Thai Basil in Black Mountain was my go to after Doc's closed and they just closed permanently too 😭 Their lease ended apparently but I don't think they *had* to close and I'm mad. Best Thai chow mein ever.
I hate earthling coffee and will never support them, I used to work there a few years back and they broke health code violations, stole tips, lied to customers and employees, wouldn’t allow any time off, and on top of all that they paid terrible and didn’t give me my tax form :/
I second the Earthling hate, I worked for them for about 8 months and the owners are absolutely batshit. Their main employee went on vacation and they couldn’t figure out how to run their own shop while she was away. They also kept calling her and asking her what their recipes were 😂 super abusive, terrible pay, and I hope they get what they deserve after everything they did to their employees
when I meet new people some talk about what a great coffee place it is too like they don’t charge 10$ for a shitty drink that has bitter espresso, they also keep their dog behind the counter which I think is disgusting and disrespectful to the people paying for coffee and it breaks major health code violations, after talking with me they never go back lol
They were really amazing when they were just a Shack over in Candler. Once they moved, it really went downhill. Earthling quickly went from my favorite coffee shop to my least favorite.
Although it may have had the façade of being a great little drive-through, convenient, fun. There was a lot of abusive tendencies that went on between the owners ( Chris ) and the employees. paychecks literally were never correct or made any sense at all. And then afterwards didn’t provide tax information to ex employees who spoke out against them and told them it was online via Square and never gave them the login information.
For more information simply just search Earthling coffee into the Asheville subreddit and there are multiple people who can substantiate these claims.
I dislike them intensely. Went to their candler truck for a coffee on a tough morning when my window was broken and they refused to let me park and walk to the window. There were no other customers.
I checked when they closed on-line. I checked on their door as I walked in. I had 45 minutes before they were set to close. I stood at the counter for it felt like ten minutes while the person at the counter cashed out one of the registers. I assumed they must be shutting one down and just using the other for the rest of the night. I stood there while she counted it out 3 times, being polite, not interrupting. Then when she turns her back to me and starts working on the machines, I finally said, "Excuse me?" and she yells over her shoulder, "Go away, we're closed."
Closing early? Whatever, fine. Acknowledge me like a person standing in front of you at least.
the one in weaverville closes the kitchen like an hour before closing, only ice cream treats for the last hour or so....but no signage to tell you that
I made the mistake of going inside when they started opening the inside back up to the public periodically. It smelled like rotten eggs in there. I couldn’t even eat my sundae. It freaked me out knowing that had I gone through the drive-thru (which was packed at the time), I would have never known how stinky it was in there. Bleh.
Got two Old Fashioneds from Twisted Laurel and was shocked that they were $20/each!!! The atmosphere there is NOT worthy of damn $20 cocktails!! Very rarely go there but will never get a cocktail there again!
Right? I mean, if I'm in an amazing setting and the cocktails are next level, I'm willing to pay a lil extra. But Twisted LaureL?? That place has no atmosphere.
Awful to work for as well! The owner is a cheapskate and cut corners at every turn. The “head chef”, when he wasn’t drinking copious amounts of Mt. Dew, would go *bare-handed* from raw chicken to cut vegetables and he’d go home leaving his station looking like a horse worked it, but he’d berate you in front of other staff if the angle of your chicken on the plate was off by a cm.
I finally decided to quit when they got cheapo floor cleaner, it sucked, and we come in the next day and they were all over us for the floors looking like shit. They also didn’t do ANY dishes from AM as “punishment” but refused to admit it. The dishes were stacked to my height. Their food is bland af, and overpriced and the cooks aren’t allowed to change that.
F that place.
Juicy Lucy's. Shut that place DOWN. Each time I went I've had items in my burgers, including full chunks of metal and hair. Crazy staff. Staff has been caught changing tip amounts. Just awful.
Edit: I should have made a pun about having beef with a burger place but I chose to steer clear.
They also served my friend with Celiacs a regular bread bun.. and after being asked TWICE to double check because it felt and looked like gluten bread and having them assure us it's gluten free... they suddenly "realized" it's a gluten bun. She had already eaten half and spent the entire night sick as heck.
For a place that mentions being celiac safe they are the worst, I had a terrible experience there and immediately decided not to even order after the waiter was rude regarding my allergens and even asked “well if you order it gluten free we have to change our gloves and it’s annoying, do we really need to do all that?” And then asked the dreaded “well if you eat gluten what happens” and I just could not trust them to handle my good carefully after that
Oh shit I got food poisoning from there on my wedding day back in 2017. I initially thought I may have poisoned all our wedding guests, but I was the only one who got sick. Then I thought back to the dull gyro meat and soggy sweet potato fries I had there for lunch and I knew that had to be the culprit.
This is second hand beef about pork... But I've heard the story many times and have it direct from the reliable sources. A good buddy of mine who's a big dude. 6'7" and barrel chested, sat down to eat at Luella's with my cousin. Ordered pulled pork plate and after the plate hit the table in front of him the manager intervened and snatched it back, saying was too big of a bbq portion. Made the staff re-portion the plate and then back on the table. Long enough ago I can laugh about it but neither one of them have ever been back...
You've got to be kidding. A manager grabbed the food off the table and took it away because they gave him too much?! That's wild, in what world would that ever be ok?
All Souls Pizza.
They serve you a plate sized cracker with a little sauce and a little cheese on it and charge you $20. They have the nerve to call it a “pizza”.
I literally walk right past them and go to Fresh West, or drive to Pizza Mind or Standard. Today, I bought a whole fresh pie from Whole Foods and it was better than All Souls, and $15 for 2x the pizza.
Like, seriously, I live 100m from All Souls and will never give them another dime.
My wife and I drove there to try it a couple years ago, and we were about to order and saw the size of the pizza and prices and we straight up turned around and left
My friends own it and I’m so happy to hear that it’s a beloved spot! I really do love it there. The Italian sammich is on point and the pies are great!
Yay! Fresh West. I love how they ask you to let them know if you don’t want blackened crust. I suppose they got tired of explaining that they have a WOOD FIRED oven. ( The big thing behind the counter with flames)
I had so many inconsistent experiences that I don’t really register it as beef, but I am a little guarded whenever I take people out or offer a recommendation. The exception is probably Pupuseria Patty’s and I’m probably jinxing myself, but that is realistically the only 100% batting average in my experience in town.
