ASHEVILLE
The 20 Best Asheville Restaurants For 2025
By Eric Barton | March 10, 2025
Most tourists come to Asheville in the summer, when the days are warm, the nights are cool, and the breweries are hopping. Or they come in the fall, when the leaves are changing and there’s a coolness that settles like the fog that lays along the Appalachian valleys. But spring here is gorgeous, a time when the trees begin to bud and flowers pop up from their hibernation.
There’s a bit of a spring rebirth for restaurants too, when the quieter months of winter are in the rear view mirror. This year, springtime in Asheville comes with more meaning, as the city puts behind it those dark days after Hurricane Helene and looks to a hearty return of tourists. The good news for out-of-towners is that most of Asheville’s restaurants survived and even thrived. Yes, we lost some great ones (pour one out for La Bodega, Vivian, and Funkatorium).
But even with those losses, Asheville’s restaurant scene punches well beyond its mid-sized-city weight. So, if you’re looking for the best Asheville restaurants for spring 2025, here’s my list of the 20 best spots in town.
1. Cúrate
13 Biltmore Ave | Website | Instagram
Out of the dozens, maybe hundreds, of times I’ve been to Cúrate, there’s one single visit where things didn’t go perfect. While we had to wait 20 minutes past our reservation time, a manager came over with a free round of appetizers, a ton of apologies, and a reminder of one of the things that makes this place special. Chef and owner Katie Button has infused her restaurant with Southern hospitality just as much as she has authentic Spanish recipes. The result is a place where the knowledgeable servers will graciously lead you through a meal of small plates like clams in a broth that demands being sopped up with crusty bread, leading up to larger ones like the absolutely incredible braised oxtail atop a Spanish tortilla, ending ideally with fried eggplant topped with rosemary ice cream (trust me on this one). I often say Cúrate is my favorite restaurant in the world, and every time I go, I’m reminded why.
2. Pure & Proper
114 E State St | Website | Instagram
Head to Black Mountain for one of the more charming restaurants in the region. Pure & Proper took over a long-neglected gas station, filling the peaked-roof building with charm and warmth. Then chef Jake Whitman built a seasonal menu that both takes chances and nails crowd-pleasers, from an okonomiyaki with roasted lamb belly to a bone-in venison loin on cheesy potatoes.
Restaurants Lost After Helene
• Vivian
• Bottle Riot
• ELDR
• Bold Rock's Taproom
• Geraldine's Bakery
• Little Pearl
• Bun Intended
• RosaBees
• Cultura
• The Exchange
• La Bodega by Cúrate
• White Duck (riverfront)
• Tastee Diner
• Rhubarb
3. Jargon
715 Haywood Rd | Website | Instagram
Owners Shelly and Sean Piper created a West Asheville restaurant that feels both like a neighborhood bistro and a chef-driven hotspot. Drinks and dishes here are both inventive and approachable (not an easy feat), like the Old Fashioned served in a smoked ice sphere and the chicken confit served with pearls of hot sauce. Both the dining room and courtyard out back are charming, but the chef’s counter turns a meal here into dinner theater.
4. Leo’s House of Thirst
1055 Haywood Rd | Website | Instagram
Leo’s House of Thirst is the kind of place where you show up for a casual drink and leave talking about terroir. It’s small, intimate, and lined with a rotating list of natural wines that’ll have even the most devoted beer drinker pretending to detect hints of “wet river stone.” The regularly changing menu always includes lots of small plates like a tinned fish plate, sandwiches like meatloaf and a muffaletta, and larger plates like linguine with clams and Italian sausage. Inside, it’s tight but charming, the kind of cozy that makes you lean in. But if the weather’s right, grab a spot at the picnic tables outside—few places in town make a cool mountain evening feel this effortlessly good.
