The Cardinal in North Carolina

"I am still here at the Cardinal, enjoying this delightful charcuterie board (see attached photo) YUMMY!!!! I also tried their hot damn ham dip before.... not healthy in the slightest, but soooo worth it. Kale Caesar salad with some fried chicken is AMAZING. Bloody Mary... beautifully crafted!!!! The prices are a little high, but omg the flavor is soooo worth it.... especially in a town that restaurants do not season their food much due to tourism. 10 out of 5 stars!!!!"

"I’m a college student and stopped by the Cardinal as it was close to my house for some lunch. I actually did not realize but the owner Seth I was acquainted with and was delighted to see him. He was pleased as well, and offered to pay for my lunch. Not to mention, the lunch I had, the Cowboy Burger was great and enjoyed my meal. This was an awesome experience. Thank you again Seth and god bless you."

"A really nice burger dive bar that doesn’t overdo it. Had the Carolina spread appetizer. Fried saltines/pimento combo was a winner. House made pickled veg were great too. We had one cardinal burger all the way, and one Carolina style. My only slight critique would be to not get the Caroline style on your first go around. It was delicious, but you couldn’t really taste the burger patty itself like you could on the other. Chips are PAPER thin for house made chips. Incredibly crisp and exploded into French fried fractals. Lol Also incredibly reasonable on price. Single burger & fries for $11 in 2025 is great. Lastly, I love the owners attitude on the bad reviews that are very transparently customer related issues."

"Wow, this restaurant is fantastic! It has such a cool vibe, is very eco-friendly, and I believe its meat is locally sourced. This was by far the best gluten-free burger, which was cooked perfectly and had great flavor. The bun was actually soft like wheat buns, so it didn't fall apart while eating the burger. They use a dedicated fryer for all the gluten-free items and fries. I didn't try it, but they also have gluten-free breaded chicken tenders."

"The food here was good but the service we received was great. The Hot Damn Ham Dip (6/10) was interesting, and we enjoyed it, but at no point did I taste ham. I also had the Cowboy Burger (6/10), which was pretty solid. I would eat here again."

"Customer service was great with recommendations. The overall items from the menu were a little overwhelming as we wanted to try a variety of things. The overall end result was very good. We liked the atmosphere as well as how well our waiter assisted us. We will return if in the area as we know this was a nice dinner."

"Finally, a fantastic burger that is seasoned and cooked perfectly! We are visiting Boone for a few days. We are always in search of the best burger every time we visit a new place. Look no further. This is it! We ordered their special burger that day! Double burger with turkey bacon, homemade queso, and seasoned mayo. It was delicious. The place was busy. Our server was very kind and efficient. Quick service. This review is for the person looking for fabulous burgers."

"We stopped here for dinner on a cold Friday night in late November. There was about a 20 minute wait with not much room in the waiting area. But after being seated we were treated to five-star service. We got an order of house made chips and a side of ranch as an appetizer; chips were solid, ranch was even better. They had some top shelf bottled root beer that I enjoyed with a snowboarder friend that can really carve up a mountain. I wanted to try the Carolina Bison, but unfortunately that was 86’d along with a few other items that night. Instead I got the Cardinal Burger, Gringo style. It was delicious! Fries were good as well. The ambience was great with several unique pieces of decor. I would like to go back sometime to try the bison!"