About this vendor
Rocky Top Catering provides full service wedding catering for receptions, rehearsal dinners, bridal luncheons and more. Our catering menus offer a range of food and service options to consider as you plan your special day, including hors d'oeuvres, buffets, plates meals, action stations and desserts customized to your specifications. We take a tailored approach with each and every client we serve. Our award-winning team looks forward to making your perfect wedding day come to life.
We are the exclusive caterer for 1705 East in Raleigh, NC, Cross + Main in Youngsville, NC, the NC Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh, the Blue Zone at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, NC, Cannon Room in downtown Raleigh, The Upchurch in Cary, Power House in Rocky Mounty and Rose Hill in Nashville, NC. We are also a preferred caterer for dozens of special event venues through Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Wake Forest, Garner and more.
Details
Cuisine
- American
- BBQ
- Seafood
- Southern
- Specialty
Dietary Options
- Dairy Free
- Gluten Free
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
Food & Catering
- Buffet
- Catering Delivery & Setup
- Chef Stations
- Family Style
- Menu Tastings
- Passed Appetizers
Awards and Affiliations
Reviews
Your trust is our goal. Our community relies on honest reviews to help you make those big decisions with ease.
4.9
out of 5.0104 reviews
Review photos
Showing slide number 1 out of 4
AMAZING! The service was top notch, the food for our cocktail hour and our dinner was served hot and we got so many compliments on it. Having them as our caterer and also using a R...
ocky Top venue made everything so seamless. So grateful we used them and I’m definitely recommending them to all my future bride friends!
We had an fairly decent experience with Rocky Top aside from a couple things.
Booking them was easy with good communication and picking from their wide variety of foods was nice. ...
We got to do tastings which were amazing in taste and presentation.
Come the day of, the passed hors d'oeuvres were great, and they even came by during photos to give us our own tray. A nice touch there.
For dinner, we were truthfully very disappointed, especially in contrast to our tastings. We had passed entrees for 108 guests. The service was slow, which was our entire objective of doing passed entrees rather than buffet style - we wanted everyone to eat at the same time. That did not happen. I think it took about 30 minutes for everyone to get their food, and by the time they were done serving everyone, we were onto the next thing.
For our entrees as the couple, we both got filet mignon. It was rock hard, chewy, and ice cold. I didn't even eat mine. During one of our tastings, our filet was also a bit dry but we were reassured multiple times that on our wedding day, the filets would be cooked medium. Again, that did not happen. Luckily, our guests were fairly satisfied with their entrees, but we cannot say the same.
Can't speak much on desserts because we didn't get to have any, but guests liked them which was good. They were amazing during tastings so hopefully the same on the day.
Overall, I think they did a decent job, but I was honestly disappointed in some of the aspects, especially after spending $10,000...
Rocky Top catered our wedding of 120 this summer, and we were very happy with every aspect of the experience. Picking a menu that matched our vibe (casual southern BBQ) was a breez...
e, the sampling was helpful and easy, and communication was solid (though we did end up going through ~6 different point people during our ~12 months of planning). We also used them for bartending service (with signature cocktails!), which was similarly breezy. Everything went very smoothly on the day – they were accommodating of our special requests (such as helping set up a cookie table for dessert), and all of the employees were a delight to interact with.
Oh, and yes, the food tasted great!
Man oh man Rocky Top's food is delicious! We had the best time at our tasting and got many compliments day of. The team is very kind and clearly knows their stuff and everything wa...
s so good and went off without a hitch. And definitely recommend adding their hazelnut and lemon dessert shooters!
RTC was an absolute dream to work with! Their communication throughout the entire wedding planning process made my life so much easier. We did 2 tastings and they were very accommo...
dating as one of the entrees was too spicy so their chefs adjusted it just for us. Our meals were delicious and they made such our specialty cocktails were everything we dreamed of and they were a hit!
