For Best of Boone winners without a blurb, view photos in the gallery below.
Best Pizza: Mellow Mushroom
Haley DiFruscio
Walking into Mellow Mushroom, customers will find a stone oven in the back, quilting the entire restaurant with the distinct smell of pizza, a fully-stocked bar to their right with local craft beers and a dynamic atmosphere all around.
Front-of-house manager Desirae Luddeke has been with the franchise’s location at 805 W. King St. since it opened in 2011. She described the style of Mellow Mushroom pizza as “unique” and one that sets the franchise apart.
“It has molasses in the crust, so it lends itself to a sweeter taste, very different,” Luddeke said.
Their pizza is also cooked in a stone oven, Luddeke said, as opposed to the typical brick oven or convection style, and cornmeal is used instead of plain or all-purpose flour.
“You know when you take a bite of an authentic Italian pizza, and it has that flour on the bottom, kind of a little bit of a drier taste? Cornmeal holds that moisture in, so it’s a moist, sweet crust,” Luddeke said.
The usual atmosphere of a Mellow Mushroom is enhanced by being in a college town, Luddeke said.
“We have a really upbeat, young, energetic staff, primarily all college students,” Luddeke said. “So yeah, we have a lot of fun. And I think the youthfulness of the town and the energy behind the university is really helpful for that.”
Best Coffee: Espresso News
Alyssa Burke
Like a warm embrace, you are welcomed by the low buzz of coffee machines and calm chatter from fellow customers as you enter Espresso News. A longtime favorite in the Boone community, Espresso News has now earned Best Coffee a total of nine times in Best of Boone.
Uijin Park, owner of Espresso News, said the key to keeping customers hooked is high-quality goods.
He added that they take their time in preparing baked goods and roasting their coffee.
Customers know what they are getting when going to Espresso News: quality drinks and good service. Espresso News prides itself on the shop’s environment, knowing that’s what keeps regulars coming back. As a Boone staple for several decades, it has curated an energy any visitor can feel.
“It’s just nice to have a good environment and setting, just a nice vibe that we have here, and everyone kind of reflects that: the people that work here and also the people that consume,” Park said.
Located at 267 Howard St., Espresso News is tucked right in the heart of downtown. The drink menu ranges from steamy to freezing beverages, guaranteeing a treat for everyone. The cozy ambience serves as a space to simply chat with friends or focus your energy on a big project.
From the bright windows to the cozy furniture, Espresso News has a unique feeling that fuels both body and mind. The space is versatile, inviting anyone to pay a visit or simply drop in.
“There’s no judgment here,” Park said.
The most popular drinks since last year have been the drip coffee and chai cider. Espresso News manages to introduce a fresh flair while still sticking to what customers know and love. Keeping up with trends can be difficult, but Espresso News combines style with consistency.
“Our manager Kathleen does a really good job keeping up with those kinds of things; she actually keeps everything fresh,” Park said.
A consistent Best of Boone winner, Espresso News provides a cozy nook for Boone locals to refuel and refocus. With consistent service, delicious goods and comforting ambience, it remains the most beloved coffee shop among Boone locals.
Best Local Produce: Watauga County Farmers’ Market
Kai Luglan
The trees are budding, warmer weather is on the horizon and the Watauga County Farmers’ Market opening day is just around the corner on April 4, 2026.
The farmers market has inhabited Boone since 1974 and is the winner of this year’s Best Local Produce.
Boone can soon welcome spring by indulging in fresh herbs, leafy greens, vibrant root vegetables and delectable berries. Open on Saturdays until the end of November, the farmers market additionally has a diverse selection of meats, dairy products, eggs and local arts and crafts.
Michelle Dineen, the farmers market’s manager, said in a phone interview that it is a “producer-only market,” meaning all the products are homegrown or homemade by the farmers market’s more than 50 local vendors.
Dineen said local produce keeps dollars circulating in the local community, thereby strengthening it. It also preserves farmland and creates community resilience.
“But beyond economics, it builds connections. And when you know who grows your food, it really changes how you value it. Plus, it’s just healthier and tastes better,” Dineen said.
The farmers market has plenty of events planned for this coming season, including the “Hip Hop Hurray, It’s Opening Day” event, which kicks off the season with Easter-themed festivities, including an egg hunt across the farmers market for all ages.
In the summer, the farmers market will have its “Pollination Celebration” to support pollinator habitats and beekeeping education. There will be fun activities in its “kids’ corner” and a vendor bouquet contest, which customers will vote on.
“It’s a celebration of all things flower and honey,” Dineen said.
At the end of August, the farmers market will hold a fundraiser for Hispanic Heritage Day, partnering with Q’Pasa Appalachia and the Immigrant Justice Coalition. There will be tamales, live music, local dance performances and other cultural festivities.
