Hawk's Nest State Park Restaurant

Hawk's Nest State Park Restaurant serves visitors to Hawk's Nest State Park at 83 State Park Rd in Ansted, Fayette County, West Virginia, providing traditional West Virginia home cooking in a setting that overlooks one of the most dramatic landscapes in the eastern United States. The restaurant sits near the rim of the New River Gorge, and the views of the gorge and the New River below — accessible from the dining room windows and the adjacent overlook areas — are among the most spectacular associated with any park restaurant in the Mid-Atlantic region.

The kitchen's menu is rooted in the Appalachian home-cooking traditions that characterize West Virginia state park dining — generous, straightforward, and made for an appetite worked up through outdoor activity. West Virginia-style chicken and dumplings is the most distinctively regional dish on the menu, a preparation of stewed chicken with hand-dropped dumplings in a thick, savory broth that represents comfort food in its most direct Appalachian form. The country breakfast plate, served during morning hours, builds from the same tradition with eggs, biscuits, and cured meats that reflect the region's pork-centric agricultural past. Fresh-baked pies, rotating through seasonal fruit fillings and classic American cream pie formats, serve as the primary dessert offering and have developed a following among both park visitors and local residents who make the drive to Ansted specifically for a slice.

The dining room's natural asset is its position relative to the gorge. West-facing windows and the adjacency of the park's famous overlook point give Hawk's Nest restaurant a scenic quality that genuinely enhances the meal. Visitors who time their arrival for late afternoon benefit from the best light over the gorge, while morning visitors experience the mist that often fills the valley below.

The restaurant operates daily from 7 AM to 8 PM during the seasonal open period, though hours and days vary by season. Checking with the West Virginia State Parks system at wvstateparks.com or calling 304-658-5212 before visiting is advisable. Walk-ins are standard.