HIR Gastro Lounge

Wow... Definitely some of the most creative and flavorable dishes we've had in years. The Chef and his wife were so friendly and hospitable. I highly recommend this place, even if you have to drive hours away to get here. The menu is top tier!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Amazing food and service. Love the atmosphere and music. Be sure and save room for dessert.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Zeppole Our Famous Sharable Dessert

Absolutely amazing. The atmosphere, service and food were all on point. The menu is already relatively gluten free; but the chef still made accommodations for my boyfriend who has celiacs. We had no issues whatsoever. I had the Cilantro Lime Chicken which was absolutely delicious, chicken was tender, broccoli was cooked to perfection along with the quinoa. Definitely going back!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Baja Tacos, Cilantro Lime Chicken

During our 12 weeks stay in the USA, this was the best place we visited. Honest delicious pure food. It's the best.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Nice find by our neighbors! A SURPRISE!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 4

What a great place for Hiawassee GA. The food is excellent and cooked to perfection. We had the Ahi Tuna. It was the best I have had. Perfection. The Mahi tacos and Chicken tacos were wonderful and the steak burger… nothing like it any where around. The desert omg to die for, there is only one but it’s all you need. Have to mention the service and ambiance was wonderful as well. You have to go it should not be missed.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Sesame Seared Ahi Tuna or Coho Salmon, Zeppole Our Famous Sharable Dessert, Fish, Gastro Steak Burger

So….Chose to have dinner at this place on a whim. Cool story and nice atmosphere. I enjoyed the experience…although the food definitely left something to desire. After looking at other reviews online and reading the lounge’s back story I was convinced the food would be awesome. To be fair I got a salad ($16) that mainly consisted of large chunks of hard bits of lettuce, a few (and I mean maybe even ONE) crouton that was crushed sprinkled on top. Wild for $16! And that’s without protein. My friend got the tuna and it was all over the place. Sides were bland and needed some type of sauce. With the price point and quality of food definitely not worth it for me. As for the service, very nice and tentative people (at some points I could hear the chef arguing with the staff). Although they are very kind and sweet people, the service was kind of…slow?? It’s quite odd, in the menu they mention slower service and few kitchen staff (due to quality of food and ingredients) and i totally understand. I am willing to wait a while for good food. But I'm quite unsure as to why?The food doesn’t seem like it takes too long to prepare. Not to mention they do not have any cocktails available and it is a lounge… I was very excited for the desert we got after our meal (the one the chef is known for) but it also left something to be desired. Essentially it is a sugar biscuit and taste microwaved. They had literally grease running from them. It did not enjoy it at all. I’m sorry but I don’t quite understand. Also as a customer there you should be aware of the tipping amount on the receipt before you pay. Don’t accidentally tip your waiter 100% along with your $16 Walmart salad. It’s a required taste…but nice atmosphere! (Also want to mention they call this “fine dining”)

Parking: 10-15 parking spots right outside of the building.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 1

Service: 3

Looking forward to trying this place out next time. It really should be advertised somewhere that they are by reservation only, and although they can slowly work with walk-ins, how much of an inconvenience that can cause their restaurant.

I don’t usually take the time to leave reviews but this place exceeded our expectations! Very veteran friendly, great atmosphere, clean. Our waitress was very friendly and helpful with picking out an entree. We’ll definitely be back!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Beef Kofta Sliders

What a wonderful dining experience. Delicious food with excellent service and delightful atmosphere. We loved it!!!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Wow, we are from Atlanta but come to the lake often as it always gives us the peace we desire so much! We have been wanting to try HIR Gastro lounge for quite some time. We went tonight……..and now must say, it did not disappoint! Serious food as good as top restaurants in Atlanta without the wait and hefty price tags. Everyone was an absolute gem, thank you HIR “Here” we can’t wait to be t”here” again!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We've been wanting to check out this place for about a month and finally found a day we could go. The service was phenomenal, and everyone was so kind. We had the beef kofta and the crunch chicken. Both were great. I'm not usually big on quinoa, but this was amazing. All the flavors worked well together. We also ordered dessert, and it was to die for. What a perfect meal and atmosphere!!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Zeppole Our Famous Sharable Dessert

My friends and I came here for dinner while visiting Hiawassee! The customer service was amazing and the owner and his wife were the sweetest! On top of that, the food was all amazing! 100/10 recommend!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Outstanding. I had the sea bass and it was flawless. The service is great. I felt as if the waitress was happy to be serving us. It was a pleasant, friendly, and warm atmosphere. The plating was beautiful. I work in Atlanta, where a generic coffee is 7 dollars. I was surprised to find that the prices were quite reasonable given the food quality.

I don't live around here, so I won't be able to stop by very often, but next time I'm near the mountains, I'll go out of my way to come back.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Fish, Cilantro Lime Chicken

Simply outstanding. Highly recommended. Open late!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Sesame Seared Ahi Tuna or Coho Salmon, Zeppole Our Famous Sharable Dessert, Carolina Coconut Shrimp, Tomato Bruschetta, Neptune Cakes