Rocky Top was our venue's approved caterer but we wouldn't have had it any other way! They were professional and prompt with communications and planning. The food was absolutely de...
licious and even our most picky-eater guests praised the buffet. They did a great job with designing a menu with us to blend both cultures along with our wants and needs. Hailee and Vicky were fantastic and on top of everything, we also adored the head waiter/coordinator, Aidan (I'm so sorry if that's not correct but I believe that's the name we heard) we had on our wedding day. He was on top of everything and managed to bring us extra food in-between us having to visit and dance with our guests so we always had food. Sonya was also great, she followed us with a tray during our post-ceremony photos so neither us nor our wedding party missed the food from the cocktail hour. I can not recommend them enough, Rocky Top eliminates a lot of stress from the wedding planning and wedding day.
My (now) husband and I chose The Upchurch as our wedding venue and thankfully, they are partnered with Rocky Top Catering! We had heard about RT's great service beforehand, so it w...
as a relief to know these two great vendors would be working together for our big day. Jordan P. was nothing short of amazing, from many emails, to arranging our tasting, and finalizing details the month before. She was quick to respond and was always transparent with our options and pricing. The day of was perfect and several of our guests commented on the tasty food and excellent service. Would highly recommend for any event!
Rocky Top catered our wedding on 5-24-25, and we could not have had a better experience with them! They were able to provide us with everything we were hoping for and more for our ...
food; a taco bar, southern inspired appetizers and a late night snack. They made any and all adjustments we requested, and everything turned out perfectly. They went all out in our initial tasting, but the final product on our wedding day was even better. Not only was it the best tasting food compared to others we tried, they also gave us the most affordable option, and the most food for our money. The day of our wedding, all of the food and service was superb, and we could not have been happier with it all! Everyone had fantastic things to say about the food at our wedding!
We had Rocky Top cater our wedding, and we are pretty satisfied with the experience except for 1 or 2 things. The food (while good) seemed to use primarily frozen ingredients (not ...
fresh). Also, the most annoying thing was the catering/wait staff that worked our wedding. They kept taking away drinks from tables way too early...sometimes whole bottles that someone had only taken a sip or two out of. This annoyed multiple guests because they would have to keep going back to the bar to get another drink over and over throughout the night. That being said, we all enjoyed the food (despite it not being fresh ingredients) and were happy with it in the end.
Rocky Top was amazing from start to finish, especially when we had to pivot our wedding venue 3 months before the wedding. They were flexible and willing to adapt to our needs, as ...
well as adding in anything that would be particular special for us to include (like cobbler!) Kevin did a great job communicating with my mom regarding different drink options since we didn't have a heavy drinking crowd but wanted to included premium options for those who did drink. I was most impressed by the way the caterers were waiting for us with glasses of water the moment we walked back down the aisle for pictures and brought up for hors d'Oeuvres for us while we rested during cocktail hour. Loved their attention and kindness!
Rocky Top provided an amazing food choices for our winter wedding. The staff was responsive and extremely helpful throughout the planning process and the day. The food and drinks w...
ere also AMAZING!
I cannot recommend Rocky Top enough! From start to finish they were so helpful and more than accommodating with all of our dietary needs and changes. The food was amazing, everyone...
raved about it! The servers were so great! They’d take your plate before you realized it, waters were always filled and they were just delightful. Nicole was amazing throughout the entire process. If I could rate them more than 5 stars, I definitely would!! Highly recommend the shrimp and grits!! Top notch business!
Rocky Top was professional and prompt throughout the entire planning process. Our guests raved about how delicious the food was! I could not recommend them enough!
They were incredible! Their team operated flawlessly with our venue and other vendors. The food and apps were amazing and we had several complements from guests, including very pic...
ky ones, about how incredible the food was. Everyone always loves the short ribs but their vegetarian options REALLY stood out against the competition and deserve special recognition.
The food we had from RTC at our wedding was AMAZING!! It was so good we had guests raving about it. We couldn't recommend enough!
