Food,ambiance was great, but you need to work on not rushing through orders. We ordered an appetizer and our dinner came out way too soon while we eating our appetizer. read more

We were excited to try this restaurant, however now I realize this place is poorly ran and we need to stay away. Whoever is managing this establishment refuses to answer their phone number, refuses to open the doors even if you try to go in person to communicate and make it nearly impossible to create a nice dinner experience. It seems they don't want business. It's very frustrating when you've had reservations for a while, have planned on visiting and they refuse to talk to you about your reservations, allergies, anything. Because they won't answer the phone or open the door. Do better and don't complain when people are upset with the lack of professionalism. read more

I'm back in the area and had to eat here again because the food is so great. I got the gluten-sensitive focaccia, the shrimp scampi with GS pasta, and a side salad. It was amazing. my boyfriend liked the vodka sauce a lot as well. I will always eat here when I'm in Asheville! read more

My wife and I decided to eat a late lunch/early dinner and arrived around 3P. We were the only customers at the restaurant and were seated promptly and had drinks within 10 mins of sitting down. The waitress was accommodating, patient, and friendly, and took the time to make various menu recommendations. She stated that all the pasta is homemade which I appreciate and enjoy. We ordered and shared the Cacio E Pepe pasta with Chicken Fritti on top. It was incredible. The pasta was perfectly done (al dente) and the chicken was juicy, hot, and delicious. We also enjoyed Gamelli Insalada for a salad and some focotta bread. The atmosphere is quiet and classy, and prices are reasonable (compared to other Italian restaurants in downtown Asheville). The only critique is that when we received the bill I noticed it had a "Kitchen Appreciation" charge. When I asked the waitress about it she stated that "they don't pay the kitchen staff enough, so this is how they can receive more pay". While I agree that people need to be paid what they are worth, this charge is unfair to the customer. Sure, it's small, but when you also include the waitress's tip to the bill, it adds up. I didn't feel this was the customer's problem to fix for restaurants not paying their staff well. Apart from that minor gripe, I would highly recommend Gemelli Restaurant for some of the best Italian food in Asheville, just be aware of that small charge added. read more

Gemelli Restaurant - Awesome Caico E Pepe Pasta with Chicken Fritti on top. Incredible! - Italian Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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New favorite fast casual Italian spot in Aville! Gemelli is Strada cuter, more casual sister. It's tucked back near Earthfare off of Patton in a small, cozy space. Their menu consists of a few classic pasta dishes, Sicilian style pizza and lots of apps and sharing plates! We started out with their house salad and homemade focaccia and both were delicious! Our entrees were the star though. I got the autumn risotto and Cacio e pepe and we opted to add duck confit to both. For an additional $10 you get a large duck leg that's cooked to perfection. Trust me, you'll want to add it! We finished things off with their tiramisu which was creamy, fresh and really light. Perfect ending to a delicious meal! read more

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My family and I dined in after graduation yesterday, we had a party of 11 and the staff acted like they may not get large parties often. First of all the staff is so kind and overall extremely accommodating and attentive. The restaurant itself is gorgeous tucked away in a little shopping center. The food was okay (not good or bad) , the wait however was not. We spent over 2 hours at the restaurant because of the time it took to get our entrees. I recognize the pasta is made in house but the wait was long and if we had not gotten appetizers we probably would have been much more frustrated. It is notable we gave our entire order at once so there was no wait between appetizers and ordering entrees. They simply need a better system or more help in the kitchen! We got the focaccia and calamari for appetizers and I had the Mafalda Ragu for my entree. The appetizers were great but my entree was pretty bland. My husband ordered the Alfredo with chicken and his chicken came out resembling KFC fried chicken, a running joke all night. I had tiramisu for desert and it did not taste of expresso much at all. Overall my gang did not care for the food itself but our waitress was so kind and the staff were very helpful, even taking pictures for us! The food itself and the speed was our only turn offs. read more

Gemelli Restaurant - Mafalda Ragu - Italian Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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Our first time at Gemelli's on Valentines Day. Not overcrowded, nice atmosphere. Sarah was our server. She's was fabulous, attentive but not intrusive. Highly recommended the fried artichoke appetizers, crispy, crunchy delicious. Split a house salad, simple but very fresh and tasty. I ordered one of my favorite pastas, Casio Pepe. Casio pepe is a very simple, rustic dish with 3 ingredients; pasta, fresh parmesan and pepper. This had an extra flavor, smoke. The heavy smoke flavor was all I could taste. It completely ruined the dish and I tasted zero parmesan. Very disappointing and just bad. Husband had the Gemelli pasta. He said pasta was a little underdone and it was too spicy for him but that may have just been the sausages used. Would he order it again? No. Had to try some cannoli to kill the smoke flavor in my mouth. Fantastic cannoli, cream and infused blueberries. Very good. I would come again just for the service, appetizer, salad and desert. Would not order our entrees again. read more