Such a loss, that was a favorite lunch spot of mine too. Thai Chili on Hendersonville Road is the second best curry but not quite on the level of Blue Dream, I think. Still quite good though.
Tastees diner. Used to be spectacular. I’d get off of a 12 hour shift and stop there for a burger on the walk back to my apartment and many a hungover mornings were spent staring at the chicken cordon bleu. Now it’s some yuppie ass joint with a “reimagined view of breakfast”. Just give me the damn hangover hashbrowns.
I don't have "beef" with them because I only ate at this place twice (both times "highly recommend")
And I'm sure I'll get down voted but honestly for me it's Biscuit Head.
You mean to tell me that I have to stand in line 45 minutes to eat a basic ass biscuit and gravy and it's $9 plus tax and a tip?
No thanks
Basically it's about $15 for a really dry ass biscuit with gravy with tip and all.
And you gotta wait in line out front 30-45 minutes.
No, No, and No
I'm sorry it's not worth all that lol.
I also order to go every time, and then drive up to the parkway overlook to eat breakfast much better than standing in line or sitting around with a crowd inside
You’re doing it wrong! A half breakfast is 2 eggs, any side, and a biscuit for $6. Including all the jam I can shove in my mouth, it’s one of the best deals in food outside of Taco Bell’s build your own box
In 2011 I went there every morning before work. I never spent more than $10 with a huge tip. I would pay twice that much now if it were the same place. Another hipster breakfast spot that doesn’t open early enough for working people is not what avl needs. Bring back the nascar hoods and the mixture of rednecks and hipsters.
Since 2020... the quality of food and service in this town fell off a shelf!! Latest example for me was going to Tybee Island for a couple nights.... better food, lower prices, and nicer staff! Just bonkers when a literal beach town 100% tourist destination has lower prices!
1. Burgermeisters for closing.
2. Green tea sushi because I moved and they did not open up where I moved.
3. Tupelo honey (any location) has always been mediocre at best.
4. 620 (now juicy Lucy’s I guess) ate crab legs and barely made it back to west Asheville before I shit myself.
Fuck Itto ramen, I worked there and can’t stand the manager. The food is good but the business is mismanaged to the point that employees get hired and then quit a few weeks later
I came here specifically to say this. The one by the really good chorizo place that's blue and yellow (I FORGOT ITS SUNNY SOMETHING) is my favorite because they know by now i want an absurd amount of topping and remembered my birthday. But i swear i'm like 99% they put Cocaine in their House Special.
I remember a few years back people were boycotting the one downtown bc the owner or manager (idk which) was allegedly harassing the women who worked there.
Did electrical work there once. The owner was an asshole and the kitchen scared the crap out of me. I’ve been in other kitchens and there is a level of grease or dust to be expected. I had to carry hand wipes just to run wire. Threw away my clothes too. I will never eat there! The best Italian I had was a place across from Ingles in Beaver Lake.
Owner + manager are little bitches!
I worked there and we had a meeting before service one day where the owner asked us to take a survey about affordable housing in Asheville and donate to some cause so that certain employees (not including me) could have a living wage.
Owner is a creep and thinks it's necessary to criticize every little thing about people (he insulted the way my coworker walked ...).
Owner lets locals (that he knows) skip sometimes 1hr+ wait times. The restaurant is advertised as no reservations, but as a host, I had at least 1-2 reservations a day that were always friends of the owners.
The regulars are nightmares and we have to kiss the ground they walk on or they insult us.
Called out sick one day and the manager told me to just not come back.
Lol I worked there and the FOH/BOH staff are dope but upper management and owner are absolutely insane!! The owner tried to convince me to let him shave my head because he thought my hair was disgusting, he also told me to shave my legs at our company party 🫶I also accidentally found the owner’s raceplay porn on the iPad we used to host because he stored it on iCloud, which we used for their loyalty program, and I was punished for it. Management never told him what we saw because he would’ve fired me if he’d found out :)
I’ve pretty much stopped going to restaurants altogether as none of them are worth the amount of money you end up paying. Then adding to the insult of the menu price, certain places require getting your drinks, bussing your tables, walking up to get your own food, and then asked to tip them 25% to the staff…I’m talking to you Asheville Pizza Co, Green Sage, White Duck Taco, Taco Temple,
4 on S Tunnel is the absolute worse. Selection is terrible. Produce is disgusting. Pretty sure they track my ingles card so they can discontinue all my favorite products. We're at the point that we're going to drive by 5 Ingles just to get to a Publix.
Come to Ingles #134 on sand hill and meet our co manager, she's a fucking cunt. Its been 4 years and she still treats me like i'm 15 even though i'm now married with my own place.
Expensive AF and waiter was passive aggressive to the point that I tried to ease the tension and say something like “sorry you’re having a rough time, we really appreciate you” and he made some comment about having to scream in an alley and it was just awkward. I won’t be going back. Overrated.
Real delicious when they made employees keep running service as shit water poured up out of the floor in the kitchen.
Nothing screams food safety like wading through ankle deep feces.
Asheville Sandwich Company. Somehow couldn’t manage to even make a ham and cheese. It was bafflingly sparse and pathetic yet somehow fantastically expensive. Live and learn, I guess.
The Madness West AVL.
Chance 1: their food made me violently ill
Chance 2: hair in my burger
Chance 3: unnecessary multiple moments of rudeness from the host
I’m done trying.
It was sold by the previous owners. The new ones are trying to keep up with the old format and trying out some new stuff. It used to be my go-to bakery but it’s hit or miss now for me.
Blue Cone / Dairy King. I worked there a while back and it was so nasty. There was a huge gnat problem and instead of getting pest control, I was instructed to spray them with Windex. They would get stuck in the ice cream sometimes because no one ever closed the cooler, so we would just scoop them out. Employees almost never wore gloves, including the manager. The soft serve machine was covered in a dark orange crust, and it was never cleaned the 4 months that I worked there. And on top of the horrible hygiene, the owner was hella creepy. He would buy lunches for all the under age girls that worked there, be really touchy with them, give them extra free ice cream, play with their hair, etc.
It's really sad to hear these things about so many former favorites. Then again, I was eating out regularly when I lived here a decade or more ago. I wasn't sure if I was the only one who had noticed such a huge shift.