I really enjoyed working with Rocky Top! Jordan and Vicki were very responsive and helped me tailor exactly what I needed/wanted for my wedding day and guests. The food was awesome...
and everyone at the wedding thoroughly enjoyed it! It was awesome to have a complimentary tasting to ensure we loved our food for our big day. The only reason they don't get a 5 stars from me is that we ran out of vodka quite quickly during the open bar in the evening.
The food is so delicious! Everyone raved about the food and how great it was! The service was also great!
So happy we chose Rocky Top for our wedding caterer! Kevin was amazing to work with throughout the process and incredibly responsive to all our questions and changes! The food was ...
amazing and we had several people during and after the wedding say it was the best tuna steak they have ever had! Loved our dessert selection as well via them! Definitely recommend a selection of mini desserts over a cake.
Our food and service from RTC was amazing! They were so accommodating to those in our party with dietary restrictions and we got so many compliments on our signature drink (Strawbe...
rry Basil Margarita.. 10/10). I would highly recommend RTC for your catering needs!!
Rocky Top was amazing to work with!! They made the whole process super easy. They have a wide variety of delicious food including vegan options. There was even a box of extra entre...
es and desserts packed up for my husband and I to take with us after the reception. We thought that was such a nice touch! Everything was so perfect and delicious. We really couldn’t have asked for a better catering company!
I had a disappointing experience with Rockytop Catering on my wedding day, December 14, 2023. The biscuits served during cocktail hour were dropped and wasted, creating an embarras...
sing scene. The chicken and beef served during dinner were rubbery, cold, and inedible. When we tried to address the issue, they claimed to have never made bad food in 19 years and offered no resolution. Potential customers should be aware that the food at the tasting may not reflect what will be served at their event.
I cannot speak highly enough of Rocky Top Catering and specifically of Vicki Tong and the service that she delivered on our wedding day! We had our wedding at The Upchurch recently...
and Rocky Top blew away our expectations. Our menu was constantly changing up until the very end, and Vicki was extremely accommodating, working with us to revise our contract and share any recommendations quickly. What impressed me most was the way that Vicki collaborated with our other vendors (venue, rentals, etc.) and brought any necessary revisions to my attention, this was extremely helpful! My dad has been in the catering industry for 20+ years and has been singing Vicki’s praises since we started the planning process with Rocky Top, the compliments only doubled after the wedding day once he had the food. We had both the mac and cheese bar and the sliders at our cocktail hour and we are still hearing about those two menu items from our guests. Guests have gone as far as to say “best mac and cheese I’ve ever had in my life” and “I still think about the sliders from your wedding and wish I could have another.” The food was a highlight for our guests and a highlight for us too! During our tasting the food was so good that my husband was eating the food off of my plate too and the portions were huge, the food was just that good! For our reception we opted for the potato bar and that was another hit with guests. All of the food was just as good if not better on the day of the wedding as it was at the tasting. We had an open bar and the drinks were delicious! Our bartenders and the entire Rocky Top staff at the wedding were extremely professional and friendly. Working with Rocky Top made me want to have another party just to eat their delicious food and drink their great drinks again! Choosing Rocky Top is a no-brainer! I enthusiastically recommend them if you want the food to be a highlight of your wedding day!
Rocky Top was so easy to work with. They listened to our vision, dietary needs, and budget and guided us through the whole process.
TIP: Invite a couple of friends or family membe...
rs to your scheduled tasting. It was FUN! They took our feedback and made some adjustments to the menu.
On the day of - they arrived on time, set up everything, and quickly got to work prepping appetizers. Their servers were gracious and professional and took special care of us (the wedding couple). The guests gave us many compliments on the food!
We totally recommend Rocky Top Catering for your wedding.
Rocky Top is top tier. We served them at our wedding (buffet) and people could not stop raving at how good the food was. We had chicken and waffle appetizers and they were AMAZING....
Highly recommend - from communication to day-of execution, they were top notch.
Rocky Top catered our wedding at the Merrimon-Wynne House in May of 2023 and everything was a complete hit! We did a couple of tastings to really nail down our menu because the foo...
d was a big priority of ours on our wedding day.
