The Painted Fish Cafe & Beer Bar

Banner Elk, United States

4.2

Open now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards
Free Wi-Fi

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 828-898-6800
Website:
www.paintedfishcafe.com
Address:
2949 Tynecastle Hwy, Banner Elk, NC, 28604
Categories:
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
Yes
Delivery
No
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Good For
Dinner
Parking
Private Lot
Bike Parking
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Casual
Noise Level
Average
Alcohol
Full Bar
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Wi-Fi
Free
Has TV
Yes
Waiter Service
Yes
Caters
Yes

Today

Today 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Open now
Local time (Banner Elk) 5:00 PM Wednesday, July 2, 2025

Business hours

Monday 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Tuesday 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Wednesday 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Thursday 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Friday 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Saturday 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
5:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Sunday 11:00 am – 2:00 pm

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20 reviews of The Painted Fish Cafe & Beer Bar

No registration required
Place rating: 4
Raleigh, NC
Painted salad was an add on of fried eggplant –Loved the bacon chicken. Great service. No hot water in ladies room tho — brrrrr
Place rating: 5
Banner Elk, NC
Only been here a few times when we vacation up to Banner Elk, and the service has always been very good and the food is delicious! Will come back again next year!
Place rating: 5
Wellington, FL
Every time I come to the Banner Elk area, the food and service in this place is excellent!
Place rating: 2
Dallas, TX
I am visiting the area and chose this place based on the Unilocal reviews. Exhausted from a long day, I ordered the Shrimp Mac and Bread Pudding to go. The hostess was kind and my food was ready when I arrived. The inside of the restaurant looked nice and there was a decent crowd for a Tuesday night. When I arrived back to my hotel, I realized that there were no utensils or napkins in the bag. And both dishes left much to be desired.
The Shrimp Mac was extremely greasy. The flavor of the shrimp was good though. Very juicy and flavorful. Other than that, I wasn’t impressed. I picked out the shrimp and a few mushrooms and chunked the rest.
The bread pudding was okay at best. I heated it in the microwave and poured the sauce over it, but I still didn’t finished the dish despite my hunger.
I’m guessing that maybe I would have had a better experience if I’d eaten in the restaurant, but I feel like the food should be speak for itself. Since I’m only in this town for a short stay, I will likely never go back.
Two stars for the nice hostess, quick service and the shrimp.
Place rating: 4
Charlotte, NC
Great Sunday brunch in the high country! The food is all so fresh and selections are a great balance of traditional brunch fare with contemporary, creative twists. There are breakfast and lunch selections to satisfy everyone. I had the sweet potato waffle with fried chicken. (Yum!) my friends had the breakfast pasta, a burger with tots and the shrimp & grits special. All looked delish! On top of the great food, this spot has a wonderful beer selection! Deserts sounded so good, too. I wish we’d had room to try some. Next time!
Place rating: 5
Columbia, SC
We started with appetizers: escargot and fried oysters, both very good. Just as fast as they came to our table, they were eaten! The escargot was cooked with tomatoes and served with bread. Personally, no bread necessary. The fried oysters came with two different sauces: a horseradish based sauce and a soy wasabi sauce, both very good.
Entrees came soon after appetizers. I ordered the curried scallops. Ridiculously good! If you are a fan of curry, you will love this. It is high on the list of the best curries I’ve had. I would have poured the curry sauce over anything and eaten it.
Delicious restaurant! A little pricey but worth it!
Place rating: 2
Orlando, FL
We were excited to try this restaurant based on the high reviews, but we’re we disappointed. My husband ordered liver & onions which was the special of the day. It came nearly raw, had to send it back. The server was apologetic and the dish came back as it should have been to begin with. But his appetite was diminished. It was $ 19! Which seems Extremely high for diner type food. I had the hamburger which was a bit undercooked For my liking, but managed to eat what I wanted. The ketchup bottle looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in a while. All in all this was a terrible experience. Don’t think we’ll be back.
Place rating: 5
Wesley Chapel, FL
Very yummy! :) they are very fast and their food is fresh and delicious! The waiters and waitresses are super friendly! They even had fish on the kids menu.
Place rating: 1
Charlotte, NC
We arrived for lunch at approximately 1:45 and the hostess was on the phone (or at least she was standing there holding it — she wasn’t talking). She did not acknowledge us, so we sat on the bench. About 5 minutes later a waitress walked by and told us they closed at 2 and we could come back for dinner. When we got back in our car it was 1:52. Really? Must be nice to work for a restaurant that can afford to turn away customers who arrive 15 minutes before closing time. I worked as a hostess. We closed at 10. You know what, we accepted customers until 10! Poor customer service!!!
