Asheville’s restaurant scene doesn’t sit still. Even after the disruption of Hurricane Helene, local chefs and restaurateurs kept showing up — with bold new concepts, reimagined classics, and the kind of food that makes you want to cancel your plans for the rest of the afternoon.
Whether you’re visiting Asheville for the first time or you live here and are looking for something new, this list covers eight restaurants worth your time in 2026. From a wood-fired Mexican kitchen downtown to a neighborhood deli pulling Italian classics in West Asheville, these are the new Asheville restaurants generating real buzz — and earning it.
1. Xico — Wood-Fired Mexican, Downtown Asheville
175 Biltmore Ave
One of the most talked-about new Asheville restaurants of 2025, Xico (pronounced Shee-ko) brings a genuinely different approach to Mexican food. The concept centers on a custom Josper charcoal oven and wood-fire grill that reaches 1,000 degrees. Everything that comes out of it shows it.
Chef Scott Linquist — co-founder of COYO Taco in Miami and a recognized name in Mexican cuisine nationally — partnered with Asheville restaurateur Dave McFarland to open this one. Named after a village in Veracruz, the menu draws on traditions from across Mexico. Think seared Moulard duck with red mole, whole roasted branzino with jalapeño butter, chicken tinga enchiladas, and a tableside Caesar that’s worth the visit alone. The masa is ground fresh from heirloom corn.
Xico is a full-sensory experience — open flames, molcajete tableside, art and color everywhere. It’s a destination dinner, not a casual weeknight stop, and the kitchen delivers at that level.
2. Chorizo — Southern Spanish Tapas, Grove Arcade
1 Page Ave, Suite 139
Some restaurants come back stronger. Chorizo is a perfect example. After closing in 2016, Asheville’s beloved Spanish tapas spot returned in November 2025 — back in its original home inside the historic Grove Arcade, under the direction of Chef Hector Diaz.
Diaz knows this city’s dining scene as well as anyone. He’s behind Salsas, Zambra, and Modesto, among others. With Chorizo, he’s narrowed the focus to southern Spain — Córdoba, Madrid, Andalusia — a region often overlooked by Spanish restaurants in the U.S. The menu is heavy on seafood and bright flavors: Pulpo a la Plancha (grilled octopus with saffron aioli on smoked sweet potatoes), paella loaded with seafood, arroz con pollo, and a solid list of Spanish wines, sherries, and gin-forward cocktails.
Portions are generous, the vibe is lively without being loud, and the patio makes it a great warm-weather dinner spot. Locals who remember the original will find it familiar. First-timers won’t know what they’ve been missing.
3. Hail Mary — Burgers & Bar Food, West Asheville
575 Haywood Rd
The story behind Hail Mary is as good as the food. When Hurricane Helene forced Tastee Diner to close in 2024, general manager Kelly Gable rallied the staff and took over the space. “It was our Hail Mary pass to save a small business and its employees,” she says — and the name stuck.
The menu leans into elevated bar food with a personality. The double smashburger gets consistent praise as one of the best in the city. The fried chicken sandwich, mortadella and French dip, and a Cuban with hot honey are all worth knowing about. The late 90s/early 2000s nostalgia decor gives the space real character. The patio welcomes dogs.
This is a welcoming, inclusive spot with good food and no pretension. It’s become a West Asheville restaurant staple fast, and it earned it.
4. Birdie’s Pizza — New York-Style Pies, Downtown Asheville
27 Biltmore Ave
Chrissy and Justin Balzer spent five years perfecting their dough before opening Birdie’s in July 2025. Both Culinary Institute of America graduates, they bring serious credentials to what could look like a simple premise: a neighborhood slice shop on Biltmore Avenue.
The dough is built on a 10-year-old sourdough starter with a long fermentation process — giving it the chew, tang, and digestibility that separate Birdie’s from every mediocre pizza in a 50-mile radius. The 20-inch rounds and Sicilian square pies (airy and light, not the dense slabs you might expect) can be ordered whole or by the slice. The mozzarella is stretched by hand from fresh curds, the tomatoes are organic, and the menu rotates seasonally.
Don’t skip the starters: cacio e pepe fries, arancini, meatballs from a family recipe, and whipped ricotta with a hot pepper salad from Chrissy’s grandmother. Named after their daughter Wren (nickname: Birdie), this is a family project done right.
