"Maybe in 30 years, we'll be passing the torch to a new owner," David Perrin told Plateau Magazine this summer. He was talking about Town Hall, the restaurant he and Mat Barnwell opened at 474 Main Street, where Wolfgang's Restaurant & Wine Bistro used to be. He was also describing what has happened to Highlands dining over the past two years. The biggest changes have mostly been handoffs, not brand-new restaurants. New owners have moved into buildings that already had a reputation, and in almost every case they kept part of what was there before.
That's useful if you live here. Many of the names people use for these places now point to a different restaurant than they used to. And the reason the change feels smaller than it is comes down to choices the new owners made on purpose.
474 Main Street Is on Its Third Name
Before Wolfgang's spent 30 years on Main Street, the building was Hildegard's Restaurant, and Plateau Magazine notes that Highlands old-timers still remember it fondly. Wolfgang's served its last meal on New Year's Eve 2024, after three decades under Wolfgang and Mindy Green, according to The Laurel.
Perrin renovated the property after it closed. He told Plateau he had eaten at Wolfgang's many times since he was a kid, and that the lot running from Main Street to Oak Street struck him as unusual enough to build on. Most of the interior was redone, but a few things carried over:
- Wolfgang's rustic chairs are still in the dining room.
- A framed photo of the original Hildegard's hangs in the lobby.
- The courtyard where Wolfgang's served dinner outdoors is now a casual lawn and event space.
The format is different. Town Hall bills itself as counter service with two bars, serving Southern comfort food like smash burgers, slow-cooked pot roast, Creole shrimp and grits, and smoked trout dip. The Greens gave the new owners their blessing in Plateau, saying they were "delighted to see that tradition continue under David Perrin's stewardship." The next phase is TH Scoops, a soft-serve shop with eight flavors planned for the old wine room at the back. As of Plateau's August–September 2026 issue it was still in the planning stage.
The Wolfgang's Team Went to Cashiers
The building stayed in Highlands, but much of the team moved over the mountain. Jacque Babac had been restaurant manager at Wolfgang's and D'Arcy Adams its sommelier, and each spent about a decade there. When they heard it was closing, they started their own place. By July 2025 they had opened Cashiers Celtic Table at 341 US-64 in Cashiers. Executive chef Brian Lasure worked at Wolfgang's for nine years, and Plateau reports that most of the staff came from the Wolfgang's crew too.
The regulars followed them. "Half of our reservations nightly are from Highlands," Babac told Plateau Magazine. So the Wolfgang's handoff went two ways. Town Hall took over the building and the courtyard. Celtic Table took the service team and a large share of the customers.
Don Leon's Went to Someone Who Already Worked There
The handoff on Dillard Road was even more direct. Juan Avila had worked at Half-Mile Farm and Paoletti's before joining Don Leon's. When he heard the owner might retire and sell, Plateau Magazine reports, Don told him he would have to learn the business first if he wanted it. Within three months, Juan and Ivanet Avila owned it. According to The Laurel, Don told Juan he was ready by the end of December 2025. The restaurant now runs as Highlands Bistro at 462 Dillard Road.
The Avilas didn't start over. The couple told Plateau Magazine they would keep the basic menu and add dishes from Colombia, Peru, Puerto Rico, Ecuador, and Venezuela, including Venezuelan empanadas. Juan spent most of his career in Italian kitchens, so pasta stays. The restaurant also added breakfast, lunch, and dinner in season, private events and catering, live music, local art, and a new mural by Bobby Sikes. Don Leon's was known as a place where locals gathered, and Ivanet described the new version to Plateau Magazine as "a place to gather and be part of our family."
The Log Cabin Kept Its Fireplace
The oldest building in this story is a 1930s log cabin built by local builder Joe Webb. It was first the Stringer family's mountain home and later The Log Cabin restaurant. Since January 2025 it has been Highlands Supper Club, part of Trailborn Highlands, a boutique hotel property that was renovated and reopened in fall 2024.
Plateau Magazine's 2025 profile pointed out that many patrons ate in the cabin back when it was The Log Cabin, and some were married in front of its main fireplace. Aaron Kulzer, executive chef at the time of that profile, put his approach in plain terms: "Our goal is to trigger and build on those memories and experiences while making new ones." The same profile listed beef from Providence Farmstead in Otto and produce and eggs from 3 Barn Farm in Franklin. The menu mixed Southern and Appalachian cooking with Lowcountry and Cajun influences, from pecan-crusted rainbow trout to elk tenderloin over Anson Mills grits. Trailborn's site still lists the Supper Club as operating in the historic cabin.
Two More Openings That Built on What Was There
The same thing has happened on a smaller scale elsewhere in town. The Stubborn Buddha, from Kiki Donikian and Clarissa Powell, opened on December 31, 2024, in the space that used to be Midpoint, as The Laurel reported. The Highlands Chamber lists it at 332 Main Street.
Bodega by the Bull grew out of an existing business. It is the grab-and-go market from the team behind Stubborn Bull, first reported as a plan in spring 2025. By June 2026, The Laurel was describing it as open at 445 North 4th Street.
Old Name, Current Name, Posted Hours
This is the practical part for late October. Each restaurant's own website posts the hours below. None of those schedules has a date on it, and off-season hours on the plateau can change with little notice, so call before you drive over.
| If you still call it | It is now | Address | Posted hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wolfgang's | Town Hall | 474 Main Street | Mon, Wed–Thu 11 a.m.–9 p.m.; Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–10 p.m.; Sun 11:30 a.m.–8 p.m.; closed Tue |
| Don Leon's | Highlands Bistro | 462 Dillard Road | Tue–Wed 7 a.m.–3 p.m.; Thu–Sat 7 a.m.–8 p.m. |
| The Log Cabin | Highlands Supper Club at Trailborn Highlands | Trailborn Highlands | Supper Sun–Wed 5–8 p.m.; Thu–Sat 5–9 p.m. |
| Midpoint | The Stubborn Buddha | 332 Main Street | Fall hours Tue–Sun 5–9 p.m.; Saturday also from noon |
| The Bull's planned market | Bodega by the Bull | 445 North 4th Street | Tue–Sat 11 a.m.–5 p.m. |
Going by those posted schedules, the days don't line up. Town Hall is the one closed on Tuesday, and Tuesday is when Highlands Bistro, The Stubborn Buddha, and Bodega by the Bull all open for the week. On Sunday and Monday, Highlands Bistro is closed, and of the dinner spots on this list only Town Hall and the Supper Club post hours both nights. If you're making plans for a Monday in November, that difference matters more than which name you call the place.
For phone numbers, the Town Hall site lists 828-482-7352. The Highlands Chamber lists Highlands Bistro at 828-482-1513 and The Stubborn Buddha at 828-200-0813, and Marriott's dining page lists the Supper Club at 828-482-1578.
Jose Feria grew up in Highlands, from kindergarten through high school, so he knows most of these buildings by more than one name. If you're thinking about a home within walking distance of Main Street, or just want to know which parts of town have changed and which haven't, Jose Feria can give you that local picture in English or Spanish. Work With Feria.
