Misty Mountain Hops LLC — Restaurant in Blue Ridge

We were in the area and decided to try out Misty Mountain Hops on our last day in town. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before we wished we had gone to Chester's for the 3rd time instead. It took a good 7 minutes to be acknowledged by any staff and seated. We really should have just walked out at this point and were actually about to do just that when one of the servers finally greeted us and showed us to our seats. Yes, it was a little crowded but there were still plenty of available tables and no real reason why we should have been kept waiting like that. This should have been a sign but we didn't heed it, so we spent the rest of our time there mostly waiting and being annoyed at how little our business seemed to be valued. My husband asked for a second glass of the wine he ordered and that took no less than 15 minutes to come out and he was left to finish his meal without anything to drink. He ended up leaving most of his food because he was so annoyed by the whole thing. The food itself was okay. Not terrible but nothing particularly good either, which made the delayed service even more aggravating. I don't like leaving negative reviews but some places just leave me no choice. They say you only get once chance to make a first impression and this one sucked, so we won't be back and would not recommend it.

UPDATE: After posting my review and then almost immediately receiving passive aggressive responses from the business owner both on my review here and a different one through private message on Yelp (see screenshot in photos), it became glaringly obvious that the two stars I had originally given this establishment were too generous. Seems I hit a nerve since I had the audacity to leave an honest review of my experience. If you can't take genuine criticism without becoming defensive rather than reflective, perhaps you shouldn't be in the hospitality business. To claim you "thrive on customer service" as you prove that your customer service is even worse than originally thought is laughably ironic. This owner denies my experience despite getting the day wrong about when it happened (see the date on the bill before you assume you know better than me on my own experience). They also claim I should have asked for a manager. I have no obligation to ask for a manager or do anything of the sort. I have the right to choose how to respond to bad service and my choice is usually to respond with an honest review and taking my business elsewhere. If they had any intention of "making it right," it should have started with taking accountability in response to my review rather than getting defensive and passive aggressive. Of course, like me, they have no obligation to respond in any particular way but the route they chose only confirmed that the customer service they claim to shine at is more delusional than anything else. I will have the "day I deserve" and you will have the rating you deserve. Thanks for bringing my attention to unwarranted generosity in stars. Adios!

UPDATE TO THE BUSINESS OWNER: It seems that to you, someone expressing their genuine review of your establishment constitutes "bullying." I'm glad you "don't do bullies," but you also don't do good customer service, as evidenced by the negative reviews and the childish, unprofessional ways you respond to them. If you spent half as much time trying to improve your operations as you do being an arrogant prick in response to your reviewers, you might have fewer negative reviews to complain about. Not a great way to garner business or support, but I suppose you'll just have to learn that the hard way....

This establishment caught my attention purely by the name. Aptly named from an album cut from Led Zeppelin's 4th album, the restaurant/bar has the rock and roll atmosphere that it's name would suggest. This place is loaded with rock and roll posters and paraphernalia from the jam band side of rock and roll: The Grateful Dead, Widespread Panic, The Allman Brothers, Government Mule, etc. I absolutely loved the way everything was set up.

Upon arriving, there was hand sanitizer at the door, which I thought was great because it suggested that they were being COVID compliant. The tables were spaced what I assume to be further than normal. During my stay, I even heard one of the waitresses say to some folks that she could not seat more than 5 people to a table in an effort for everyone to stay safe. There was even hand sanitizer outside of both of the gender-neutral bathrooms. The next part puzzled me, however. None of the wait staff, manager on duty, or employees In the kitchen were wearing masks. I'm still trying to figure that one out. Although it may not be required in the town of Blue Ridge, having the employees wear masks would certainly make this patron feel more comfortable.

MMH has a great selection of beer on tap from both local breweries as well as the larger breweries. My wife and I both LOVED the beers that we chose. We didn't sample them first but figured that due to COVID, they might not let us do that. We rolled the dice and were not disappointed.

I ordered the smokehouse burger and thought it was great. Lots of flavor. It was a bit over-cooked but was nothing like what I saw in an earlier review. This burger coms with onion straws, 2 types of cheese, and BBQ sauce. What more do you need on a burger? Unfortunately, my wife's meal was not very good. She ordered the chicken strips, which were honestly very tough - as if they were cut from a chicken breast that hadn't been tenderized yet. They were also pretty bland as was her cole slaw. We didn't mention it to the manager as we weren't looking for a discount or any type of compensation - it's just something that management and the cooks should take under advisement.

Would I come back? I'd love to come back from drinks and possibly sometime on a Friday night, post-COVID, in which I would hope to see a live band. I'd probably pass on the food, but that could just be my particular preference.

Ps. I'm including a picture of one particular poster in the restaurant only because myself and some guys I used to work were actually hired by the Allman Brothers to film this...

If you're looking for quality food and drink in a small town look no further than Misty Mountain Hops!!! My first experience here was absolutely wonderful. Actually it was my lady's birthday and we were just looking for a nice place to have some drinks and food. It was a Tuesday night. We quickly found that many restaurants in town were either 1) closed or 2) not interested in our business so we kind of found this place as a last resort. its no longer considered a last resort and one of our preferred spots. We were so happy that Misty Mountain Hops was open and willing to serve us. Aaron was our bartender and server. He made some suggestions about the food and drinks and we went with his suggestions. The fried deviled eggs are something you're going to want to try! We got half of the buffalo & dill pickle, we were not expecting to be blown away with the flavors and textures. Definitely a must-try appetizer. For dinks we order a 'Buffalo Trace' old fashioned and A red blend wine. My lady said the wine was awesome and it was one of Aaron's recommendations. My only suggestion on the old fashioned would be to get rid of the maraschino cherries your using and get a jar of the dark sweet cherries i find it takes the drink to another level especially if muddled. We also ordered a couple of burgers that were cooked with care and to the perfect temperature -pink in the middle. The service we received was friendly and hospitable and the food only complemented that.

We have returned since our first visit and ordered some of their wings. Once again we were pleased with our food and service and only have positive reviews. If you're looking for a local place to get a bite and something refreshing to drink check out Misty Mountain Hops.

If the owners are interested I also am a Google 360 Certified Photographer. I would like to offer my services to the owners. 360 Photography allows potential clients to virtually tour the establishment before they visit in-person. This can really help set your business apart on Google. Please reach out to me if this is something you're interested in for...