One of our favorites in Blowing Rock. The service here is always stellar and to be frank the patrons over the years have been interesting, entertaining, pleasant dining companions. I love that this is a place for all age groups which you see because most are vacationers except for the strong group of locals that dine there regularly. This most recent visit was a Friday night and the place was busy but not slammed. Started with oysters Rockefeller which were tasty but the oysters were tiny, luck of the draw. Next up were garden salads that come with the entrees. Their blue cheese dressing is stellar and the salad ingredients very fresh. I had the slow braised beef short ribs which is enough to feed two. They are super tasty and very tender. Husband had the New Zealand Rack of Lamb which was perfectly cooked and quickly devoured down to gnawing on the bones. Entrees come with mashed new potatoes and choice of sides. I did asparagus and husband did the stuffed zucchini and both were good. Always a nice wine selection and good pour for cocktails and such but the bar does tend to get backed up with seating for dinner.

Had a delicious dinner and dessert at the Best Cellar in Blowing Rock, NC. This 16 ounce grilled bone end veal chop was awesome. Olivia and Aleena were great in customer service.

Great food. We ate in cellar. Not the greatest atmosphere but waitress was friendly. Host was rather rude (probably a yankee). But food made up for it. Scallop appetizer was best scallops I've eaten. Lamb was best I've eaten. And banana cream pie was to die for. A little pricy but well worth it.

Overall great service from our server that's worked there for 2 days, my food was great, my wife's food was lack luster. The braised short ribs were cold when she first got them, so, then asked them not to be microwaved. When she got her dish back 3 mins later, they had definitely been microwaved! She even saw where she cut a piece off prior to sending back. Seasoning was fair, but more salt could have been helpful! All the apps we had were great! We want to try this place again, but after some improvements are made!

Made reservations to dine here during our vacation. What a great, and relaxing dinner we had. Everything was top notch. Everyone was so friendly..even the other patrons. Food was great! Your basic Steakhouse type menu. However, the recipes/freshness of the food take it to another level. It's a rare thing to see a traditional upscale restaurant like this do everything so great, without being pretentious. Best Cellar did just that! Can't wait to return. Try the Banana cream pie for dessert. You won't regret it!

On our first visit to Blowing Rock and so excited that it included a dining experience at The Best Cellar. We were seated in the cellar which was wonderful - private and comfy to catch up with old friends - but I can tell any of the seating (main dining room, patio, outdoor tent with heaters) would have been just fine too! Our server was Rocky (aka Veronica!) and she was great. We appreciated her suggestions and just the right amount of attentiveness. Beverage choices were all good. Food was outstanding. I had the trout piccata and it was fork tender and light. Enjoyed the salad with homemade dressing that came with the entree and a side of stuffed zucchini. For dessert we shared banana cream pie that was perfect! Rocky said the recipe was from the 1940s…why mess with perfection?! We can’t wait to return to Blowing Rock and this restaurant!!

An exceptional evening celebrating our 23rd wedding anniversary! From the moment we arrived early for our 6:15pm reservation, the service was impeccable. The valet parking and warm reception set the tone for the evening. The host guided us to our table, and our waiter Kate was outstanding—friendly, knowledgeable, and attentive. The food was simply fantastic, adding to the overall delightful experience. Highly recommend this spot for a special occasion or a memorable night out.

We had dinner here at the end of 3 days in Blowing Rock. We were guests of the Inn which houses this restaurant so we had an idea of the quality to come. We started with perfectly made lavender old fashioneds and moved on to lobster bisque, followed by veal scalopine Marsala. For dessert, we went crazy, sharing the Granny Smith apple pie, créme brûlée, chocolate Kahlua toffee mousse cake, a chocolate martini and a chocolate espresso martini. Wow! So much fine food complete with a lovely ambience and excellent service!

Cool little spot, very friendly staff; the food was good, not amazing. There was cheese on top of the meat which really took away from the flavor of the meat. Not a big fan of that. The fish special was baked I believe and husband mentioned that it was “okay”. No pic available. We had their famous dessert but it didn’t set off any big Wow. Would stop back but maybe try for something else this time.

We eat there several times each summer, beginning about 2006-7-ish. We’ve never been disappointed in the food or service! The inn is beautiful, historic, impressive yet cozy so the ambiance is great. There are nice options for outdoor and indoor dining. The duck is absolutely amazing! I don’t remember ever having anything that wasn’t really good. I have to be gluten-free, but my husband doesn’t, and we’ve both always been very pleased with the menu options.

