Painted Fish Cafe and Beer Bar

I would like to start out saying their service is absolutely outstanding! Their food is excellent and the atmosphere was terrific!I highly recommend eating there and every time we come to mountains we look forward to visiting painted fish café.Marcie was the best server we have had and we would like to personally thank her for the best experience there !

We ordered a child’s mac and cheese and found a metal shard in it. We reported it to the waitress, who was wonderful and very nice, who took it off the bill immediately. We would have stayed to finish the dinner with the rest of our party until the manager spoke with us. The manager’s attitude was terrible, fake and dismissive. It was obvious she didn’t care at all, and we will never be returning to this establishment again.

My wife and I have been twice to this restaurant on hwy 184 heading into Banner Elk. The first time I was pleased that the food was prepared as I ordered (Salmon ordered rare) and tasted fresh. The second visit was entirely different. The salmon was overdone and dry, inedible. I don't understand the inconsistensy. Why can a chef not cook a dish the same way more than once. Not only that the wine we ordered was just about too old. The first visit it was perfect. The service was ok but just so. I have a policy of giving gratuities based upon the quality of the service and I usually am generous. But the waitress did such a poor job that I couldn't make myself give her more than a minimum tip. The management needs Training in training. I hope they get it.[ I can not recommend this restaurant.

Delicious food and very friendly staff. I wish they could find more staff to be able to have more availability. We tried to go back the next day (Sunday) for brunch, but we were told they no longer have brunch because of being short-staffed.They are doing a wonderful job with food and I hope they get staffing down soon!Appetizer: tuna nachosSoup: curry chicken and tomatoEntree: blackened salmon

Wow they have some amazing food! I got the 6 oz fillet and would put it up against Morton’s any day of the week. It just melted in my mouth. Their potato’s are to die for and the green beans were off the chain good! Highly recommend this spot for small and large parties. We eloped and had our dinner with family their afterwards. They were very accommodating and kept my wild mom happy as well ?. Will definitely be back when i visit the area again.

Pet friendly with an eclectic menu the food & service was very good. It is a pleasant place to enjoy a nice meal with your furr-baby.

The staff was great, the spicy fried green beans were amazing and the artichoke dip was pretty good. The Mac and cheese (vegetarian) was also amazing. The chicken chili my wife ordered was really disappointing.

Full restaurant and no tables available. Was lucky enough to secure two spots at the bar. Bartender Garrett did a fantastic job taking care of us despite a constant barrage of drink requests. Food was delicious.

My husband and I are so glad we tried The Painted Fish. The chicken curry chowder soup of the day was perfect for a chilly evening, and had just the right level of heat. I really enjoyed my pecan crusted trout and risotto. The star of the meal was the Painted Bison Meatloaf that my husband ordered. I would love to have the recipe for that gravy! Our server, Marcy, was very helpful with recommendations, and service was soot on. We might just have to go back again tomorrow, before our stay at Sugar Mountain ends!

I'm looking to make a reservation on line but had some menu concerns as they have posted a dinner menu which is a set menu and because of certain food allergies I had a few questions before making the Reservation but it is unfortunate that they do not answer the phone for any inquiries or question so I felt forced to make a reservation and go in without knowing what I will be served or if they're flexible making options when customers are have certain food allergies or restrictions also realized that this is the first restaurant close to grandfather mountain area that has a menu posted but which says 'chef choice'' (again not giving the customer the liberty of having to choose) without any pricing so is this chef choice meal a $200 or could be $500 you won't know till you go ask the server I guess and you're going to have to pay what ever price they say it is because you made a reservation prior this is not the way to go you will soon have to close down for these reasons I'm celebrating my husbands birthday and wanted to spend over $100 for a dinner but after checking their website I decided to spend my money at a place 1. where I could call and ask questions about certain menu items 2. where the menu pricing is available to the customer before making a reservation. 3. having more menu items and choices in the menu without restricting and forcing a customer to have the "chefs choice" I encourage people to go dine in at the omni grove park restaurant "the Vue 1913' for a great experience.

As a summer resident, the Painted Fish Cafe was one of the BEST hidden treasures in the whole area! Met the owner (& his dog, Maxine!) who said I needed to give it a try, so I did and was introduced to some of the BEST food I’ve ever had! They have the very BEST fried chicken you have EVER tasted, bar none. It’s served every Wednesday night. I also tried the Greek lasagna w/ pieces of fried eggplant in it. I’m telling ‘ya…to die for! Then there’s the Blue Pie! Locally grown huge blueberries in a goat cheese filling. Melts in your mouth. EVERYTHING is made from scratch. The staff is absolutely phenomenal. Please try this place. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed! Love it. Can’t wait to get back next summer!

Incredible service, great food and of course great company

A favorite restaurant when I travel to W NC in the summer! Cuisine is excellent, many wonderful choices of appetizers, entrees, salads and desserts. Personnel charming and very efficient despite having limited staff.Last evening, I enjoyed Monk Fish chowder recommended by Briana (sp?), strawberry and orange salad and Black grouper. Superb!My misfortune was watching the very negative behavior of the rude foursome sitting 12’ from me.Their server, Ruthie, a retired Army Reservist was doing her best to accommodate their needs —and they had many!! They were never satisfied!! I chose not to interfere, but now I believe I should have. Being rude, short, impatient is NOT appropriate. Every restaurant is short on staff, this is the time for all of us to be kind and grateful. If one has a criticism, speak to the server, privately. Not with a negative attitude- ever. I hope these fools from FL read this review and rethink their condescending behavior going forward.Betting they didn’t leave a fair gratuity for Ruthie, I did!!Be kind!RMB - Charleston, SC

When the four of us arrived, on time for our reservation, we were told that they had stopped serving brunch for the day! Ed explained that we had reservations, they checked, and reluctantly seated us. Decor needs refreshing (chipped paint on chairs, stained carpeting). Three of us had the eggs Benedict (Holland side not quite right) and the fourth had the salmon casserole (good, and nice and hot). Our waitress clearly wanted not be be on the job, but was friendly toward us.

Located in a sort of shopping center area, not the greatest atmosphere inside or out, but no real problems. We sat inside as outside in late July can be buggy and hot. Dinner for two, wine and beer with the special (clam spaghetti) and Painted Greek Lasagna AND the blue pie was $74.90-so not cheap eats, but very good food, other than the blue pie...just not as good as BB cobbler or pie in our estimation and at $10 pretty pricey. Good service...new to us, recommended by our friends. Would try something new next time.