Diners' Choice: Hot spot restaurants in Asheville / Western North Carolina

OpenTable

Updated June 05, 2025

Looking for restaurants that are the best hot spots in Asheville / Western North Carolina? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Ukiah

4.9

4.9 (1859)

$31 to $50

Asian

Asheville

About the restaurant

Welcome to Ukiah Japanese Smokehouse, where Japanese Soul Food meets American BBQ by James Beard Nominated Chef Michael Lewis. “Japanese Smokehouse” is defined as merging Japanese ingredients and flavors with American BBQ techniques, and everything in between.

Menu highlights include light and refreshing dishes such as Wagyu Tataki with house kimchee, yuzu kosho and savory soy or Tuna Takaki with fire roasted peppers + ponzu, to bolder flavors such as Smoked Pastrami Short Rib with toasted rye, fire roasted kimchi + yuzu pickles. We are currently open 7 days a week.

Please note, our dining room consists of booths, regular tables and high-tops. We will try our best to accommodate you at your prefer location, but sometimes it is not possible due to party size. Our outdoor tables can be requested but not guaranteed when booking on open table.

Top review

BethVIP

Dined on Jun 10, 2025

Wonderful First Time Dining Experience at Ukiah!! The food and service were extraordinary! My husband and I ordered the tasting menu as an introduction to the restaurant. The dishes were creative and absolutely delicious! The service was excellent. We loved our whole experience! We’ll be back.

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Popular dish

Coconut Cake

Popular dish

Pork + Shitake Mushroom Gyoza

Popular dish

Japanese Sweet Potato

Luminosa

4.9

4.9 (508)

$30 and under

Italian

Asheville

About the restaurant

Where modern-Appalachian meets Italian-inspiration, Luminosa is bringing a hyperlocal lens to Italian cuisine, utilizing regional purveyors and local team member expertise to shape and curate the ever-evolving, seasonally driven offerings. Nestled within The Flat Iron Hotel, a historic boutique hotel in Asheville, North Carolina, Luminosa's carefully designed space radiates a welcoming tavern ambiance. Our culinary heart is a wood-burning oven, infusing a "touch of fire" into handmade pizzas, house-made pastas, and locally sourced vegetables. In homage to Asheville's renowned brewery scene, Luminosa's beverage program features local brews, including an exclusive collaboration, alongside a diverse selection of cocktails and wines.

Top review

Mary

Dined 4 days ago

This was a wonderful meal and they made our anniversary so special with a card and bud vase of flowers!

The Purple Onion

4.8

4.8 (432)

$30 and under

American

Flat Rock

About the restaurant

**To purchase tickets, reserve one of our experiences, please see the options listed below.** Established in 1998 by Susan and her husband Stoney Lamar, The Purple Onion was conceived as a 'third place' in Saluda, a neutral spot for friends and family to enjoy great food, engaging conversation, and live music. This vision flourished with a dedicated staff and supportive community. In 2020 the legacy was passed to Chambli Stuber and Emily Lamar, who continue to honor its tradition and role in the community, celebrating over two decades of service. Situated in historic Saluda, The Purple Onion boasts outdoor dining and live music on Thursday and Saturday nights. The Purple Onion features a variety of ethnically inspired dishes with an emphasis on the Mediterranean’s simple and healthy cuisine. We offer a selection of pizzas, pastas, seafood, vegetarian and meat dishes. Specialties include locally sourced trout and organic produce, along with antibiotic and hormone-free meats and poultry.

Top review

LauraVIP

Dined 4 days ago

Great band, loved the shrimp scampi, garlic was amazing! Always the trout is perfectly prepared!

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Nicholas Edward Williams

The BEACON Butcher Bar

4.8

4.8 (654)

$31 to $50

Contemporary Italian

Boone

About the restaurant

The Beacon Butcher Bar is a labor of love from Tina Houston, owner of Reid’s Café & Catering Co., established here in the High Country since 1999. The Beacon is located in the heart of Boone, NC adjacent to the iconic Water Wheel. Just as we value beautiful ingredients in our catering, The Beacon adheres to a similar message.

In the kitchen, we value the fashion from scratch details as small as the aiolis and dressings we use, to the housemade desserts and pastries, cured and smoked meats, and naturally fermented pickles. Behind the bar, we strive for innovation and discovery from our unique and inspiring cocktails. We work within the seasons of the Blue Ridge to present a deliberate and thoughtful menu. We love the intentional, the specific, the well-cared-for.

Respectively, our market offers a unique selection of local goods and treats. From our featured cloister honey to housemade single origin chocolates, we present the craft and exceptionality of local, artisanal talent.

Top review

Randy

Dined 6 days ago

First time and we loved it! Will be back often. Food was outstanding, reasonably priced. Service was great, nice ambiance as well. They had live music and it was awesome.

