Highest-rated Southern restaurants in Asheville by diners
When you travel below the Mason-Dixon Line, you'll find some of the most mouthwatering, comforting cuisine in the U.S.: Southern food.
Southern dishes are a vital part of American cuisine, from hush puppies to ham hocks and beignets to barbecue. It's impossible to define a classic Southern meal, but a solid one starts with the sharp savory flavor of pimento cheese dip, followed by the delicious crunchiness of fried chicken or a spicy Louisiana étouffée, culminating with a sugary slice of chess pie that's best washed down with a tall glass of sweet tea.
What's unique about Southern fare is that multiple ethnic and cultural groups have influenced it. Spanish staples, such as potatoes and cocoa, are in many Southern dishes; the Acadians, who traveled to Louisiana from Nova Scotia and later became Louisiana Creoles, contributed their seafood to many Southern meals; African ingredients—okra, sorghum (an ancient grain), and black-eyed peas—became a part of the cuisine through the forced labor of enslaved people; French cooking methods, like braising and sautéing, are used for many Southern recipes; and Native Americans introduced corn to Southern recipes, yielding dishes like succotash and grits.
The Southern culinary scene is an explosion of cultures. To find out where you can sample some Southern offerings, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated Southern restaurants in Asheville using data from Yelp. Data is as of June 11, 2024. Businesses were selected using Yelp's ranking system, which calculates an adjusted rating value that takes into account the number of ratings as well as the rating score itself. Only restaurants with at least 10 reviews were considered. In an effort to highlight independent restaurants and local chains, restaurants with more than five locations nationally, based on the Yelp data, were not included.
Read on to find the perfect spot to get a taste of the South near you.
Note: The photos in this article are stock images and do not necessarily depict the specific restaurants listed or the dishes they serve.
#20. Early Girl Eatery - South Asheville
- Rating: 3.5/5 (69 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1378 Hendersonville Road Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: breakfast & brunch, new american, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#19. Ciao Y'all
- Rating: 3.7/5 (10 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 219 Amboy Road Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: food trucks, southern, italian
- Read more on Yelp
#18. Buxton Chicken Palace
- Rating: 3.7/5 (32 reviews)
- Address: 56 Patton Ave. Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: sandwiches, southern, fast food
- Read more on Yelp
#17. The Blackbird Restaurant
- Rating: 3.8/5 (622 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 47 Biltmore Ave. Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: southern, desserts, bars
- Read more on Yelp
#16. Little Pigs BBQ
- Rating: 3.8/5 (168 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 384 McDowell St. Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: barbeque, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#15. Moose Cafe Asheville
- Rating: 3.8/5 (640 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 570 Brevard Road Ste 3 Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: american, southern, breakfast & brunch
- Read more on Yelp
#14. Isa's Bistro
- Rating: 3.8/5 (485 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1 Battery Park Ave. Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: new american, venues & event spaces, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#13. Luella's Bar-B-Que - South Asheville
- Rating: 3.9/5 (247 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 33 Town Square Blvd. Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: barbeque, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#12. Early Girl Eatery - West Asheville
- Rating: 3.9/5 (303 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 444 Haywood Road Ste 101 Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: southern, breakfast & brunch, new american
- Read more on Yelp
#11. Early Girl Eatery - Downtown Asheville
- Rating: 4.0/5 (1562 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 8 Wall St. Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: vegetarian, southern, breakfast & brunch
- Read more on Yelp
#10. Mayfel's
- Rating: 4.0/5 (834 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 22 College St. Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: southern, cajun/creole, bars
- Read more on Yelp
#9. Benne On Eagle
- Rating: 4.1/5 (227 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 35 Eagle St. Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: southern, soul food, cocktail bars
- Read more on Yelp
#8. Luella's Bar-B-Que
- Rating: 4.2/5 (849 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 501 Merrimon Ave. Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: barbeque, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#7. Moe's Original Bar B Que
- Rating: 4.4/5 (470 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4 Sweeten Creek Road Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: soul food, barbeque, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#6. Chestnut
- Rating: 4.4/5 (1391 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 48 Biltmore Ave. Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: new american, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#5. Biscuit Head
- Rating: 4.5/5 (1230 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 733 Haywood Road Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: bakeries, breakfast & brunch, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#4. Rocky's Hot Chicken Shack
- Rating: 4.5/5 (1030 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1455 Patton Ave. Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: chicken wings, soul food, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#3. Copper Crown
- Rating: 4.5/5 (420 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1011 Tunnel Road Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: new american, southern
- Read more on Yelp
#2. Sunny Point Café
- Rating: 4.6/5 (2455 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 626 Haywood Road Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: southern, breakfast & brunch, new american
- Read more on Yelp
#1. Sand Hill Kitchen
- Rating: 4.8/5 (122 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 491 Sardis Road Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: breakfast & brunch, sandwiches, southern
- Read more on Yelp
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Rasha Aly, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 143 metros.
