Eating and Drinking in Asheville, NC
Inn at Biltmore Estate, our digs for a long weekend in Asheville
A month ago, my husband and I went away for what was our first vacation alone together since I was pregnant with our little guy in 2011. Since I’m still not ready to go too far away for too many days, Asheville seemed like a good spot for us. Although Ravi grew up fairly near there, he hadn’t been since he was a kid, and I had never been before. (which is crazy since it’s a pretty easy drive from Nashville!)
Asheville had been on the front of my ‘to travel to’ list since last winter when, as I was sweating away on the arc trainer at the Y, I read all about their food and drink scene in Food & Wine magazine. (side note: everyone knows that working out while reading food magazines is the best motivation to burn more calories, right?)
From that article, I began putting together my list of places to try while visiting. In the weeks leading up to the trip, I gathered more intel from Sweet Betweens and a few others on Twitter. What follows is every restaurant and bar we visited and recommend. Some were, of course, more impressive than others, but all are worth checking out.
EAT Asheville
Cúrate Tapas Bar
11 Biltmore Ave
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 239-2946
Rebujito cocktail at Cúrate Asheville – manzanilla sherry, bitter lemon, mint
Cúrate’s Piquillo peppers stuffed with goat cheese
Cúrate’s sauteed spinach, apples, raisins, and toasted pine nuts
Rhubarb
7 SW Pack Sq
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 785-1503
Wood grilled broccoli rabe at Rhubard – pig bread and pickled red onions
Okay, I’ll be completely honest. This was dining experience was a bit of a letdown because our service was severely lacking. I’m not sure what the issue was – if the server had too many tables or what. All I know is that we sat with empty water glasses for way too long, no one stopped by between courses to check on us, and no one came by to ask if we needed another drink from the bar (which we did).
Our food came out fast, so I can at least say they were efficient with that. But we were in and out the door in less than an hour- which for us wasn’t necessarily a good thing. We would’ve liked to savor our food a bit more and enjoy another drink.
All that said, the food was great. The broccoli rabe, grilled lamb ribs with collard green kimchee and goat cheese gnudi are all dishes I’d love to have again. Despite the service hiccup, I’d be willing to give Rhubarb another shot.
Rhubard’s goat cheese gnudi
roasted shallots, local mushrooms, yellow branch cheese, wood grilled radicchio, toasted pumpkin seeds
The Admiral
400 Haywood Rd
Asheville, NC 28806
(828) 252-2541
The Admiral is a do not miss when in Asheville!



Biscuit Head
733 Haywood Rd
Asheville, NC 28806
(828) 333-5145
Two words: Butter Bar.
Yes, Biscuit Head has a butter and jelly/jam bar that is insanely ridiculous. I learned a trick while dining on this first visit that I can now pass along to you. Order one of the biscuit sandwiches, but ask them to put all of the toppings on only one side of the biscuit.
You need that other half of the biscuit to partake in the butter bar. You can thank me later. (and thank the local that I overhead sharing this tip with her friend. Only wish I’d heard her BEFORE I ordered so I didn’t have to scrape all kinds of stuff off one half of my biscuit)

Biscuit Head Asheville’s Butter Bar Selection
White Duck Taco
1 Roberts St #101
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 258-1660
If you’re looking for a casual lunch spot in Asheville, White Duck Taco is a fun place to go. It’s a little off the beaten path, but that definitely doesn’t seem to deter anyone, as there was a long line out the door before, during and after we left!
Bangkok Shrimp Taco at White Duck Taco Shop
French Broad Chocolate Lounge
10 S Lexington Ave
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 252-4181
On our first night in town around 9 pm, we walked past French Broad Chocolate Lounge and saw an incredibly long line snaked out the door and down the street. I knew this place was popular, but until I saw that, I didn’t realize just how popular. We weren’t in the mood for dessert at that moment anyway, but I was glad that I saw the line because it made me readjust my thinking about when we would visit. I’d planned to try it out after dinner the next night, but instead decided to hit it mid afternoon on Saturday instead.
Perfect plan! When we got there around 3 pm, there were a few people inside waiting to order, but the line moved quickly and we got our coffee, cookie, and tart within a few minutes of arriving. So keep that in mind for your visit. Daytime desserting is better than late night desserting!
DRINK Asheville
Wicked Weed Brewing
91 Biltmore Ave
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 575-9599

I’m not a huge beer drinker, but Asheville is a beer brewing town, so I wanted to try at least one of the breweries. Wicked Weed seemed to be the most highly recommended, and it turns out, there’s a good reason.
I love this place. Fire pit outside, a giant mural of King Henry the VIII inside and a high alcohol beer aged in whiskey barrels for 4 months. What’s not to love?
Troy & Sons Old Fashion at Wicked Weed Asheville – dare I say THE BEST beer I’ve ever had?!?
The 9.8% old ale brewed with sweet cherries and orange zest, then aged in whiskey barrels for 4 months to capture the essence of an old fashion.
MG Road
19 Wall St
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 254-4363
MG Road is the basement bar and lounge of Chai Pani, an Indian street food joint. The cocktail list contains interesting ingredients like lemongrass, cardamom, and sabji masala, just to name a few. Really cool, relaxed vibe.
The Imperial Life
48 College St
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 254-8980

The Imperial Life bar in Asheville, NC
Oh, this place. For a cocktail lover like me, it’s a MUST.
I won’t say how many drinks I ordered, but I’ll tell you that every one was fantastic. My evening ended with a request for a “bartender’s choice” dessert drink, which turned out to be a Bourbon Milk Punch, something I’d never had before. It is also something that I will now be having often.
Bourbon Milk Punch at The Imperial Life, Asheville
STAY Asheville
Inn at Biltmore Estate
1 Antler Hill Rd
Asheville, NC 28803
(828) 225-1600
We really enjoyed our stay at the Inn at Biltmore Estate. It’s a little bit of a drive to get into town, but the views and atmosphere are great. It was exactly the kind of place I needed to force me to relax and truly get into vacation mode.

We are only about 45 minutes from Asheville and we go from time to time to shop and eat. Biscuit Head has definitely been on my go-to list. I’ve been wanting to go to Tomato Jam Cafe too, but they are only open during the week. And I really like Luella’s for BBQ. Looks like you hit some great places! I’m putting some of these places on my list for sure!!
I love that no matter how often we go to AVL [which is often, but never often enough!] there’s always a new restaurant or two to discover. I’ve only been to three of these places [french broad, white duck + curate] and look forward to revisiting them *and* finding time to squeeze in a visit to all of the other places you went to as well. Definitely saving this post. Thanks for writing up your visit!
Biscuit Head might be my favorite brunch spot EVER. Love that we hit up so many of the same joints! Next time, you need to add Seven Sows Bourbon & Larder and also Isa’s.
I love Asheville so much. Curate is our favorite. We go to Asheville for our anniversary every year and since we went to Spain on our honeymoon, that is a must stop. Cannot wait to try Biscuit Head!