5. Golden Hour
95 Roberts St | Website | Instagram
The floods after Helene crept into the basement just below Golden Hour, but luckily it reopened just days ago feeling exactly as hip as ever. There’s artwork covering the walls, a big bar in the center, and windows out back that let in that namesake late-day sun. To start, there’s rice pot cornbread, sunburst smoked trout dip, and seriously the best charcuterie board I’ve ever had, full of house-made meats and specialty cheeses. Follow that with a fantastic burger and a roast chicken served with greens that, if you can believe it’s possible, just might be the star of the night.
6. Mother
244 Short Coxe Ave | Website | Instagram
Mother started as a humble bread and wine shop in the River Arts District, but now it’s got a full-blown café on the South Slope, holding its own among the breweries. The menu leans heavily on housemade sourdough, with sandwiches and tartines that change often enough to keep you guessing. But it’s the more composed dishes—maybe a confit duck leg with lentils, celery root purée, and black garlic molasses—that prove this place is more than just a sandwich shop. The wine list leans funky and natural, and the staff knows their stuff, ready to help you find the perfect pairing for that towering meatloaf sandwich you absolutely need to order.
7. Wildwood Still
61 Biltmore Ave | Website | Instagram
The restaurant atop the Moxy hotel in downtown could've taken the easy road: bar food menu, shots for the bachelor parties, simple sports bar decor. Instead the Moxy built what immediately became the best rooftop space in town, with accordion windows and doors that open onto a deck with expansive views of the mountains. The small plates are Asian-influenced and come from Asheville veteran chef Austin Tisdale: an umami-punch of an Asian pear salad, lucious lobster dumplings, and a robata grill menu that goes far beyond simple wood-fired meats. I would’ve loved this place just for the views, but with dishes like this, it’s a new favorite.
8. Chai Pani
32 Banks Ave | Website | Instagram
It had become just too hard to get into Chai Pani until this Asheville mainstay moved to the South Slope into the former Buxton Hall Barbecue space. The vibrant new location looks like the set of a Bollywood wedding, a perfect display for the always colorful and deeply flavorful Indian street food served here. It’s impossible to go wrong with anything Chef Meherwan Irani is cooking, but grilled cheese skewers, a new item since the move, and sloppy jai, essentially Indian sloppy joe sliders, are highlights. More good news: Irani’s order-at-the counter concept Botiwalla took over the old location.
9. All Souls Pizza
175 Clingman Ave | Website | Instagram
I was once halfway up an incline in Bent Creek when I stopped to ask a guy with a strange bag what he was up to. He was a mushroom forager, he told me, for All Souls Pizza, which should tell you about the lengths that this place goes to source local ingredients. Those toppings, like cheeses from North Carolina growers, go on pizzas made from a naturally leavened sourdough that spends days fermenting. Along with them are salads full of things just delivered from farms and reasonably priced wines. If there’s a better way to spend a warm Asheville night under the twinkly lights hanging over All Souls’ picnic benches, I haven’t found it.
10. The Admiral
400 Haywood Rd | Website | Instagram
There’s a reason The Admiral is considered a West Asheville legend. When you pull up, you might think you’re in the wrong place—it’s unassuming, maybe a little too low-key for such a hot spot. But trust me, this is where magic happens. The menu rotates often, so you never quite know what you’re going to get, but it’s always a blend of the unexpected, with dishes that feel both familiar and adventurous at the same time.
11. The Market Place
20 Wall St | Website | Instagram
The Market Place has been around since 1979, which in Asheville restaurant years makes it basically a historic landmark, and its James Beard Awards nomination in 2024 for Outstanding Restaurant in America was a reminder of just how good it is. Chef William Dissen was a champion of farm-to-table before it became a marketing gimmick, and it shows in the menu: Appalachian trout with roasted garlic, perfectly seared scallops, and a rotating cast of seasonal dishes that always feel like they belong exactly where they are. If you want to taste what made Asheville’s restaurant scene what it is today, this is the place.
