By Julie Matthews
Perched in the Blue Ridge Mountains between Boone and Blowing Rock sits The Gamekeeper Restaurant and Bar, where diners flock for a one-of-a-kind dining experience. Set in a charming stone cottage, once the home of Camp Yonahlossee, which dates back to the early 1920s, The Gamekeeper impeccably combines fine dining with comfort food rolled together in a cozy, rustic atmosphere.
In 2025, the restaurant is marking its 25th anniversary under the ownership of Chef Ken Gordon, who purchased The Gamekeeper, which originally opened in 1987. Since 2000, with Ken as owner and executive chef, the restaurant has thrived. “Many of our guests return year after year, some month after month. Most of our new customers have been referred to us by their friends and relatives,” says Chef Ken.
“A trip to the mountains is always an adventure. Then, finding us by way of this windy back road is another adventure. Then the ultimate part of the adventure is our menu and the dining experience. And, our service staff, they are the perfect tour guides.”
One of the first restaurants in the area to embrace the farm-to-table movement, The Gamekeeper serves mountain-inspired cuisine made from the freshest ingredients available. “The menu is always changing with different flavors for different seasons, depending on what’s in the garden and coming in the back door,” says Chef Ken. “While our focus is on comfort food year-round, it’s definitely more hearty in the winter.”
The Gamekeeper has something for all tastebuds and is the perfect place to try something new, including exotic game meat from emu, bison and venison to elk, boar and duck. The Mixed Game Grill is a must-try for diners wishing to sample a variety of game meats cooked on a wood-fired grill. In addition to offering some more standard fare options, Chef Ken and his talented team work closely with local seafood suppliers to offer a fresh catch, such as mountain trout or NC red snapper. Veggie lovers have their share of tasty options as well including a Vegetable Plate Sampling that Chef Ken describes as “almost every leaf, stalk, root, fruit, nut, grain and flower in house.”
While preserving, curing and smoking meats and vegetables is at The Gamekeeper’s culinary core, it’s not all about savory flavors at The Gamekeeper. Be sure to save room for the beloved bread pudding and a round of smoked old fashioneds. The restaurant also boasts The Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence for their extensive, well-rounded wine list.
Guests of The Gamekeeper can count on a top-notch restaurant experience, whether dining inside the historic cottage with a casual mountain chic ambiance or outdoors on the patio tucked within natural rock formations surrounded by ferns, Poplars, Maples and lush rhododendrons.
“The biggest thing that sets us apart is our focus on your experience—great service, genuine servers and passionate cooks,” says Chef Ken. “It’s all about all the people and you can feel it in the experience.”
Serving dinner Thursday through Sunday 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Reservations are highly recommended.
Wanna Go?
Gamekeeper Restaurant
3005 Shulls Mill Rd., Boone, NC
828-963-7400
gamekeeper-nc.com
