First, Adriana is a sweetheart!!!! Excellent service. We started with the pork belly appetizer. A…read more maz. Zing!!! The slaw was fantastic and added balance to the Asian pork belly...which, by the way were perfect! Crunchy and fantastic flavor. Our friends ordered chicken nachos. These were also quite fantastic. Excellent queso, the chips were a bit thicker than expected, but still perfect for the huge amount of toppings. The campfire burger was amazing. If I had to pick on one thing, it would have been nice to be able to order medium rare. But, nonetheless, outstanding burger. The perfect amount of char. A well toasted burger n, and the garlic aioli was the perfect complement. As for beverages, the pineapple jalapeños margarita was good, but the red sangria was wonderful. The atmosphere was super relaxed on the patio with some southern rock/ 70's music. Amazing way to spend the afternoon.

We stopped by Bryson City Brewing on the Fourth of July during our 2026 North Carolina road trip,…read moreand it was a fun place to spend part of the evening. The brewery itself has a great setup with both indoor and outdoor seating, a full liquor bar in addition to their beers, and a stage for live music. It's in a perfect downtown location, making it easy to walk around Bryson City and explore everything nearby before or after your visit. We tried the Brussels sprouts appetizer along with a couple of their local beers, and both were really good. The only thing that missed the mark for us was the live band that night. Music is incredibly subjective, and they're probably a great fit for many people, but the style just wasn't what we were expecting. Coming from Tampa, we're spoiled with an amazing local music scene and were hoping for something with a little more variety and crowd interaction. Ironically, the highlight of the performance was an adorable little girl who got up and danced her heart out--she absolutely stole the show with her energy and had everyone smiling! After the fireworks, the brewery was hosting an after-party, which looked like a great way to keep the celebration going. Overall, I wouldn't let one band's performance influence my opinion of Bryson City Brewing. The venue, atmosphere, food, drinks, and location all made for a great experience. If you're visiting Bryson City, I'd absolutely recommend stopping in. Looking forward to seeing a different band the next time I'm in town!

Ugly Dog Pub was one of my favorite places I visited in Highlands. The food was amazing, the smash…read moreburger definitely lived up to the hype, and the beer selection was great. The live music was an awesome touch and made for a fun atmosphere. I was able to bring my pup since I sat outside, which was a huge plus. Just keep in mind that if you're dining on the patio, the service is more limited, you order and pay at the bar, and they'll bring your food out to you. Overall, this is a must-visit if you're in Highlands, North Carolina, especially if you're a fan of great burgers, good beer, and a laid-back atmosphere.

We were seated right away. A little annoyed that our party of 5 was seated at a small corner booth…read moretable. Ended up using the back of the booth for our water bottle and condiments and still struggled for space. Buffalo wings were good but not exactly Buffalo. No buttery spicy hot sauce. It was more peppery than buffalo. Wings were cooked perfectly though Reuben is excellent as are the jalapeno Mac bites. Cheese dip was also excellent but we (and the table next to us) had to ask for more chips. Not portioned terribly well. Beer options were very slim (2 on tap from what it gathered). I'm sure there were plenty of bottled options but draft was disappointing. We ordered the ale but they tapped out and brought us brown ale. At 5pm...only a brown and stout on tap. Overall, it was a pretty middling experience but the food was good and they offer a military appreciation discount.

All of the staff were super nice our server was especially sweet and attentive. We got the steak…read moresalad with chimichurri sauce, the colossal pretzel, and the chicken nachos with no beans. We absolutely ordered way too much but everything was good! Clean Resturant and clean bathrooms. If we are ever in the area again we would come back. Thanks!

The service was great but the food was tasteless. I had the fish and chips and the portions were…read moregenerous but the only flavor came from the oil they were fried in. I rarely salt food, especially when dining out, but I had to this time. I left most of my meal uneaten. I love trying local eateries when traveling, but this one was a disappointmen.

My friends and I came here to share a chill afternoon by the river. I ordered a Bloody Mary and the…read morebartender did not disappoint! He overfilled it (...oh no!) so he gave me a cup on the side for my olives and bacon. After my order was complete, my friend ordered the bloody as well. He did the same for her too to keep them on par. Super cool of him! Loved the little seating area by the river as well. We didn't order food so I can't speak for anything on that end but the drinks were great. We would definitely grab drinks here again.

It was good food, just expensive. $20 dollars for a hot dog and mac' n cheese is crazy, no matter…read morehow good. Customer service was mid. Go to rivers end. It's just over the bridge. Way better food, place to sit, and not overpriced for what you get!