12. Limones
15 Eagle St | Website | Instagram
Limones is one of those places that you’ll hear about over and over from anyone who’s been to Asheville more than once. Known for its blend of Mexican cuisine with a French influence, this downtown staple delivers on both flavor and charm. Whether it’s brunch or dinner, you’re going to walk away feeling like you’ve discovered a secret—even though the secret’s been out for a while now.
13. Copper Crown
1011 Tunnel Rd | Website | Instagram
Copper Crown doesn’t try to impress you with molecular gastronomy or rare Himalayan spices. Instead, it just serves exceptionally well-executed food, the kind that makes you stop mid-conversation to say, “Wait, this might be my new favorite burger.” The menu is all over the place in the best way possible—house-made pastas, roasted chicken, excellent sandwiches—so it works just as well for a casual Tuesday as it does for a date night.
14. Neng Jr.'s
701 Haywood Rd | Website | Instagram
Chef Silver Iocovozzi's Neng Jr.'s is a vibrant celebration of Filipino cuisine interwoven with Southern influences. The intimate 18-seat establishment offers dishes like lumpia and kinilaw, reflecting a harmonious blend of cultures. The restaurant's ambiance is as colorful and inviting as its menu, making it a must-visit for those seeking a unique dining adventure.
Photo credit: Grace Dickinson
15. Jettie Rae's Oyster House
143 Charlotte St | Website | Instagram
Seafood enthusiasts will find solace at Jettie Rae's, where fresh oysters and a variety of seafood dishes are served in a relaxed, nautical-themed setting. The commitment to sustainability and freshness is evident in every bite, making it a standout in Asheville's culinary offerings. While pricy, there’s nowhere in town that feels more like a Charleston-style low-country garden party.
16. Rocky’s Hot Chicken Shack
1455 Patton Ave | Website | Instagram
Feeling brave? Rocky’s Hot Chicken Shack is where you go when you want your food to fight back a little. Their fried chicken ranges from “mild” to “Mount St. Hellfire,” and yes, that’s the technical term. Go for the hot—it's spicy enough to break a sweat but not so intense that you’ll need a fire extinguisher.
17. Sunny Point Cafe
626 Haywood Rd | Website | Instagram
This West Asheville staple has a regular line that forms on weekend mornings, proof the food is worth waiting for. The massive croissant sandwiches are exactly what you need after a night of exploring Asheville’s many, many breweries. There’s simply not a thing on this menu that misses, but the huevos rancheros are quite simply the best in town.
18. White Duck Taco Shop
12 Biltmore Ave | Website | Instagram
While the floods destroyed the White Duck with its picnic benches along the French Broad, the city luckily still has the downtown location putting out the same tacos and margaritas that turned this into a regional chain. My favorites? I’m partial to the Korean beef bulgogi, Bangkok shrimp, and the carnitas that somehow stuff the flavors of Southern barbecue into a taco.
19. Nine Mile
233 Montford Ave | Website | Instagram
With three locations still going strong in Asheville, Nine Mile takes its name from Bob Marley’s hometown in Jamaica, and the laid-back vibes here are baked in. The menu is unexpectedly massive—pasture-raised chicken, line-caught trout, tuna, and enough seafood to make you forget you’re in the mountains. There’s a solid lineup of rice dishes and pastas, and, in a nobody-does-this-anymore twist, everything comes with a basket of garlic bread and salads with downright terrific house-made dressings. If you’ve got dietary restrictions, the kitchen can tweak almost anything, a sign of just how friendly the staff is at Nine Mile.
20. The S&W Market
56 Patton Ave | Website | Instagram
The historic S&W food hall feels like a culinary theme park, only instead of roller coasters, you get a greatest-hits lineup of Asheville chefs. The fried chicken sandwich from now-closed Buxton Hall survives here at Buxton Chicken Palace. Find biscuit sandwiches and focaccia pizzas from Flour. Farm Dogs stuffs hot dogs with toppings like Salvadoran style slaw, shredded cheddar, mayo, and ketchup. And after taking a sample from the vendors downstairs, head up to the second level to bar spots that oversee the energy below.
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