A few months ago we shared data on independent + chain restaurants and asked you to chime in about how you’d like to see Asheville’s restaurant scene grow.
And boy, did y’all give us some food for thought — so much so that we decided to put together a restaurant wish list on your behalf, broken up by the major themes.
1. More diverse and specialty offerings
- “Would love even more independent restaurants, but recognize the difficulty and bravery in creating them. Just open a really terrific Chinese restaurant and authentic Jewish deli and I’ll be happy. And a Vietnamese restaurant in north Asheville.” — Karen M.
- “A few Vietnamese restaurants would make us happy. For us locals, we could use a few more lower-cost, independent places that aren’t just sandwiches or tacos!” — Cheryl P.
- “Asheville has a wonderful selection of vegetarian restaurants — but of course could always use more” — Benita A.
2. Restaurants geared towards locals
- “I’d love to see more indie restaurants targeting the locals, not the tourists. Regional food at regional prices.” — Tricia C.
- “In recent years, the explosion of visitors to our area has made it a challenge for us to get into our once-favorite indie restaurants…. We absolutely need more independent restaurants geared to locals!” — Bonnie
3. More affordable neighborhood spots
- “How about small, walkable neighborhood clusters of easy restaurants scattered around AVL?” — Deborah I.
- “Living in East Asheville, I wish there were more independent restaurants out here. There are several which are really good, but not nearly enough for this growing area.” — Melinda B.
- “The Arden area sure could use and support more independents. And a bakery!! Come on down!!” — Kathy N.
- “I honestly think Asheville and the larger area needs more affordable local restaurants especially in E. Asheville and far west such as Enka-Candler.” – Marcelle
