Owen and Mindi McGlynn of Grove Arcade restaurant Asheville Proper opened their second restaurant, Little D’s, with an emphasis on small plates and seasonal produce. Current dishes include crispy pork belly with cider maple glazed Brussels, scallops with mushroom risotto, and sweet potato gnocchi with bacon jam.

Located in a former Greyhound bus station, the Hound comes from Zambra owner Peter Montague and the Copper Crown owner Adam Bannasch. The East Asheville lounge offers an extensive cocktail list, along with a list of snacks like boquerones or duck pastrami on rye. For more substantial meals, guest food trucks and chefs show up with various cuisines (watch Instagram for details).

Posh hotel the Restoration offers several dining and drinking opportunities on its property. The main restaurant, the Exchange, offers brunch, breakfast, lunch, and dinner with modern Southern and Appalachian cuisine (think local trout with black rice or pork chops with jalapeno grits). The Observatory rooftop bar offers botanical cocktails and small bites. The basement bar the Draftsman boasts a bowling alley, Skee-Ball machines, and local draft beers.

A century-old former cereal factory in the RAD — Asheville’s funky River Arts District — has been reclaimed and reimagined into the Radical boutique hotel with food and beverage destinations conceived by visionary chef/restaurateur Jacob Sessoms (Table and All Day Darling). Golden Hour’s wood-fired menu sources heavily from local farms for produce and proteins. Overlooking the French Broad River, the Roof proves there are never too many rooftop bars in Asheville, Land of the Sky.

Baker Heidi Bass’s focaccia built a fervent following in Asheville, taking her from front porch pop-ups to a storefront bakery and wine shop (with partner Brett Watson) in the River Arts District in 2022. Mother’s charming new eat-and-drink in cafe expands their operations to plates, toasts, sandwiches— the classic jambon beurre baguette is a mainstay — sweets, wine by the glass, and breads by the loaf.

A West Asheville favorite since it opened in 2001, in recent years the purple-painted neighborhood landmark has gone through multiple hands and reinventions. Since taking over the business in 2023, Stephanie Hand and Donnie Hutchins have staged a successful comeback, fueled by the return of the giant cinnamon roll and a seemingly infinite number of doughnut flavors — dirty chai, coconut, s’mores, and strawberry among them. The cafe menu offers breakfast and lunch. 

The team behind popular Indian restaurant Chai Pani has opened street food cafe Botiwalla in West Asheville. Away from the hustle and bustle of downtown, the new spot offers many of the same flavors of Chai Pani, but in a family-friendly, fast-casual setting. Look for okra fries, lamb sliders, Desi salads, and grilled hot buttered naan wrapped around chicken tikka, malai chicken tikka, boti lamb kofta balls, or paneer tikka.