You probably didn’t read about these restaurants here first: The following five spots get all the attention from travel writers. But don’t let overexposure deter you from paying them a visit: Their unwavering commitment to fresh food and slightly eccentric vibes neatly capture the Asheville experience.
Salsa Mexican-Caribbean
This is what fusion looks like when the chef has the chutzpah to run with it: Salsa, which pops up on nearly every hungry tourist’s can’t-miss list, is Hector Diaz’s jumbled ode to Mexican and Caribbean cuisines. His mixed-up menu of jerk-tofu empanadas and curried-steak enchiladas studded with pumpkin is well deserving of its national fan base.
6 Patton Ave., Asheville/252-9805
Tupelo Honey Café
Asheville residents and visitors alike are sweet on Tupelo Honey, a seven-year-old, upscale Southern eatery that may do the best “meat-and-three, hold the meat” plate in Buncombe County. Its fried-green tomatoes, sweet-potato fries and candied-ginger cornbread—which some guests slather with the namesake Northern Florida honey set on every table—are downright delicious. The fried chicken and burgers are also respectable: Leave room for banana pudding.
12 College St., Asheville/255-4404
Early Girl Eatery
Woe to those misguided souls who wander the streets of downtown Asheville, stalking decent barbecue. The mountains are the beneficiaries of a completely different culinary tradition, and Early Girl Eatery isn’t ashamed to flaunt its inheritance. Its delectable menu of sweet potato pone and grilled pimento cheese sandwiches assembled from fresh, local ingredients oozes Appalachian pride—and has rightly won the attention of The New York Times, Southern Living and Gourmet.
8 Wall St., Asheville/259-9292
Heiwa Shokudo
Heiwa led the “no cell phones allowed” trend, which means you’ll have to wait till the end of your meal to rave about your dinner of garlic-soaked tuna snuggled in a bed of brown rice. Heiwa has an extensive sushi menu, but its exquisite bento boxes have become Ashevillean comfort food. The restaurant’s Zen-like atmosphere makes indulging in its always-fresh salmon katsu feel something like going to yoga class—but you won’t be sore tomorrow.
87 N. Lexington Ave., Asheville/254-7761
Mamacita’s
Mamacita’s is the brainchild of a former Deadhead who got hooked on taqueria-style fajitas while on a Bay Area bender. He figured there must be a few other folks in Asheville who would flip for fresh salsas and Baja-sauce spiked fish tacos wrapped in warm corn tortillas. The restaurant’s long line of customers proves him right on a daily basis, as downtown workers, students and current Deadheads crowd in for their well-priced Cali-Mex fix.
77A Biltmore Ave., Asheville/255-8080
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