Where to Eat in Asheville: Craft Beer and the Local Classics

To eat well in Asheville, North Carolina, start with a Haywood Road biscuit, spend an evening at a South Slope or River Arts District brewery, and book one dinner that cooks with Blue Ridge produce. This guide lists 13 restaurants and breweries, all inside the city, all confirmed open on their own sites.

Asheville's food scene rests on three things: craft beer, wild foods such as foraged ramps and mushrooms, and local honey. Explore Asheville, the official visitor bureau, lists all three under its eat and drink pages. Below, each pick says what to order and why.

How we chose

Every place here has an Asheville street address and a current official website or official page that shows it operating. We favoured places known for the topic: breweries that serve real food, kitchens that cook with local produce, and the daily-habit spots locals actually use. Hours change, so the times below are what each official site showed and you should check before you go. We left out places we could not confirm and chains.

What is Asheville known for eating and drinking?

Asheville is known for craft beer, foraged ingredients and mountain-grown produce, and Southern breakfast done with care. The breweries cluster in the South Slope and River Arts District, while the farm-minded dining rooms sit downtown and along Haywood Road in West Asheville.

A wild-foods note worth knowing: ramps, the wild leeks of the southern Appalachians, are a spring forage, and Explore Asheville's wild food foraging guide points to The Market Place in downtown Asheville for pickles and pesto made from local ramps. If you visit outside spring, ask what is in season instead.

Where to start: breakfast and lunch

The fastest way to taste the city is to start the day on Haywood Road in West Asheville. See our West Asheville guide for what is nearby.

1. Biscuit Head, West Asheville

Biscuit Head at 733 Haywood Road, Asheville, serves big biscuits with a list of gravies and toppings. Order the Pulled Pork Biscuit, which its menu builds from pulled pork, jalapeño pimento, bacon, a poached egg and maple syrup. The official site shows it open 8 AM to 2 PM daily, so go early on weekends. Why: it is our go-to Asheville breakfast, and the menu has plenty of range for a group.

2. Mela Indian Restaurant, Downtown

Mela Indian Restaurant at 70 N Lexington Avenue, downtown Asheville, runs a daily lunch buffet from 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM. Dinner is typically 5 PM to 9 PM Sunday through Thursday and until 9:30 PM Friday and Saturday. Order Butter Chicken, which the site features, or Lamb Vindaloo or Saag Paneer from the dinner menu. Why: it is a reliable downtown lunch that is easy on the budget.

Where to eat dinner with mountain ingredients

3. The Market Place, Downtown

The Market Place at 20 Wall Street, downtown Asheville, serves dinner Monday through Saturday, typically 5 PM to 9 PM, and is closed Sunday. Its menus are seasonal and built on produce from nearby farms. Explore Asheville notes that The Market Place's menu features pickles and pesto made from local ramps, so ask what is on in spring. Why: it is the classic downtown farm-to-table dinner, and reservations are offered on its site.

4. Cúrate Bar de Tapas, Downtown

Cúrate Bar de Tapas at 13 Biltmore Avenue, downtown Asheville, is a Spanish tapas bar that cooks with Appalachian produce. Order Patatas Bravas and Gambas al Ajillo, then add Cinco Jotas Jamón Ibérico if you want a splurge. Its menu also lists a seasonal prix fixe, and its Almuerzo brunch menu is served until 4 PM. Why: Spanish technique plus mountain vegetables is, in our view, the most Asheville way to eat tapas.

5. Strada Italiano, Downtown

Strada Italiano at 27 Broadway Street, downtown Asheville, is a regional Italian trattoria. The dinner menu includes bolognese, chicken piccata, spaghetti aglio e olio and pasta alla panna. Its site shows dinner hours that typically start at 3 or 4 PM, depending on the day. Why: it is the comfortable pasta night, and the early opening suits a pre-show meal.

6. The Admiral, West Asheville

The Admiral at 400 Haywood Road, West Asheville, takes reservations through Resy up to 60 days ahead and holds some walk-in tables and bar seats. Foragers who work with Asheville restaurants have named it as a place to taste wild flavors. Check the menu PDF on its site for what is on. Why: it is a long-running chef-driven dinner on the same road as your biscuit.

7. Plant, North of Downtown

Plant at 165 Merrimon Avenue, Asheville, is a vegan restaurant open for dinner and taking Resy reservations. Its sample menu lists dishes such as Lion Steak Tostadas and Masala Uttapam. Plant typically serves dinner from 5 PM Wednesday through Sunday, but check its site for the current nights before you go. Why: mushrooms and vegetables are the whole point here, so it suits anyone who wants the wild-foods side of the city without meat.

