We’ve already established that fall is the best time of the year for a road trip to the mountains, now we’ve put together a list of six must-visit restaurants in Western North Carolina that let you enjoy the beauty of the season with stunning views and delicious food.
Canyon Kitchen
Cashiers, North Carolina
Located in the heart of Lonesome Valley in Cashiers, North Carolina, Canyon Kitchen is an open-air barn that sits on a sprawling green meadow with Cow Rock Mountain as the backdrop, making it the ideal spot for an outdoor meal as the temperatures cool down. Canyon Kitchen’s menu boasts dishes like red snapper ceviche, smoked duck breast, crab ravioli, and tomato pie. Let’s not forget about the decadent desserts that include a dolce de leche cake and brown sugar pie. The menu changes seasonally, giving you plenty of reason to go back more than once.
Chalet Restaurant
Little Switzerland, North Carolina
Add the small town of Little Switzerland to your fall bucket list and stop by the Switzerland Inn’s Chalet Restaurant for spectacular panoramic views that go on for miles. While the restaurant’s terrace offers the best seats in the house for mountain views, the seats inside aren’t too shabby either with window views of the surrounding mountain range.
Mountain View Restaurant
Marion, North Carolina
Visitors travel from far and wide to snag a coveted seat on the spacious deck of Mountain View Restaurant in Marion, North Carolina. The deck’s uninterrupted views of the Blue Ridge Parkway have been said to be worth a million bucks and a must-see during peak leaf season. Mountain View is open for lunch and dinner with a menu that offers a wide variety of options that include everything from oysters and a turkey club salad to crab cakes and pasta.
Over Yonder
Valle Crucis, North Carolina
Take a road trip over to the beautiful village of Valle Crucis and save your appetite for a meal at Over Yonder Restaurant, which resides in a historic home that belonged to one of the area’s founding families. There you’ll find a menu full of Southern favorites like farmhouse pimento cheese, crispy okra with smoked remoulade and salt, meatloaf, and shrimp and grits. You’ll definitely want to save room for dessert with options that include butterscotch banana pudding, peach cobbler, and chocolate chess pie. After your meal cross the street to visit the original Mast General Store.
Restaurant at Gideon Ridge
Blowing Rock, North Carolina
The Restaurant at Gideon Ridge offers guests the chance to dine outside in the fresh, cool mountain air surrounded by nature’s beauty and scenic mountainscapes. Pair the restaurant’s tranquil settings with its impressive menu that’s focused on using the freshest, high-quality ingredients from local famers and you’ve got the ultimate fall dining experience. The menu changes daily based on what’s in season, but can include dishes such as North Carolina-caught corvina, a prime beef Delmonico with buttermilk mashed potatoes and local squash, and a pork loin chop served with local blackberry barbecue, pimento cheese grits and heirloom cherry tomatoes.
Sunset Terrace
Asheville, North Carolina
As if there weren’t enough reasons to visit the Omni Grove Park Inn already — the resort’s Sunset Terrace makes it even more appealing. The restaurant is known for its high-quality hand-cut steaks, pork chops, and fresh seafood that includes Maine sea scallops and lobster tail. Sunset Terrace also offers diners a front row seat to breathtaking views of the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains as the sun goes down. Dinner reservations are highly recommended as the terrace does fill up quickly. If you’d rather dine indoors with similar views visit Vue 1913.