We also really loved the flexibility we had with tweaking some things with our menu, and the team was happy to work with us on making any changes.
Our plated salad and entrees were delicious, just as we remembered from our tasting! Guests loved the passed appetizers (such good crab cakes!!) during cocktail hour and the surprise late night snacks (who doesn’t love pretzels and cheese after a few drinks?) on the lawn during the reception! And of course the mini desserts were a crowd-pleaser too, especially the Tia Maria Cookie Stacks!
The serving staff was exceptionally polite and helpful to our guests, which was feedback I heard from multiple people! I would definitely recommend Rocky Top’s catering for a wedding or any event!
We used Rocky Top for our March wedding and LOVED them! The food was amazing and we got so many compliments on it. The staff was super attentive and made sure we had a plate of foo...
d to enjoy while still getting to spend time with our guests. There are so many options to choose from, and we were able to have some of our favorite foods served. You can never go wrong with a delicious potato bar! We highly recommend using Rocky Top for your catering needs. They strive to make your wedding catering experience both seamless and delicious. Thank you, Rocky Top!
We had so many amazing compliments on the food from our wedding thanks to Rocky Top! We went with a stations menu - shrimp & grits, taco bar, and sliders bar. The food was fabulous...
and the staff was professional. Some of the communication in the planning aspects were hit or miss, however, it all worked out great when the big day arrived!
Working with Rocky Top was an absolute pleasure! The pricing is very reasonable and we have guests who are still raving about the food weeks later. They provided excellent service ...
and the food was just as good as we expected it to be. We would highly recommend them and hire them again in the future.
We appreciated the outstanding communication from Carley leading up to our event. The communication could not have been more reasonable and patient. During planning the chef(s) a...
lso accommodated tweaks to their listed dishes with no problem. And there were no surprise costs; it was all very transparent. Planning was so robust that catering wasn't really a source of stress at any point.
On the day of, the hor d'oeuvres were absolutely top notch. Overall the food was good and guests had nice things to say!
Day-of service was fine, though the team toward the end of the event were not quite as sure-handed or attentive as the account manager(s) we worked with up to that point. So we had to tend to things a little more than I'd hoped but nothing drastic.
I think at RTC's price point the food and day-of service would have had to have been exquisite to be 5 stars, but overall things went very smoothly and the guests were happy.
Just used Rocky Top for a wedding:
- Mac N Cheese Bar Station, Short Ribs, Fall Hash, Fall Salad, Arancini, Bar Service.
All of it was incredible. Days after the wedding, all we...
could hear about was how great the food was. Everyone loved it and we had very little left over at the end of the night. Pricing was fair and staff was on top of everything.
Rocky Top was also receptive and accessible as we moved through our planning process.
We really enjoyed using Rocky Top and highly recommend that others do as well.
Kevin and his team were amazing. They were super friendly and easy to work with. I can’t even describe how delicious the food was; our guests are still talking about the food! You ...
won’t go wrong hiring Rocky Top as your catering company.
Rocky Top was great! We had an untraditional goal for catering at our wedding. My husband and I LOVE food trucks so for the main meal, we had two separate food trucks serving our g...
uests. We wanted to still have a traditional caterer for everything else to "class-up" the day so our guests still felt like they were at a wedding and not just a food truck festival downtown. They provided passed champagne prior to our ceremony, preset waters and salads for guests, full bar services, side dishes to go with the food truck meals, and desserts at the end of the night. While I was getting pulled around from person to person and didn't get to try everything, everything I had was great! Everyone we talked to said everything was great, even my mother-in-law who is not afraid to tell the truth lol. All of the staff were super nice. They didn't let me go without a drink in my hand the whole night. They constantly made sure my husband and I had everything we wanted.
