Maggie Valley NC is a popular vacation town located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina.  Maggie Valley is well known as relaxing mountain vacation spot, that's near to many great things to see and do outdoors, including the Blue Ridge Parkway and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.   Maggie has lots of great things to do, and some awesome restaurants as well.

We're locals, and live just outside of Maggie Valley NC.  We've eaten at nearly all of the Maggie Valley restaurants many times.  

Here are our top picks for the best restaurants in Maggie Valley North Carolina.   These are in no particular order and just because a restaurant isn't on our list, doesn't mean it isn't good.  It just means it didn't make our top favorites.

Guayabitos Mexican Restaurant

While we have a number of places in Maggie Valley we enjoy eating out, our go to and favorite place to eat in Maggie Valley is at Guayabitos Mexican.   They offer a large selection of menu items, from combos to Fajitas, to their own unique items.  They also have the best Margaritas around.  You'll find something for the everyone!

The food at Guayabitos is good, and the atmosphere friendly and casual.  What really makes Guayabitos stand out is the staff and service.  We always feel like part of the family when we visit and dine there.  This restaurant is run by some of the best and most friendly folks you'll ever meet.

Our favorites from the menu include: Any of their combinations, Pollo Fundito, ACP (Arroz Con Pollo), Rico Burrito (Burritto with Steak and French Fries), Carne Asada, and the Special Bryson.   But honestly, everything is good.

They have a great selection of mixed drinks, along with Mexican and American beers on tap and in cans and bottles.   The Margarita's are awesome, and the mix is made in house by one of the owners.

When visiting, they do not take reservations or manage a check in list.  It's first come first serve by waiting in line when they are busy, which they normally are.  

Maggie Valley Sandwich Shop

Maggie Valley Sandwich Shop is our go to Maggie destination for lunch.   Maggie Valley Sandwich shop serves up a combination of hot and cold sandwiches that are delicious AND very reasonably priced.   Many of the hot sandwiches are pressed, which we love.  

All of the food is made to order, and they offer dine-in and take-out service.

Our favorites from the menu: The Italian (if you like spicy, get it Jim's way), The Muffaletta, The Cuban, and the Gyro. Be sure to try the paste salad as a side, and get the "Nanner Puddin" for dessert.   They have weekly specials too, which are always awesome.

The dining area is large, with tables and a small bar you can sit at as well (they do not serve alcoholic beverages).   There is also limited outdoor seating out-front.  

There are a small number of parking areas in the front, the main parking area is behind the building.    You'll enter and walk up a small flight of stairs.

For an awesome lunch, with fresh and home made ingredients, be sure to visit Maggie Valley Sandwich Shop.  Be sure to tell Jim we said Hi!   

Valley Dog

Fairly new to Maggie Valley is Valley Dog, offering excellent food, quick service, all in an 80s themed restaurant.    As you would expect, Valley Dog specializes in Hot Dogs that are not only good, but very reasonably priced as well. 

We visited on a week-day, and enjoyed a couple of chili-cheese dogs and chips outdoors on the picnic tables.   They offer a large selection of soft-drinks too, even RC Cola!  We haven't seen an RC Cola in years.

Other popular menu items are: The Carolina Dog and their signature "Valley Dog",which comes with cream-cheese and Chow Chow.  They also have specials as well, so you can try something new each time you visit.

For a quick, reasonably priced meal, that tastes great, and delivers an 80s flashback, give Valley Dog a try!    

The Valley House

The Valley House serves complete, homestyle meals that are both budget friendly, and delicious!   You'll find they have a full menu, plus weekly specials.   We have eaten with them a number of times, and really enjoyed everything we have had.  The portions are huge, and we always have a ton of leftovers.

When you order, you'll choose an entree, 2 sides, a salad, a yeast roll or garlic and cheese biscuit, and a dessert.   If you are ordering for more than one, you tell them how many, and they will scale up the meal to feed then number of people you specify.    You can also order different meals for different people as well.

On the main menu, they have: Fried Chicken, Salisbury Steak, Pork Chops, Turkey with Dressing Chicken Tenders, Fried Flounder and more.  With your entree, they also offer a number of sides, including: Mashed Potatoes, Green beans, Mac and Cheese, Collard Greens, and many others.

In addition to their main menu, they offer weekly specials as well, like: Grilled Salmon, Pasta dishes, Stuffed Peppers, Fried Chicken Breast with gravy, Chicken and Dumplings and many more.  

Our favorites include: Turkey and Dressing, the Pork Chops, Salisbury steak, mac and cheese, collard greens ... and well, pretty much everything.

They also serve lunch as well, with delicious sandwich, salad, and burger options.

The Valley House is delicious budget friendly, and run by some of the nicest folks we've met!

Joey's Pancake House

One of the oldest, if not the oldest and most established breakfast restaurant in Maggie Valley is Joey's Pancake House.  Generations of families have been eating breakfast at Joey's since it opened in the mid 1960s.

