In the heart of town, a restaurant with heart and other Asheville, NC Restaurant Reviews

Restaurant Name: Bistro 1896

VT member b1bob and I decided to step away from the crowds and visit this little bistro for an early dinner. We arrived just before the crowds started to fill the seats and enjoyed a great meal in this comfortable downtown location. The walls are decorated with historic photos of Asheville and funky murals of the city painted right on the walls. Our waitress, Amber was really professional and friendly.

Favorite Dish: The business card describes the food as "Creative American Cuisine" and I'd have to agree. For an appetizer, we tried the fried green tomatoes served with barbecue shrimp and a great sauce. I had ostrich in a cognac demi-glace with pureed sweet potatoes and steamed vegetables. Ostrich tastes similar to a steak, although it is a much leaner and healthier meat. Mine was served medium rare with peppercorns and was outstanding. Nat had a mushroom pasta that was also really good. For dessert he had a flourless chocolate cake with a port wine ice cream and I had a delicious bread pudding served with honey ice cream and a white chocolate creme anglais.

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Theme: American
Comparison: more expensive than average
Prices: US$21-30  » Currency Converter
Phone: 828-251-1300
Address: 7 Pack Square
Directions: Downtown, top of the hill

Restaurant Name: Bistro 1896 (this time for lunch)

Normally, I love to try new things and I want variety, variety and more variety. But, sometimes, it pays to stick with a good thing. I was visiting Asheville with some friends in August of' '03 and decided to take them to a place that I knew would be a winner. The last time I was here was a great experience and it was a pleasant surprise to come back and discover that the lunch time prices are much lower than at dinner time.

Favorite Dish: I had a great beer from the Highland Brewing Company, which happens to be an Asheville based brewery. I tried the St. Terese's Pale Ale, which was slightly malty and had a nice spice to it.

Then, I had a light lunch which consisted of some good bread and a Spinach-Strawberry Salad with an almost candied walnut crunch and a cool, tangy dressing. It was awesome!

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Theme: Other
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 828-251-1300
Address: 7 Pack Square
Directions: Downtown, top of the hill

Restaurant Name: Battery Park Bistro

We were walking through Asheville counting our blessings that it hadn't rained all day, when all of a sudden a loud cracking noise in the sky announced a coming storm. As the rain started, we decided to pop into the closest place and all in all, it turned out to be a good call.

I like the fact that this is a privately owned place and the atmosphere is cozy. Our server was a little strange. I speculated that he was unhappy living in Asheville because he's not artistic like many of his neighbors and therefore, in a desperate attempt to find his niche, he decided to become "moody guy." Who knows?

Favorite Dish: The food was good, but not exceptional. The best part was a simple appetizer consisting of fresh, organic tomatoes, bread and cheese. There were three varieties of tomatoes, but the waiter didn't know exactly what they were called. I think one of them was a Cherokee something or other (it has a purplish hue and meaty flesh).

For a main course, I had a portabello mushroom pasta dish that was good, but could have been even better. The mushroom was minced (I prefer chunks) and the sauce was a little thin, but the taste was excellent.

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Theme: Other
Comparison: about average
Prices: US$11-20  » Currency Converter
Phone: 828-253-2158
Address: 22 Battery Park Ave
Other Contact: email: bpbistro@aol.com

Barley's Taproom
Pool tables, darts, 42 taps, live music.

Favorite Dish: Great pizza and barfood; lots of beer.

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Theme: Other

Address: 42 Biltmore Dr.

Max's Celebrity Grill
Popular restaurant, good place to mingle.

Favorite Dish: Great place where you should definitely sit outside and breathe the fresh mountain air.
Good deli style sandwiches.
Menu is thematic and cheesy, but the food is good.

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Theme: Other

Address: 130 College St.

Restaurant Name: At the Biltmore Estate

After you've toured the estate, you might want to head over to the Carriage House and grab some ice cream at this little shop. Unfortunately, it's not made on the premises, but it is purchased from a local ice cream maker.


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Theme: Dessert

Restaurant Name: The Bake Shop

If you don't want ice cream, try some homemade cookies or pastries and some coffee at the Bake Shop at the Biltmore Estate.


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Theme: Coffeehouse