Stonewalls

Dated décor. Sub par food. Average service. This place has the potential to be SO much more given its location.

The food was great. We had the sirloin, coconut shrimp, prime rib and salad bar. The salad bar was fresh. The steaks were cooked perfectly. Im not giving 5 stars cause the service was terrible.

We didn’t eat here. We came here for the olive oil and balsamics. It was a nice highlight to our road trip. I’m not sure what the food is like. However, the olive oil and balsamics worker was very helpful. The two of us purchased 5 mini bottles each. We spent at least 20 minutes trying different combinations of olive oil and vinegars with bread and ice cream. As strange as it sounds, the fruity balsamics go great as a mixin of vanilla ice cream. The best by far for people that like spicy is the «green chile» extra virgin olive oil.

Outside appearance was welcoming. Seated quickly. Some of THE best service we have had in a very long time. Brooke did an amazing job. The interior seemed dated but it was clean. Dimmed lighting. My son had the salmon special. My wife had the brandy steak special. I had the queens cut prime rib. All were excellent! For some reason, the cut the outter portion of the prime rib off. This is the first time ive had prime rib like this. The salad bar had a good wide selection of choices, very well kept, and had a person standing there for constant restocking. The microbrew selection was weak. Minimal. For the house wines… no local selections. Would have been nice to try some. After eating, you should definitely try the olive oil/​basalmic bar. There are endless flavor combinations that you can have. My favorite was cinnamon pear mixed with chipotle. The host gave us a sample of vanilla ice cream with a blood orange and chocolate oil/​vinegar mixture on it. Delicious. My wife loved it so much that we ended up buying 6 bottles. I would definitely recommend this place.

Whatever you do don’t go to stonewalls… we’ve done it for 20 years and tonight is the end of the road… I eat out a lot… I mean a lot, and this was the WORST experience I have ever had. I took my family to Stonewalls tonight and it was awful. To star we were told a 20 – 25 minute wait and it was 90 minutes.
When we were finally seated we ordered our food and it was slow. It always is, but tonight unusually. We go to Stonewalls every October when we are in banner elk for the wooly worm festival. Over 20 years.
So the food finally comes out 30 minutes or so after ordering and my mothers prime rib and baked potatoe are cold. The butter won’t even melt. We call the waiter over and she takes it back to the kitchen. About 90 seconds later she pops back with it, the plate and everything on it is saturated in au jus, and the meat is gray and lukewarm. We get the owner over and he says «don’t worry I’ll fix it.»
He comes back about a minute later with the SAME piece of meat now totally gray and the potatoe not warm enough to melt butter… my mom tries to eat it but she says it’s still cold.
Finally after all the problems the owner comps the meal.
SO…we leave, and get down the road a few minutes and I realize I forgot my hat, it’s a skull cap and a favorite. We run back to get it, it’s still in the booth, I throw it on, and it’s full of fettuccini… from my wife’s plate!!! Can’t even tell you how mad I am at this point… I get the owner over, and he wants to fight with me invites me outside… I wish I had it on film… never ever go to stonewalls… after 20 something years of overpriced mediocre food were done.

The service wasn’t the best. Every time our waitress would help one table and go disappear. The food had no taste, but the salad bar was ok.

It has been several years since we have visited this place. The other night we took another family with us to dine here and were extremely disappointed. One of the guys with us wanted a hamburger and was told no hamburgers available but if you want me to go to McDonald’s and get you one I will. They tried to seat seven of us in a booth and became frustrated and made us wait a long time when we requested more room and a table. Even though there were many open tables available. The food was OK not great but OK. However, the poor service was bad enough that we will not be back.

On a recent trip to Blowing Rock, we decided to try Stonewall Restaurant in Banner Elk, North Carolina. This fine dining establishment offers a wide variety of steaks, seafood, and just about anything you are looking for.
During the summer, they offer three specials that include a visit to the salad bar, the entrée and side, dessert, and drink. I chose the Surf N’ Turf, a 6oz. sirloin, 6 grilled shrimp, pasta alfredo, and broccoli.
The salad bar was quite extensive, with everything you could ever want on a salad and more. The steak was good and adequate for the size of the meal and the shrimp was outstanding, grilled perfection. My only negative on this meal was the dessert; it was not quite up to the level of what I would expect from a fine dining restaurant.
Dora here. Don’t be ragging on their desserts, Ernie. You passed by the Crème Brule and other more elaborate options for the strawberry shortcake. You’re just upset that Little Man ate the whole piece! Lol.
Not as ravenous as the rest of our crew, I ordered the Petite Sirloin and a baked potato. The sirloin was tender and cooked to my taste, with just a hint of pink, and the baked potato was huge. Definitely didn’t leave the table hungry.
We rate this restaurant 4 forks out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving great food. For more restaurant reviews, check out Fiction Faith & Foodies. ~Ernie & Dora Hiers

My favorite restaurant in Banner Elk! Their famous salad bar is delicious and their food is amazing!