Where to drink craft beer (and eat while you do)

The breweries below all serve food or sit next to it. The South Slope guide and the River Arts District guide cover the walkable clusters.

8. Burial Beer Co., South Slope

Burial Beer Co. at 40 Collier Avenue, Asheville, has a full kitchen open typically 12 PM to 9 PM daily, and the taproom is open to 10 or 11 PM. Order the Curve Munich-style pilsner for a clean pint, or look for Griddlecakes, a barrel-aged imperial stout made with coffee, cinnamon, maple and vanilla. Why: the beer and the kitchen are both worth it, so you can have dinner here.

9. Wicked Weed Brewing Brew Pub, Downtown

Wicked Weed Brewing Brew Pub at 91 Biltmore Avenue, downtown Asheville, is a brewpub with a full restaurant, a downstairs taproom, a bottle shop and the original 15-barrel brewery. It typically opens at noon; check the official site for the day's hours. Why: it is the downtown beer stop where you can sit down for a proper dinner.

10. Wicked Weed Funkatorium, South Slope area

Wicked Weed Funkatorium at 147 Coxe Avenue, Asheville, is a taproom for sour and mixed-culture beers, with a German-style beer garden and a wood-fired food menu. Check hours first, since the site did not show a weekly schedule. Why: sours are the style Asheville does differently, and this is a dedicated room for them.

11. Asheville Brewing Company, Coxe Avenue

Asheville Brewing Company at 77 Coxe Avenue, Asheville, serves pizza and comfort food next to the Asheville Yards outdoor music venue; check the official site for current hours. Its second location, at 675 Merrimon Avenue in North Asheville, doubles as a 150-seat dine-in movie theater showing first-run films, so you can eat pizza and drink house beer through a new release. Why: pizza and a pint is the easy group dinner.

12. Green Man Brewery, South Slope

Green Man Brewery runs The Green Mansion at 27 Buxton Avenue, Asheville, typically open noon to 9 PM Sunday through Thursday and noon to 11 PM Friday and Saturday, plus Dirty Jack's next door at 23 Buxton Avenue. The site links a food menu. Why: two rooms on one street make it an easy stop on a South Slope crawl.

13. Wedge Brewing Co., River Arts District

Wedge Brewing Co. has two River Arts District taprooms: Wedge Studios at 37 Paynes Way and the Foundy Street taproom at 5 Foundy Street. Food comes from vendors on site: Trucking Delicious at Wedge Studios serves burgers, patty melts and pimento cheese sandwiches Tuesday through Sunday, and Burger Billy at Foundy Street serves smashburgers Wednesday through Sunday. Why: it is our favourite way to pair a beer with the artists' warehouses nearby.

Save this: a one-day eating route

• Morning: biscuit at Biscuit Head on Haywood Road, West Asheville.
• Lunch: the buffet at Mela Indian Restaurant, downtown, before 2:30 PM.
• Afternoon: a pint of Curve pilsner at Burial Beer Co., South Slope.
• Early evening: sours at Wicked Weed Funkatorium on Coxe Avenue.
• Dinner: The Market Place or Cúrate Bar de Tapas downtown, booked ahead.

For more picks, browse the Asheville food and dining listings and the downtown guide.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Where should I eat in Asheville for the first time?

Start with a biscuit at Biscuit Head on Haywood Road in West Asheville, then book dinner at The Market Place or Cúrate Bar de Tapas downtown. Add one brewery in the South Slope or River Arts District.

What food is Asheville known for?

Asheville is known for craft beer, foraged ingredients such as ramps and mushrooms, local honey and Southern biscuits. Explore Asheville, the official visitor bureau, highlights mountain-made craft beer, ramps and mushrooms, and local honey on its eat and drink pages.

Which Asheville breweries serve real food?

Burial Beer Co. has a full kitchen, Wicked Weed's downtown brewpub is a full restaurant, and Asheville Brewing Company serves pizza. Wedge Brewing Co. has food vendors at both River Arts District taprooms.

Where can I eat ramps in Asheville?

In spring, The Market Place on Wall Street in downtown Asheville is known for pickles and pesto made from local ramps, according to Explore Asheville. Ramps are a spring forage, so outside that season ask what wild ingredients are on the menu instead.

Do I need reservations for dinner in Asheville?

For dinner at places such as The Admiral, Plant and The Market Place, yes, book ahead. The Admiral takes Resy bookings up to 60 days out, and breweries and the Biscuit Head counter generally work on walk-ins.