We worked with Vicki at Rocky Top and our experience was incredible! The food was amazing and they executed everything exactly as we had envisioned it! Our guests have continued to...
rave about the food! Their staff was so attentive and kind and we never once saw them without a smile on their face! They went above and beyond on our wedding day and we are so glad that Vicki and her team were part of our day!
Go with Rocky Top! I am that bride that researches every vendor prior to making a decision on who to go with, and especially when catering and bar service are both such a cost to t...
he budget and an aspect guests will remember. Rocky Top was professional throughout our pre-wedding planning and quick to reply to any emails or questions I had. Each person we encountered from their team was knowledgeable about our venue, space and menu items. Their servers and waitstaff were attentive and friendly to both us (the bride and groom) as well as our guests. The food was also DELICIOUS! I don’t know how each item from the passed hors d’oeuvres to each plated meal was consistent and tasted great, but they were. Guests raved about how great their meal was - we did shrimp and grits or the Mediterranean chicken - and made a point to share that with us. The bartenders were quick and professional. Overall, incredible value for the service and quality of food that we received. From start to finish, a 5-star rating from a high standards bride!
Rocky Top was the most amazing caterer for our wedding day! Their team was very professional, efficient, and skilled. We felt that everyone was working hard to make the day go smoo...
thly and everyone had what they needed. The food was amazing, the display's we got were beautifully set-up, and the staff was attentive. All of our guests commented on how attentive the staff were as they ate dinner by asking them if they needed anything and making sure everyone was satisfied with their meal. It made us so happy to know that our guests were being taken care of. It was above and beyond of them and we couldn't of been happier with the team.
Aside from the wedding day the team that helped us pick our food, promptly replied to us with any questions, and helped with the rental needs as well. This was our first time working with a caterer and we felt that the process was easy and organized thanks to them!
We got SO many compliments on how delicious the food was at our wedding. Kevin, Lauren and the
Rocky Top team really went above and beyond to make sure everything was perfect. Lead...
ing up to the
wedding Lauren was constantly in touch with me, working hard on special requests I had and pulling
more than her weight when my brain went to wedding mush. The day of the wedding the Rocky Top
team made sure that my husband and I actually got to eat, putting food and drink in front of us without
us having to ask. Not only did they provide us with amazing food and people to take care of us, but the
bartenders we had were amazing. They made sure to save me the drinks I had specifically requested and
when asked to stay two hours later at the time they were supposed to leave they were happy to. They
were so nice that they probably ended up in more conversations with our wedding guests then they
thought they would. I can’t say enough good things about them, about Kevin and Lauren, and about
everyone at Rocky Top Catering.
The best food and they were so kind and easy to work with! We are still getting compliments from friends and family!
Rocky Top and their catering staff brought our event to the next level. Our experience with them was nothing short of incredible. Their food was to die for and they accommodated ev...
ery one of our needs. Our guests are still raving about their chicken and waffle appetizers.
The food was delicious and the service was amazing!
Wonderful food. Great service. Pleasant communication with Kevin. Thankful for their service for our wedding.
We recently used Rocky Top Catering for our 150 guest wedding. We had so many compliments on the food and the desserts! We loved how large their menu was when looking for options a...
nd we appreciated all the thought and effort that Jeff put into looking at our choices and coming up with the best choices to sample. We so appreciated getting leftovers to take home and enjoy the day after the wedding! Everything is so delicious here!
Delicious food and great service! After our tasting we knew we wanted to have Rocky Top cater our wedding. Jeff was easy to work with and super helpful! We had three menu options: ...
fish, chicken and steak. Our guests loved every option we had! My husband and I also appreciated that Rocky Top send us home with some extra food so we could have all our menu options!
5 stars across the board! Everything from the initial interaction with rocky top has been has amazing! They were organized and professional, friendly, and so accommodating. The sta...
ff on site (particularly Justin!) was so attentive! Always making sure us and the wedding party had food and drinks. And the food of course was PHENOMENAL! Can't recommend enough!
Rocky Top did an amazing job for our wedding and reception. The food was fantastic and while we had a few hiccups (nothing major - just misscommunications), they made sure to make ...
it right. I have already recommended them to people I know.