Photo Credit: Easy Tiger
5. Easy Tiger — Sports Bar, Downtown Asheville
125 S. Lexington Ave
Asheville didn’t have a great sports bar. Easy Tiger changed that. The team behind the popular Flour Cafe at S&W Market — brothers Kyle and Carter James, Executive Chef Gordon Gibbs, and cocktail expert Ashley Williams — opened this downtown gastro pub in the former Storm Rhum Bar space in fall 2025.
Twelve big screens cover every major sport, and the kitchen doesn’t treat the food as an afterthought. The menu runs from fried chicken sandwiches and chopped salads to fried mushrooms, with a full cocktail program and draft beer list that doesn’t feel like an afterthought either. There’s also a dedicated non-alcoholic menu with options that actually stand on their own.
It’s the kind of place that works for a solo lunch before a show at The Orange Peel or a full watch party with a group. The vibe is inclusive and the food hits consistently hard.
6. Piccolina — Italian, River Arts District
375 Depot St
Good things come in small packages. Piccolina seats 22 people in a restored space on Depot Street in the River Arts District, which means every dinner feels like being invited into someone’s home — a very well-trained home, given that owners Nathan and Elana Pearlman both graduated from the Culinary Institute of America.
After a decade in Austin’s restaurant scene and a formative trip to Italy in 2021, the pair landed in Asheville with a clear goal: authentic Italian food made with Appalachian ingredients. By day, the menu covers scratch-made Neapolitan sandwiches, pizzas, and pastries. The approach is simple and direct — quality ingredients, honest preparation, no unnecessary fuss. Elana’s pastry background shows in the baked goods and desserts, which are not to be overlooked.
The size limits the walk-in crowd. Reservations, when available, are the smart move.
7. SEN — Vietnamese Street Food, Downtown Asheville
89 Patton Ave
Asheville has long needed a dedicated Vietnamese restaurant downtown. SEN opened in December 2025 at 89 Patton Ave — the former Sonora space — and immediately filled the gap. The name comes from the Vietnamese word for lotus, the country’s national flower, and the menu draws on the street food traditions of Hanoi.
The pho is the anchor: rich, slow-simmered broth with lemongrass, star anise, cinnamon, and herbs, built over hours and served right. The bún thịt nướng — grilled pork over rice vermicelli with pickled vegetables, herbs, roasted peanuts, and fish sauce dressing — is a standout. Egg rolls, spring rolls, and rice noodle bowls round out the menu. Most items are naturally gluten-free.
SEN is family-owned and focused on doing a small number of things with real care. In a city with plenty of variety, it’s a welcome addition — and a practical one. It’s already topping local Vietnamese restaurant rankings after just a few months open.
8. Finest — Italian-American Deli, West Asheville
794 Haywood Rd
The best kind of neighborhood spot is one that feels like it’s been there forever on day one. That’s Finest. Co-founders Mike Bean and Gab Bonfiglio — both with roots in New York City’s deli and bodega culture — opened on Haywood Road in late 2025 with a simple mission: high-quality, affordable Italian-American food in a space that feels like home.
The menu covers the classics with care: bodega-style egg sandwiches from the walk-up window, thick-cut Italian subs, marinated antipasto, fresh pasta, and house-made pickles. The bodega egg and cheese on a NY kaiser roll for $7.50 is the kind of thing you’ll come back for three days running. The interior pulls from mid-century Italian design — 1970s Genoa tiles, vintage furniture — and the covered patio spills out onto Haywood Road.
The drink program, curated by Bonfiglio (a Certified Cicerone Level 2), includes local draft beers, niche Italian wines, vermouth cocktails, and a custom house coffee blend. Finest is affordable by design and community-first by intention. It fits West Asheville perfectly.
Plan Your Asheville Restaurant Tour from River Row Suites
Every restaurant on this list is within 15-minutes of River Row Suites in the River Arts District. Whether you’re making dinner reservations at Xico, grabbing a lunchtime slice at Birdie’s, or lingering over tapas at Chorizo, our location in the heart of Asheville puts you close to the best new food the city has to offer.
Our spacious studio suites include full kitchens, king beds, free parking, and room for the whole family. Book your stay at River Row Suites and start planning your culinary tour of Asheville.
