Uncle Lee’s Asian Bistro & Sushi Bar — Restaurant in Banner Elk

Uncle Lee’s has a beautiful, quaint interior that makes for a cozy dining atmosphere. We stopped by late on a Wednesday afternoon and were the only ones there for a while, which gave us a nice, quiet experience.

The customer service was friendly, but it took a little extra effort to get everything we needed—especially for the little kids.

Now, onto the food. The Tom Yum soup was absolutely spot on—tasty and authentic, easily the highlight of the meal. They did a great job with the sauce and seasoning for the Pad Thai and garlic stir fry, but the quality of the main ingredient (chicken) was a huge letdown. They used sliced, precooked chicken that you can buy at the grocery store, complete with fake grill marks. Come on, Uncle Lee’s, you’re not fooling anyone!

And then there’s the pricing… It’s way overpriced. I get that we’re in the mountains, but this isn’t some remote desert outpost. $23 for chicken Pad Thai and $26 for beef? Really? That’s just shameful. Don’t even get me started on the rest of the menu. We spent nearly $100 on mediocre food for two...

This was a very nice date spot! The service was good and quick. The hot sake was nothing special, but we got the cheapest one ($10), so I can't be too critical, and it was great to sip with our sushi and poke bowl! The tuna in the poke bowl was delicious, the avocado slices were maybe a little large compared to the rest of the ingredients in the bowl. The sushi was fundamentally good (I got the 18 roll maki special), but nothing to blow you away. The garnishes were very nice, the wasabi and ginger felt fresh and clean, and the presentation all around was beautiful. Be warned though... this place is not cheap! But it's fresh seafood in the mountains, so what...

We went here two evenings in a row on a trip to Banner Elk. Our two kids love Philly Rolls (sushi rolls with salmon, cream cheese and avocado) and even though they where not on the menu the chef made them for them. He was so friendly with the children and allowed them to watch the sushi being made which made the restaurant the highlight of the trip. The food was delicious - over the two nights we had a variety of things and everything...