6 Best Restaurants in Asheville, North Carolina

This charming intimate space features handmade shadow-box art from the 1950s, a collection of mirrors, and retro lava lamps above the bar. The menu is equally eclectic, with small and large plates, including deep-fried deviled eggs, calamari in a garlic marinara sauce, roasted octopus with fava beans, duck and andouille gumbo, elk meatballs, and trout with fennel.

BattleCat Coffee Bar is one of the funkiest local coffeehouses in Asheville, in a boldly painted, old wood house with a porch and ample picnic tables that draws those who like the relaxed ambience, free Wi-Fi, and Counter Culture coffee. Tiger Bay Cafe shares the space and kitchen here, serving generous bagel sandwiches and breakfast burritos.

Inspired by the food of Southeast Asia, China, and Japan, Gan Shan West has an eclectic and inventive menu of house-made dumplings, ramen, soups, and noodles. Choose a table in the colorful petite dining room or sit on the breezy patio.

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.

This tiny restaurant disguised as a dive bar helped transform West Asheville into a dining destination. The buzz around their charcuterie program, house-made pasta, and entrées like a confit duck leg continues today.