Harvest Moon Grille

I got the bbq sandwich and I was thinking it would be good but it wasn’t very good and it came with a pasta salad that wasn’t too good either because I didn’t like the dressing. Overall I would’ve rated this restaurant a two but the service was good and the place was cute so I gave it a 3.

This place is a gem — warm and friendly, extremely clean, serving fresh local food. We stopped in two weeks ago on a road trip and are still thinking about it.

1) Food– amazing! I had the pimento grilled cheese. Yum! The side was a tomato & cucumber salad that was beyond delicious. Farm to table done brilliantly.
2) Location– very easy to find and a great find on our way back to Charlotte from hiking in South Mountains State Park!
3) Restaurant Space– small but not cramped. Quaint and very thoughtfully designed. Small area of outdoor seating surrounded by veggie and herb plants! (It was too chilly for us to war outside– but we’ll try next time)
4) Service– excellent! The owner noticed we were walking our dogs outside before we came in and offered water for them.
5) overall atmosphere– fantastic. We didn’t feel rushed and we really enjoyed our meal. We’ll be back!

You have to try this wonderful place! Had the flatbread and a salad. Delicious, fresh, and service with a smile.

This is a really neat farm-​to-​table place that’s actually located NEAR FARMS, not in the middle of some huge city miles and miles from the ‘local’ agriculture! The food is always good, and often amazing. Everything possible is locally sourced; if it can only be offered in season, like their homemade ketchup, it’s only offered in season. The only exceptions are a couple staple items — coffee beans for coffee, and such — that simply can’t be produced in NC, and so are sourced as ethically as possible elsewhere. I was prompted to write this review by seeing a couple of people complaining about there not being any Heinz ketchup, processed cheese etc. Asking for that stuff in a place like this is like walking into a vegetarian restaurant and asking where the Big Macs are. There are plenty of places to get a down-​home breakfast or lunch made with cheap ingredients, and I’m not slamming those places — I go to many of them regularly and love them! But when you want to eat food made with the absolute best local ingredients available and as little other stuff as possible, HMG is the place.

Fantastic! We stopped for a late lunch at Harvest Moon Grille on a trip from Charlotte to Asheville. Huge emphasis on local, sustainable products and very reasonably priced for the quality. In a very cute, historic town. Wait staff very friendly.

Staff was super nice and food was amazing. Three different people asked how my food was. Would totally come back if I ever pass through again! Love the farm to table idea and respect the time and creativity it must take to create a menu utilizing only what is available.

Down-​home cooking but full limit farm to table. Absolutely excellent, great simple breakfast with excellent ingredients. Extremely friendly service. Great place

This place is the true farm to table. The food was fantastic as was the service. For my picky family breakfast is always available. I have been twice and had the special. The chef even came out with a pâté to try also. Wow what a gem!

Best decision you’ll ever make. Come support the local economy too! All ingredients are local & fresh. Best side salad I’ve ever had in my life — with homemade ranch dressing! Got the mouth watering taste explosion Chicken Burger with sweet tea! I’ve also had a quaint healthy breakfast. Always get dessert, bc after a perfect meal like that you know dessert will rock your socks off. The apple crumble pie with vanilla ice cream, you will wish it never ends :) Feel bad for anyone who never gets to experience this amazingness. It’s a positive & sweet environment, so if you have any negative energy, stay away please.

Service is personal, friendly, and educational.
The food is perfection, all farm-​to-​table.
Recently, the owner gave me a mason jar full of beet, carrot, and Apple juice because they will be adding it to their menu and she didn’t want to throw it out. It was all so remarkably delicious!
I can’t wait for the juice to be on the menu as well.

I love Harvest Moon! It has this great charm about it — from the décor to the cute mason jar glasses you drink out of. It still has Lincolnton’s small town feel and everyone is always friendly. The dishes are very creative and full of flavor. It always tastes very fresh and you can taste the quality. We make the drive from Huntersville to eat here and leave happy every time. Service has always been great. Sometimes we wish the portions could be a little bigger. We can’t wait to go back!

My wife and I were on our way back to Hickory from Charlotte and we were looking for a local, non-​chain restaurant and HMG had great reviews so we decided to stop. Both the staff and the food were amazing! Eddie was our waiter and he really made us feel welcome. The chef and owner, Cassie, was extremely personable and treated us like friends. I had the meatloaf and my wife had the French toast. We also had the buffalo cauliflower bites for an appetizer… Incredible! We are so pleased with our experience at HMG and will definitely be back. We highly recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a delicious, all organic meal for a fair price.

Got to give this place five stars considering its in Lincolnton. You don’t find this kind of eclectic culinary artistry in this region often. Fresh, local, raw and artistic. I travel often was pleasantly surprised by this little gem in my backyard! The chef put together a specific appetizer platter based on my request and meal. Thumbs up!

What a sweet place! Passing through Lincolnton and saw the great reviews and decided to stop. Delicious fresh take on southern food with a friendly staff! We had the homemade apple fritter to start which is a must! Then we both got breakfast plates (huge portions!) with cheesy grits and organic sausages — all yummy. So great to find fresh, organic, creative food in this part of North Carolina!

Stopped here on our drive back to Florida from Boone, NC based on previous Unilocal reviews. This place did not disappoint! Everything was fresh, delicious, and quick! The service was amazing, led by the sweetest manager, Terry. We will definitely be back for our annual drives from NC!

Just driving through town and stopped at Harvest Moon because of the reviews. It was such a treat, the food was fresh, authentic, and unique. All 6 of us enjoyed our dishes and felt like we had a true meal from North Carolina. Oh and so friendly!

The food is so fresh and delicious and the service and staff are as pleasant as can be! Thank you for a wonderful lunch experience!!!

Food was amazing and the staff was very friendly and knowledgable, the Chef even came out to great us afterwards. The All American pork Burger with grilled potatoes was on point and was heaven in my mouth. HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend this place for a quick lunch or nice dinner. It may be small but I packs a flavor punch.

Fabulous food! Friendly staff that all came by to speak with us. Innovative chef! Amazing locally sourced foods. A real gem! Worth the drive off of the main highway for the cozy spot!

We stopped by on the way to South Mountain State Park. I had the western omelette and it was fantastic. The atmosphere is nice and the employees are fantastically pleasant. I would definitely recommend it. Just know that most menu options are around $ 10, but because it’s all local food etc. It’s going to cost a little more but it’s very much worth it.

Just stopped here for lunch on our way through town and we are leaving SUPER satisfied! I ordered the Veggie Quesadilla — packed w farm fresh veggies (squash, zucchini, bell peppers, tomatoes, onions) and seriously rate it the best quesadilla I’ve EVER eaten. I practically licked my plate clean! My husband ordered the Chicken Salad Sandwich and enjoyed it too! He says the bread was especially delicious and his overall rating was «great!» The staff was friendly, courteous, and helpful and the outdoor eating area quaint and comfortable! Harvest Moon has wonderful southern charm! We would definitely come here again — highly recommend!

Lincolnton has very minimal restaurant options, and to find a hidden gem like this makes up for the lack of options. Everything is farm fresh, excellent food, breads, and desserts. Incredibly attentive service to boot. Bravo harvest moon.

First of all… this could have easily been a 4 or 5 star review if based solely on the food, but the atmosphere, service and the overall pretentious energy of the place affected my rating.
I was surprised to find this place in Lincolnton as I have been familiar with Harvest Moon Grille, Grateful Growers, etc for several years. We were a bit surprised to walk into an empty restaurant on a Saturday morning, but figured we would just get superb service.
I was happy to see a couple of gluten free items on the menu and decided on the Grit Bowl — aside from needed a bit of salt and pepper (which isn’t found on any table), it was delicious, generous and very filling. My partner ordered the French toast breakfast sandwich with maple syrup and it was also excellent.
The staff conversed loudly the entire time we were in there making it hard to get their attention when we wanted it… yet we were interrupted several times when we needed nothing and were clearly in conversation. I’m not sure how it is possible to both feel bothered and ignored by staff simultaneously, but that was our experience.
The prices are kind of steep for breakfast, but at the same time reasonable for a local farm-​to-​table operation.
The most genuine, heart-​warming moment of our visit was when a woman (presumably the cook, as we hadn’t seen her before) said «Thank you ladies, have a nice day.» as we were walking out the door. I truly felt seen and appreciated by her… more so than the other staff that interacted with us throughout the rest of our visit.

We were traveling through the area and used Unilocal to find this lovely diner. It is a bit off of the highway, but let me tell you it is totally worth it. This is a true farm to table restaurant where most of their products came from within a 100 mile radius. Breakfast is served all day and we were tempted into buying it at 2 PM. The Doctor Who? Is a lovely assortment of chorizo sausage potatoes and egg with other natural ingredients. My wife had the bacon and cheddar pancakes which are as wonderful as they are different. Our server knew the menu very well and had a sweet southern charm. The owner even came out to meet us! While inside I noticed some of the local artwork and the entire place including the bathrooms is very clean. If you are within 30 miles of this place, you must visit!

In a town of mediocre restaurants, this place stands apart and would be a gem in any location.
Staff are friendly and knowledgeable. Their menu changes with what is in season and what their local suppliers have available. Everything is farm-​to-​table and extremely fresh, and you can tell. The hummus appetizer is outstanding, different and sweet. My cheeseburger was perfectly cooked — juicy and delicious.
The restaurant is small, but so is the town. Cozy and friendly atmosphere.
We will return over and over again.

I went during lunch hours but once I discovered that Breakfast is served all day… I couldn’t resist!
My boyfriend opted for one of their daily specials– a roast beef sandwich with pickled onions and a horseradish sauce… And it was also, YUMMMMY!
I love that they use local farmers and growers– the quality is superb!
I had the Cheddar and Bacon Pancake stack with Vermont maple syrup and poached eggs! It was a large portion– I couldn’t even eat it all!
Prices were good, staff was excellent, and I’ll definitely be visiting again soon!

Back for a second day in a row! I have to say that everything was spot on today!!! All food was piping hot, and cooked perfectly! Kiss the cooks!

Harvest Moon is still aces in my book! Had another great breakfast. Tried the omelet with seasonal veggies. Loaded with garden fresh vegetables, herbs and cooked to soft perfection. Got to sample some incredible beet hummus. Had the apple strudel for dessert (yes, breakfast dessert — it’s all the rage) — I could swear it was cooked to order in a convection oven. Came out hot, crisp, flaky loaded with apples, cranberries and golden raisins. Please put pancakes back on your menu!!! Miss them already! Just like Sam J., I’m slowly working my way through the menu.

I’m raising my rating to FIVE stars!
HMG opens at 8 a.m. on Saturday. It was 40 degrees, and raining, but I was not dissuaded. I was there at 8:05.
Based on the photos and recommendations from Unilocal friends, I really wanted to try the Dr. Who.
DR. WHO?
This dish is simply amazing in its complexity and deliciousness. My first bite was that of eggs, sautéed onions and green peppers. That elicited an «OMG,» with eyebrows raised in amazement. My next bite contained egg and HOT and SPICY chorizo sausage. «#BAM!!!» Next I had a bite with chorizo and potatoes. Yum! Every forkful was a different taste combination, all of them sensational. I scrounged around the left side of the plate and took a bite and the chorizo and eggs combined with tiny cubes of apples. Another «WOW!» The Dr. Who is a symphony in a bowl. This was absolutely one of the best things that I’ve ever eaten for breakfast!
DESSERT?
I generally don’t make it a practice to eat dessert in restaurants, but I ALWAYS have dessert at HMG. Today the choices were homemade pound cake or profiteroles. That was an easy decision… profiteroles.
The profiteroles were freshly made and filled with Chantilly cream, and drizzled with hot chocolate syrup. I have a friend who introduced me to the expression «crazy good,» and this was crazy good. I ate this with freshly made coffee, and the combination of tastes was magical. I ate this dessert as slowly as possible to savor the goodness.
SERVICE?
Simply excellent! I carried on a long conversation with both of the wait staff. The young gentleman said that the best thing that he has ever eaten at HMG was the chicken ‘n waffles, covered in sausage gravy. He also adds maple syrup to kick it up two notches. He has yet to try the Dr. Who, but that may change after my visit.
My waitress was from the Hudson Valley in upstate New York, an area that I have often visited and love. Why? The Beekman Arms in Rhinebeck, and the American Bounty Restaurant at the CIA, Culinary Institute of America, near Peekskill.
IF I were younger, and IF I didn’t have a poultry allergy, I would have gotten my culinary degree from the CIA. When the chef heard about my passion for food, she came out and said hello, and told me that IF I would quit my job, she would hire me as a chef. People who are passionate about food, make the best, most delicious food, regardless of age. I am mulling this over, because my passion has not diminished with years and I’m not dead yet. LOL
HMG has added a dinner menu, which I have lying on the table beside me.
How about ground pork and lamb mixed with collards and carrots in a steamed dumpling, and topped with a strawberry/​grape reduction, accompanied by a turnip, radish, and cucumber chili slaw? Doesn’t that sound wonderful?
How about a HUGE grilled «Grateful Growers» pork chop cooked medium with a side of dirty spaetzle?
Grilled hippy bread made with locally sourced bread from Farmer Baker in Mt. Holly. A hummus plate. Mushroom and vegetable risotto. Quail Egg Pappardelle Pasta. The «Forgotten Arts» plate with chorizo spiced lamb tenderloin, chicken liver pâté, prosciutto, corned ham, pickled turnips, cucumbers, and pickled onions. And I haven’t scratched the surface.
Harvest Moon Grill will soon be receiving their liquor license, so they will soon be able to serve wine with dinner or a local craft beer. Think of all the excellent local craft breweries in Charlotte and Asheville, and the dozens of wineries in the nearby Yadkin Valley.
I have written several hundred reviews, and I have never done what I’m going to do now, which is to tell you to drop whatever you’re doing and get to Harvest Moon Grille ASAP! The food is superb. The prices are reasonable. The quality is a cut above. Service is great. The restaurant is immaculate. You’re also supporting farm to table suppliers located within 100 miles of Lincolnton. That’s just the cherry on top of the sundae. Harvest Moon Grille and their employees are a true gem.