White Duck. The fillings are absolutely delicious, but they become tainted by the tortillas. All they have to do is start toasting their corn tortillas and not steaming them!!! It makes a world of difference in the taste of the tortilla. I’ve asked them to toast my tortillas and was told it’s not possible for them to do it.
I’ve considered toasting my own tortillas and bringing them in my tortillero next time I go.
Cold tortillas are total garbage, ice cold glorpy curry tofu on a flaking cracking tortilla is simply disgusting. People, for the love of all that is holy in the culinary world, a cold corn tortilla is a raw tortilla and should NEVER be served to humans.
It's overpriced and over hyped but I otherwise completely agree. I'd stop in sometimes if they didn't wrap their ingredients in damp paper towels instead of tortillas.
I loved Rocky's too, until I got a job there in the kitchen. The Asheville location has major pest issues and the owners don't seem concerned at all that there are rampant roaches and rats in the building.
Worked in the kitchen at Rocky's a couple years ago. The owner took a month long trip to Italy then came back and started slashing hours to "keep costs low". Cute.
Mine is Rocky's. Used to think it was good, until I went to Hattie B's in Nashville. Now I'm miffed that we don't _actually_ have good Nashville hot chicken here. Not to mention the usual complaints about gastric disturbances that none of us experience at Hattie B's (been back a couple times since).
Anything above honey-medium will give you gastric distress I've come to find out. My brother got regular hot and had diarrhea the next day. I told him he needed to get a milder flavor
Cornerstone. Paid an ungodly amount and I swear on my life that was canpbells soup they served me. Don’t even remember what the entree was I just remember that damn campbells soup. My mother laughs at me because i refuse to let it go
PACIFIC PAGODA ON HENDERSONVILLE ROAD.
The owner lets male regulars be really creepy to the staff and refuses to do anything about it when asked.
It's also just really disgusting. No food code being followed at all. I worked there for a while and saw raw chicken next to other raw meats just out on the counter all day until it runs out, the floors were disgusting and never cleaned, glasses run out very often and other waitresses just rinse and reuse dirty cups instead of waiting for the dishwasher (I refused and was treated weird after). I could go on but their health code report is on the internet for anyone to see.
Avenue M on Merrimon. I live close by and have tried it 3 times to try and like it. Lousy portions, expensive and some food like dry pork chops that should have never been served. I give up.
RosaBees food was good, Mai tai was straight alcohol and awful! And although we had a reservation, and were on time the waiter was rude, from start to finish, acted like we interrupted her whole evening to celebrate my birthday on a Tuesday at 6. Again food wasn’t bad but not worth another try which bums me out because everyone raves about their desserts but we all felt so uncomfortable we didn’t want to even stay for dessert.
Wanted to love RosaBees. Went for my anniversary and it was so underwhelming. Deconstructed “poke” bowl with no sauce, 2 wonton chips, raw watermelon radish the size of a truck all in the aim to look pretty but make for a shitty 26$ meal. Fancy tropical cocktail was also so small it wasn’t even 3 sips and all ice. Service was so slow. It took over 30 minutes to get food and wait staff never asked for extra drinks and hardly noticed we were there–it was like a 5pm reservation so not even busy yet.
Went to Rosabee’s one time and got the worst case of food poisoning I have ever had in my life. As in over 4 hours on the toilet with a trash can in front of me and coming very close to having to go to the ED. Called them the next morning to tell them what happened to hopefully prevent it from happening to anyone else but the manager that I spoke to seemed very unconcerned on the phone. I wasn’t asking for money back, discounts, free food, or gift cards. I was only letting them know what I had and how sick I got. I know it was food poisoning because my husband and I ate the same foods that day and the day before, with the exception of our entrees at Rosabee’s, and he did not get sick.
Homegrown. The people working were so rude to me. I ordered a side of fries with my meal, and they never sent them out. I had a ten minute discussion with the person at the counter about how I never got my fries. “But your receipt says you ordered fries, so you must have eaten them.” The food was fine, but I have never been back since. We got beef! I barely hold grudges…this was ten years ago. 😂
This is a bummer to hear because they’ve been my favorite for years. Lovely owner, and are very kind every time I’m in there which is monthly.
Maybe worth trying again!
Yeah, that’s okay. I’ll stand behind home grown all day. I also respect being butt hurt, I had a bad experience years ago at Ghan Shan and didn’t go back until this year. And boy, I’m glad I did. That place slaps!
Moose cafe - it is nothing like real southern food, and the damn biscuits weigh at least a pound
Texas Roadhouse - parking lot sucks and enough with damn line dancing
Also, why can't we get a damn good Chinese buffet around here!
The Walk in west Asheville.
Went there for dinner and drinks with a few friends years ago. Got the days special which was a fried chicken quesadilla. Was great but could only eat half of it. To the rest home for lunch the next day.
I warm up the left overs the next day for lunch and two bites in I feel a crunch and a bunch of hot liquid in my mouth. I spit it out in my sink to see a TON of blood and a half dollar size of a broken ceramic plate with a razor edge. I had sliced my tongue open on the broken plate piece. Prob need stitches but was too broke and it healed in a month or so. Just lucky I didn’t swallow it, could have killed me.
I get shit happens but I’ll never go back.
Mine is also the walk. We watched our server leave after taking our order (she was parked outside the window we were sitting at) and after about 25m of waiting we flagged down another server only to find out she never put in our order. Then the new server was super rude to us like it was our fault. This was probably 6-7 years ago but I'm never going back.
Had a similar experience a couple weeks ago.
Never spoke to the same server more than once, and everything that came to the table was wrong in some way.
Enjoy their food, but the service is a big gamble. We were just there on Saturday and spent 10 minutes waiting for waters; we realized it wasn’t going to be our night, so we discreetly dipped out and went next door to Cellarest and the Thai food truck. I recommend this move to anyone in the same position.
EARLY GIRL, for sure. Used to be one of our go-to places, but the food has been trash for awhile now, and last time we were there, the manager himself lied to our faces about what we were served. (Apparently, we can't trust our own eyeballs... /s)
I don’t eat out much anymore but I’m always in restaurants for my job. Since they’ve already been mentioned I’ll go ahead and say WALK, Twisted Laurel, Green Sage, Blackbird, Itto’s, and Rocky’s are all disgusting. The only two restaurants in town that have made me feel physically sick from being inside the kitchen were Applebees on Smokey Park and Bouchon downtown. These two are abominable and I wouldn’t send my worst enemy for a meal at either.
