Gamekeeper Restaurant

Gamekeeper Restaurant in Boone is a $$$ wild game fine dining restaurant from owner and executive chef Ken Gordon. The clearest reason to plan a meal here is the cuisine itself: this is a place to choose when the table wants a dinner built around game-focused dishes rather than a standard casual stop. Smart casual dress is appropriate, dinner service is listed Wednesday through Sunday from 5–9 PM.

For planning a wider trip, start with a Boone restaurants guide, then round out the stay with Boone hotels, bars, wineries, experiences guides. This is the kind of dinner that works better as the anchor of the night than as a quick stop between plans.

Wild game is the reason to book, not a side note

Gamekeeper Restaurant is worth prioritizing if at least part of the table is excited by wild game fine dining. If the table prefers a more familiar Boone dinner, the $$$ price point may feel less compelling. If the group wants the restaurant’s core identity, however, the signature dishes give a clear path.

The strongest ordering strategy is to lean into the dishes most closely associated with the restaurant. Signature options include Anteloaf, mixed game grill, elk Denver leg, Patagonian toothfish, bread pudding.

Value-seekers should think of the meal as an occasion dinner rather than a low-spend Boone stop. The $$$ price point is easier to justify if the meal is the point of the evening; it is harder to justify if the group only wants a casual dinner after a long day.

The group decision: plan around a smart-casual dinner

Gamekeeper Restaurant is best framed as a planned dinner for diners who want wild game fine dining in Boone. Smart casual dress is enough, so the experience does not need to be treated as formal, but the price point and cuisine make it better suited to an intentional meal than an improvised bite.

Parties should be realistic about timing. The hours are Wednesday through Sunday from 5–9 PM, with Monday and Tuesday closed. For a specific dinner time, it is sensible to plan around those dinner-only hours.

The restaurant has a confirmed Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for 2026, which adds a point of recognition to the dinner. Still, the main reason to go remains the food: Gamekeeper Restaurant is most compelling for diners who want Boone wild game fine dining built around dishes such as Anteloaf, mixed game grill, elk Denver leg, Patagonian toothfish, bread pudding.

When to go, when to choose a lighter plan

Go when the group wants dinner to be the focus of the evening. If the table is not interested in wild game fine dining or does not want a $$$ meal, another Boone dinner may be the better fit.