I have ate here several times and have never had a bad meal. The chicken fingers are outstanding. The grilled chicken sandwich is very good also. There salads are good too. I haven't always had the best service but always good food and everything has turned out to be ok in the end. I will still go back time and time again.
Review Source:I stayed at the hotel and ate at the restaurant, but these are combined on Yelp, so I'm averaging them out.
Hotel: 3 stars
Restaurant: 2 stars
Hotel:
Want to get off the grid and just relax? The Iron Horse Station may be your best bet. Â There are no televisions or phones in the room. Â We didn't even plug in the clock. Â Just crisp white linens on a 4-poster bed and a view of the Smokey Mountains. Â We were in town to relax and that is exactly what we did. Â The Pullman room was clean and big enough for the two of us. Â The building itself is delightfully turn of last century and is well-kept, clean and creaks in the right ways to make it feel homey.
There are some down sides. Â First, there are active train tracks about 25 yards from the hotel. Â The trains do not stop during the night, so you might wake up to Casey Jones blowing his horn. Â Next is the bathroom. Â The bathroom we had was very large, but the shower (no tub) was extremely small and had no light above it. Â Also, there were no complimentary bars of soap for the shower or hand soap for the sink. Â I would expect this if I was staying at a Motel 6, but these were not ridiculously cheap rooms and I expect certain ammenities for the price.
Restaurant:
I can only imagine how good that food must taste with an ice cold beer after a long day of hiking the Appalachian Trail. Â Everything tastes great after a long hike and camping. Â
Problem was, I wasn't hiking, nor camping. Â As such, my tastebuds weren't compromised by desparation. Â The food was bland. Â Everything needed more flavor. Â The pork loin was dry and the potato salad needed quite a bit of pepper to make it palatable. Â The server seemed unhappy with us the entire time for reasons I don't quite understand. Â
The room was well-appointed with exposed brick and tasteful photos of trains and railroads befitting an establishment just steps away from the tracks. Â
Overall, I don't think I would eat there again, though.
As there were very places open during the time of our visit we were limited to options for lunch. Having read some reviews on other site we decided to give the restaurant a try. I would have loved seeing more vegan options but as that's a rarity at most places I was happy that I was able to have a grilled vegetable panini minus the cheese. It was flavorful and filling, even my meat eating husband ordered one with cheese and said he enjoyed it. Â The french fries were great too!
Review Source:One of the two main watering holes in Hot Springs. Â Not even half as good as their main competitor, Spring Creek Tavern, but it does have Duck Rabbit Milk Stout on draft, a fairly good beer (although the taste is a little acidic after the first one). Â They also have Shock Top ... but only in bottles.
They have a problem of too many servers ... but no one actually caring about taking your order or keeping you happy with service/refills. Â Seemed to be the "go-to" employer for all the local 20-something girls ... but they were more interested in chatting amongst themselves ... so really, go to Spring Creek Tavern and try the Ninja Porter instead.
My review is for the hotel at the Station more than the restaurant.
My husband and I spent last Thanksgiving in North Carolina. We made a two night reservation at Iron Horse Station and loved the Inn and town so much we cancelled our next night in Asheville where we had reservations at a much fancier hotel, skipped seeing the Biltmore, and just chilled out.
It was such a breath of fresh air for both of us and we couldn't imagine leaving so soon. If you like history, the hotel is a wonderful step back in time, with gorgeous woodwork, wide staircases, high ceilings, exposed brick walls and funky claw foot tubs.
Our bed was massive and comfortable with crisp white linens. There were no televisions and no telephones but really, if you are on a romantic trip, do you need those things? We certainly found enough to fill our time.
The owner of the hotel was a dear man who even invited us to the community Thanksgiving feast if we weren't able to make Thanksgiving dinner reservations elsewhere!
The restaurant downstairs was tasty, albeit a bit expensive, and had a good selection of wines and local beers too. They had a roaring fire in the brick fireplace and live music one evening. Perfect for a cool November night. Â
We loved the Hot Springs Spa across the street too and went on two separate occassions to take a dip in the tubs. That was part of why we stayed the extra day - we wanted another chance to soak! We also had massages and a salt wrap there and that just added to the relaxation and enjoyment.
The town and hotel would not be a good fit if you are looking for nightlife. I also don't think families traveling with children would find enough to entertain the kiddos at the hotel. For individuals traveling alone though, or especially for couples, I cannot recommend Iron Horse Station any more highly.
Writing this review has sent me back to their website to pine for reservations for THIS Thanksgiving - I want to go back already!
Typical tourist fare with a few vegetarian options. I was not in the mood for oil/cream/cheese, so, here I faced very limited choices...  Eventually settled with sautéed collard green and side salad. Vinaigrette dressing was heavy like fruit jelly. My husband's chicken was over seasoned.
Review Source:A great place for lunch. At first I was leary of dining at a bar because of my distaste for "bar food"; however, the food here is fresh and skillfully prepared. Â The menu is varied and quite large for a tavern. Â Favorites are the soups, sweet potato fries and fried green tomatoes. Â For a change of pace, try the black bean burger. Â On weekends, the place is crowded and there is usually a wait. Â Shoot for 11AM or after 1PM to avoid weekend lunch lines. Live music for dinner, but it can be quite loud. Â I'll be back.
Review Source:The Iron Horse burger is delicious! We asked to sit at the table in the front because it's a beautiful view of the mountains. Service was fairly quick and very friendly. Love the exposed brick walls... Neat atmosphere. As far as sides, the smashed sweet potatoes with brown sugar are very yummy. And I loved the Mac n cheese... Has pimento flavor... Different and very tasty!! As far as price, it's a tad high... For $13 I expect a bigger burger than what I got. But the taste was excellent.
Review Source:Charming restored hotel that is full of character. The interior rooms have a skywell with natural lighting. A restaurant/tavern is attached, so we enjoyed tasty food with organic options, local brews, and live music. Then at the end of the night, you can make your way back up to the hotel through the top of the tavern.
Review Source: