TRIED AND TRUE Businesses that have stood the test of time

BUSINESSES THAT HAVE STOOD THE TEST OF TIME

TASTEE DINER

PHOTO COURTESY OF TASTEE DINER

BY GINA SMITH

As Asheville’s restaurant industry continues to change and grow, it seems that hardly a week goes by without a new eatery or bar making its debut. Even so, there remains a foundation of steadfast businesses that locals and visitors alike hold near and dear to their hearts — and stomachs.

• West Asheville’s Tastee Diner has been dishing up cheap, simple grub on Haywood Road since 1946. Currently owned by Kate and Adam Bannasch of East Asheville’s Copper Crown, the restaurant serves stick-to-your-ribs breakfast items all day, from Denver omelets and biscuits with sausage gravy to a Korean fried egg sandwich with pickled veggies and kimchi. There’s also a vast menu of lunch and dinner diner offerings (including several vegetarian options) such as burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, fried chicken and milkshakes.

• The story of The Market Place restaurant is closely woven into the history of Asheville’s food scene. Pioneering farm-to-table chef Mark Rosenstein founded the eatery on Market Street in 1979 and moved it to its current Wall Street location in 1990 as the once-derelict downtown area began its revitalization.

In 2009, Rosenstein sold the business to chef William Dissen, who continues the landmark’s legacy of local sourcing and seasonal, farm-fresh fare.

• The family-owned Cornerstone restaurant has been a popular Tunnel Road fixture since 1997. Its dining room — renovated and expanded in 2017 — is spacious but nearly always busy, serving a rambling menu of breakfast, lunch and dinner options with something to please all palates.

• With its reference to Asheville’s area code, 828 Family

Pizzeria lives up to its local- and family-focused name.

Originally from Queens, N.Y., fourth-generation pizza-maker

Christine Lane opened the business in 1994 and continues to operate its two locations with her children and grandchildren.

The shop’s pies regularly win top honors in the Mountain

Xpress Best of WNC awards.

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