7 Best Restaurants in The North Carolina Mountains, North Carolina

The best place to eat in Bryson City, this wood-paneled bistro serves hearty dinner entrées like mountain trout with quinoa and brown rice or meatloaf made from four different locally sourced specialty meats. The dining room is a rustic yet elegant space in a 1908 building that formerly housed Bryson City Bank. If you're not staying at the hotel, make reservations at least a week in advance. 

Cocktails and burgers achieve sublimity at this temple of ground meat, be it locally raised bison, the game of the month, or a 50/50 blend of emu and chorizo. Infusions like beet vodka and bacon fat bourbon ensure that the creations from behind the bar rival those from the kitchen. A log cabin interior packed with curios (and classic Pac-Man on the back porch) sets a friendly tone that's matched by the good-humored service. 

Don't tell anyone else, but Ilda may be North Carolina's best restaurant west of Asheville. Owners Santiago and Crystal defected from New York to Crystal's hometown during the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving behind Michelin stars to chase their dream of a community-driven Italian restaurant without pretension. House-made pastas are divine, and the cocktail program—highlighted by a series of infused limoncellos—is world-class. The team also owns the adjacent Santé wine bar and a quietly wonderful pizza joint across the street, Meatballs. 

Located in a century-old farmhouse with a rusty metal roof, in an old apple orchard, the Orchard's short but sweet menu highlights local produce and trout, plus seafood and steaks. The decor is comfortable rather than fancy, with a few kitschy Southern touches.

Make reservations far in advance for this sublime dining experience broken into three courses, sourced daily from local farmers. This is fine dining—pate and a delightful escargot are the only menu constants—but it's not at all stuffy: approachable servers and the soaring views of the valley below ensure a relaxed sense of wonder. The always-changing farmers' salad is a must before a third course that could include venison tenderloin over truffle creamed spinach or a confit duck breast served with oyster mushroom risotto. 

Singletree boldly proclaims their guiding principles, from integrity in sourcing to sustainability, and those values are conveyed in beautifully presented plates and, most importantly, in flavor. Seared duck breast and Parisian gnocchi with collards shine at dinner, but it's sandwiches like the Brasstown Melt—sliced steak on ciabatta with horseradish, provolone, arugula, and caramelized onions—that keep the midday shift bustling.

Homemade gnocchi, divine seared scallops, and a brief but excellent wine list are among the highlights at this chef-owned Italian trattoria in Brevard's tidy Lumberyard Arts District. Live edge and sleek wood tables and chairs set a rustic homey tone.