13 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.

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).

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. 

The lively crowds at this BBQ hot spot range from hippie potters to downtown suits—former president Barack Obama made 12 Bones his first stop on multiple trips to Asheville—who come for the ribs, pulled pork, beef brisket, sweet vinegar slaw, and corn pudding. On a sunny day, grab a seat at the picnic tables outside and take in the murals that cover every wall in the vicinity.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This informal neighborhood spot in Montford serves what it bills as Jamaican food, although the not-too-spicy jerk dishes are served in bowls over linguine or basmati rice. Tofu can be substituted for any meat, and many of the ingredients are from local organic farms. (If you like more heat, ask for the Rasta Fyah hot sauce.) Wine, beer, organic coffees and teas, and Cheerwine, a North Carolina soft drink with a cherry flavor, are among beverage offerings. Nine Mile has a second location in West Asheville.

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.

Sunny Point serves food that's simple, well prepared, and not too expensive. Herbs and some veggies come from the restaurant's organic garden next door. Don't pass up the shrimp and grits or meat loaf (regular or vegetarian) with buttermilk mashed potatoes and sautéed greens.