This place is definitely one of the best places I've been to in a while. The vibe here is really…read morechill, and it's just overall a comfortable environment. The place also has a pool table, which you can use for free, along with online trivia you can play on the TV. However, there was no wi-fi here. For my order, I went with the black and bleu burger with fries and a coke. My family also ordered a pizza, so I had that too. This took 25 minutes to come out. Taste-wise, the burger was delightful, the fries tasted great, my pizza was scrumptious, and you just can't go wrong with a Coca-Cola. Sue, our server, did great and was nice to us. I can definitely see myself coming back up here, thank you so much.

We were in Cherokee for the day and drove over to Bryson City for dinner. The employees are very…read morewelcoming and sweet. We sat on the patio and watched the trains, the scenery was stellar. Also entertaining bc cops were pulling people over left and right . We started with the spinach dip and garlic knots. They went down quick, the spinach dip was delicious! My boys loved the knots. For entrees we got the kids cheese pizza, pretty big slice for $3.5, we were impressed and our 11 year old demolished it and was full! My husband raved about the lasagna and the chicken margarita pizza was yummy! I'd never had it with chicken on a margarita and was delighted with how good it was! I'd definitely try this again! The vibe was good!

Love the ambiance of this place, definitely tavern feel. However we had a mixed experience. We sat…read moreat the bar and the bar tender technically did fine, taking our orders and filling the drinks very timely, he seemed to have an attitude. Not to just us but those seated near us as well. Could've been an off night for him. Food wise, I had the brat sandwich which was great and she had a chicken sandwich which she said was very chewy. The prices here are high which you expect in a town like this but they should deliver a moist chicken breast on a sandwich for the price.

Best food in Highlands. The service was friendly and fast. Great atmosphere, fun and lively…read more Everything we ate was amazing

Our food was delicious and with good service. Three stars because they were out of most entrees…read more Both in our party had to take our 3rd choice entree. I guess it's safe to say don't go there on a WCU home game weekend. Will likely go back, since we both want to try our first choice entree.

It's a dive bar... and I 100% do not mean that in a negative way. I love a good dive bar and every…read morecity needs one. It was my first time at O'Malley's. I came alone and sometimes as a solo female at a bar you feel uncomfortable but bartender made me feel welcome from the start. I ordered a Chicago beef sandwich. It was adequate...Mediocre.... When I think of a Chicago beef sandwich the first thing I think of is pepperoncini and/or au jus but it had neither. But it was decent, kind of like a thing you might grab & go on the road somewhere.... edible but you're not thinking about it afterwards. The sandwiches come with french fries but I got the Greek pasta salad instead. I should've got the french fries because I paid $2 up charge for weak pasta salad. But the reason I'm still giving it 4 stars was that it's a nice local bar. Clientele chatty. My bartender was very cool. I didn't get his name (young,blond, skater type) friendly, welcoming. If you're looking to have some drinks with friends and play pool, I think it's a perfect place, but have dinner first before you get here.

Off the chart!! Will be back to try the food menu…read more Whiskey menu is fun and the live music was enjoyable

Very Scottish feeling, you know exactly what you're in for. Thankfully we could seat ourselves and…read moretry for a quiet corner as it's quite loud. Food is pretty good pub fare, a bit of a greasy spoon, but done well. Maybe I was starving but I really enjoyed the burger. The poutine was good, but not the Canadian version I prefer. Unpopular opinion: I wasn't a fan of the *surprise* in the women's restroom. I don't approve of objectifying either gender. I think I ended up in the tamest stall, but overheard what's in the others. As far as I know, there is not a female version of this in the men's restroom. (The man at the table next to us investigated.)

CJ's Grilling ended up being one of the few places we visited twice during our Fourth of July road…read moretrip through Bryson City, and that's saying something. Our first visit was great. They had a young one-man musician performing, and while I can't remember his name, he did an excellent job. He honestly ended up being our favorite live entertainment of the entire trip. His performance was one of the reasons we wanted to come back. On our second visit for the Fourth of July, we were excited to catch the advertised live band. The sign said they would start at 7:30, but they were just beginning to set up at that time and didn't look close to playing until much later. We were also a little disappointed that Friday karaoke wasn't happening because of the holiday weekend. We had really been looking forward to it. That said, the food absolutely made up for it. The chicken wings were outstanding--easily some of the best wings we had during our trip. The pork rinds were another surprise favorite and are perfect for sharing while enjoying a drink. CJ's has that laid-back, small-town mountain vibe that's easy to appreciate. If you're passing through Bryson City, it's a great place to stop, relax, and grab some food and drinks. My only recommendation is to call ahead if you're planning your evening around karaoke or live music, just to make sure the schedule is accurate. We'll definitely stop back the next time we're in Bryson City. Great food, friendly atmosphere, and a place that's worth checking out.

Decided to stop here for lunch. Good service, good food, cold beer…read more What more do you need.