Eat in Downtown, Asheville

Cúrate

• ★ 4.9
• Spanish Tapas

Order Pintxos, tapas and raciones, plus the daily paella lunch special.

Cúrate is a Spanish tapas restaurant at 13 Biltmore Ave in Asheville, with pintxos, raciones and daily paella lunch specials from Chef Katie Button.

The Market Place

• ★ 4.8
• American

Order The seasonal menu, which follows what is fresh from the local farms.

The Market Place serves American farm-to-table cuisine from Chef William Dissen on Historic Wall Street in Asheville, for dinner Monday through Saturday.

Luminosa

• ★ 4.8
• Italian, Wood-fired
• $$

Order Wood-fired pizza, or the bucatini with summer squash, ricotta salata and chili breadcrumb.

Luminosa is an Italian restaurant in The Flat Iron Hotel at 20 Battery Park Ave, where a wood-burning oven fires handmade pizzas and house made pastas.

Posana

• ★ 4.5
• New American

Posana is a New American restaurant at 1 Biltmore Ave in Asheville, with a patio for outdoor dining and a private dining space for larger groups.

Heiwa Shokudo

• ★ 4.3
• Japanese

Order The popular vegan rolls: Sweetie Pie, Bibimpap, and Spicy Garlic Tofu or Eggplant.

Heiwa Shokudo is a traditional Japanese restaurant at 87 N Lexington Ave in Asheville, run by a Japanese owner, with dine in and take out service.

Mela Indian Restaurant

• ★ 4.2
• Indian, Regional

Order The lunch buffet, with chicken and naan from the tandoor oven, raita and seasonal vegetarian dishes.

Mela serves North and South Indian food made from scratch on Lexington Avenue in downtown Asheville, with a daily lunch buffet from 11:30AM to 2:30PM.

Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen and Bar

• ★ 4.2
• Southern, All-day

Order The famous fried chicken, with homemade biscuits.

Tupelo Honey's flagship Southern Kitchen & Bar at 12 College St is in downtown Asheville across from Pritchard Park, serving brunch, lunch and dinner.

Early Girl Eatery

• ★ 4.4
• Southern, Farm-to-table

Order A classic Southern breakfast, with all the food made in house.

Early Girl Eatery has served farm-to-table food on Wall Street in downtown Asheville since 2001, steps from Pack Square, with a classic Southern breakfast.

Sovereign Remedies

• ★ 4.5

Order A seasonal, locally inspired plate to share, with a house cocktail made from small-batch spirits.

Sovereign Remedies is a craft cocktail bar and restaurant at 29 N Market St in downtown Asheville, serving seasonal dishes and late-night food.

Buxton Chicken Palace

• ★ 4.3
• Fried Chicken

Order The Original Chicken Sandwich, with a Bourbon Cheerwine slushy.

Buxton Chicken Palace at 56 Patton Ave in Asheville is an independent fast food restaurant serving fried chicken sandwiches and tender trays.

Botiwalla by Chai Pani

• ★ 4.4
• Indian Kababs and Street Grills

Order Grilled meats and flatbreads, as served at the late-night street grills (sigris) that inspired it.

Botiwalla by Chai Pani at 22 Battery Park Ave is Chef Meherwan Irani's Indian street grill, inspired by Irani cafés and late-night street grills.

Strada Italiano

• ★ 4.3
• Italian

Order The house-made pasta, such as the rich bolognese or the spaghetti aglio é olio.

Strada Italiano at 27 Broadway St serves authentic, regional Italian cuisine and house-made pasta in a cozy old world-style trattoria in downtown Asheville.

White Duck Taco Shop

• ★ 4.3
• Taqueria

Order Build a plate of the world-inspired a la carte tacos, then add a margarita.

White Duck Taco Shop at 12 Biltmore Ave serves a la carte tacos inspired by world cuisine and American flavors, with beer, margaritas and mixed drinks.

Farm Burger

• ★ 4.1
• Burgers

Order A grassfed burger, paired with rings and fries or a handmade shake.

Farm Burger, at 10 Patton Ave in Asheville, serves 100% grassfed, grass-finished beef burgers made without GMOs, hormones and antibiotics, from a simple menu.

Rosetta's Kitchen

• ★ 4.3
• Vegan

Order Creative vegetarian and vegan soul foods, with healthy locally sourced dishes at affordable prices.

Rosetta's Kitchen is a vegan and vegetarian restaurant on North Lexington Avenue in downtown Asheville, open since 2002, with local and organic whole food.

Twisted Crepe

• ★ 4.0

Twisted Crepe is located at 62 Haywood St in Asheville.

High Five Coffee Rankin

• ★ 4.5

High Five Coffee at 13 Rankin Avenue in downtown Asheville opened in the summer of 2015, with exposed brick, hardwood floors and a giant window.

Rowan Coffee

• ★ 4.8
• $

Rowan Coffee on Broadway in downtown Asheville is a specialty espresso bar, with multi-roaster pour-overs and retail beans from Counter to take home.

Summit Coffee

• ★ 4.3

Summit Coffee Grove Arcade, at 1 Page Ave, is a neighborhood coffee shop serving quality coffee and seasonal drinks, with both indoor and outdoor seating.

Old Europe Pastries

• ★ 4.6

Order Espresso with locally roasted Dynamite Coffee

Old Europe Pastries, founded in 1994 and now at 18 Broadway St, serves European-style pastries and espresso made with Dynamite Coffee from Black Mountain.

The Times Bar and Coffee Shop

• ★ 4.2

The Times Bar and Coffee Shop, at 56 Patton Ave, serves handcrafted coffee and cocktails in a historic Art Deco building, with seasonal menus every 3 months.

