, helpful, and friendly and the food was out pretty fast (it wasn't super busy as we went at 4pm ish on a week day) but I was pleasantly surprised to find the food was pretty tasty. We got cheese bites, and a cheeseburger, tots, grilled cheese and soup, and chicken strips. The grilled cheese and chili was on special for only $5 which was great value. The chili was more like a tortilla soup but good and burger was also pretty tasty. Ambience was like a normal sports bar vibe. TVs were everywhere and huge. Bathroom was also clean. It was pretty dim indoors.

Another excellent dining experience at J Arthur's -Rick and staff very attentive. Had prime rib…read morewhile Pat had rib. Both done to perfection. Stephanie was quite knowledgeable of menu and prompt and personal service Looking forward to returning

We're back -- it's just a LOT colder this time! In town again with my wife and MIL, and this is now…read morea must stop when in the Valley. Once again, glad we came! Made a reservation and was able to grab a table by the fireplace. LOVE the fall decor, and can only imagine what Christmas looks like here. Staff are always amazing! I ordered the 10oz ribeye with a baked potato and side salad with ranch (love their ranch dressing!). It was cooked to perfection, and was seasoned so well. The potato was huge, and of course the dinner rolls add so much to the meal! MIL ordered the hamburger steak, clownish comes on the garlic mashed and covered in gravy -- she loved it. My wife got a hamburger and fries (wow, they're tasty!!!), but had to send the burger back because it was well-done and not medium. That was the only hiccup -- and when the new burger came out it was perfect and looked really juicy! I say this is 4.5 stars out of 5. It was nice without all the kids this time, but I did find myself wishing they'd have been there to see the decor and the train of course!