‹ 25 small cities with big food › No. 3
Small city, big food · No. 3 of 25
Asheville, North Carolina
Photo: Harrison Keely, CC BY 4.0A Blue Ridge town that cooks far above its size: Spanish tapas, Indian street food, Appalachian kitchens and a brewery on every block, rebuilt and back after the 2024 flood.
Indian street snacks and Appalachian cooking
Where to eat in Asheville
1A photo like it
Cúrate
Get: Tapas to share
Katie Button's tapas bar on Biltmore Ave, on the Michelin Recommended list in 2026. (yahoo.com)
2A photo like it
Chai Pani
Get: Chaat, pakoras, the sloppy jai and uttapam
Moved from Battery Park Ave to the former Buxton Hall space; owners were 2026 James Beard finalists for Outstanding Restaurateur. (yahoo.com)
3A photo like it
Luminosa
Get: Italian-Southern plates
Inside the Flat Iron Hotel; holds a Bib Gourmand and Asheville's only Michelin Green Star. (exploreasheville.com)
4A photo like it
Little Chango
Get: Arepas
Jose Busto's arepa counter with lunchbox-style meals; Bib Gourmand. (guide.michelin.com)
Plan the trip
- When to go
- October for the leaves; spring for ramps and wildflowers.
- Getting there
- Asheville Regional Airport (AVL), 20 minutes. About 2 hours from Charlotte by car.
More for Asheville
Why it's on the list
Food & Wine No. 3 small food city, 2026.
Next small city
Places checked November 14, 2026; hours and menus change. "A photo like it" is the same kind of food, not from that place. Nobody pays to be on our lists.
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Researched and published by Chef Amazing, from our own stories, this year’s critics and food press, and a check that each place is open. Nobody pays to be on our lists: how we pick. Spot something wrong? Tell us and we fix it.