Cardinal - Boone

After a long day of exploring the mountains, we were craving something local, easy, and delicious. We decided to give Cardinal a try and we were not disappointed. Arriving around 4pm, we beat the dinner rush and were seated quickly. The service was friendly and efficient. We ordered The Farm burger and upgraded our side to Jalapeño and Cheddar Hushpuppies, and we were blown away by how delicious the meal was. The burger tasted like it was grilled over coals at a backyard cookout, and the Hushpuppies were fantastic, especially with the unique dipping sauce. We were thrilled that we decided to stop at Cardinal.

Wasn't my favorite meal here in Boone. It was actually the first time I've been disappointed with a food item I've had in town. But we'll start with what went right! The pickled veggie salad was very delicious. Their shoestring fries are also very good. But when I wanted to order an entree, my server could not tell me what the veggie burger was made of or what the beet burger was made of. She guessed her way through answers and told me she *thought* the veggie patty was comprised of corn and beans and that the beet patty was just shredded beets and spices formed into a patty, and not a giant slab of beet in a bun. I decided to opt for the beet burger and asked for no bun, no tomato, grilled onions, greens, house mustard vegenaise with wildcat slaw on the side. I received the entire burger, with bun tomato. Grilled onions were smashed into the tomato so I couldn't really separate them in order to eat them separately, and there was no house mustard. All the vegenaise was on the bun. I went ahead and deconstructed it. *Sigh* The slaw on the side wasn't very good. The beet patty itself was tasteless and very bland, it seems to have been made with some kind of blend of rice and grains as well (would have been nice to know when I initially asked). I brought it to the servers attention that it was not made the way I had ordered it and also that it was not very good and had no taste once it was just the patty by itself. She only offered to bring a sauce rather than replace or remake the item. I opted for green goddess and that was quite delicious, but I was pretty disappointed overall. Very glad I ordered the salad to start, that saved the meal. Would highly suggest making sure servers know and are able to explain what your vegetarian and vegan items are made of.

Absolutely loved this gem in Boone! I crafted my own double burger and it was delicious, for only $6, plus a side of fries due to their special last night. Also ordered the jalapeño cheddar hush puppies with chipotle ranch (to die for!! and for my drink I got the Sorry, I Don’t Fly Well. All was soooo good! The decor was so homey and staff was great.

By far the best burgers in Boone, amazing customer service, and accepting people. The vibe is so lively and happy that it ends up rubbing off on you. There are some very memorable workers here and if I were to name one it would be the waitress that served us tonight and her name is Sarah, both funny and welcoming to have as a waitress.

Great, friendly service with an overall excellent menu. I highly recommend the jalapeño cheddar hush puppies. My ground boar burger w/ a take on cuban sandwich was fantastic. We'll be back on our next visit! 5