Toward the end of the season, there will also be an apple pie competition, as well as a Halloween pumpkin carving contest and costume event.
Throughout the season, expect live music, community contests and cooking demonstrations almost every Saturday.
The farmers market is located at 591 Horn in the West Drive.
Best Vegetarian Option: Wildwood Community Market
Brooklyn Smith
Wildwood Community Market acts as the calm amid the chaos of construction on Howard Street. With a variety of options, including vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free substitutes, Wildwood has something for everyone.
Sara Russell, an owner of Wildwood, joked that the sandwich shop’s marketing manager, CJ Jeffries, has tried converting construction workers on Howard Street into tofu lovers.
According to Russell, Wildwood’s most popular vegetarian dish is the Chick-Fil-AIN’T. Served on a Stick Boy Bread Co. bun, it is furnished with organic house-marinated and handbreaded fried tofu, tomatoes, pickles, organic spring mix, microgreens and vegan dill tzatziki.
Russell’s personal favorite vegetarian option on the menu is the Fantastic Falafel. It features falafel with the same toppings as the ChickFil-AIN’T and is served on a flour wrap or Stick Boy bun.
Wildwood does its best to utilize local produce.
“If we can get it locally, we do,” Russell said.
The sandwich shop is highly community oriented and works to support the town, according to Russell, who said receiving support back from Boone by winning Best Vegetarian Option means a lot to the store’s staff.
“It’s nice to be supported by the community in that way,” Russell said.
Wildwood is located at 182 Howard St.
Best Mexican-Inspired Cuisine: Los Arcoiris
Colin Wishneski
Los Arcoiris, the familiar Mexican food joint off of Blowing Rock Road, strives for culinary and cultural excellence. In its 30 years of service to Boone, the restaurant known colloquially as “Los” to its devotees has seen the town grow and change, yet it has remained a constant through it all.
“This is home to me,” said Jair Alvarez, a 23-year-old restaurant employee and the son of owner Alfredo Alvarez. “I pretty much grew up in this restaurant. I’ve lived through the whole process.”
The biggest change Jair Alvarez has seen has been Los Arcoiris’ expansion into its bar annex. Adorned with murals, mosaics and handcrafted barstools from friends in Mexico, the colorful space represents everything there is to love about Los Arcoiris.
Los Arcoiris’ most recent development at the bar is its margarita menu. They have been experimenting with new, unconventional flavors, including a cider margarita, which, according to Jair Alvarez, tastes almost like an apple pie.
“The new margarita menu has been popular, especially with college students,” Jair Alvarez said. “They love to see the new flavors.”
Los Arcoiris also started its food truck, Los Express Tacos Y Más, in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in order to provide aid to displaced people and their families. As Boone has returned to a sense of normalcy, the food truck has allowed Los Arcoiris to expand into the rest of Watauga County and develop a new wedding catering service.
“We strive to be the Mexican restaurant that locals know to go to,” Jair Alvarez said. “We’ve been here for 30 years, but we’re constantly trying to be better.”
Los Arcoiris is located at 168 Boone Heights Drive.
Best Asian-Inspired Cuisine: Mint Indian Cuisine
Juliet Coen
When you think of beloved food in a mountain town, images of smalltown diners and good-old Southern cooking might flash through your mind. But at Mint Indian Cuisine, the smell of bacon and biscuits is replaced with the smell of curry and freshly-baked naan.
Since 2012, Mint has been a staple for students, tourists and residents alike who crave fresh, authentic Indian flavors.
General manager Aman Hans said one thing that makes the food at Mint so special is that it is made traditionally, the same way it is made in Punjab, India.
Hans credits Mint’s success to the staff who are dedicated to providing excellent service.
“We treat our customers very well,” he said.
Fans of the restaurant can look forward to the opening of its second location in downtown Boone, Chai and Chutney. The new restaurant will be located at the former site of Melanie’s Food Fantasy on King Street and will offer Indian street food. Initially set to open in the summer of last year, the owners now hope to open in early April.
Mint is located at 203 Boone Heights Drive.
Best Late Night Snack Spot: Cook Out
Emma Ross
Cook Out at 1179 Blowing Rock Road serves as a place for people to have fun at night: to get food, to spend time with people, to try new shakes and for customers and staff to reflect one another’s high energy.
“I would say it’d be abnormal if the weekends were not crowded,” said employee Hayden Hopkins. He said sometimes the line reaches from the drive-thru to the main road, but he sees this as a good thing.
“If you see a bunch of people crowded at that window, it means a bunch of people are hanging out tonight; a bunch of people needed somewhere they could walk to to get food, and Cook Out’s still open,” Hopkins said.
