Dan’l Boone Inn is one of the oldest Boone NC restaurants serving NC family style dining and has been voted one of best restaurants in North Carolina.
For over 65 years, Dan’l Boone Inn has been serving Boone and the high country delicious home cooked meals, just like you remember at grandma’s house.
Situated in the heart of downtown Boone is a charming historical building surrounded by lush flower beds and a white picket fence. It was first built as a doctor’s residence in 1923, then served as the first hospital in Boone. It was later converted into a rooming house for students at Appalachian State Teachers College. In 1959, it was lovingly transformed into a family-style restaurant, the Dan’l Boone Inn.
Famous for home-cooked, family-style meals, the Dan’l Boone Inn has been serving up delectable southern food to the High Country for more than 64 years.
“It’s like being at your grandmother’s house back in the day. It’s the whole family gathered around a table, passing food to one another and enjoying a hearty meal together,” says general manager Jeff Shellman.
Shellman has been managing the restaurant for 25 years. While there have been some changes in that time, the family-style meals customers have come to know and love have remained unchanged.
“We’ve tried changing it up a few times and substituting different items, but we’ve found that people have come to love our original menu. They value the quality and familiarity of the dishes we’re well-known for,” Shellman says.
So, what does a family-style meal look like? It begins with salad in the summer or soup in the winter. The main course includes three meats that Dan’l Boone Inn is famous for—fried chicken, country-style steak and country ham—five vegetables, a beverage and biscuits with preserves. A homemade dessert completes the meal.
“Whether you have two people or a party of 10, we make sure you enjoy a family-style meal with the atmosphere our customers have come to love,” Shellman says.
On Saturdays and Sundays, customers can also come enjoy a family-style breakfast, featuring scrambled eggs, country ham, sausage, pancakes, grits, biscuits and gravy, and glazed cinnamon biscuits.
Dan’l Boone Inn is centrally located in downtown Boone, so guests are within a stone’s throw of plenty of attractions, like the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts and, during the summer, the Appalachian Summer Festival.
“Boone is a wonderful community, and it’s very rewarding to be a part of this restaurant that has become a well-loved fixture of the High Country,” Shellman says.
Located in downtown Boone, the Dan’l Boone Inn occupies one of the oldest and most historical buildings in town. The building first served as the residence and office for Dr. R.K. Bingham and family. It also served as Boone’s first hospital. Once the new hospital was built down the street, the home became a rooming house for students at Appalachian State Teachers College. In 1959, the Whitaker family opened the Dan’l Boone Inn as a family style restaurant. For over fifty years, the restaurant has served family style meals, making it the oldest restaurant in Boone.
Dan’l Boone Inn has been featured in numerous national and regional publications including Southern Living, Our State magazine and Blue Ridge Country magazine. Come and see for yourself why generations of residents and visitors alike chose Dan’l Boone Inn.
A Sampling of DAN’L BOONE INNS’ Menu
Breakfast
We serve breakfast Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (June through October) and Saturday and Sunday throughout the year.
Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Country Ham, Sausage, Grits, Pancakes, Stewed Apples, Buttermilk Biscuits, Cinnamon Biscuits, Redeye Gravy, Cream Gravy
Black Cherry Preserves, Orange Juice, Beverage
Lunch/Dinner
Lunch is served daily Memorial Day through December and on Saturday and Sunday throughout the year. Dinner is served daily.
Fried Chicken, Country Style Steak, Country Ham Biscuits, Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, Green Beans, Stewed Apples,Cut Corn, Cole Slaw, Buttermilk Biscuits, Black Cherry Preserves,Soup or Salad (according to season), Choice of Homemade Dessert, Beverage