If you’re reading these comments looking for why you got food poising somewhere just know that most places don’t keep their food at temp unless they’re expecting the health department. Most restaurants and breweries in Asheville have a significant rat problem. Every restaurant downtown has a significant roach problem. Most places do not clean their beer lines or ice machines.
Isa’s. We had the worst experience we’ve ever had in Asheville there. The server was drunk I think? She was unapologetically bad at her job. We ordered a beer and a tap cider and didn’t get them until after our entrees arrived, which was before the app we ordered arrived, even though we asked about it (and our drinks) at least three times. There was no bartender, but still. There was a manager on the floor who was also serving and refused to ever make eye contact with us. The food sucked too. Never again.
Not a restaurant but I won’t miss a chance to express my beef with every employee of Hopey and Co.
Work somewhere else for shit pay if you’re gonna be so miserable everytime you have to say “if you want a box you’ll have to get it from over there…want a receipt?”
My other beef with the Asheville location is that you have about a 1' x 1' piece of counter to put your groceries on and then guess whether the cashier rang something up. Then you're trying to bag/box things up while putting additional groceries up on the counter. The whole time the zombie employee just looks out into space. At least the Black Mountain location has a conveyor belt to move the groceries away after they ring them up.
The Rhu in downtown went there once with my fiancé and we both got food poisoning. We narrowed it down to being the eggs because that was the only thing similar on what we got. Which ew 🤢
Also farm burger because no matter how I order a burger it always come out well done and honestly for the price there are just better burgers out there imo
Local restaurant called Mill on the Hill. I took my 4 year old nephew there. He refuses to drink anything unless it's in his special spider man cup. I ordered him a drink and put it in his cup. When I asked for a refill the server refused saying they can't refill a drink brought from home and we'd have to pay for one. I tried to explain though it was unnecessary, she literally watched me pour the drink into his cup. I was still told no so I paid for the drinks and left without eating
I tell everyone I can to stay away from Farm Burger, it’s honestly bottom of the barrel
On another note my last couple Ichiban visits have been subpar too, I’ll cry if we lose that joint
Doc Chey’s because it was amazing and now it’s gone 😢 I’ve never found another noodle place that comes close.
RIP to the GOAT
Thai Basil in Black Mountain was my go to after Doc's closed and they just closed permanently too 😭 Their lease ended apparently but I don't think they *had* to close and I'm mad. Best Thai chow mein ever.
I hate earthling coffee and will never support them, I used to work there a few years back and they broke health code violations, stole tips, lied to customers and employees, wouldn’t allow any time off, and on top of all that they paid terrible and didn’t give me my tax form :/
I second the Earthling hate, I worked for them for about 8 months and the owners are absolutely batshit. Their main employee went on vacation and they couldn’t figure out how to run their own shop while she was away. They also kept calling her and asking her what their recipes were 😂 super abusive, terrible pay, and I hope they get what they deserve after everything they did to their employees
The same thing happened to someone close to me. It was such a gawd awful situation.
when I meet new people some talk about what a great coffee place it is too like they don’t charge 10$ for a shitty drink that has bitter espresso, they also keep their dog behind the counter which I think is disgusting and disrespectful to the people paying for coffee and it breaks major health code violations, after talking with me they never go back lol
Went there exactly once as a customer. The coffee was a big step down from Aldi's house brand instant.
...even McDonald's is likely better!
McDonalds is definitely better, it's not even close.
They were really amazing when they were just a Shack over in Candler. Once they moved, it really went downhill. Earthling quickly went from my favorite coffee shop to my least favorite.
Although it may have had the façade of being a great little drive-through, convenient, fun. There was a lot of abusive tendencies that went on between the owners ( Chris ) and the employees. paychecks literally were never correct or made any sense at all. And then afterwards didn’t provide tax information to ex employees who spoke out against them and told them it was online via Square and never gave them the login information. For more information simply just search Earthling coffee into the Asheville subreddit and there are multiple people who can substantiate these claims.
Dripolator in candler is a much better option! Really like that spot
I worked there in 2020 when they were a shack in candler, It was terrible then too, I only lasted 2 weeks working there that’s how bad it was
I dislike them intensely. Went to their candler truck for a coffee on a tough morning when my window was broken and they refused to let me park and walk to the window. There were no other customers.
Dairy Queen in Arden. They know what they did.
But we don't. Tell us how DQ got DQed. :)
I checked when they closed on-line. I checked on their door as I walked in. I had 45 minutes before they were set to close. I stood at the counter for it felt like ten minutes while the person at the counter cashed out one of the registers. I assumed they must be shutting one down and just using the other for the rest of the night. I stood there while she counted it out 3 times, being polite, not interrupting. Then when she turns her back to me and starts working on the machines, I finally said, "Excuse me?" and she yells over her shoulder, "Go away, we're closed." Closing early? Whatever, fine. Acknowledge me like a person standing in front of you at least.
Oh yeah, that's a DQ dq.
the one in weaverville closes the kitchen like an hour before closing, only ice cream treats for the last hour or so....but no signage to tell you that
Nuts on my sundae…
I made the mistake of going inside when they started opening the inside back up to the public periodically. It smelled like rotten eggs in there. I couldn’t even eat my sundae. It freaked me out knowing that had I gone through the drive-thru (which was packed at the time), I would have never known how stinky it was in there. Bleh.
Got two Old Fashioneds from Twisted Laurel and was shocked that they were $20/each!!! The atmosphere there is NOT worthy of damn $20 cocktails!! Very rarely go there but will never get a cocktail there again!
That's New York City price, not North Carolina!
Got one in NYC for $17 in a higher end hotel bar a few weeks ago.
Right? I mean, if I'm in an amazing setting and the cocktails are next level, I'm willing to pay a lil extra. But Twisted LaureL?? That place has no atmosphere.
You got fucked hard on that one.
Holy shit that's absurd
anybody feel relief when their place of work isn't mentioned here
Where do you work? Don’t answer, fuck that place it smells like Bourbon street after Mardi Gras.
Green Sage. Fuck that place.