Had an amazing dinner with great service! Sissy took great care of us. Very cozy atmosphere at this restaurant. We had a seafood sampler of shrimp cocktail, crab cakes and oysters Rockefeller which were amazing. Also had the halibut and braised short ribs - all were delicious! They also have valet parking which is a plus since finding parking can be challenging.

Update 2023 - still a fabulous meal. This time we ate downstairs, lovely cozy dining area. Original Review - A meal to remember. I'll keep it simple, order the filet with the green beans and finish with the millionaire coffee and kahlua cake. You won't be sorry

Romantic and beautiful setting. Great service. Fantastic menu options. Delicious food! This is the perfect spot for special occasions or date night.

What an incredible meal! We had started with drinks which were so good. For our appetizer, we had the Oyster Rockefellers. They we cooked perfectly and very juicy. For our mains, we had the crab cakes, beets, and mashed potatoes. The breading on the crab cakes was light and not at all greasy, but the true shining star was the mashed potatoes. They were perfectly seasoned, fluffy, and so good. My partner had the tuna, which had been prepared, and so was basically melted in your mouth. Another highlight to our meal was our server Grace. She was so kind and explained the menu as well as checked in on us and gave great suggestions! Overall, this place is a gem, and you need to check it out.

Oh my!! This is gonna be hard to summarize. We know the owners long time. We were celebrating our 28th anniversary. Beginning a new tradition since our old one fell victim to COVID. I'm clear we made the right choice. My first review as a level 7 local guide. Top 10% restaurant guide. Honestly it would be easier to give everyone my mobile number and just have you call me for the review. I've been in and around this industry since I was 15. I know a lot about what makes it good and why it struggles. These guys are full. A lot. If you get in you'll know why. When I say hard to get a table I am also putting that in the context of Blowing Rock 3rd week in October. Every aspect of having a nice dinner clicks. I'm not recommending individual dishes. You do you. Whatever you pick you will love every bite. That being said....get scallops for app. Sub your salads for the oyster one and lobster bisque. Crispy duck and halibut were insane too. Heard there was homemade pumpkin cheesecake too but had to get it in a box for home with comfies and Netflix. Wine selection and cocktails fantastic. Valet parking. I can't believe we don't go more! Definitely fixing that!!! There is no stronger recommendation. We love you Lisa and Rob!!! So Google asked me to update my review since we were there tonight and I'm happy to report no it has not! Superb as always! Thanks again y'all!

We have enjoyed The Best Cellar many times over the years and it remains consistently good. This time we had a small group and sat in the cellar. It was a bit chilly but not unbearable. We ordered three different steaks, each person preferring their choice, which was a bit humorous as the idea was to share. Each steak was cooked to perfection and had great flavor. For desert we ordered the banana cream pie. You can tell how good it was given the lack of a picture. Did not have a chance! The service was outstanding as well. If you are in Blowing Rock this is a great place.

We had the best dinner here. It was way above a 5 star rating. Our waitress was Sissy and she went way above and beyond. Food was superb. If 10 was a rating, I would give it that. Food was excellent! Great restaurant!!

We had a great time sitting outside on the covered patio. The food was amazing! Nice atmosphere as we could hear live music from the lawn up front.

Food was well prepared. Scallops were cooked perfectly. Braised beef short ribs were tender and flavorful. My husband enjoyed the duck so much that he wanted to go back the next day, but unfortunately, they were closed. Service was good as well. Of the 3 restaurants we dined at during our time in Blowing Rock, The Best Cellar was hands down our favorite!

For the price food was average. Mussel's were overcooked, trout was fishy, everything else was ok. For a $300. Meal for us 4. Now that's appetizers also,it was average. But our server, Rocky was an excellent server. She was wonderful. You have a gem in a server

Start getting into a great place for special occasions or if you want to take a trip and get out of Johnson City. The food ranges from above average to excellent, and the menu is very. Desserts are excellent also as is the coffee. To drive from Johnson City to blowing Rock has some really good scenery in views. I've been here about five times and will continue to come back. Try the rack of lamb or the duck comma and the oysters Rockefeller.

If you like paying five star prices for dirt in your mash potatoes and steak cooked well done when requested medium, this is the place for you (I wasn’t the only table to have the over cooked issue). If not, skip bothering making a reservation a week out.