No matter the hour of night, the Cook Out experience is lively and active, with friend groups chatting beside the window, music playing from cars and conversations sprouting between strangers in unlikely circumstances.
“I was changing the reader board earlier today, and there were dudes eating in the bed of their truck, and I was chatting with them while on top of a 15-foot ladder,” Hopkins said.
Hopkins describes the workers’ side of Cook Out as equally lively, with inside jokes and playfulness. He says they create “callouts” for specific orders and try not to let customers hear them.
“It’s almost like trying to keep a secret between all of us. It’s like, ha ha ha, we all know what this is, but y’all don’t know what it is,” Hopkins said.
However, some things about Cook Out are not secrets, including the fact that there is no limit to how many ingredients you can order in one shake, and that floats are the same price as other drinks.
Best Local Brewery: Appalachian Mountain Brewery
Best Bar: Lily’s Snack Bar
Best Wings: Rivers Street Ale House
Ashton Ahart
Rivers Street Ale House, the reigning champion of Best Wings, has taken the crown for the fifth time in a row. With an inviting fireplace and neon TVs lining the walls with sports and entertainment, the bar located at 957 Rivers St. continues to be a staple of Boone’s bar scene.
With 16 flavors to choose from and weekly specials, Ale House’s wings are the perfect partner for any patron or sports fan.
“Best wings in town for sure. We have a bunch of different flavors,” said Josh Lamont, a manager at Ale House. “Our guys in the kitchen have a good process of making them. They bake off the wings first and then chill them and fry them later, so it makes them come out really good.”
Lamont, an App State alum with a bachelor’s degree in business management, has been working at Ale House since 2018, originally starting as a busser, then moving up the ranks to a managerial position.
“It’s fast paced, high energy, and it’s a lot of fun. There’s a lot of excitement to the job,” Lamont said.
Alongside its impressive display of never-ending sports television, Ale House hosts a number of weekly events, such as trivia, bingo and DJ nights, as well as live music on the weekends.
Its musical events offer a wide range of genres from country to rock to grunge to hip-hop and anything in between. Ale House invites well-established Boone artists like Chandler Carpenter & The Reckless Souls, who specialize in country and rock, to play at its venue, but it also opens its stage to new voices.
Whether people go to Ale House for its music, sports programs or to just let loose, one can see from its long-standing Best of Boone reign that its wings are a must-have.
“We’re super excited to have won Best Wings again,” Lamont said.
Best BBQ: The Pedalin’ Pig
Best Burger: Come Back Shack
Best Italian-Inspired Cuisine: Bella’s of Boone Italian Restaurant
Best New Restaurant: The Social
Nelson Duran
Across from Jones House Cultural Center and above what used to be Doe Ridge Pottery, lies the winner of Best New Restaurant, and the younger sibling of The Local, The Social.
The Social and The Local are owned by the same Boone-based family. The Social offers a diverse menu, including items such as Peruvian Chicken, Bahn Mi and Korean corndogs. It also offers simple meals such as pastas, salads and sandwiches.
Although The Social has seen nearly a year of success, it had to overcome struggles before it even opened.
Alaina Walker, one of the owners of The Social, said the idea of opening a second restaurant was always in the family’s mind. When offered to buy the building from the previous owner, the family was pleased by the idea, but they did not have anything set in mind for it.
Due to circumstances such as COVID-19, a lack of employees and structural issues, the restaurant’s development was pushed back a few years. The physical location had its own problems due to renovation issues in the building above it, ruining some of the restaurant’s flooring.
Despite these setbacks, The Social was able to open in April 2025.
“I just want this place to be where you come and you get some drinks and some food with your friends, and then you celebrate birthdays and graduations,” Walker said.
The Social is for the same crowd as The Local, but it is meant to be more “upscale and worldly,” according to Walker.
“Having great food doesn’t mean that the space needs to be stuffy,” Walker said. “I still want people to be able to laugh really loud.”
Being located in a college town, and with appreciation towards college students and their energy, The Social tries to maintain fair prices with the consideration that many students may be on a budget.
Walker says some entrees can be a tad expensive for a student, but the price for its burgers is “less expensive than most other restaurants.”
The Social also has a bar. It offers several different wines, beers and cocktails. Walker recommends the house punch, which is specifically geared toward affordability.
For the future, Walker hopes to maintain a good number of employees, which helps with the local economy.
“We put it back; we donate to the local economy. We are owners that live here. Your money stays here,” Walker said.
Despite the small space, The Social continues to boom and hopes to continue attracting new customers. The owners hope people have a good meal and a good time.
The Social is located at 585 W. King St.
Best Sandwiches: Stick Boy Kitchen
Best Sweets: Stick Boy Bread Co.
Best Food Truck: El Tacorriendo