Place rating: 3
Lake Worth, FL
Visited on a quiet Thursday night. The hostess insisted we needed reservations even though the patio was empty and remained empty during our stay. I ordered the whole rainbow trout which was highly recommended. They brought me only half which was fine because I’ve had much better trout elsewhere. The service was very slow. I will not return.
Place rating: 5
Chapel Hill, NC
This place will not disappoint you! I read great reviews about The Painted Fish and was sold on trying it after reading that showing up after hiking Grandfather Mountain was totally acceptable. We worked up a serious appetite after our hike that day and were ready to wind down and relax.
We were seated on the outdoor patio at our request and enjoyed the sunshine and views. The service was impressive! Everyone was so friendly and knowledgable about the menu!
I ordered the Southwest Salmon and it was AMAZING! Tender, juicy, not a hint fishiness. The grits and collard greens were a perfect pair for this dish and I left feeling stuffed!
…but then our server mentioned dessert that is home made… including cheesecake with Krispy Kreme donuts baked into the cheesecake. topped with caramel bacon sauce!!! I got the sticky bun bread pudding and it was melt in your mouth bliss the homemade whipped cream didn’t hurt anyone, either!
Place rating: 4
Statesville, NC
We had a delicious meal here tonight! With a party of five, we all got something different & all enjoyed our meal! We had the crab & artichoke dip as an appetizer & it was very tasty! Not a same-​old-​same-​old.
Place rating: 5
HUNTINGDON VALLEY, PA
Fantastic! Ten hungry bikers came in. We were served promptly and efficiently.
Nice variety on the menu.
Highly Recommended!
Place rating: 5
Concord, NC
Incredibly delicious food! Atmosphere is casual and laid back. Staff is very welcoming and informative about the menu. Chef is a genius at food pairing! Crimini mushrooms cooked in tallow! GENIUS!
Place rating: 5
Durham, NC
for a small touristy town, this is probably the best place to eat near sugar mountain!
I’m just bummed we didnt find it sooner in our trip. We came here for lunch prior to hitting the slopes for a half day of skiing. I got the most unhealthy item on the menu (i think). Grilled macncheese with bacon sandwich. It was amazing! AND it came with a cup of tomato soup… perfect!
The dessert menu alone is enough to get anyone to try this place. I was just bummed we were too stuffed to try any! You won’t be disappointed if you try this place out!
Place rating: 5
Harrisburg, NC
Loved this place. But address led us to a field.
This great restaurant is in the SugarFoot Shops strip mall before getting to Lowes just outside of Banner Elk!
GREAT waitress and amazingly delicious food!!!
All FRESH and cooked to order.
We had steak, burgers, fish, & grilled cheese. Everyone one of us cleaned our plates!!!
We will definitely be coming back since we have had a hard time in the past finding a fresh food restaurant in this area!
Place rating: 5
Birmingham, AL
Found this restaurant based on Unilocal reviews, and was not disappointed! The food and service was great. We got tater bullets as an appetizer. They tased like a fried mashed potato ball with onion and other seasonings. The French onion soup was one of the better ones I have had. The broth had great flavor. The apple butter vinaigrette on the spinach salad is divine. The ahi tuna was excellent. It was perfectly cooked, and the spinach risotto paired well with the dish. Pefect for a party of 6. On a busy night, I think it would be hard to accommodate groups much larger.
Place rating: 5
Charleston, SC
I live in Charleston, SC and have had my fair share of good food. We stopped by this place for lunch at the base of Sugar mtn. Thought it would be traditional food… Soup sandwiches. It was only on such a higher amazing culinary level. Casual comfortable friendly, family friendly, any dress accepted. If you just got off the mtn or just out for a nice evening, everyone is welcome. The tomato soup was incredible, fried green tomato blt rocked, shaved prime rib hoagie with fresh strawberries was awesome.
So after skiing we decide to head back for dinner! This tipped the scales! If you appreciate real food and professionally trained chefs that can bring out the best flavor for seasonal food for fair prices, try this place. I didn’t have room for dessert but oh I wish I did. I can tell the chefs are here for one thing, their passion to create amazing food for everyone.
Oh and dinner was Salmon with a sweet potato hash, ribeye and taters and collards and some awesome wine and beer. Quality food, great prices, great service!
Place rating: 5
Davidson, NC
I never expected to find such a gem! We were tossed between here and an Italian place nearby and since I am going to a wedding this weekend and didn’t need the carbs, we chose Painted Fish.
Service was prompt and friendly. Our waitress, Rhonda, was a doll!
The soup that night was truffled mushroom (see pic) and it was dreamy! Lots of tasty morels in a well balanced light cream base. Hubby had the tomato soup and also loved it! We had the pâté appetizer with an unusual but delish condiment– dried cherry mustard. Both tart and spicy, it was the perfect partner to toasted baguettes and Brie. The pimento cheese and duck liver pâté was also super yum.
I had the ahi tuna over spinach and risotto! Perfection. We are returning for brunch before leaving on Sunday because the Chef stopped by and invited us!!!
Place rating: 4
West Palm Beach, FL
Food was great.
The service is excellent, a little slow if they’re busy.
Had the special tonight, it was excellent.