4 stars for the food and our attentive waitress; 1 for the lack of management's concern for our horrible seating arrangement for a celebration meal. It was our first visit. The reservation had been made a month in advance. We were looking forward to eating there after all the great reviews. What a disappointment. We splurged on my birthday meal while we are vacationing in Blowing Rock in September. We’d been wanting to try this restaurant for years and we were looking forward to the elegant atmosphere and the food. It was busy when we arrived. After waiting longer than we should have, we were seated in a less than ideal table, in spite of a table next to it that was tucked away. Since we had reservations, we asked if we could switch to an area with less traffic. We were told no, even though it was my birthday meal. So we had to accept the small table by a swinging door or leave. We decided to stay for the food and enjoy each other's company. That’s when the music started. It seems that the night we went, they were having music on the lawn. No one had mentioned it during the call to make our reservation. We also found out that our table was near the two bathrooms. So we had traffic during our whole dinner from the waitresses delivering food to those eating outside and people coming in and out to the bathrooms. Every time the servers or patrons came and went, a blast of excruciatingly loud music (a large speaker was just outside the door) poured inside. We’d have to stop talking because we couldn't hear each other. We asked again if another table had opened up. No. Take this table or leave it. We did end up talking to the manager again before we left to let him know how disappointed we were. Had we known about the music, we would’ve chosen another place. "Everybody knows," he said. He didn’t care that we weren’t locals and didn't know. He didn’t care that we’d had a disappointing experience that evening. We won't be back.

Had dinner tonight and what a wonderful dining experience! Have tried to have dinner here several times but always forget to book a reservation weeks in advance. We live in Daytona Beach but have visited Blowing Rock 4 times this year. Our server Sissy was great as well as all of the supporting staff. The setting was romantically beautiful, the food was fabulous, and we loved the desserts. My Wife loved the wine, lobster bisque and Halibut with squash. We both agreed my Filet was the highlight of the meal. We were full but had to try the desserts. She had a chocolate mousse cake which was fabulous and I had their famous banana cream pie. Absolutely recommend this restaurant but get your reservation a month in advance.

Talk about a killer meal! The roasted duck was epic and the swordfish was amazing. Great service and great food. You'll get what you pay for and this is worth the price!

My fiancé and I went there for her birthday. The valet didn’t take our truck and just waived us through. The service from Ri was great. I had the fillet and she had the veal. Drinks were on point. Oysters Rockefeller was also great. We made reservations prior to our trip.

Could not have been a more appropriate place for our anniversary dinner. Food was awesome, service was great, and atmosphere was romantically magical. Spoiler alert: the atmosphere was spectacular due to the private wine cellar table which is usually booked weeks in advance. Side note, well over 100 bottles of wine to choose from. Even without private room, this restaurant is absolutely a must if in Blowing Rock, NC. ENJOY 😉 👍😁❤️

We have eaten at Best Cellar numerous times, usually bringing friends with us. While the food and ambiance are wonderful, the hostess certainly needs a class in manners. We brought family members here for their first time and my husband and I were quite surprised and embarrassed when she came to our table and asked us to leave the table and go to the lobby area if we wanted anything further! EXTREMELY RUDE! We had been served cocktails, salads, appetizer and dinner and had been there under 2 hours, which I do not consider lengthy for a fine dining experience. I realize table turnover is important to a restaurant's bottom line, but in the case of a fine dining restaurant, professionalism is more important. There were better ways to handle the situation and make guests leave happy!

What a great dining experience in the high country! The Best Cellar combines a rustic inn atmosphere, tremendous quality food, and most importantly, service that makes a meal so enjoyable. Jo was a seasoned professional and his lamb suggestion was spot on and prepared perfectly. My wife had the rainbow trout which was also top notch. There's no pretending here like is the case at several other establishments we've recently visited. We will definitely be back!

WOW.. we had such a memorable dinner here. My mom is hard of hearing, so I had requested a quiet table (something that is often not accommodated) and we were sat at the quietest possible table.. in the wine cellar! The food was delicious and the service was next-level. Sissy, our waitress, was super attentive and friendly. Thanks so much--we'll definitely be back!

I made a reservation for dinner for 4, three weeks in advance. Specifically requested and had lengthy conversation with gentleman that took the reservation to make sure we were seated in main dining, not cellar. I had a guest unable to manage the stairs. We arrived and the hostess informed us that we had to sit downstairs. I explained I specifically needed main floor dining and that it was confirmed. She could not have cared less. There were plenty of seats at 5:30 and she was so unapologetic and rude. My guests came in from Dallas to visit and it was embarrassing and so disappointing. Thanks for completely ruining our Christmas dinner!