North Carolina

• Asheville

  You might have heard the news: Asheville is hot right now. Whether it’s getting attention for its vibrant music scene, its excellent homegrown microbrews—the city’s been voted Beer City U.S.A. for four years running—or its eclectic array of locavore-ish restaurants, Asheville’s got a lot going on. Great shopping? Check. A plethora of outdoor activities? From hiking and biking to canopy zip-lining, check. Historic landmarks? Yep, the 250-room Biltmore Estate, the world’s largest private home, is rightly a huge tourist attraction. And that’s what you know before you actually get here and realize the enormous beauty of the city’s surroundings, set as it is against the backdrop of the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains in western North Carolina, and sense the young, artsy, bohemian vibe that seems to infect the place, making you want to go out and just be in it. Asheville has been called “the San Francisco of the East,” thanks to its New Agey liberalness, but reductive monikers don’t do it enough justice: For every bearded hipster there’s a very content retiree; for every vegan yogi a hard-core mountain biker; for every new home-brewer a longtime farmer. This being a small mountain town, you’ll likely meet them all as you eat and drink your way around. Restaurants here seem to do locally sourced everything, with appropriate hits of Southern flair and, yes, even some regional BBQ. Your toughest decision will be where to go first.

  For a whirlwind tour of Asheville, watch our one-minute video!

  You might have heard the news: Asheville is hot right now. Whether it’s getting attention for its vibrant music scene, its excellent homegrown microbrews—the city’s been voted Beer City U.S.A. for four years running—or its eclectic array of locavore-ish restaurants, Asheville’s got a lot going on. Great shopping? Check. A plethora of outdoor activities? From hiking and biking to…   Read more

   

  Find local foods in Asheville.

  Western North Carolina-style BBQ

  Mountain trout

  Southern-inspired breakfast

  Locavore food: general

  Vegan & vegetarian food

• User Content

Below is user-submitted content for this region. Have something to contribute? Upload your regional-food photo or food memory.

• 

  Biscuits and Country Gravy

  Greensboro
  ssoloman
• 

  Red Skin Hot Dog

  Greensboro
  ssoloman
• 

  "The Park" pizza

  Greensboro
  ssoloman
• 

  Local Mediterranean

  Raleigh
  mtauber

• • King's Kitchen

    hoodriver
    129 W Trade St, Charlotte, NC
    

    Food at this place is nuts. Awesome chicken sandwich. Probably the best Southern food I've ever had. Nothing compares!

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  • Awesome Charlotte BBQ

    hoodriver
    Charlotte
    

    Love the food at Mac's Speed Shop. Ribs were amazing, service was fast, beers were cold. Could be the best ribs ever!

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• Blog Posts

• Where to Find the Best Seafood (and More) in the Outer Banks

  Steamed shrimp. All photos by Kathleen Walls Wherever you find sun and sand, there will be good seafood. Beloved summertime destination Outer Banks, barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina, has all three and more. Here’s where…   Read more

• Eating Moravian Food in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

  Winston-Salem might be better known for Krispy Kreme doughnuts, tobacco-industry ties, and handcrafted wood furniture, but it’s also got an interesting (and edible!) streak of Moravian history in it. Our local writer fills us in. …   Read more

• Video: One Minute in…Asheville!

  You’ve likely heard about Asheville, North Carolina by now—how it’s chock-full of eclectic, farm-to-table restaurants; how it was just voted Beer City U.S.A. for the fourth year running; or perhaps how its spectacular…   Read more