Food

Photo by Johnny Autry, Courtesy of Benne on Eagle

The Multitudinous Joys Of Eating… In Asheville

Whether you eat to live or live to eat, Asheville is a city like no other when it comes to food and drink. Sure, it delivers the goods with a smorgasbord of nationally acclaimed restaurants, a thriving community of growers and makers and the secondhighest number of craft breweries per capita in the nation. But Asheville also takes things up a notch, leveraging its quirky and creative culture to make dining and imbibing an adventure. This is the city for:

Bird's-Eye Views

Fancy imbibing a craft cocktail or local brew against a panoramic view of the Western North Carolina mountains? Make your way to one of Asheville’s numerous rooftop bars, offering everything from mojitos at Hemingway’s Cuba atop the downtown Cambria Hotel to beer under the stars at East Asheville’s Highland Brewing Co.

Photo by Pat Barcas

Event Horizons

Asheville celebrates its food and drink throughout the year with a constantly changing roster of events, including food truck roundups, burger battles, mac ’n’ cheese challenges, cocktail competitions, fermentation festivals and a host of others.

Chow Chow, which debuted September 2019, is Asheville’s newest annual extravaganza, featuring a mix of big-name chefs (José Andrés and Vivian Howard were among the 2019 stars), local talent and Appalachian flavors.

Offbeat Perspectives

From an upscale, wood-fired dinner in a riverfront shipping container to sandwiches and milkshakes in a tucked-away library of more than 600 board games, Asheville prides itself on offering captivatingly unconventional dining experiences.

Hit The Trail

In Asheville, being an aficionado of food or drink doesn’t always mean bellying up to a table or bar. The city is the jumpingoff point for exploring the area’s vibrant and innovative farming community and multitude of craft industries: The Farm Heritage Trail, WNC Cheese Trail and WNC Wine Trail are just a few options for active outings that connect visitors to local makers and products.

Photo by Thomas Calder