Double D's Coffee and Desserts

• ★ 4.2

Double D's Coffee and Desserts at 41 Biltmore Ave is a double-decker coffee bus serving fancy drinks and treats, with coffee roasted locally by Notorious.

French Broad Chocolate Lounge

• ★ 4.2

French Broad Chocolate Lounge, in Pack Square in downtown Asheville, offers vegan and gluten-free choices and chocolate made in its own Chocolate Factory.

Summit Coffee Co

• ★ 4.1
• Coffee roaster

Summit Coffee Grove Arcade is a neighborhood coffee shop at 1 Page Avenue, Suite 148 in downtown Asheville, attached to the Grove Arcade building.

Battery Park Book Exchange and Champagne Bar

• ★ 4.6

Battery Park Book Exchange & Champagne Bar is a cafe, wine bar and bookstore at the historic Grove Arcade, with literary themed sparkling cocktails.

5 Walnut Wine Bar

• ★ 4.4

5 Walnut Wine Bar is a wine bar at 5 W Walnut St in Asheville that keeps a live music calendar and takes inquiries about the bar and private events.

WALLS Wine Bar

• ★ 4.3

WALLS Wine Bar at the Benjamin Walls Gallery on Broadway Street offers exceptional wines by the taste, glass or bottle, an art and wine experience.

Botanist and Barrel Tasting Bar

• ★ 4.4

Botanist and Barrel Tasting Bar at 32 Broadway St in Asheville is a playful indoor space from a cidery and winery that calls it the nerdiest bar in the South.

The Crow and Quill

• ★ 4.5
• Craft cocktail bar

Drink Seasonal cocktails

The Crow and Quill is a craft cocktail bar at 106 N Lexington Ave in downtown Asheville, filled with antiques, over 800 whiskeys and over 1,200 spirits.

The Times Bar at S and W Market

• ★ 4.2
• Coffee and cocktail bar

Drink Pumpkin rosemary latte

The Times Bar at 56 Patton Ave in Asheville is a coffee and cocktail bar in a historic Art Deco building, with seasonal menus every 3 months.

Wicked Weed Brewpub

• ★ 4.1
• Brew pub with beer garden

Drink Freak imperial IPA

Wicked Weed Brewpub at 91 Biltmore Ave in Asheville is the original home of Wicked Weed Brewing, with a full restaurant and downstairs tap room.

DSSOLVR

• ★ 4.3
• Brewery and taproom

DSSOLVR is a brewery, taproom and kitchen at 63 N Lexington Ave in downtown Asheville, with wine, cider, mead and non-alcoholic drinks besides beer.

The Social Lounge at Strada

• ★ 4.0
• Rooftop cocktail bar

The Social Lounge at Strada is Asheville's original rooftop cocktail bar at 29 Broadway St, offering an alfresco dining experience next door to Strada.

Asheville City Market

• ★ 4.7
• Market

Asheville City Market is a producer-only Saturday market on North Market Street between Woodfin and Walnut streets in downtown Asheville, since 2008.

S and W Market

• ★ 4.5
• Market

The S and W Market at 56 Patton Ave is a food hall and cocktail bar in a restored 1929 building, with more than 170 indoor seats and a sunny outdoor patio.

Asheville Food Tours

• ★ 4.5

Asheville Food Tours is the Original Walking Food Tour of downtown Asheville, visiting up to seven handpicked restaurants and food shops for tastings, $85 per person.

BREW-ed

• ★ 4.8

BREW-ed runs walking brewery tours in Asheville, led by Cicerone certified beer experts since 2013, with all samples included in the ticket price.

Asheville Restaurant Week

• ★ 4.4

Asheville Restaurant Week runs two weeks each winter, January 20 to 26 and February 17 to 23 in 2026, with participating restaurants offering special menus or pricing.

Goombay Festival

• ★ 4.4

Goombay Festival, hosted by the YMI Cultural Center, takes place each September in Asheville's historic East End, with live performances, DJs, local vendors and food; the 2026 edition ran 11 to 13 September.

Asheville VeganFest (Spring)

• ★ 4.1

Asheville VeganFest, a Vegfest Expos production, brings plant-based vendors to downtown Asheville. The spring edition was listed for Sunday 7 June 2026 and a fall edition is on 25 October 2026.

Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen

• ★ 4.1
• Southern

Try Crispy fried chicken and warm, flaky biscuits

Tupelo Honey's flagship Southern Kitchen & Bar at 12 College St in downtown Asheville, across from Pritchard Park, serves brunch, lunch and dinner.

Suwana's Thai Orchid

• ★ 4.2
• Thai

Suwana's Thai Orchid is a Thai restaurant at 11 Broadway St in Asheville.

Old Europe Pastries (late-night cafe)

• ★ 4.6
• Bakery

Old Europe Pastries is a family owned business at 18 Broadway Street serving pastries, strong espresso drinks and cocktails, in downtown Asheville.

The Rankin Vault

• ★ 4.4
• Burgers

Try Vault Burger of 100% grass-fed beef from Hickory Nut Gap

The Rankin Vault at 7 Rankin Ave opened in July 2008 in the Imperial Life Insurance Building, with a custom walnut bar, local draft beers and patio seating.

The Orange Peel

• ★ 4.6

The Orange Peel at 101 Biltmore Ave is a live music venue that Rolling Stone Magazine named one of the top 5 rock clubs in the nation in 2008.

5 Walnut Wine Bar (live music)

• ★ 4.4

5 Walnut Wine Bar is a wine bar at 5 W Walnut St in Asheville with live music on its calendar, and its Instagram carries the current live music calendar.

O.Henry's

• ★ 4.3

O.Henry's at 237 Haywood St is North Carolina's oldest gay bar, with Drag Queen Night every Saturday and two shows, the first at about 10:30.