Best Restaurants in Asheville: My Top Picks After 10+ Years of Eating There

Nine Mile – A Caribbean-Inspired Asheville Favorite With Tons of Vegetarian Options

Nine Mile is a Caribbean restaurant with three locations (my personal favorite is the Montford location!). II’ve been coming here for over a decade, and it’s still one of my all-time favorites.

The best part about Nine Mile? It’s one of the best vegetarian-friendly restaurants in Asheville. You can replace a lot of the meat options with jerk tofu. And this isn’t some flavorless tofu slapped on top as an afterthought. The tofu is truly some of the best I’ve ever had and is bursting with flavor with unreal texture.

Portions are massive so my husband and I usually share an appetizer and a main and sometimes we still don’t finish it all. Each main also comes with a side of bread and a salad. 

Every time we go, we order the same thing because why mess with perfection? We start with the Reggae Mylitis nachos, loaded with black beans, tomato mango chipotle salsa, smoked gouda chipotle queso. We always “Big Up” them, which adds bell pepper, jalapeño, tomato, and green onion. They are truly the perfect nachos.

Then there’s The Meschach — sautéed mushrooms, bell peppers, grape tomatoes, in a white cream sauce over cavatappi. I’ve ordered it every time for 10+ years and I am still OBSESSED. 

Also for your side salad, I highly recommend His Majesty’s dressing, a sesame garlic tahini that is just true perfection. You can thank me later.

Jargon – West Asheville’s Intimate Spot for Elevated Dining and Exceptional Cocktails

This is the newest addition to the list and I am almost kicking myself that I haven’t been sooner because this restaurant is phenomenal. We will 100% be going back here on our next trip to Asheville.

In fact, I wrote an entire dedicated review of our experience at Jargon because I didn’t think a blurb in this blog post did it justice. 

Located in West Asheville, this restaurant excels on every level imaginable. The ambiance is exactly what you’d want in a neighborhood restaurant: intimate and cozy. 

Their bar program is exceptional. I had an elevated take on a dirty martini that had olive oil washed gin, peppercorn and herb olive brine, all topped with a blue cheese-stuffed olive and my husband had a spin on an old fashioned that was inside an ice cube that they break at the table. 

And the food. My god. The food. 

The brussels sprouts are hands down the best ones I’ve ever had and the sunchoke agnolotti was so good I almost didn’t share it with my husband.

And for dessert they have a nostalgic take on dipping fries into a Wendy’s frosty. Even if you never tried that as a kid, trust me when I tell you that you have to order it.

Plant – Asheville’s Most Innovative Vegan Restaurant (Even Meat Eaters Will Love It)

The first time we went here we had to go in person a couple of days before and make a reservation since they weren’t answering their phone. Thankfully, they are now on Resy so getting a reservation is easy because trust me this is a restaurant you don’t want to miss.

It is one of my favorite restaurants because they are so innovative with their dishes. Once I had a dish that had “sausage” made out of dates. While I’ve never eaten meat, my husband has and said they nailed the flavor and texture. To me this shows how talented the chef is. Even if you aren’t a vegan, I am confident that you will love this spot.

As a vegetarian, I love cheese so I was skeptical on my first visit here when I ordered the cheese board. Surely, a vegan cheese board couldn’t possibly rival that of a dairy one? I was wrong. The cheese board had me going, “I can’t believe this is vegan!” Honestly, that’s how I’ve felt about most of the dishes I’ve tried there. They really nail buttery and cheesy flavors. Pure talent. I’m telling you.

Their menu does change, so I can’t give you a go to order. That being said, the cheese board and the Picatta have always been on the menu when I’ve visited and I highly recommend both of those. They also usually do some type of ravioli and tostadas and I recommend both of those as well.

Since this is a Resy restaurant, you can use your $50 credit from the American Express Gold or $100 credit from the American Express Platinum to eat here. 

Gypsy Queen Cuisine – Casual Lebanese Street Food With Tons of Plant-Based Options

I wish we had this spot in Charlotte because I would easily go to it on a weekly basis. Gypsy Queen Cuisine features Lebanese street food, and I’m in love with it because they offer vegan and vegetarian versions of their meat dishes — and just have so many plant-based options in general!

I’m a sucker for their M’dardara (lentils and rice cooked with spices, fried onions, and yogurt) and their vegan Not Lamb Shawarma Wrap. I love that they use housemade seitan for the wrap.

I know it’s a hot take, but I’m not the hugest fan of Beyond or Impossible products. I mean, they’re good in a pinch, but nothing is better than a housemade version. And the flavors of both of these dishes are truly unreal.

I also have my eye on the poutine — so if you try it, please report back!

Whether you’re a meat lover or plant-based, definitely don’t skip this spot.

Gourmet Chip Company – My Favorite Quick & Delicious Lunch in Asheville

This is my go-to Asheville lunch spot when I want something quick, easy, and actually delicious.

They make hand-crafted artisanal chips and gourmet pressed paninis aka the perfect lunch food.

I have tried so many of their chips over the years and I honestly recommend them all. It’s up to you and what flavors you like but just to give you an idea here are some of their standouts:

• The Belgium: Sweet potato chips with belgian dark and milk chocolate and sea salt
• The Napa: Kettle style potato chips with a lavender honey drizzle, bleu cheese, and sea salt
• The Parisian: Kettle style chips, white truffle, rosemary & thyme, goat cheese, and sea salt

Are you salivating? I sure am.

They also, of course, have the more standard flavors too. Each panini comes with a choice of Plain Salt, Southern BBQ, or Salt & Pepper or you can upgrade to the gourmet chips (like the ones I listed above) for an additional charge.

My go to sandwich is the Pressed Cuban where I sub out the pork for grilled herb tofu. It has swiss cheese, dill pickles, plantains, and a local Asheville mustard. It hits the spot every single time.

Chai Pani – Indian Street Food Packed With Flavor

This spot has blown up since the first time I visited 10+ years ago and for good reason. It’s a great way to try street food from all over India. 

I’ll admit, it took me a while to try this restaurant. As an Indian-American, I usually skip Indian restaurants since my mom is such an incredible cook and the food you find in Indian restaurants is typically heavy, the same dishes over and over again, and I’m usually just left disappointed.

But Chai Pani had me hooked from the moment I tried their okra fries—something I had personally never seen on an Indian restaurant menu. Okra features prominently in Indian cuisine, but I loved Chai Pani’s take on it. Crispy, flavorful, and completely addictive.

The rest of the dishes nail the flavor and there are still so many I need to go back and try!