This edition of Excited about Eating takes us to Bodegas Kitchen and Wine Bar located in Banner Elk, NC. In the middle of the mountains, this newly-opened tapas style restaurant serves food with a Caribbean fare. Dora here. If you aren’t paying attention, you’ll pass this place. Like I did the first time. lol. It’s tucked back into a corner of Eagles Nest Marketplace.

Tucked into the corner

Inside is fresh and clean with ample space between tables. But…

Inside is fresh and clean with ample space between tables

I’m really looking forward to sitting outside on this amazing deck when the weather warms!

What an amazing deck! I’m looking forward to sitting outside when the weather warms.

For our appetizer, we chose the Brussels Sprouts, fresh and lightly fried, and served with a tangy aioli sauce. The sprouts were outstanding, served al dente with a smoky char and worked well with the aioli. Dora here. I’m not a huge fan of sprouts, but Ernie loves them. The sauce was great, but the sprouts a tad too stiff for me.

Brussel Sprouts appetizer

For lunch, I chose the Cubano, a pressed sandwich packed with pork, ham, Swiss cheese, mustard and pickles, and served on authentic Cuban bread. The sandwich was great, loaded with meat and cheese, but the real winner here was the Fire Roasted Street Corn, slathered with mayo and queso fresco cheese and roasted to perfection.

Cuban sandwich with Fire Roasted Street Corn

Dora here. Oh my goodness, y’all, check out this ginormous fish sandwich!! Ernie actually took a picture of me trying to eat this monster, but I wouldn’t let him post it. lol. Perfectly fried cod, incredibly soft and the freshest of breads, a delightful crunchy slaw, and amazing flavors…what more could a person want in a meal? I would definitely order this again.

Ginormous Fish Sandwich, amazing flavors! I would definitely order this again.

Typically, I only like plantains fried like chips, but our server made these Maduros sound delicious. And, oh, were they! They were fried to give the outside a slight crunch, but inside was soft and sweet, buttery even, with a hint of…brown sugar? Guessing here, but this dish was almost like dessert. Definitely another winner!

Maduros, sweet fried plantains. Amazing! Almost like dessert.

Our food came out fast, and our server was attentive and friendly. Their amazing food and impeccable service won us over. Bodegas is going on our “favorites” list. 

What new restaurant have you tried recently? What did you enjoy most about it?

We rate this restaurant 5 fork out of 5 for a family friendly restaurant serving outstanding food.