In September, we embarked on a spontaneous road trip to the south to visit friends (safely) and explore a few new cities. From Chicago, we road tripped to Asheville, Greenville and Wilmington to satisfy our travel craving. A full overview of the road trip can be read here.
Our trip was planned to visit friends in Greenville and Wilmington, but after hearing rave reviews about Asheville, we decided to add it to our list.
We only planned to stay for one night before heading to Greenville the following day, so we stayed at the Foundry Hotel, which is a Curio Collection by Hilton hotel. It’s in an incredible location, walking distance to downtown, the South Slope Brewing District and the River Arts District.
We were blown away by Asheville. So much so, that we stopped again on our way home at the end of the trip. Not surprisingly, goop named Asheville one of the four most underrated American food cities. While a lot of the top restaurants were closed due to the pandemic or booked with limited indoor seating, we have a list of places to try next time we visit.
This guide is comprised of places we had the opportunity of trying, but you can find a list of additional recommendations at the end.
the asheville guide
drink (coffee)
farewell
This coffeeshop was one of our favorite spots in Asheville, a short walk from our hotel. Not only do they serve coffee, but in the afternoons you can switch to wine and bar snacks and take advantage of their small patio. Also, don’t forget to check out their merch—their bear mascot is so cute and I was so thankful for my Farewell sweatshirt when things got chilly at night during our trip.
eat
south slope cheese co.
Next door to Farewell is a small local cheese and wine shop. The owner was so kind to let us browse while he was setting up the shop an hour or two before it opened and we secured a few jams, jellies, cheeses and wine for our hosts as gifts. This would be the perfect spot to grab supplies and have a picnic in one of the local parks around the city.
hole doughnuts
On our last morning in Asheville, I scheduled our departure around an 8 am stop at Hole Doughnuts, knowing it was highly recommended. I wish I would have taken that recommendation more seriously and purchased a dozen+, because these were the BEST doughnuts I’ve ever eaten (and I love doughnuts). We tried the vanilla glazed and their season flavor that changes every week, which happened to be a grapefruit, gin, orange, grand mariner and fennel doughnut that I still can’t believe exists. If you’re ever in the vicinity of Asheville on a road trip, I highly recommend going out of your way for this and my next recommendation.
chai pani
I’ve had to hold off on saying every spot was my favorite spot, but that’s how this city is. If you eat one meal in Asheville, make it Chai Pani, an Indian restaurant that specializes in fun, innovative street food. During our visit, Chai Pani was only doing carryout, so we placed an order, picked it up and found a local park to eat at before we left the city. Hands down the best Indian food we’ve ever eaten and we loved the innovative chaat (street snacks) like the aloo tiki chaat and the bhel puri. Don’t forget to try their butter chicken, paratha or one of their signature drinks.
drink
antidote at chemist spirits
In a town known for its breweries, we found this cocktail bar on our first morning walking around the city. Immediately we started scheming on how we could pass through Asheville again on our way home to hit this spot. This spot is super authentic, early apothecary style and has an incredible front patio area. Kevin loves to ask bartenders to make their favorite cocktail with mezcal or gin and the bartenders here were solid on those asks.
wicked weed brewing’s funkatorium
With so many brewery options, it’s hard to make a decision on where to stop with one evening in play. Our favorite brewery we stopped at was a highly recommended one, the Wicked Weed Brewing Funkatorium, which had great indoor seating, a biergarten and a bottle shop. They have two locations close to one another, so make sure you check out the Funkatorium, which has a little more style and authenticity. Wicked Weed’s beer is sold throughout the region, so try a few of their unique beers like their French farmhouses, barrel-aged sours or their peach habanero saison—my personal favorite. After a long day of travel, we were tempted by the Roman pizza on their menu and it was the perfect beer-tasting snack. They even bring you a pair of pizza scissors because the pizza is so thick.
places we wanted to try
grab a to go picnic set from the rhu
try a beer at green man brewery, twin leaf brewery or any of the dozens of other breweries nearby
visit sovereign remedies, rhubarb or gan shan west for cocktails and date night
cap the night off at the montford, a downtown rooftop bar
the tl;dr
start your first morning off with coffee at farewell and a walk around the brewery and arts districts
pick up picnic supplies or gifts at south slope cheese co.
try every single donut at hole doughnuts (don’t bother with vortex doughnuts)
grab chai pani for lunch and try not to crave it for the next meal
enjoy a cocktail or two at the antidote bar
settle in for a flight of beers at wicked weed brewing’s funkatorium