Canyons Historic Restaurant and Bar

My wife and I ate there this past week and really enjoyed the view! The service and food were both good, but nothing that really «wow’d» us. I would definitely go back and suggest it to anyone visiting the area that appreciates a good view while dining.

Chicken Maui Sandwich is so good. It is one of the best sandwiches that I have ever had. The view is very nice. The customer service has been great the 2 times I have came. I recommend it!

Canyons has a beautiful view! We waited about 15 – 20 minutes for a table outside. While we waited, we sat at the bar. The bartenders were attentive and I liked the varied selection of beers. Crispin pear is excellent and the tangerine wheat was wonderful! Our server, John, was very friendly and attentive. We ordered a chips and salsa appetizer. Unfortunately, the salsa was not good at all. My friends ordered the moonshine cocktails, both of which were tasty. I had ordered the veggie burger, which was listed as a portobello and barley mix. However, it also had black beans. If I had known it had black beans, I would not have ordered it. I did not like it. My friends were pretty happy with their orders, including the duck burger. The hushpuppies were good too. At the end, there was a big mix-​up with the checks. Overall, I did not really like the food, but the drinks and the view were great. I’d recommend coming here for the latter.

This place is all about expectations. If you expect the world, you will be disappointed. If you expect average food and good views, you will be pleased. It’s really that simple. Service is good. A little crowded if you sit outside.

Very great restaurant! Awesome views, without the hike it takes to get to other places with a view. Great wine and beer selection, great service. Gluten free items. The only thing is that the fries are not gluten free, but they have excellent veggies to go on the side. Got a duck burger with slaw and grilled veggies.

Went to Canyons yesterday. Beautiful scenery for dining. We got there just before sunset! The food is reasonably priced. Not a large menu. Didn’t care for the Mexican dish. Was bland believe it or not so bought a burger. Now that was good! We also tried the buffalo shrimp. Yum! The daily
Special was a pot roast served over mushroom grits. Not bad. We will go again for beer and a burger to caught the sunset.

Amazingly fresh food, sincere and quick service — fabulous views of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. They were out of the craft beer I ordered — but the food and atmosphere was so authentic it didn’t matter.

Disappointed. Drove 2 hours because this ranked as one of the best views in North Carolina. And that’s just about all that was good. One star for the waitress and one for the view. After a half hour wait in a noisy, cramped area we were fortunate to score a small table with a good view. I ordered quiche from today’s special menu figuring it would be tasty fresh or unique. Nope, dry and standard. My husband ordered a pricey rib eye (cue sad face). Super fatty! Salad was basic with what appeared to be a store bought dressing. My fresh fruit – just like Demny’s, hard cantaloupe and honeydew and mushy strawberries. I don’t even want to go on and on about it. Go for a beer and look at the view if you must.

Fantastic view, great prices and good portions. They have a lot of options for carnivores and vegetarians/​vegans and their specials are delicious.

«It’s ok.» — Grandma. Service was lovely to excellent, and I’d come here for lemon water and raw iceberg lettuce just to take advantage of the view. However if you must eat, grab a beer and the Chicken Maui sandwich with fries (actually gr888), and you will win all of the games.

Loved the service, food and view! Great place to bring kids… Low key and casual and comfortable dining at its best.

If you’re interested in the view I highly recommend this place for lunch or dinner. Welll worth the money here. Food and service were also good. I ordered the chicken salad special it was amazing. I will do this again when in town.

Having come to Boone and Blowing Rock for years now we have always thought we should stop and eat here. Honestly, because of the location and view I expected this to be a high end restaurant. So, finally in Blowing Rock without kids we decided to stop on the way out of town.
First of all, it was 4 pm, so we didn’t expect it to be very busy. The outside deck which holds about 5 tables was full, so we were seated in bar area by a window.
Upon walking in I realized quickly this was NOT a high end establishment and was quite gloomy, dark and in need of a serious remodel and cleaning. The entire building also slopes downhill.
The menu is small, but I was happy to see they had gluten free options. It is a weird mix of sandwiches and Mexican food. My husband ordered a beer and we ordered food and as soon as I asked for no bun the waitress got all snotty asking if I was allergic to gluten or just didn’t want a bun.
It all went downhill, no pun intended, at this point and we almost left after she brought the wrong beer and we were so cramped between the window and the bar coupled with about 20 employees yet horrible service.
I was so overstimulated by the end of the meal my husband and I couldn’t run out of there fast enough. The food was lacking, the service was terrible, the view was amazing even through the odd, cloudy, dirty sunshade covering the window.
Next time we will just enjoy the view along the parkway!

I had my first ever Duck burger here and it was tasty. Not crispy like some duck entrees would be, but it had a juicy flavor and wasn’t that far off from beef. The view from this restaurant is unbeatable, just gorgeous view of the mountains, but outdoor seating requires a longer wait, so come early or be prepared to wait. They have a great brunch menu here as well, so I’ll definitely be trying that next time I’m in the area.

Last year, my bf and I came here for Valentine’s Day, and it was great! This year, we came in, ordered an appetizer that never came, never got silverware, had ginger ale poured in our water, and got served cold burgers. What happened? We even called two weeks ahead of time to make a reservation, and were told we can’t make one for Valentine’s Day. So we tried walking in and they told us the reservation list was too long! We told the hostess and she was very nice and found us a seat, but something must have happened to Canyon’s management or ownership, because it does not seem the same anymore!

