USA TODAY food writers set off on a collective search for those standout places that offer the full package when it comes to food, drinks, hospitality and vibes, resulting in the annual Restaurants of the Year and Bars of the Year lists.
Several Asheville businesses have fit the criteria, earning their places in the esteemed series.
Here are the Asheville establishments named in USA TODAY’s Bars of the Year and Restaurants of the Year lists since its induction in 2024, along with upcoming events and menu highlights to enhance your visit.
The Crow & Quill
106 North Lexington Ave.
The Crow and Quill set the bar for the inaugural year of Bars of the Year, representing Asheville as one of the nation’s 27 featured bars. The speakeasy-style bar is reminiscent of a Victorian Gothic secret society den that alone is enough to convince imbibers to enter, and the craft cocktails, chill yet lively vibe and entertainment keep them coming back for more.
In addition to the Fall Fashioned smoked Old Fashioned, that’s a crowd-pleaser any time of the year, the seasonal menu features the Easy Does It, a rum-based twist on a classic Daiquiri that blends salted cantaloupe and coconut flavors.
The Crow and Quill offers a toe-tapping music program that regularly gets bodies swaying and swinging. Three more Silent Movie Nights are lined up through the end of the year, featuring local pianist Andrew Fletcher, who will play live musical scores to accompany the classic silent films.
This fall, the cozy, living-room-like barroom will once again host its round-robin storytelling series based on seasonal themes. In October and November, camp out around the fire pit with s’mores and other camp snacks.
Embrace your inner child, as the popular fort-building event returns on select dates from December to February. The bar will offer warm drinks, including Hot Buttered Rum, for guests to sip while lounging on piles of pillows for more storytelling sessions.
Shake up your bar-hopping tour with a visit to The Low Down on Haywood Road in West Asheville. The Crow & Quill’s underground sister bar counters in style, with a modern, sleek look and feel, but also offers high-caliber craft beverages and embodies mystery and good-hearted mayhem.
Little Jumbo
241 Broadway St.
In 2025, Little Jumbo, in the historic Montford and Five Points neighborhoods, made a splash as one of the 29 USA TODAY Bars of the Year.
Little Jumbo puts a twist on a traditional cocktail menu to offer a variety of lesser-seen options and tasting experiences, such as the gin, 1870s and 1930s Old Fashioned and Manhattan silver platter table service.
The in-house-developed Ophelia’s Cocktail Companion software is said to store nearly 1,000 cocktail recipes, allowing bartenders to make on- and off-menu cocktails on any given day.
Asheville nails the house-like bar vibe, with Little Jumbo earning the moniker the “living room of Montford.” Yet the bar was designed to be reminiscent of a 19th-century Irish pub, a Western saloon and a Victorian parlor.
Little Jumbo delivers mellow-to-party-mode energy, with Jazz Nights on Mondays and Tuesdays, Game Nights on Wednesdays, and special events, including literary chats and the occasional themed deejay dance party on Saturdays.
In February, Little Jumbo transforms for a full month into the “Tropilachia Club,” a tiki-bar-style cocktail oasis complete with tropical decor and themed drinks.
Potential New Boyfriend
647 Haywood Road;
The 2026 USA TODAY Bars of the Year included the West Asheville listening lounge/wine and dessert bar, Potential New Boyfriend. Elements that made this neighborhood hangout rise to the top on the list of 38 of the nation’s favorites were its eclectic menu, vibes and spinning tunes.
Potential New Boyfriend was designed to feel like guests are dropping by a friend’s house for a chill time listening to music on its high-fidelity sound system, sipping a curated selection of fine wines, and treating themselves to chef-made exquisite desserts, with artisan ice cream topping the list of must-order items.
In August, the Sweet Corn ice cream, made with blackberry swirl and roasted cantaloupe sorbet, was introduced for the end-of-summer/beginning of fall seasonal menu.
The listening experience rotation includes local deejay sets exploring various genres, such as disco, funk, R&B, pop and chill/electronic music. The weekly Deep Listen, Bring Your Own Vinyl (BYOVinyl) and full-album play nights showcase different artists, allowing guests to discover new songs and listen to familiar favorites in an intimate, enhanced fashion.
And keep an eye out for announcements about film screenings revered for their iconic soundtracks.
Learn how to make Potential New Boyfriend’s The Café Rosso, a wine-based riff on the Espresso Martini, here.