The Speckled Trout Restaurant and Bottle Shop

4.8

4.8 (916)

$30 and under

American

Blowing Rock

About the restaurant

In the 1950s, The Speckled Trout was a place to stop and fill up your gas tank. Now, you can fill up on fresh mountain trout, soup beans, and hoecakes and wash it down with local farm beer or fresh rosé. We explore the roots of Appalachian food and beverage culture and re-create it in our kitchen by preserving and reviving ingredients of our local heritage.

Join us at The Speckled Trout for a taste of locally sourced regional fare by Chef Michael Foreman and warm hospitality that will keep y'all coming back!

Top review

dana

Dined 3 days ago

very good food, little pricey, but reasonable for the quality

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Casa Rustica Restaurant

4.6

4.6 (2243)

$30 and under

Italian

Boone

About the restaurant

Casa Rustica is Boone"s authentic Italian restaurant since 1981. We offer a wide selection of entrees including fresh pastas, chicken, veal, seafood and steaks. Our nightly specials complement our menu and our homemade desserts are not to be missed. Visit the La Bouca Lounge where the menu offers original sandwiches and flat-bread pizzas. Casa Rustica provides a cozy atmosphere in a log cabin setting. Come for romantic fireside dining or bring the whole family and enjoy our friendly and prompt service.

Top review

Steven

Dined 4 days ago

We love dinning at this restaurant, each time the food and service is excellent. We enjoy the personal touch from the staff.

Tupelo Honey - Downtown Asheville

4.6

4.6 (5941)

$30 and under

Contemporary Southern

Asheville

About the restaurant

We are in OpenTable's Top 100 Places to Brunch in America!
At Tupelo Honey, we create breakfasts, brunches, lunches and suppers that invite you to put on your Sunday’s best and gather around the table for gracious and delicious Southern food. This original, flagship location boasts over 25 years of delighting diners and providing a high energy environment that is synonymous the Asheville community.
Reservations highly recommended.

Top review

Rhonda

Dined 3 days ago

We were able to walk right in and be seated at our table during a busy time of the day. The food was great, as well as the service! Our family celebrated Father’s Day over a fantastic meal in a great location!

Burntshirt Vineyards

4.6

4.6 (106)

$31 to $50

Bistro

Hendersonville

About the restaurant

Burntshirt Vineyards presents the Vintner's Table Restaurant and Wine Bar at our Hendersonville, NC location. The on-site restaurant offers fresh and exciting farm-to-table dishes emphasizing local ingredients to accompany our award-winning wines. We offer wine + dine pairings monthly, wine flights and slushies! We are family and pet friendly, and can accommodate parties of all sizes! We encourage larger groups to visit us for all your celebrations to come! We offer full table and bar service inside the Vintner's Table dining room with servers and a host who manages seating and reservations. When you reserve on OpenTable or phone, you have the option to choose the location of the reservation (dining room, outside patio or tasting room); service is based on seat location. The Tasting Room is first to serve non-reserve guests.
Contact us directly at 828-230-3455 or vintnerstable@burntshirtvineyards.com. Groups of 30 or more must contact events@burntshirtvineyards.com for reservations.

Top review

Susan

Dined on Jun 6, 2025

Book lunch early, staff was wonderful, very friendly and helpful

Wildwood Still

4.6

4.6 (57)

$30 and under

Cocktail Bar

Asheville

About the restaurant

A Rooftop Bar Experience. For serious whiskey enthusiasts, the whiskey-curious, and the whiskey-indifferent.

Introducing Wildwood Still, a rooftop bar experience in the heart of downtown Asheville atop the Moxy Asheville Hotel. We don’t just serve exceptionally good spirits. We’re always in good spirits, too. The down-to-earth humans behind our bar and barrels are genuinely happy to serve you — and they’re always up for going down the whiskey rabbit hole with you.

For parties of 7 or more, please email us at hello@wildwoodstill.com

Top review

RobertVIP

Dined 5 days ago

The view is amazing! The food and service are fantastic!

Wicked Weed Brewpub - Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort

4.4

4.4 (816)

$30 and under

Barbecue

Cherokee

About the restaurant

An Asheville favorite since 2012, Wicked Weed can now be enjoyed at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort - via the Wicked Weed Brewpub.

Located on the second floor of the casino next to the events center, our Brewpub offers 18 beers on tap and 14 bottled beers. Chef Kayla Snipes creates beer-inspired delicacies like Wicked Nachos with Pernicious Beer cheese sauce, cheese curds, and smoked bacon; house-made Pimento Cheese Dip with jumbo Pretzel; or you can pair the West Coast IPA with our Double Smash Burger.

Top review

Gail

Dined 5 days ago

Food was delicious with good portion sizes!!! Service was on point!

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