As wedding photographers, we have had our fair share of wedding meals and one of the easiest decisions was hiring Rocky Top for our wedding! Their menu offers a little bit of every...
thing and we loved having the ability to mix and match sides and customize everything to fit our wedding. One of the best parts was the to-go box they packed for us with a little bit of everything. Everyone is still raving about our food and I will continue to recommend Rocky Top to all of my future couples!
From the moment we started planning, my husband and I emphasized the importance of the food. We talked to several caterers who struggled to understand our vision before we found Ro...
cky Top and Vicki, who immediately got it and designed a perfect menu that reflected our desire for a casual vibe, but upscale presentation, through stations of Southern classics and enough carbs to soak up the open bar. We even were able to get oysters on the half shell for our cocktail hour in our budget, which I thought would never happen! Our guests raved about the food and I know no one went home hungry, plus everything was beautifully displayed. There were times throughout the process where it was difficult to get a response to questions and we would have appreciated reminders about payment dates and amounts, but ultimately, the final product was absolutely worth it and we are so glad we went with Rocky Top for our day!
Rocky Top catered our wedding at Merrimon Wynne and it was nothing short of spectacular. From the hors doeuvres to the entrees to the desserts, everything was amazing. The minute...
cocktail hour started, a waiter found my husband and I and set food aside for us. At dinner, the service was amazing and I looked around and saw our guests had eaten every last bite. Throughout the rest of the night and in the days following, guests kept coming up to us complimenting the food and telling us it was the best wedding food they've ever had. I cannot express our gratitude for Rocky Top enough and helping to make our day perfect.
We used Rocky Top Catering for our rehearsal dinner at 1705 East and the food was incredible! Everyone was complimenting it. We had the salmon and short rib! Great service and exce...
llent food. I would definitely recommend them!
We used Rocky Top Catering for our wedding catering since they are affiliated with our venue. The food was delicious! We had a buffet with Southern food, and I’m so glad Rocky Top ...
Catering was able to do it! The food was great and perfect for the atmosphere of our wedding. It really added to the day, and some of our out-of-town guests enjoyed getting to try Southern food at the wedding. I would recommend Rocky Top for wedding catering.
We got married 8/21/2021 and Rocky Top Catering provided superb service! I found Rocky Top through our venue, The Barn of Chapel Hill, as they are a preferred vendor. Knowing that ...
they’ve worked many events there and after reading a ton of positive reviews, my now-husband and I scheduled an in-person tasting (since we live out of state and were unable to attend one of their regularly scheduled open house tastings). We had such an amazing experience and LOVED the food so much that we walked away feeling confident and booked shortly after. The Brown Butter Gnocchi is seriously the best gnocchi we’ve ever had, still to this day. As a former event coordinator myself, I also love that Rocky Top offers bar services, making them a one-stop shop. They were able to accommodate our special requests, including a champagne display for our ceremony, ginger beer (which wasn’t a standard mixer in our bar package), and a dessert table featuring a cutting cake and assorted macarons. On top of this they were also able to make us sheet cakes to cut and serve our guests, and a late night snack of the most delicious chicken and waffles.
Both Kevin and Lauren from Rocky Top were AMAZING to work with and made the entire process stress-free. We had to postpone twice due to COVID, however, Kevin was extremely understanding and made it easy for us to update our date and contract both times. They joined multiple phone calls with our wedding planners leading up to the day in order to sort out final details, and provided outstanding communication. Lauren was on-site the day of and truly made us feel like royalty, bringing us drinks and checking on us throughout the night to see if we needed anything. The entire staff was phenomenal and we received so many compliments from our guests around the food. On top of all of this we also received the most thoughtful gift, showing how above & beyond they go for their clients. Words can’t express how grateful we are for the Rocky Top team, and we highly recommend them to others looking for the same experience!
Contact
5000 Departure Drive, Raleigh, NC
Rocky Top Catering