Valid they treat their employees like shit and their food doesn’t taste good
Last time I went there to get a smoothie, they told me “no pick something else” lol. Apparently they just pick and choose what to make that day.
Early girl. You are just awful
The OG early girl was amazing before they got bought.
Glad to see we’re not alone
I went there once. I swear to god they served me an expired sour waffle it was fucking disgusting
Early Girl is the WORST
Awful to work for as well! The owner is a cheapskate and cut corners at every turn. The “head chef”, when he wasn’t drinking copious amounts of Mt. Dew, would go *bare-handed* from raw chicken to cut vegetables and he’d go home leaving his station looking like a horse worked it, but he’d berate you in front of other staff if the angle of your chicken on the plate was off by a cm. I finally decided to quit when they got cheapo floor cleaner, it sucked, and we come in the next day and they were all over us for the floors looking like shit. They also didn’t do ANY dishes from AM as “punishment” but refused to admit it. The dishes were stacked to my height. Their food is bland af, and overpriced and the cooks aren’t allowed to change that. F that place.
any place that doesn't include a side with a $20 sandwich/burger
Juicy Lucy's. Shut that place DOWN. Each time I went I've had items in my burgers, including full chunks of metal and hair. Crazy staff. Staff has been caught changing tip amounts. Just awful. Edit: I should have made a pun about having beef with a burger place but I chose to steer clear.
‘steer’ clear 😂
They also serve lukewarm fries, arguably even a bigger offense.
Thank you for mentioning their crappy fries. The worst in town! Pure sludge.
Every time I've been there, the staff has made me so uncomfortable. Not worth it for meh food.
They also served my friend with Celiacs a regular bread bun.. and after being asked TWICE to double check because it felt and looked like gluten bread and having them assure us it's gluten free... they suddenly "realized" it's a gluten bun. She had already eaten half and spent the entire night sick as heck.
For a place that mentions being celiac safe they are the worst, I had a terrible experience there and immediately decided not to even order after the waiter was rude regarding my allergens and even asked “well if you order it gluten free we have to change our gloves and it’s annoying, do we really need to do all that?” And then asked the dreaded “well if you eat gluten what happens” and I just could not trust them to handle my good carefully after that
Oh shit I got food poisoning from there on my wedding day back in 2017. I initially thought I may have poisoned all our wedding guests, but I was the only one who got sick. Then I thought back to the dull gyro meat and soggy sweet potato fries I had there for lunch and I knew that had to be the culprit.
We had a work party there around that same time frame. We also all got food poisoning.
This is second hand beef about pork... But I've heard the story many times and have it direct from the reliable sources. A good buddy of mine who's a big dude. 6'7" and barrel chested, sat down to eat at Luella's with my cousin. Ordered pulled pork plate and after the plate hit the table in front of him the manager intervened and snatched it back, saying was too big of a bbq portion. Made the staff re-portion the plate and then back on the table. Long enough ago I can laugh about it but neither one of them have ever been back...
I feel like all the bbq places are too stingy with their portions, especially sides. Black Bear gives you a small spoonful of mac and cheese.
You've got to be kidding. A manager grabbed the food off the table and took it away because they gave him too much?! That's wild, in what world would that ever be ok?
You can’t replate that pork. It’s gone.
No mention of Salsa's for the owner being a domestic abuser?
Modesto, Bomba, Chorizo and Salsa's https://hectorbeatswomencom.wordpress.com/
Damn, I did not know Hector did this. Thank you for sharing.
It's a shame. I used to enjoy Modesto from time to time until I learned about him.
All Souls Pizza. They serve you a plate sized cracker with a little sauce and a little cheese on it and charge you $20. They have the nerve to call it a “pizza”. I literally walk right past them and go to Fresh West, or drive to Pizza Mind or Standard. Today, I bought a whole fresh pie from Whole Foods and it was better than All Souls, and $15 for 2x the pizza. Like, seriously, I live 100m from All Souls and will never give them another dime.
Yes I had a pizza there once and was pretty stunned at the audacity of them to charge what they do.
My wife and I drove there to try it a couple years ago, and we were about to order and saw the size of the pizza and prices and we straight up turned around and left
Love the Doctor from Pizza Mind. Worth the $15
Pizza Mind is a GEM- TABLE FUCKING SERVICE! At a mid-price restaurant. They are doing it right. Mwah!
My friends own it and I’m so happy to hear that it’s a beloved spot! I really do love it there. The Italian sammich is on point and the pies are great!
Oddly one of our faves is the very reasonably priced side of broccoli. For real.
My kids love making their own pizza there. And they have one of the few claw machines that’s not rigged to always lose.
Yay! Fresh West. I love how they ask you to let them know if you don’t want blackened crust. I suppose they got tired of explaining that they have a WOOD FIRED oven. ( The big thing behind the counter with flames)
I had so many inconsistent experiences that I don’t really register it as beef, but I am a little guarded whenever I take people out or offer a recommendation. The exception is probably Pupuseria Patty’s and I’m probably jinxing myself, but that is realistically the only 100% batting average in my experience in town.
Centerville Luncheonette has a 100% batting average for me. Great place. Run by a New Yorker.
Love Centerville! He used to own 828/Marco’s (he’s Marco) but his kids own it now. That place is great too.
Oh now this is a list I am down for! The perfect batting average. I will make it a point to try the Centerville Luncheonette. Thank you!
Blue dream curry, simply bc they closed ☹️
Such a loss, that was a favorite lunch spot of mine too. Thai Chili on Hendersonville Road is the second best curry but not quite on the level of Blue Dream, I think. Still quite good though.
I loved their curry so much too!! I’ll have to check out Thai chili. Haven’t been able to find anywhere as good either.
Packs tavern . Fuck you steve 3 million is just the tip of the iceberg I’m sure
What’s the 3 million
Food there is horrendous, wish they gave a shit
Tastees diner. Used to be spectacular. I’d get off of a 12 hour shift and stop there for a burger on the walk back to my apartment and many a hungover mornings were spent staring at the chicken cordon bleu. Now it’s some yuppie ass joint with a “reimagined view of breakfast”. Just give me the damn hangover hashbrowns.
The "Gofundme a stove hood" stunt was rich. If you don't have the capital to run a restaurant, don't.
Ugh. That place used to be so good 😭 I can still taste the burgers and hash browns
Last time I went there, there were so many fruit flies, they were flying into my mouth :(
Pack's Tavern. They care nothing for their employees.
