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 hushpuppies 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 茅touff茅e, 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鈥攐kra, sorghum (an ancient grain), and black-eyed peas鈥攂ecame a part of the cuisine through the forced labor of enslaved people; French cooking methods, like braising and saut茅ing, 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, compiled a list of the highest-rated Southern restaurants in the Asheville area using data from as of May 2, 2025. 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 20 reviews tagged as "southern" on Yelp within a 10-kilometer radius of Asheville were included. As a result, some restaurants featured may serve other food items.
Read on to find the perfect spot to get a taste of the South near you.
#23. Early Girl Eatery - South Asheville
- Rating: 3.5/5 (80 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1378 Hendersonville Road Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, New American, Southern
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#22. Isa's Bistro
- Rating: 3.8/5 (514 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1 Battery Park Ave. Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: New American, Venues & Event Spaces, Southern
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#21. Little Pigs BBQ
- Rating: 3.8/5 (185 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 384 McDowell St. Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: Barbecue, Southern
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#20. Moose Cafe Asheville
- Rating: 3.8/5 (700 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 570 Brevard Road Ste 3 Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: American, Southern, Breakfast & Brunch
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#19. The Blackbird Restaurant
- Rating: 3.8/5 (677 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 47 Biltmore Ave. Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: Southern, Wine Bars, Breakfast & Brunch
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#18. Buxton Chicken Palace
- Rating: 3.8/5 (38 reviews)
- Address: 56 Patton Ave. Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: Sandwiches, Southern, fast food
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#17. Early Girl Eatery - West Asheville
- Rating: 3.9/5 (332 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 444 Haywood Road Ste 101 Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: Southern, Breakfast & Brunch, New American
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#16. Luella's Bar-B-Que - South Asheville
- Rating: 3.9/5 (277 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 33 Town Square Blvd. Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: Barbecue, Southern
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#15. Early Girl Eatery - Downtown Asheville
- Rating: 3.9/5 (1655 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 8 Wall St. Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: Vegetarian, Southern, Breakfast & Brunch
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#14. Mayfel's
- Rating: 4.0/5 (865 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 22 College St. Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: Southern, Cajun/Creole, Bars
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#13. Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar
- Rating: 4.1/5 (1140 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1829 Hendersonville Road Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, New American, Southern
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#12. Doc Brown's BBQ
- Rating: 4.2/5 (165 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1320 Smokey Park Hwy Candler, North Carolina
- Categories: Southern, Barbecue
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#11. Luella's Bar-B-Que
- Rating: 4.3/5 (981 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 501 Merrimon Ave. Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: Barbecue, Southern
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#10. Moe's Original Bar B Que
- Rating: 4.3/5 (138 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 72 Weaverville Road Woodfin, North Carolina
- Categories: Barbecue, Southern, Soul Food
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#9. Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar
- Rating: 4.3/5 (4142 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 12 College St. Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: Southern, Breakfast & Brunch, New American
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#8. Biscuit Head
- Rating: 4.4/5 (1281 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 733 Haywood Road Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: Bakeries, Breakfast & Brunch, Southern
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#7. Chestnut
- Rating: 4.4/5 (1488 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 48 Biltmore Ave. Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: New American, Southern
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#6. Rocky's Hot Chicken Shack
- Rating: 4.5/5 (1103 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1455 Patton Ave. Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: Chicken Wings, Soul Food, Southern
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#5. Rockys Hot Chicken Shack South
- Rating: 4.5/5 (601 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3749 Sweeten Creek Road Arden, North Carolina
- Categories: Chicken Wings, Southern, American
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#4. Copper Crown
- Rating: 4.5/5 (451 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1011 Tunnel Road Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: New American, Southern
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#3. Sunny Point Caf茅
- Rating: 4.6/5 (2569 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 626 Haywood Road Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: Southern, Breakfast & Brunch, New American
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#2. La Rumba Restaurant Latino
- Rating: 4.7/5 (212 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 105 River Hills Road Ste C Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: Latin American, Southern, Mexican
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#1. Sand Hill Kitchen
- Rating: 4.8/5 (125 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 491 Sardis Road Asheville, North Carolina
- Categories: Breakfast & Brunch, Sandwiches, Southern
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