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A slice of bread covered in sauteed mushrooms.
The mushroom toast at Mother in South Slope.
Jason B James

9 Hottest Restaurants in Asheville Right Now, November 2023

The newest offerings in Asheville include wood-fired produce, mushroom toast, and more Indian food

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The mushroom toast at Mother in South Slope.
| Jason B James

More often than not, tipsters, readers, friends and family of Eater have one question: Where should I eat right now? What are the new restaurants? What’s everyone talking about? While the Eater 18 is a crucial resource covering old standbys and neighborhood essentials across the city, it is not a chronicle of the “it” places of the moment. Enter the Eater Heatmap, which will change continually to highlight the spots crowds are flocking to at the moment or generating a big buzz. Folks are asking, “Have you been yet?” Try one of these newbies today.

November 2023: Laila, Golden Hour and the Roof
October 2023: Avenue M, Mother Cafe, the West End Bakery
September 2023: The Restoration, Botiwalla

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Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process.

Little D's

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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.

Sliced duck breast with pomegranate seeds.
A duck dish at Little D’s.
Carrie Turner Photography

The Hound

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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).

The Restoration Asheville

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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.

Barbie pink paints the street-side window frame of Laila, the new Indian restaurant that has filled the prime downtown space unexpectedly vacated by Holeman & Finch in April. The owners — who also run the popular Andaaz in Biltmore Village — have razzle-dazzled the former new South country club cushiness interiors with vibrant colors, eye-catching art, and a menu that pops with dishes showcasing the coastal regions of the vast country of India.

Golden Hour

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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.

A table with various dishes, crudite and scallops, on plates. Evan Anderson

Mother Cafe

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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.

Tastee Diner

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West Asheville mainstay Tastee Diner finds new owners with former Jargon chef Steve Goff and partner Sam Goff. They still serve comfort food, but now it’s a bit more interesting, like Slim Jim dip, roasted bone marrow with okonomiyaki, or a giant smoked bologna stack with whipped pimento cheese. Tastee serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

The West End Bakery

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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. 

Botiwalla

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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. 

The West Asheville Botiwalla dining room.
Tim Robison

Little D's

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.

Sliced duck breast with pomegranate seeds.
A duck dish at Little D’s.
Carrie Turner Photography

The Hound

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).

The Restoration Asheville

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.

Laila

Barbie pink paints the street-side window frame of Laila, the new Indian restaurant that has filled the prime downtown space unexpectedly vacated by Holeman & Finch in April. The owners — who also run the popular Andaaz in Biltmore Village — have razzle-dazzled the former new South country club cushiness interiors with vibrant colors, eye-catching art, and a menu that pops with dishes showcasing the coastal regions of the vast country of India.

Golden Hour

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.

A table with various dishes, crudite and scallops, on plates. Evan Anderson

Mother Cafe

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.

Tastee Diner

West Asheville mainstay Tastee Diner finds new owners with former Jargon chef Steve Goff and partner Sam Goff. They still serve comfort food, but now it’s a bit more interesting, like Slim Jim dip, roasted bone marrow with okonomiyaki, or a giant smoked bologna stack with whipped pimento cheese. Tastee serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

The West End Bakery

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. 

Botiwalla

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. 

The West Asheville Botiwalla dining room.
Tim Robison

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