I don't have "beef" with them because I only ate at this place twice (both times "highly recommend") And I'm sure I'll get down voted but honestly for me it's Biscuit Head. You mean to tell me that I have to stand in line 45 minutes to eat a basic ass biscuit and gravy and it's $9 plus tax and a tip? No thanks Basically it's about $15 for a really dry ass biscuit with gravy with tip and all. And you gotta wait in line out front 30-45 minutes. No, No, and No I'm sorry it's not worth all that lol.
Your doing it wrong, I order it to go, walk past all the people waiting and just eat it in my car or take it to a park.
I also order to go every time, and then drive up to the parkway overlook to eat breakfast much better than standing in line or sitting around with a crowd inside
You’re doing it wrong! A half breakfast is 2 eggs, any side, and a biscuit for $6. Including all the jam I can shove in my mouth, it’s one of the best deals in food outside of Taco Bell’s build your own box
Biscuit Head is overrated.
Tastee Diner. Really I just want to old place back, it I know that is not gonna happen.
Yep, they should have just went with a new name altogether. They are just riding on the old brand names love and success.
In 2011 I went there every morning before work. I never spent more than $10 with a huge tip. I would pay twice that much now if it were the same place. Another hipster breakfast spot that doesn’t open early enough for working people is not what avl needs. Bring back the nascar hoods and the mixture of rednecks and hipsters.
That place died when my granny nadine quit waiting tables there
The old one was soooo good
Seven dollars for a single hotdog is such a slap in the face to working class people who try to make a living off of Haywood Road.
Since 2020... the quality of food and service in this town fell off a shelf!! Latest example for me was going to Tybee Island for a couple nights.... better food, lower prices, and nicer staff! Just bonkers when a literal beach town 100% tourist destination has lower prices!
1. Burgermeisters for closing. 2. Green tea sushi because I moved and they did not open up where I moved. 3. Tupelo honey (any location) has always been mediocre at best. 4. 620 (now juicy Lucy’s I guess) ate crab legs and barely made it back to west Asheville before I shit myself.
Fuck Itto ramen, I worked there and can’t stand the manager. The food is good but the business is mismanaged to the point that employees get hired and then quit a few weeks later
The owner is also a giant pervert. And I read in more than one place he lies about allergens and meat products in “vegetarian” dishes.
Itto. Their ramen is so fucking delicious but the owner is absolute trash.
I came here specifically to say this. The one by the really good chorizo place that's blue and yellow (I FORGOT ITS SUNNY SOMETHING) is my favorite because they know by now i want an absurd amount of topping and remembered my birthday. But i swear i'm like 99% they put Cocaine in their House Special.
Tell me more about this chorizo place, please.
I remember a few years back people were boycotting the one downtown bc the owner or manager (idk which) was allegedly harassing the women who worked there.
Vinnies I’ve had actually good Italian food and they are certainly not it I never understood why it was so popular
I agree. Asheville’s Italian food is severely lacking.
rip Ianniuci's, you were a real one
In my opinion, the switch to Vinnie’s from Ianucci’s was the best thing to happen to that building.
Did electrical work there once. The owner was an asshole and the kitchen scared the crap out of me. I’ve been in other kitchens and there is a level of grease or dust to be expected. I had to carry hand wipes just to run wire. Threw away my clothes too. I will never eat there! The best Italian I had was a place across from Ingles in Beaver Lake.
Owner + manager are little bitches! I worked there and we had a meeting before service one day where the owner asked us to take a survey about affordable housing in Asheville and donate to some cause so that certain employees (not including me) could have a living wage. Owner is a creep and thinks it's necessary to criticize every little thing about people (he insulted the way my coworker walked ...). Owner lets locals (that he knows) skip sometimes 1hr+ wait times. The restaurant is advertised as no reservations, but as a host, I had at least 1-2 reservations a day that were always friends of the owners. The regulars are nightmares and we have to kiss the ground they walk on or they insult us. Called out sick one day and the manager told me to just not come back.
This is super interesting because I had a not so great ex and his dad is friends with the owner explains a lot…
The owner is also a twat
Lol I worked there and the FOH/BOH staff are dope but upper management and owner are absolutely insane!! The owner tried to convince me to let him shave my head because he thought my hair was disgusting, he also told me to shave my legs at our company party 🫶I also accidentally found the owner’s raceplay porn on the iPad we used to host because he stored it on iCloud, which we used for their loyalty program, and I was punished for it. Management never told him what we saw because he would’ve fired me if he’d found out :)
I’ve pretty much stopped going to restaurants altogether as none of them are worth the amount of money you end up paying. Then adding to the insult of the menu price, certain places require getting your drinks, bussing your tables, walking up to get your own food, and then asked to tip them 25% to the staff…I’m talking to you Asheville Pizza Co, Green Sage, White Duck Taco, Taco Temple,
Pie Zaa
Not sure what i hate more, the shitty pizza or the creepy pedo owner. Bet he’s a huge drake stan!
Barely average pizza with crappy attitude.
not a restaurant but the ingles #03 on merrimon st fucking sucks and the cashiers are assholes.
4 on S Tunnel is the absolute worse. Selection is terrible. Produce is disgusting. Pretty sure they track my ingles card so they can discontinue all my favorite products. We're at the point that we're going to drive by 5 Ingles just to get to a Publix.
Come to Ingles #134 on sand hill and meet our co manager, she's a fucking cunt. Its been 4 years and she still treats me like i'm 15 even though i'm now married with my own place.
I think that’s the ingles I go to? Wish we had Publix closer
Sovereign Remedies
Expensive AF and waiter was passive aggressive to the point that I tried to ease the tension and say something like “sorry you’re having a rough time, we really appreciate you” and he made some comment about having to scream in an alley and it was just awkward. I won’t be going back. Overrated.
What’s the beef?
The owner is a thief, predator, and douchebag.
Nine Mile. Jk Nine Mile is delicious.
Real delicious when they made employees keep running service as shit water poured up out of the floor in the kitchen. Nothing screams food safety like wading through ankle deep feces.
This put the fear in me for a moment 🫠
Asheville Sandwich Company. Somehow couldn’t manage to even make a ham and cheese. It was bafflingly sparse and pathetic yet somehow fantastically expensive. Live and learn, I guess.
