12 Best Restaurants in The North Carolina Mountains, North Carolina

Built in a former speakeasy and now adorned with photos of the dogs and horses of hundreds of faithful customers, the wood-fired oven at this trusted favorite works for fancy nights out—ribeye with blue cheese butter or a lamb loin with chimichurri—or a more casual family pizza dinner (opt for the signature pie with local prosciutto and manchego). Appetizer options speak to the breadth of the menu, from mussels in green curry to Thai spring rolls to roasted figs, but all are sourced and prepared with passion and integrity.

Family-owned and friendly, this no-frills lunch buffet is the place for soul food in the Asheville area. Load your plate with fried chicken, catfish, and pork chops, but leave room for classics like collards and mac and cheese.

For an unparalleled experience that will leave you stuffed with Southern goodness, brave the line outside this throwback restaurant (open since 1959 in a former hospital building surrounded by a picket fence and flowers) serving fried chicken, country-fried steak, country ham biscuits, mashed potatoes, green beans, and banana pudding. Platters are delivered to your table family-style, and it's all-you-can-eat for the price of admission.

This little sandwich shop is known for pressed Cubans, roast beef hoagies, and corned beef on rye, or you can opt for a bowl of chili. While you're waiting, explore the old service station memorabilia. There's a small dining room, or take it to-go. 

This newcomer to Cherokee's dining options was an immediate hit, with entrées like roasted blackberry chicken and peanut-crusted trout with shrimp Florentine sauce that go beyond much of the basic fare available in town. They outsource their Native Brews label, but it's the place to find a craft IPA or stout in a place that only legalized alcohol sales in 2021. 

Don't let the strip mall location fool you—the husband-and-wife team behind this upscale butcher and seafood market produces the best lunch in the area, from grouper or jumbo lump crab sliders to tempura tilefish, all sourced directly from fishermen and farmers.

Order a platter of pulled pork with slaw, baked beans, or mac and cheese to enjoy while a bluegrass band plays mountain music on the rustic stage at this classic roadside barbecue joint. Bands play both the lunch and dinner shift, and local folk artists display their work in the gift shop and at the museum-like 87 Ruffin Street Gallery next door.

Downtown Hendersonville's best restaurant occupies a former bank, with soaring ceilings and a wine cellar in the former vault. The chef-owned kitchen offers an approachable menu of braised pork shanks and seared scallops, with a sharing menu spanning from spaghetti squash hush puppies to pate with ginger and local honey.

This casual restaurant serves delicious Southern comfort food like country fried steak, shrimp and grits, and blackberry barbecue short ribs. Business bustles at lunchtime for favorites like the pimento cheese fried chicken club.

Thin-crust pizzas made from organic flour are the specialty at this lively eatery that also serves a range of creative pasta and entrees like a roasted root bowl. Try out eclectic pizza toppings like roasted salmon, butternut squash, and sweet onion marmalade. The open-air patio is especially popular.

This bustling bistro transforms from a coffee shop into a cocktail bar after hours. Stop in for a to-go cappuccino, or stay awhile amidst the calming greenery for smashed avocado toast topped with a farm egg. 

Although the menu ranges from garam masala curry to sweet potato enchiladas to meatloaf with mashed potatoes, Wild Craft's common denominators are responsible, local sourcing and creativity in the kitchen. Much of the menu accommodates vegans and gluten-free diners, but every dish remains flavor-forward. Sit inside the small dining room or on the covered patio out front.