Eat your way through Watauga County with High Country 365’s Watauga Dining Pass

Gabe and I are hardcore foodies.

Food tours? Been there, done that.

Need food recommendations? We’ve got lots to offer.

In search of local restaurants to support in our mountain town? We’re here for you with a list.

But what if we could offer you an opportunity to visit some of these local spots and stretch your dollar while you’re at it?

In comes the High Country 365 Dining Pass.

We’ve been purchasing the iconic pocket-sized pass for the last five years. Each one is filled with dozens of restaurant options, from fast food to fine dining in Watauga, Avery, and Ashe Counties. They’re the ultimate way to save some money and try local restaurants in the area!

To show it’s worth, Gabe and I partnered with High Country 365 to eat our way through Watauga County for the weekend using only the 2024 Watauga Dining Pass.

Before we go into the specifics of the places we visited, here’s some important things to note about the dining pass:

• Each restaurant has different offers! Some are BOGO meals, others are BOGO $10/$15 off, and others are BOGO meal/drink.
• Each restaurant has varying days for when the pass can be used.
• Some restaurants are single-use and others are multi-use.

So, let’s get started.

Booneshine Brewing | BOGO Entree, $10 maximum credit

We kicked off our Friday night with a visit to Booneshine Brewing, a local full-service restaurant and tasting room with an outdoor beer garden and food truck. Vibes? Fantastic. This is a fun spot in town that we love to take out-of-town visitors to. We opted for indoor seating during this visit, and because we’re creatures of habit, got our usual: the warm grains bowl. But the menu has a ton to offer, including a wide beer selection that’s brewed in-house! And though appetizers don’t count toward your BOGO deal, we would be failures if we didn’t tell you about them. The Soft Pretzel with Beer Cheese, the Crispy Brussels Sprouts, and the Brookshire Fries are a *chef’s kiss* delight. Trust us on this one.

Hole Lotta Doughnuts | BOGO Doughnut/Coffee/Pie

Nestled in downtown Boone, Hole Lotta Doughnuts (Ambrosia Arcade) was our pick for dessert. They host a donut-filled mecca, offering a huge selection of options to choose from. And their dining pass options are wide! BOGO doughnuts, coffee, and pie to satisfy the indecisive (or picky) dessert eater. Gabe and I settled on donuts! We also checked out their new arcade and played a game (and chose a prize too!) before heading out to enjoy dessert by the Jones House. It was the idyllic summer night in Boone and the best way to close out our Friday night.

Local Lion | BOGO Drink & Donut

Need a solid cup of coffee and a donut on the go? Local Lion is the spot for you. We’ve been coming here for a long time, so for an early-morning wake up call to kick off our Saturday it was a no-brainer to swing by for their BOGO drink and donut: a black coffee for Gabe, an iced vanilla latte for me, and a cinnamon sugar donut to share. The staff here has never let me down. They’re so kind, friendly, and best of all, you get to support local roasters. Also, three BOGO opportunities? Thank YOU, Local Lion.

Ambrosia Kafeneio | BOGO Entree

Ambrosia Kafeneio, formerly High Country Greek, was a no-brainer for lunch on Saturday. Serving gyros and other Greek specialties, this spot in the heart of Boone is a family favorite! Gabe and dad opted for lamb gyros, my sister for a chicken gyro, and I had Allexia’s Greek Salad. All four meals? In part covered by our dining passes (that’s right, the whole family loves the dining passes). A bright and airy restaurant, they’ve got indoor and outdoor seating. They’re also a family-owned spot, and coming from a big family (and business owners ourselves), this means a lot to us! And once again, if there’s any advice we can offer, get. the. Greek. fries. This shareable bed of french fries is served with a layer of Tzatziki and feta cheese. It is life-changing.

Town Tavern – Blowing Rock | BOGO 8-Piece Wings

You guys!! Town Tavern is one of our favorite spots in the county. With both indoor and outdoor seating, the restaurant is situated in Watauga County’s downtown Blowing Rock. The dining pass selection at Town Tavern is BOGO 8-piece wings and that’s a winning choice because their wing selection is SUPERIOR. I’m not kidding. They have 17 (SEVENTEEN) varieties to choose from and you can add a side of fries to any wing basket for a great price. Our picks for dinner this visit? Bourbon Glaze for me and House Dry Rub for Gabe. And because wings are incomplete without a side, we got onion rings and sweet potato fries. I’m not kidding when I say you HAVE to get either their potato skins or sweet potato fries as a side. Either is perfection to the belly.

Red Onion | BOGO Entree

One of our favorite post-church spots, Red Onion has been a long-time top choice of ours on Sundays. They’re perfectly located on the outskirts of App State and have both indoor and outdoor seating, though we will always recommend their outdoor seating if you can snag it. As I mentioned earlier, we’re creatures of habit, and Red Onion’s Lemon-Poppy Salmon Salad has never, ever, failed me. I will recommend it until my dying day as my favorite salad in the county whereas Gabe likes to switch things up and opted for the Chicken Pesto Pizza this visit. This restaurant has been around for more than 30 years and it’s places like this that make Watauga County as special as it is.

There are so many additional choices in the dining pass that we didn’t visit this weekend due to individual restaurant day restrictions (and not to mention that there’s only so much time and stomach space!) but we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention some of our other favorite spots on it.

• Coyote Kitchen | BOGO entree
• Lost Province | BOGO entre
• Melanie’s Food Fantasy | BOGO entree
• Stick Boy Kitchen | BOGO Breakfast Plate or Bagel
• Wildwood Community Market | BOGO Sandwich & Side or Wildwood Special

What makes Watauga County so special is the local businesses. These are remarkable restaurants, coffee shops, and markets that deserve customer love, and we’re so grateful that the Watauga Dining Pass has allowed us to stretch our buck and offered us a multitude of date night options so we can check out various spots around town and support local.

Have we convinced you to purchase the Dining Pass yet? High Country 365 is offering the 2024 Watauga Dining Pass (and everything else on their site) for 10% off with the code PAULA10 now through 9/16/24! Do. Not. Miss. Out. On. This.

We use them for ourselves, we’ve gifted them to loved ones, and we recommend them when possible. Check out HighCountry365.com to get yours NOW!

Until next week,