Food was priced fairly and amazing quality of taste and portion. View is amazing. Service was very fast and server was excellent and very friendly.

The views alone make this place magical and worth any wait you might have to go through to drink/​eat here!
Staff was friendly and helpful, and they offer a great selection of LOCAL wines and beers.
A def must if you’re visiting the area.

The PLUSES: The view from the dinning area and the balcony are almost worth the wait for the food items.
CLEAN, well-​stocked restrooms.
The food items (eventually) brought to our table were slightly above average in taste and presentation. My ‘meat-​lovers’ hoagie featured a generous portion of tender, thick-​sliced roasted beef with gravy, a few slices of turkey, and a few ‘suggestions’ of bacon. I mean REALLY, if you’re not willing to commit to actually placing a recognizable portion on the bun, then simply avoid mentioning the item on the descriptor for the menu item, Okay? However having written that, let me assure that the sandwich produced an over-​all pleasing taste, if somewhat salty. A word of warning, however — this is a messy sandwich! My traveling companion ordered a Chicken Maui sandwich, and a quick taste proved the sandwich winner for our table. The meat-​to-​bun ratio was correct, and the pineapple bits added a tart/​sweet taste to the sandwich. A duck-​burger, ordered by another of our party, proved almost inedibly dry, despite a couple of bacon strips tossed aboard, and an over-​watery slice of last summer’s tomato did little to help. I noticed a couple of the Canyon burger variants pass our table, and if looks provide a hint of what awaits, then one might be better severed by sticking with the sandwich portion of the menu.
The CONS: This place is dirty. The carpet appears to have remained vacuum-​free for most, if not all of this century. Food CHUNKS can be seen under most tables. OLD food chunks. Recognizable if dried, beans, corn, and salad items. Canyons is as clean as most biker-​bars that you’ll visit.
Our table seemed to be located in a service ‘gap’ between three of the waitstaff. This might have resulted in incredible service; instead we were treated to the pervasive feeling that everyone thought that we were being served by one of the other two. This is not to imply that the staff wasn’t enthusiastic, just horribly disorganized.
There seemed to be plenty of waitstaff on hand, however there appeared to be little, if any structure towards their properly performing their tasks. One server was observed clearing a table, and then picking up his next plated order, with no visit to a sink for even a suggestion of hand-​washing.
While the view from the dinning area and the balcony are wonderful, I’m reasonably certain that there are other ‘dinning views’ in Blowing Rock that one might enjoy. Or, pack a picnic and take advantage of one of the many pull-​offs that can be found on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Nature, in her seasonal disarray will be better organized and considerably cleaner than The Canyons.

Day 5 road trip — vacation food — dinner
When we returned to Blowing Rock that evening, we chose Canyons Historic Restaurant and Bar for dinner. Thanks again to Unilocal for this suggestion!
The view from this restaurant is the draw. Definitely try to be there for dinner at sunset… it’s spectacular.
I started dinner with a house salad.
My entrée was the evening special, meatloaf with mashed potatoes and broccolini.
Sooooo good. The meatloaf was thick, juicy, and comfort-​food-​alicious. I loved it.
My mom ordered chicken tacos with green beans.
My dad ordered plain beef and cheese tacos with fries.
Happily, the tot chose grilled cheese (instead of chicken strips) with fries.
The Historic Canyons Restaurant and Bar is located at 8960 Hwy 321, Blowing Rock, NC. You can find more information about them on their website at
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Great view, ecclectic menu but little else.
Stopped by for lunch today. I’ve been here before but this was a first for my wife.
If you manage to get a table by the windows or this time of year, a seat on the outside deck, the view is outstanding. Anything else more to the interior is like being in a dungeon. With the dark paneling, poor lighting with some of the lights out, you can hardly read the menu.
Menu is different and is generally very good and somewhat creative. I had a duck burger today which was a first for me. It was actually very good and the fries were better than the last time I was here. My wife had the Chicken Sandwich from off the luncheon specials and she enjoyed that as well.
Our server was adequat at best. After she took our order (our meal was delivered by a member of the kitchen staff). we only saw her one more time for refills before we got our check. When we got our check, she had not even asked if we wanted a desert item. We don’t normally order desert but a couple of items on the menu had looked interesting. We were told the only item they had was plain Cheesecake. Management should not be pleased that their servers are not upselling their stations.
Place is in need of a major renovation. Carpet from my observations has not been cleaned in a long time. There is a visibile path on the linoleum in the kichen leading from the dining area where dirt has been tracked into the kitchen from the dirty carpet.
There are sections in front of the band area where they have tried to replace 3×3 foot sections but in truth, the whole carpet needs to be replaced. There are low hanging speakers in front of the band area that pose a hazard to someone walking beneith them and this is one of the approaches to bathrooms. Bathrooms are not maintained and checked either so not very appealing.
Food is good and the view is great for those fortunately to get a table close enough to enjoy it. With proper lighting, new carpet and some other upgrades, this could be a great place. As it is right now, I can’t recommend it to anyone.