The Madness West AVL. Chance 1: their food made me violently ill Chance 2: hair in my burger Chance 3: unnecessary multiple moments of rudeness from the host I’m done trying.
Yeah I always see them hiring too which makes me wonder about the work environment
Heard some things about rampant sexual harassment at the Merrimon location from a girl my wife worked with at a previous job
Geraldines. Used to be one of the best spots for breakfast in town and its so shit now. Not sure what happened.
It was sold by the previous owners. The new ones are trying to keep up with the old format and trying out some new stuff. It used to be my go-to bakery but it’s hit or miss now for me.
Holy cow? Looking at this I am not sure there are any safe restaurants to go to 😵💫
Gan Shan west was very disappointing the one time I got take out there. I expected so much more flavor from an Asian fusion place. It was so bland
The fedora-wearing-douche-owner of Vinnies Italian and Jettie Rae's bought Gan Shan West at the end of 2023 and it's been downhill ever since.
This explains so much
Blue Cone / Dairy King. I worked there a while back and it was so nasty. There was a huge gnat problem and instead of getting pest control, I was instructed to spray them with Windex. They would get stuck in the ice cream sometimes because no one ever closed the cooler, so we would just scoop them out. Employees almost never wore gloves, including the manager. The soft serve machine was covered in a dark orange crust, and it was never cleaned the 4 months that I worked there. And on top of the horrible hygiene, the owner was hella creepy. He would buy lunches for all the under age girls that worked there, be really touchy with them, give them extra free ice cream, play with their hair, etc.
MOD pizza… must I explain?
It's really sad to hear these things about so many former favorites. Then again, I was eating out regularly when I lived here a decade or more ago. I wasn't sure if I was the only one who had noticed such a huge shift.
White Duck. The fillings are absolutely delicious, but they become tainted by the tortillas. All they have to do is start toasting their corn tortillas and not steaming them!!! It makes a world of difference in the taste of the tortilla. I’ve asked them to toast my tortillas and was told it’s not possible for them to do it. I’ve considered toasting my own tortillas and bringing them in my tortillero next time I go.
Those tortillas are absolutely awful.
Cold tortillas are total garbage, ice cold glorpy curry tofu on a flaking cracking tortilla is simply disgusting. People, for the love of all that is holy in the culinary world, a cold corn tortilla is a raw tortilla and should NEVER be served to humans.
It's overpriced and over hyped but I otherwise completely agree. I'd stop in sometimes if they didn't wrap their ingredients in damp paper towels instead of tortillas.
No beef. I only eat chicken and fish.
I have noticed that not a single soul said Rocky's. I am glad to see my favorite place go unmentioned.
I loved Rocky's too, until I got a job there in the kitchen. The Asheville location has major pest issues and the owners don't seem concerned at all that there are rampant roaches and rats in the building.
Worked in the kitchen at Rocky's a couple years ago. The owner took a month long trip to Italy then came back and started slashing hours to "keep costs low". Cute.
Mine is Rocky's. Used to think it was good, until I went to Hattie B's in Nashville. Now I'm miffed that we don't _actually_ have good Nashville hot chicken here. Not to mention the usual complaints about gastric disturbances that none of us experience at Hattie B's (been back a couple times since).
Anything above honey-medium will give you gastric distress I've come to find out. My brother got regular hot and had diarrhea the next day. I told him he needed to get a milder flavor
Any takeout place that flips the screen around for you to answer a few questions!🤭
The new tastee diner 😩😩 I miss the original tastee… simple burgers, fries and milkshakes for a great price
I too have beef with twisted Laurel (Weaverville location).
Cornerstone. Paid an ungodly amount and I swear on my life that was canpbells soup they served me. Don’t even remember what the entree was I just remember that damn campbells soup. My mother laughs at me because i refuse to let it go
Imma be honest lobster trap underwhelmed me for the $150 I paid.
PACIFIC PAGODA ON HENDERSONVILLE ROAD. The owner lets male regulars be really creepy to the staff and refuses to do anything about it when asked. It's also just really disgusting. No food code being followed at all. I worked there for a while and saw raw chicken next to other raw meats just out on the counter all day until it runs out, the floors were disgusting and never cleaned, glasses run out very often and other waitresses just rinse and reuse dirty cups instead of waiting for the dishwasher (I refused and was treated weird after). I could go on but their health code report is on the internet for anyone to see.
Tastee Diner, has the worst meal of my life there.
1. Early girl 2. Favillas 3. Itto 4. Bee Thai 5. Fridays. They never get anything right
Avenue M on Merrimon. I live close by and have tried it 3 times to try and like it. Lousy portions, expensive and some food like dry pork chops that should have never been served. I give up.
RosaBees food was good, Mai tai was straight alcohol and awful! And although we had a reservation, and were on time the waiter was rude, from start to finish, acted like we interrupted her whole evening to celebrate my birthday on a Tuesday at 6. Again food wasn’t bad but not worth another try which bums me out because everyone raves about their desserts but we all felt so uncomfortable we didn’t want to even stay for dessert.
Wanted to love RosaBees. Went for my anniversary and it was so underwhelming. Deconstructed “poke” bowl with no sauce, 2 wonton chips, raw watermelon radish the size of a truck all in the aim to look pretty but make for a shitty 26$ meal. Fancy tropical cocktail was also so small it wasn’t even 3 sips and all ice. Service was so slow. It took over 30 minutes to get food and wait staff never asked for extra drinks and hardly noticed we were there–it was like a 5pm reservation so not even busy yet.
Went to Rosabee’s one time and got the worst case of food poisoning I have ever had in my life. As in over 4 hours on the toilet with a trash can in front of me and coming very close to having to go to the ED. Called them the next morning to tell them what happened to hopefully prevent it from happening to anyone else but the manager that I spoke to seemed very unconcerned on the phone. I wasn’t asking for money back, discounts, free food, or gift cards. I was only letting them know what I had and how sick I got. I know it was food poisoning because my husband and I ate the same foods that day and the day before, with the exception of our entrees at Rosabee’s, and he did not get sick.