Been coming here for as long as I can remember. My now deceased father set up the tradition of coming here for all special occasions years and years ago. As always, the salad bar was great, but the salmon came out almost raw, and the Steak Oscar was inedible. It was raw and so chewy we couldn’t eat it. Fortunately, when they reheated it, it was pretty good. Unfortunately, when they offered to substitute the Steak Oscar for a filet, it came out well done and tasted like sawdust, yet they charged us full price for the filet, $ 30, while the Steak Oscar was only $ 25!!! So, at the end of the night, our Father’s Day dinner for two with one glass of wine and a coke came up to $ 78.48 before tip!!! Won’t be back again, which greatly saddens me, as I would have loved to carry on the tradition!!!

Stonewall’s is a nice little casual steakhouse nestled in downtown Banner Elk. I’ve been here as a student and back as a grown up with my own $$$. They have a salad bar that’s included with most entrees. The food is pretty good, albeit a little overpriced, but there aren’t many ‘nice’ restaurants in the mountains so you’re paying for ambiance. Good date night place for locals, graduation/​birthday spot for students and parents. It needs some updating but that can be said for a lot of places in the area. Nice place for a steak and a glass of wine while visiting.

We were staying at Sugar Mtn and were looking for a nice restaurant open late night without having to head back to Boone. After 9pm your options in Banner Elk are limited but we chose Stonewalls because it looked interesting from the exterior. It has a balsamic/​olive oil tasting bar attached so we envisioned an eclectic menu with a warm, relaxing interior. As in other reviews, the interior is more akin to Golden Corral, which is fine if that’s what your looking for and what you’re expecting in budget and menu. We got steaks which were average. The salad bar was fresh and had a nice selection. We never received an appetizer we ordered. The wine list was limited and pricey. Our server Heather was very very nice and attentive. But her excellent service would be better served in a more upscale environment. Better options exist in the area.

Had dinner here last night. We had six in our party. Almost all of us had one of the specials. It was good. We were a bit surprised at the price of the draft beer when we got the bill. Shoulda asked, ‘ey?

Came in on new years ever while in town on vacation. Very nice meal. Family enjoyed ribeyes and filets. Nice sides and appetizers. Wine list was reasonably priced. Would definitely return.

Hubby and I went there last night for our 16yr wedding anniversary. We were promptly seated. I had the lobster bisque that was the most tasteless thing I’ve ever eaten. Not one piece of lobster to be found. Our waitress was terrible! She kept disappearing every time I would ask for a beer or oyster crackers that were supposed to go with my lobster bisque. I had to get another servers attention for the crackers. We had a manager check on us, but this guy was a tool with his less then genuine smile and squinty eyes. This man was useless.
My husband had the steak Oscar that I swear the crab came out of a can. I had the vegetable Alfredo. It was supposed to have black olives (fresh out of a can) broccoli (straight out of the freezer section) sundries tomatoes and mushrooms that were non existent. I found a paper thin sliced mushroom… The Alfredo sauce was disgusting. It tasted like someone used fat free milk and just poured it on my pasta. It was as tasteless as the lobster bisque. I don’t understand why they don’t use fresh vegetables. I could make a better Alfredo with a Lipton package. We WILL NOT be returning.

This was a very disappointing dinner. My shrimp scampi was over cooked, my son’s meal wasn’t correct when they finally brought it out. My best friends prime rib was over cooked and the manager agreed it was not cooked as a medium rare prime rib.
I had to get up to ask why the food was taking so long. I was told they had a rush but I didn’t feel it was that busy. They also said they only had one cook.
I finally was directed to the manager who was working in the olive oil shop. She eventually came over and did take some off the bill.
I would recommend visiting the olive oil shop which is connected to the restaurant. However, I wouldn’t recommend the restaurant at all.

Nice restaurant with good, not great food. It’s definitely a nice date night location in this limited market. The $ 15 bottles of wine is a nice perk and the French Onion Soup as well as salad bar are worth the visit alone. Don’t miss the newly opened Balsamic and Olive Oil Tasting Room.

Awesome filets! After an issue with another patron regarding us bring our kids in to the restaurant (I guess they figured people with kids aren’t supposed to be out in public), the manager took charge and made us feel super welcome. They have a great kids menu and are all super friendly. We love it here!

Food is excellent.
Do not take reservations.
Service is above average!
Each of my visits when I’m in the Smokey’s to this place has been awesome!
If you’re ever anywhere near Banner Elk, this restaurant is an absolute MUST!

Crab cakes were very good as was the salad bar which included hummus as a nice touch. Perhaps some items on the menu didn’t live up to other reviewers’ expectations, but I had no complaints.
Ate here a 2^nd time & nobody liked their meals.