Unmissable Restaurants In Asheville North Carolina

Asheville is the coolest North Carolina town you’ve never heard about. The locals are warm and inviting and there are great local restaurants to visit. We check out the best places to eat in the area.

The Local Joint

You might miss this place as you’re driving out of town. The Local Joint stands, unassumingly, alongside a small gas station. A chalkboard taller than you are is littered with the dozens of different local vendors they get their ingredients from. Every dish brought to your table is fresh and locally grown. The same goes for their beers, wines and spirits.

The Local Joint, 1185 Charlotte Hwy, Fairview, NC, USA, +1 828-338-0469

1. Tupelo Honey Cafe

Cafe, Restaurant, American

If you’ve been to Asheville, you already know about Tupelo Honey Cafe. It’s often the first place recommended to visitors and there is a good reason for that. The food is unbelievable, offering an imaginative twist on Southern comfort food. Their Bloody Marys are strong enough to leave you needing another the next morning. The staff, much like most people in Asheville, are so friendly and helpful, you’ll want to invite them all out for drink that night. Not only will they come out, they’ll send you off with a handwritten list of all the best bars in town.

2. Battery Park Book Exchange and Champagne Club

Bookstore, Park

Battery Park Book Exchange and Champagne Bar is exactly what it sounds like. This multi-level space is stacked floor to ceiling with used books to browse through, worn and dusty, filled with that intoxicating old book smell. Hidden between the crowded bookcases and around narrow corners, you’ll find huge plush couches to lounge on. Enjoy a bottle of champagne as you discuss the works of Nietzsche or Chomsky and pretend you know what you’re talking about.

3. Laughing Seed Café

Cafe, American, Cuban, Vegetarian

Three words – vegetarian Cuban sandwich. If you happen to be one of the rare vegetarian Cuban Americans who have made the bold decision to abstain from pork consumption, this sandwich is your saving grace. Typically, this sandwich is a masterpiece of flaky Cuban bread pressed together with a filling of ham, pork, swiss cheese, mustard and pickles. Laughing Seed Cafe made a few adjustments. They replaced the ham and pork with perfectly prepared tempeh and added a fresh black bean spread.

4. Over Easy Café

Restaurant, American, Vegan

Over Easy Cafe knows how to do brunch. Wild flowers adorn every table and coffee is being poured as soon as you take your seat. They have scramble bowls bigger than your head, mile-high pancake stacks drizzled with fruit and syrup and bottomless mason jars of fresh mango mimosas. There isn’t a better way to spend your hung-over Sunday morning in Asheville.

5. Izzy’s Coffee Den

Cafe, American

If you need a quick caffeine bump after all that day drinking, Izzy’s Coffee Den will do the trick. Izzy’s is a tiny coffee shop hidden among the thrift shops and record stores of Lexington Avenue. As their website boasts, ‘All are welcome at Izzy’s’. Work from local artists fill the walls while an expertly crafted playlist fills the space with sound. Free wi-fi also flutters through the air. DSC00211 | © seasmoked/Flickr

6. Mayfel's

Mayfel’s

Mayfel’s serves up Southern hospitality. Located in the heart of downtown Asheville, Mayfel’s is known for its eclectic atmosphere, reminiscent of the New Orleans French Quarter. Live music and performances, both day and night, entertain patrons as they enjoy Southern classics like catfish po’boys and collard greens.

Mayfel’s, 22 College St, Asheville, NC, USA, +1 828-252-8840

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.