14 Best Restaurants in Downtown Asheville, Asheville

In 2022, this unassuming storefront Indian street food eatery stunned the culinary world by winning the James Beard Award for Most Outstanding Restaurant in the country. Fortunately, the accolade hasn't changed the laid-back delightful experience of dining here. Chef-owner Meherwan Irani draws inspiration from his hometown near Mumbai in dishes like bhel puri (crispy puffed rice with a tamarind sauce) or chicken pakoras (savory fritters).

If you have the blahs, Cúrate, with its extraordinary authentic tapas and fun atmosphere (they won the 2022 James Beard Award for Best Hospitality—in the country) is the cure. The kitchen showcases the flavors of Spain over two dozen snacks and small plates, with special attention to cured Iberian ham dishes and seafood such as octopus and calamari.

Set in the ground floor of the historic Asheville Citizen Times Building, Citizen Vinyl is one of the South's foremost vinyl record producers. It's also a lounge, bar, coffee shop, and an excellent café, Session. Opt for a chicken salad melt, a breakfast sandwich with fried eggs and chili crisp, or sip a negroni and enjoy the classic playlist. 

A French-style bistro, Bouchon ("cork" in French, and a type of Lyonnaise restaurant) serves simple Gallic comfort food, such as steak frites, bouillabaisse, and a version of chicken cordon bleu in a lemon juice, white wine, and butter reduction. The owner is from Lyon, and the casual spot fills up due to its prime location on Lexington Avenue.

Named after an early-maturing tomato variety, Early Girl Eatery is casually Southern, with a natural twist, as it partners with about two dozen local farms for its farm-to-table cuisine. Breakfast is served all day and includes stacks of multigrain pancakes with organic maple syrup, shrimp and grits, and sausage-and--sweet potato scramble. In 2018, the owners opened a second location at 444 Haywood Road in West Asheville.

With exposed brick walls and antique wood floors, this is a staple haunt for fresh-brewed coffees and teas, plus pastries and free Wi-Fi. There are also locations in North Asheville and Woodfin.

The perfect stop for chic picnic provisions, a memorable lunch, or a lively pintxos (small bar snacks) dinner with friends, fans of Cúrate are thrilled to find many of its specialties available at this sister establishment, including cured meats, cheeses, sangria—even paella. The "La Bodega Experience" is one of the best prix-fixe menus in town.

This vegetarian-vegan eatery is a longtime Asheville favorite on charming Wall Street. The extensive menu ranges from banh mi sandwiches and a vegan sweet potato Reuben to dinner specialties influenced by the flavors of India, Cuba, Thailand, Mexico, and Morocco. There are also several raw entrées.

Three components—a talented chef from Mexico City, locally sourced ingredients, and a San Francisco bistro atmosphere—combine to make this modern Mexican place a standout. Whet your appetite with the ceviche sampler and lobster nachos before going on to the regularly changing list of main dishes like carne asada with a romesco mole.

Rather than specialize in one type of Indian cuisine, Mela offers dishes from across the country. The traditionally prepared tandoori dishes (chicken, shrimp, and lamb) are especially delicious, and at lunch there's an inexpensive buffet.

Old Europe's Hungarian owner creates authentic European pastries, all made fresh daily and complemented by Mountain City coffee (including the city's best cold-brewed iced coffee), owned by an MIT grad who brings a scientific approach to coffee roasting. Asheville's oldest, but arguably most peripatetic, coffeehouse opens early and stays busy until late. Its current location, just north of Pack Square, is close to several new hotels.

A regular on "top restaurants of the South" lists, Rhubarb brings a dose of creative cuisine and local sourcing to a prime location on Pack Square, in a setting that is a charming mix of rusticity and utilitarianism. Hyperimaginative chef-owner John Fleer, a multiple James Beard Award finalist, relishes the unusual, such as rabbit-leek rillettes, octopus salad, and lobster corn dogs. Rhubarb has a little bakery and café, the Bru, around the corner at 10 South Lexington Street. Chef Fleer also operates the Benne on Eagle soul food restaurant at 35 Eagle Street, which mixes traditional Appalachian and Lowcountry cooking.

Sophisticated tapas—think grilled octopus in black ink sauce, pistachio-crusted veal sweetbreads with blackberries, and squash gnocchi—have made Zambra one of the most interesting restaurants in Asheville. Moorish colors, dim lighting, and an underground setting create a romantic atmosphere.