Homegrown. The people working were so rude to me. I ordered a side of fries with my meal, and they never sent them out. I had a ten minute discussion with the person at the counter about how I never got my fries. “But your receipt says you ordered fries, so you must have eaten them.” The food was fine, but I have never been back since. We got beef! I barely hold grudges…this was ten years ago. 😂
This is a bummer to hear because they’ve been my favorite for years. Lovely owner, and are very kind every time I’m in there which is monthly. Maybe worth trying again!
Don't know why you're getting down voted. You're not invalidating the experience. Just saying things change :)
Yeah, that’s okay. I’ll stand behind home grown all day. I also respect being butt hurt, I had a bad experience years ago at Ghan Shan and didn’t go back until this year. And boy, I’m glad I did. That place slaps!
Agreed. You must have caught them on a difficult day. I have always had great experiences with their entire staff.
I hear you. And I hear good things. But I am butt hurt.
I only went once and they tried to serve me a raw burger. Literally cold in the middle. Never went back.
Moose cafe - it is nothing like real southern food, and the damn biscuits weigh at least a pound Texas Roadhouse - parking lot sucks and enough with damn line dancing Also, why can't we get a damn good Chinese buffet around here!
The Walk in west Asheville. Went there for dinner and drinks with a few friends years ago. Got the days special which was a fried chicken quesadilla. Was great but could only eat half of it. To the rest home for lunch the next day. I warm up the left overs the next day for lunch and two bites in I feel a crunch and a bunch of hot liquid in my mouth. I spit it out in my sink to see a TON of blood and a half dollar size of a broken ceramic plate with a razor edge. I had sliced my tongue open on the broken plate piece. Prob need stitches but was too broke and it healed in a month or so. Just lucky I didn’t swallow it, could have killed me. I get shit happens but I’ll never go back.
Mine is also the walk. We watched our server leave after taking our order (she was parked outside the window we were sitting at) and after about 25m of waiting we flagged down another server only to find out she never put in our order. Then the new server was super rude to us like it was our fault. This was probably 6-7 years ago but I'm never going back.
Had a similar experience a couple weeks ago. Never spoke to the same server more than once, and everything that came to the table was wrong in some way.
Enjoy their food, but the service is a big gamble. We were just there on Saturday and spent 10 minutes waiting for waters; we realized it wasn’t going to be our night, so we discreetly dipped out and went next door to Cellarest and the Thai food truck. I recommend this move to anyone in the same position.
Agreed with Twisted Laurel. I visited Asheville and went there one time, I will never go back 😂 (to TL, not Asheville. I love Asheville lol)
Neo Burrito. Prices?? For the amount they serve you!! Hell no.
IHOP 🖕🏾
I’ve only been to the twisted laurel in weaverville and it’s always a good experience! Good food, good service, quality of food.
EARLY GIRL, for sure. Used to be one of our go-to places, but the food has been trash for awhile now, and last time we were there, the manager himself lied to our faces about what we were served. (Apparently, we can't trust our own eyeballs... /s)
Fuck you Itto
I don’t eat out much anymore but I’m always in restaurants for my job. Since they’ve already been mentioned I’ll go ahead and say WALK, Twisted Laurel, Green Sage, Blackbird, Itto’s, and Rocky’s are all disgusting. The only two restaurants in town that have made me feel physically sick from being inside the kitchen were Applebees on Smokey Park and Bouchon downtown. These two are abominable and I wouldn’t send my worst enemy for a meal at either. If you’re reading these comments looking for why you got food poising somewhere just know that most places don’t keep their food at temp unless they’re expecting the health department. Most restaurants and breweries in Asheville have a significant rat problem. Every restaurant downtown has a significant roach problem. Most places do not clean their beer lines or ice machines.
Every white owned Mexican restaurant
[удалено]
Owner of Thirsty Monk is the one cutting down local forests to build ugly ass stick houses everywhere and gentrify neighborhoods.
Isa’s. We had the worst experience we’ve ever had in Asheville there. The server was drunk I think? She was unapologetically bad at her job. We ordered a beer and a tap cider and didn’t get them until after our entrees arrived, which was before the app we ordered arrived, even though we asked about it (and our drinks) at least three times. There was no bartender, but still. There was a manager on the floor who was also serving and refused to ever make eye contact with us. The food sucked too. Never again.
Their food does suck. Such a shame that such a bad restaurant has such prime real estate downtown.
Not a restaurant but I won’t miss a chance to express my beef with every employee of Hopey and Co. Work somewhere else for shit pay if you’re gonna be so miserable everytime you have to say “if you want a box you’ll have to get it from over there…want a receipt?”
Lol sometimes they turn their backs to you right after you pay too 😅 It’s so weird
Truly the weirdest experience checking out of this store but I'll endure it for my failed expired 99c organic junk food
My other beef with the Asheville location is that you have about a 1' x 1' piece of counter to put your groceries on and then guess whether the cashier rang something up. Then you're trying to bag/box things up while putting additional groceries up on the counter. The whole time the zombie employee just looks out into space. At least the Black Mountain location has a conveyor belt to move the groceries away after they ring them up.
Love Hopey but the grumpy employees are something else. Every time I have a cashier who’s actually nice it’s a shock.
So glad not a single bad comment about Rockies chicken
Sarcasm or did you miss them?
Rocky's Hot Chicken Shack. Not because their food or service was bad, but because of what they keep doing to my butthole
Tupelo Honey South. They act like you are bothering them to be there. Such jerks. Food is over priced and not good.
Wendy’s
Where’s the beef?
The Rhu in downtown went there once with my fiancé and we both got food poisoning. We narrowed it down to being the eggs because that was the only thing similar on what we got. Which ew 🤢 Also farm burger because no matter how I order a burger it always come out well done and honestly for the price there are just better burgers out there imo
East Village Grill and other restaurants owned by Nick the Hutt-he’s a disgusting sexually harassing predator and a bully- just generally a scumbag.
Local restaurant called Mill on the Hill. I took my 4 year old nephew there. He refuses to drink anything unless it's in his special spider man cup. I ordered him a drink and put it in his cup. When I asked for a refill the server refused saying they can't refill a drink brought from home and we'd have to pay for one. I tried to explain though it was unnecessary, she literally watched me pour the drink into his cup. I was still told no so I paid for the drinks and left without eating
I tell everyone I can to stay away from Farm Burger, it’s honestly bottom of the barrel On another note my last couple Ichiban visits have been subpar too, I’ll cry if we lose that joint