Neng Jr.’s
701 Haywood Road, Suite 102;
In 2024, Neng Jr.’s, a chef-owned and -operated Filipinx restaurant, was named on USA TODAY’s inaugural Restaurants of the Year list, along with 46 other restaurants.
The menu features traditional and contemporary recipes and techniques from the Philippines, with North Carolina influences, reflecting the chef’s heritage, family recipes, and culinary experience in Manila, Quezon City, and Batangas, and the U.S.
The low-key neighborhood eatery, accessible through an alley entryway, offers outstanding, diverse dishes, excellent service and an overall elevated dining experience.
Menu highlights have included Adobo Oyster, served with adobo mignonette, sea grapes and a cured quail egg yolk, and Duck Adobo, a duck breast braised in savory adobo sauce.
Neng Jr.’s wine and dining programs were extended to its intimate bar, Harmony, which is ideal for guests seeking a light bite or a sip, whether planning a full dinner in the main dining room or just stopping by for a spell.
Luminosa
20 Battery Park Ave., Floor 1; 828-271-9808,
Two Asheville restaurants were selected for USA Today’s 2026 Restaurants of the Year list of the top 39 places to eat in America, including Luminosa.
The farm-to-table fine dining restaurant honors Appalachian traditions, using locally grown, foraged and procured ingredients to create original, modern Italian-inspired dishes.
Luminosa, on the first floor of the historic Flat Iron Building-turned Flat Iron Hotel by the Indigo Road Hospitality Group, also earned both a Michelin Bib Gourmand, for offering the best value for the money, and the Green Star award for sustainability and its visionary commitment to the future of gastronomy.
In August, Luminosa partnered with Counter, a Charlotte restaurant that received a One-Star Michelin rating and a Green Star award, for a one-night-only kitchen takeover at the downtown Asheville restaurant.
Luminosa’s regular menu is a picture of culinary excellence in its own right, with staples such as its Lemon Pizza among diners’ favorites. Seasonal switch-ups give them more new and exciting bites to try each visit. The beverage program rises to the occasion, complementing the spread with hand-selected wine, handcrafted cocktails and local beers.
Reservations are highly recommended, though guests may try their luck walking in and requesting a seat at the full-service bar. Or enjoy drinks and a limited dining menu on The Roof of the nine-story building, giving panoramic views of the city and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Or slink away to the underground Prohibition-era-style speakeasy, The Red Ribbon Society, for a taste of Asheville history and libation perfection.
Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ
135 Coxe Ave.; (828) 505-7088
Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ was also honored as a 2026 Restaurants of the Year honoree, applauded not only for its barbecue and cool courtyard with an adjacent bar, but also for how it uplifts and cares for community members and service industry workers year-round, and became a field kitchen and food distribution hub for the global disaster food relief organization, World Central Kitchen, during Tropical Storm Helene in the fall of 2024.
Its Linked4Life program, part of Bear’s Foundation, provides resources and support to help Asheville food and beverage workers access mental health services, in partnership with All Souls Counseling Center.
On Oct. 10, for World Mental Health Day, Bear’s will host an 80s-themed dance party as part of its 86 the Stigma campaign, further supporting hospitality workers’ mental health.
All fall, Bear’s bar will turn into a sports den for college and NFL football, with games shown on big-screen projectors and beer and drink specials offered. Golf-inspired drinks will pour during the PGA’s Biltmore Championship Asheville, hosted in the city from Sept. 14-20. Bear’s, a food vendor for the national event, will also host screenings of the Netflix golf comedy series, “The Hawk.”
Beginning in October, flex your trivia knowledge in rounds of Jeopardy on Thursday nights. Live music will be booked for Saturdays throughout the month.
Remember to be nice ― Bear’s and other South Slope establishments will be hosting a Krampusnacht (or Krampus Night) on Dec. 5, the eve of St. Nicholas Day.
Asheville restaurants post-Helene
In 2025, Asheville’s hospitality industry was recognized by USA TODAY on its Restaurants of the Year list following Tropical Storm Helene, which devastated Asheville and the greater Western North Carolina in the fall of 2024.
The city’s culinary community was commended for its hard work, compassion and resilience, and the many sacrifices and losses acknowledged.
The service industry was at the forefront of caring for the community in the aftermath of Helene, distributing thousands of free hot meals from the first hours of the storm and then over the many weeks that the city’s water supply at North Fork Reservoir was crippled due to storm-related damage.
Restaurants and bars remain integral to the city as it continues to rebuild and thrive.
Reporting by Tiana Kennell, Asheville Citizen Times / Asheville Citizen Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
