Pisgah Inn Restaurant

Enjoy Southern hospitality and fine cuisine as you look out over waves of mountain ranges with wisps of mist. From just about any seat in the Pisgah Inn Restaurant, you’d think you were on top of the world—especially if you arrive for a meal just before sunset. 

The stunning vistas and savory dishes have kept visitors coming back for generations. Located at Milepost 408.6 just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Pisgah Inn is a must-see for any serious Parkway traveler.

The wide open room with plain tables and chairs may lack the sophistication or cozy seclusion that a couple might want to share in a dimly lit booth, but booths or alcoves would only deny diners the amazing views that are well worth the long drive up to this respite. Tall windows and a high ceiling      accentuate the space that may well be the best dining room experience you will ever find on the Parkway. 

The Pisgah Inn Restaurant offers three meals a day, seven days a week, from late March through the end of October. Breakfasts feature familiar fare from omelets and oatmeal to pancakes and French toast, but you can add in fresh trout or homemade muffins. Lunches include all matter of meats from braised beef to chicken platters to grilled shrimp, as well as a hearty mix of salads and sandwiches. 

After a long drive or mountain hike, indulge your evening   appetite with delicious dishes of sautéed pork scaloppini, meatloaf with mushroom gravy, herb-marinated quail or a 12-ounce ribeye. Don’t forget to save room for a slice of homemade cheesecake or the French chocolate silk pie topped with almonds, ice cream and strawberries for a decadent delight. 

As you wait for a table or after you’ve had your meal, take a stroll through the bookstore and gift shop across from the dining area. It’s stocked with plenty of local history books, postcards and Blue Ridge Parkway souvenirs that will remind you why it’s so worthwhile to keep coming back to this site. 

Tranquil and unforgettable at more than 5,000 feet up in the clouds, the Pisgah Inn and its nearby mountaintop share nearly a century of history. The name is said to have come from a minister—either James Hall or George Newton—who christened the peak as a Biblical  reference to the Mount Pisgah that Moses stood on to see the Promised Land, the land of milk and honey. Thomas Clingman, a Confederate     general, U.S. Senator and avid outdoorsman, once owned about 300 acres around the top of the mountain from the 1830s to the late 1890s. Before his death, he sold it to George Vanderbilt, who had been buying up land south of Asheville and had amassed about 125,000 acres, including the property for his sprawling Biltmore Estate. In 1914, the U.S. Forest Service purchased some 80,000 acres of land in the area, including Mt. Pisgah. 

The Pisgah Inn opened in 1919 and has been a popular resort for vacationers ever since. A more modern building opened in the early 1960s and the original inn was torn down in 1990. Since 1978, the O’Connell family has owned and operated the inn.

Hours of operation at the Pisgah Inn Restaurant are 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. for breakfast, 11:30 a.m. to   4 p.m. for lunch and 5 to 9 p.m. for dinner. Hours change slightly in April and May. Reservations are not necessary, but during the busy leaf season, it’s best to get a seat early. For more information, call 828.235.8228 or visit www.pisgahinn.com.