Top 5 Food Experiences in Asheville, North Carolina
As busy parents of teenagers, my husband and I make a point to get away by ourselves for our own vacations at least once a year. Summer of 2014 found us in Asheville. For me, the memory of a place is almost always tied to the smells and tastes of the foods I ate. When I remember that week, I instantly think of the restaurants where we ate and I can almost taste the food again. Time for another road trip!
1. Zambra tapas restaurant
Our first night in Asheville, the weather was perfect and the food at Zambra was divine. We sat in the alley beside the restaurant, quiet and secluded but also funky and romantic. We ordered 8-10 different things and shared them all. Truly one of the best meals I have ever had. A must if you visit Asheville!
$$$
85 Walnut St., Asheville,
(828) 232-1060
2. Chai Pani
I have a confession to make - I have lived in the south 25 years but don't like okra. That is, until I ate okra at Chai Pani. They slice it paper thin and fry it until it's crispy, like onion straws. My husband and I liked this place so much and kept telling our girls about our delicious meal there. We recently took them to Asheville and we went there again. It was still as delicious as we remembered. And yes, we ordered the okra again. We ordered half portions of several appetizers to share and then had several main dishes to share. The Indian food here is some of the best I have ever had. The food in innovative, the atmosphere is unpretentious and the photos on the walls are striking.
$$
22 Battery Park Ave, Asheville, NC
(828) 254-4003
http://www.chaipaniasheville.com/
3. Asheville Food Tours
This was our first food tour and definitely won't be the last. We really enjoyed getting to sample so many different restaurants around downtown Asheville. It's also fun to get to know other people on the tour with you. We started with Mela indian buffet, then had White Duck Taco, an Italian place, sampled olive oil at Olive & Kickin, had sliders, fries and root beer at Farm Burger, Chestnut, and finished with a free piece of chocolate at The Chocolate Fetish. $44 is very reasonable for this experience. This is a must when you visit Asheville!
$$$
One Page Avenue, Asheville, NC
https://ashevillefoodtours.com/partners/
The hotel breakfast was good, but after several days of the same thing, we wanted something different. Looked online for best breakfast in Asheville and found Sunny Point. Glad we did. It was deliciosa! I ordered the huevos rancheros. I think my husband was jealous because my food was so good. I can still remember my taste buds doing the happy dance with every bite. We sat on thecovered porch. Nice weather, pleasant meal with my husband and delicious food. Highly recommend it. Very reasonably priced.
$$
626 Haywood Rd, West Asheville, NC
(828) 252-0055
4. Highland Brewing free tour
My husband really enjoys good beer; drinking it, talking about it, buying it, learning how it's made, you get the picture. So we thoroughly enjoyed the free tour at Highland Brewing. Interesting story about how it started, nice people, and great beer. The craft beer scene is really thriving in Asheville, in large part due to Highland.
(free)
12 Old Charlotte Highway, Asheville, NC
(828) 299-7223
http://www.highlandbrewing.com/brewery-tours