Today, Joey's is still packed from the moment they open, until they close the doors at noon.  They is nearly always a line to get in, and for good reason, they serve some of the best breakfast, and pancakes, in the area.   All with a friendly smile, and great service.  The same way it has been since they opened.

At Joey's you'll find lots pancake options, traditional breakfast fare, Waffles and a number of healthy options as well.

Our favorites on the menu include: The Golden Pancakes, Chocolate Chip Pancakes, Scrambled Eggs with Corn beef Hash (friend extra crispy of course), and their french toast.  Be sure to get the Hashbrown Casserole, it's amazing!  They even have Creamed Chip Beef with Gravy over toast, something that's hard to find in the south!

Visit Joey's for a great breakfast and a trip back in time to the booming times of Maggie Valley and Ghost Town in the Sky.

Bearwaters Creekside

Bearwater's Creekside is not only a restaurant, serving good food creekside, but a brewery as well.   The beer, food, and atmosphere are great.   The best part of Bearwaters Creekside is found in the name.  The restaurant is literally creekside to Jonathan Creek in Maggie Valley.  You can sit outside, creekside, and enjoy a cold brew, good food, and the sights and sounds of the creek.

They also offer indoor seating in booths and tables, and have a bar, with bar seating too.

The menu has varied some over the years they've been there.  The current menu offers appetizers, flat bread pizza, salads, rice bowls, and various hot sandwiches, including burgers, hot dogs, and BBQ.

Our favorite menu item are the flatbread pizzas, prepared to order in their pizza oven.  We also like the Pickle Fries, Pretzel sticks.

They often have live music playing as well, with various different local bands.  If you enjoy a cold, micro-brew beer, served creekside with great food, give Bearwaters a try!

Valley Tavern

Valley Tavern is a sports bar and restaurant, located in the lobby of Smoky Falls Lodge.  They are a restaurant that caters to sports fans and provide live music as well. They provide indoor and outdoor seating, with a covered pavilion located on the creek! Fur babies are welcome!

Their menu has: appetizers galore, salads, wings, sliders, burgers, sandwiches, and entrees.  Entrees include: Fish and Chips, steak, smothered chicken, and pasta.  They also offer a wide variety of wine, beer and liquor.  The food is really good, and consistently gets good reviews.  The staff is very friendly, and provide excellent service

Valley Tavern provides a very tavern like atmosphere, with TVs all around for sports events, and they play a lot of 80s music and have live bands playing often.  The Tavern is more adult focused, and not as family/kid friendly as other options in Maggie.   

Valley Tavern a great place, that is very popular with locals and visitors.   So you'll find the parking lot and seating packed most of the time.   Definitely a great place to hang out, and it's open later than most options in Maggie Valley.

Country Vittles

Country Vittles has been serving great family-style food in the Valley for many many years, and is one of the oldest businesses in the Valley.    They provide family style good'ol down home country cooking for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Country Vittles is only open from 9am - 2pm, for Breakfast and Lunch.  They are currently not serving dinner at this time.

Country Vittles provides full menus where individuals can order, individually what they want.  BUT, if you really want t to experience the true value of Country Vittles, you'll want to order family style.  

For their family-style breakfast, they'll bring out: bacon, sausage, eggs, grits, country potatoes, biscuits, gravy, and country cooked apples.

For their family-style lunch and dinner, they'll bring out: fried chicken, country fried steak, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, green-beans and cornbread and biscuits.

Family-style is all you can eat, so you just tell them what you want more of.  You will not leave hungry and they might need to roll you out!

They do have a standard menu as well, with lots of various items for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Bring the family to Country Vittles, order a family-style meal, and enjoy.  You'll have a great day, over some wonderful country cooking.

Cafe Italiano

Cafe Italiano, serves excellent Italian, and is located in the heart of Maggie Valley.   They are an authentic Italian restaurant, provide an authentic style atmosphere. 

Cafe Italiano serves traditional pasta dishes and specialty pizzas, calzones, and subs.   You'll love their food and atmosphere.  Everything is cooked fresh, and made to order.

Our favorite items are the cheese bread, chicken parmigiana, chicken picatta, and the pasta dishes.  They make their Marinara sauce in-house, and it's absolutely excellent, some of the best we've had.  We also really love their Pizza, and consider it some of the best in Haywood county.

We loved their food so much, we included them in our "A Day in Maggie Valley":

Maggie Valley Restaurant (Carvers)

Serving hearty country cooking for years in the Valley, Maggie Valley Restaurant (called Carvers by local) is a staple of Maggie Valley.  They have served locals and visitors for more than 50 years, and serve up all of your Southern favorites.

They serve Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner, on Saturdays and Sundays only for now.  Carvers offers up a complete Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner menu, and have a children’s menu.

Maggie Valley Restaurant serves their food up home-style with prices that fit most any budget, especially given how great the food is.

We love to eat there for Breakfast, but have also enjoyed their Trout, burgers, meatloaf sandwich, numerous sides, and desserts.   They are well known for their Trout and for their Fried Chicken.

Be sure to support this iconic Maggie Valley establishment, and get some great country cook and southern themed food.