6 Best Restaurants in Asheville, North Carolina

Breakfast is the champ at this bright and airy in-demand spot for biscuits, smashed avocado toast, and frittatas, but it's also worth a visit later in the day for delicious bites like fried halloumi with honey and capers.

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.

Entrées such as pecan-crusted mountain trout with ginger sweet potatoes grace the frequently changing new American menu at this charmingly renovated Victorian cottage with wood floors, plaster walls painted in serene colors, and a fireplace in one dining room.

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.

One of Asheville's hottest dinner spots, this neighborhood tavern serves elevated but approachable fare like pork schnitzel with fennel salad and striped bass with harissa. 

The emphasis is on the cooking at this dimly lit, painted-cinder-block eatery that blends French techniques with Southern ingredients like mountain trout and North Carolina shrimp. Vivian's service is top-notch, making it ideal for a date night.