I love to eat out. I think mostly because I covet the break I get when someone else is doing the cooking 🙂 I love trying new food, new flavors, new cocktails, all of it. When we go anywhere, the restaurant list is a dedicated evening strategy session… we take it very seriously. Our list of Asheville restaurants took us 2 days to figure out. Five restaurants and four #GoThere recommendations…Are you ready to book some reservations??
Our List of Asheville Foodie Experiences:
Honest reviews only! I am no food critic, just a suburban mom of 4 who truly enjoys food cooked by others….such a treat! I believe in telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth…and if I recommend it, I stand behind it. So, here we go:
1. Biscuit Head
Their tagline is “Put Some South in Your Mouth”….and I was sold. These biscuits aren’t JUST biscuits…they come smothered with amazing gravies – 5 gravies to choose from, actually. It was hard to decide which ones we wanted. They have a laundry list of delicious sides like Fried Chicken, Sriracha Maple Sausage, and Fried Green Tomatoes….is your mouth watering yet?? This is my Food, and the South are my people. I am happiest when we are vacationing in the South eating all day long. This was a foodie experience, one that I hope to do again in the near future. The menu is simple and perfect…I hope you can plan a delicious breakfast or lunch with a plate full of their homemade biscuits and finger-lickin’ toppings and sides. There was more food than we could eat…we also ordered quite a bit to sample as much as possible. My favorites were the fried green tomatoes and the biscuits with the Espresso Red Eye Gravy 🙂 Biscuit Head has multiple locations in Asheville….We need some of these in Illinois! #GoThere
2. Tupelo Honey
Anytime we are in the South and there is a Tupelo Honey close by, we go…. and here’s why. The menu is superb. If you are looking for thick french toast, smothered in bacon pieces and candied walnuts, oh…and smothered in maple syrup and dripping with butter, and maybe stuffed with cream cheese, with a side of fried chicken and buttermilk waffles…Tupelo is your place. I know that’s a lot (of food), but my point is…you can do that here 🙂 It’s all good, so why not order what you want? We have been known to order an extra entree just because we HAVE to. This menu does not disappoint. My first experience with Tupelo Honey was in Atlanta and I’ve been hypnotized by its foodie-greatness ever since. We had breakfast in Asheville on Valentines Day here, it.was.wonderful. We ordered all the things…. cheesy grits, southern-style eggs benedict, blueberry pancakes. Be sure to make a reservation, even for breakfast…We’re not the only humans who think this place is spectacular! #GoThere
3. Jargon
Amazing. I’ll just start with that. Jargon is very cute but small inside. You should definitely make a reservation well in advance to get a table. We went in February of 2021 and it was full. The vibe there was lively and full of energy, everyone was having a great time. The bar was tiny, but made exceptional drinks!! Their chef promotes using local seasonal ingredients, so what was on the menu last week may not be this week. I love restaurants like this, you know that what you’re getting was hand-crafted and FRESH. We enjoyed a few shareables, some delicious cocktails, and then our entrees. Excellent meal and excellent service. #GoThere
4. The Lobster Trap
We have a thing for seafood, and a super huge thing for lobster. I was blown away by the food we ordered. A lot of places offer seafood on their menu, but not everyone knows how to cook it. Lobster Trap was one of the best seafood dinners I have ever had. Nate and I started with a dozen oysters. Then…we both ordered lobster, crab and scallops served on a big, wooden cutting board. It was grilled to perfection. I’m pretty sure we ate without speaking, the food was that good. The kitchen is open, too, which is very cool to see everyone grilling and plating food. Great atmosphere, great food. It is pricey, so know that before booking. I personally felt like it was worth the expense. Total satisfaction. Don’t we look happy?? 🙂 🙂 🙂 #GoThere
5. Rhubarb
This restaurant is located in downtown Asheville. It boasts a farm-to-table dining experience. Rhubarb was the only restaurant we weren’t thrilled about afterwards. The menu looked great, and the ambience inside was also nice. This place also had a small menu like Jargon which I prefer. Do a few things exceptionally well vs. trying to do everything sub par. Fresh ingredients and creative food combinations are what you’ll find here. What was disappointing for us was the texture and flavor, or lack of flavor, with the food. The two appetizers we ordered were heavy with bread, which we didn’t realize when we ordered. For us, not ideal as we don’t ever want to fill up so that we don’t find our dinner appetizing. Overall though, the flavor was just ok. We were both left thinking “well, we tried it.” I honestly wouldn’t recommend it to someone planning a food-cation to Asheville. I think their menu changes often so the food we ordered is likely no more. And, not to say someone who eats there next week couldn’t have an amazing flavorful experience, we just didn’t when we were there. Worth checking out though, the farm-to-table concept is one that gets me every time!
We are always looking for recommendations, too! So please comment below if there is a hidden gem in Asheville we should know about. We will certainly be back, it’s only an hour and 20 minute flight for us.
If you are planning a getaway to Asheville, we hope this blog post gives you some insight on what restaurants to check out!
Again, we aren’t food experts by any means, we just appreciate a fabulous meal! When we escape to some place new, our time is limited and we have to make our meals count.
Travel safe and EAT WELL
Heather and Nate
#GoAdventure!
Welcome to our Book of Adventures 