You may think you only want an IPA, lager, or pilsner from Zilliacoah Beer Co., but if the Master BBQ grill is fired up, the smoke will pull you right to the window of the fire engine red food truck behind the brewery. The next thing you know, you’ll be ordering a pork, chicken inasal, or tofu skewer, chicken adobo, grilled pork belly, pancit, a couple of lumpia, and a side of annatto rice (toasted annatto seeds add crunch to the complimentary pickled cucumbers). Owners Julia and Paul Pike built a fervid following for fourth-generation chef Paul’s Filipino comfort food popping up around town, and in February snagged the permanent parking space behind Zilliacoah, with seating inside the brewery or riverside picnic tables.

“Hot Buns & Tasty Meats” was the slogan on Zella’s Deli window that lured downtown Asheville pedestrians into the Northeast-inspired sandwich shop opened in April 2022. Mikey’s Meatball, Johnny’s Italian, Reubens, corn beef on rye, and egg sandwiches on a kaiser roll built a following. Two years in, Zella’s moved to a more expansive space in Swannanoa, expanded the sandwich board, and added Sunday brunch and dinner service, Thursday through Sunday, from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Find comfort Italian specialties like pork saltimbocca, chicken parm, spaghetti and meatballs, and fettuccini Alfredo, plus Italian Fish Fry Friday, Prime Rib Saturday and Family Lasagna Sunday.

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).

Have a seat and a sweet at the darling new woman-owned shop Sweets & Seats in downtown Asheville. Daily treats include coffee, espresso, tea, bubble tea, shaved ice with toppings, pastries, cake, cheesecake, and creme brulee. Have one macaron, a box of seasonal macarons, or special order a six-tier macaron tower.

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.

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 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. 

Cassia is the national tree and flower of Thailand, and it’s the name of chef/partners Madeline Redo and Trevor Musick’s Thai pop-up operating at Cellarest Beer Project. Before moving to Asheville, the couple spent a few months in Thailand diving deep into the cuisine. Cassia’s new food trailer will operate Fridays through Sundays, this winter. Local sweet potato firecrackers (the vegan version of the firecracker shrimp spring roll), taro fritters, smoked trout fried rice, and curry of the week are popular menu items.

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 twee-est of the twee historic pebbledash cottages in Biltmore Village, Finch is tucked into the alley behind Scout Boutique. Every inch of the front room displays bottles of wine, packaged gourmet foods, condiments, tea, coffee, chocolate, linens, bar and entertainment accessories, serving pieces, and paper goods. Order hot and cold beverages at the small counter, and light fare made fresh to order in the kitchen to the rear; umbrella-shaded tables on the enclosed patio provide seating. The set menu includes fancy grilled cheese, tuna salad, and a mini charcuterie board. Recent daily specials featured mushroom and farro soup, a hummus and veggie tartine with feta, and a hot ham and cheese sandwich. Fresh pastries perched on pretty cake plates are impossible to resist.