Solid pasta dishes. Very tasty and good portion size. Fired artichokes were very good. Waited a little long for food but overall a good meal and experience. read more

We've been toGemelli's a half dozen times and have generally been pleased with the food and service.I had read about their Happy Hour and since we had a doctor's appointment in Weaverville (we live in Tennessee),we wanted to eat early and get back before dark. I call Gemelli's about 3:30 from Weaverville so that we were sure of the time of the Happy Hour.The recording clearly states "Happy Hour" 4:00-5:00. When we arrived we were greeted and seated immediately.Maybe one other couple in the entire restaurant.The hostess seats us and hand us the menus,which looked like the same menus for every other time we had eaten there.I asked it this was the Happy Hour menu and the Hostess responds that the Happy Hour was 2:00 to 3:00,not 4:00 to 5:00. We ate our meal,paid full price and tipped the waiter. We ordered our food ,but while waiting,I called the number again and sure enough the message assured me of my understanding of the Happy Hour time.We eat out a lot,so I normally don't screw up reservation or Happy Hour times. We won't be returning if they are so disorganized that the hostess,the manager (who was there) and their information is this confused read more

I ordered the braised short rib, and it was the most tender, flavorful short rib I've had in my life. The lasagna was excellent. Very good service. read more

The best meal I've had since I left Italy. I lived in Milano and worked all over Italy for 3 years. This is the first time I had appropriate sized meals with the highest quality food, instead of the typical American; huge quantities of low quality food. The flavor was wonderful; not timid, yet not overpowering. I've been back since and gotten a nice lunch for about $17.00 which is only a dollar or 2 more than Chick Fillet or McDs. I can not recommend Gemelli (or Starada) enough. Complimenti!! read more

Quiet casual atmosphere, simple menu with great food choices, experienced servers and great tasting Italian food (excellent sauces)

The food was excellent, and, as we all know you can have excellent food, and it can be ruined by the service. Which was NOT the case here. TY was an outstanding waiter, an outstanding waiter contributes greatly to the ambience, which in and of itself was very nice. They also had live music! It was a wonderful experience. read more

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So- first things first, we were here during Restaurant Week. I 100% kept that in mind in terms of the speed our food came out, and the attentiveness of our server (it was pretty darn busy). My husband and I ate with another couple, and between the 4 of us we tried most of the offerings available during the special menu: Calamari, Burrata, Truffle Risotto, Benedict Hash, Gemelli Pasta, Canolli, and Bambolini. Going into the meal I was *super duper* excited. We live nearby, and were thrilled to try a new Italian place (our current Italian fav is out in Clyde, and this is only about a mile away so super perfect). The decor is warm, with a high-end feel. Very classy yet comfortable. The wine list was large enough to have options, but not too big to feel overwhelmed. Our waitress brought me a sample of one wine to taste, to make sure I was happy with my pick. At $8 a glass (maybe it was $9? either way)- I was pleased! From there, things turned rather disappointing. The calamari was both rubbery and greasy/oily. There was't the tang from the lemon or seasoning that I was looking for. The Burrata was....okay. There wasn't much in the way of flavor. There needed to be more balsamic and basil, and the Lavash wasn't a great pairing- way to firm/dry and bland for an already boring dish. The Truffle Risotto was incredibly flavorful - but the consistency was all wrong. It wasn't creamy, but more rice-like. Not exactly crunchy, but definitely not the creamy goodness that risotto should be. It reminded me of my more failed attempts at cooking risotto at home. I personally did not try the Benedict Hash, but my friended reported that it was "eh, okay" and that the egg was overcooked. My husband actually really enjoyed the Gemelli Pasta. I took a bite, but it didn't do much for me. The Canolli reminded me of something I would get at Costco. Hate to say it, but it's true. The Bambolini were probably the highlight of the entire meal; the mini donuts were a fun treat. I was so disappointed. Everything was technically FINE, but nothing especially GOOD. It didn't help that our food was *slowwww* to come out. (We arrived at 6:30 and left a bit before 9pm). I'm not really taking the slowness into account for this review, as I'm sure the fact that it was Restaurant Week played into this part. So take that with a grain of salt (which, btw, the burrata could have used). I won't be returning. read more

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Already dreaming about going back to get breakfast again!! So excited that Anthony Cerrato opened another Asheville eatery! Uncle Thom and I met at Gemelli's Wednesday morning for breakfast. Risked our lives to eat here - the rain was unbelievable on Wednesday morning. I love it when Thom finds multiple options that he would like to try on a menu...he is after all, the self-titled 'food prick'! Thom ordered the Tuscan Poached Eggs in San Marzano tomato sauce with ciabatta. I knew he was excited when he pulled out his phone to take a picture of his meal before he took his first bite. Thom doesn't completely understand why I do these reviews and take pictures of the restaurants & the food. So, I knew when he took a picture of the Tuscan Egg dish, he was sending it to his foodie friend. By the way, Thom and I have eaten at over 50 different restaurants, and this is only the second time he's taken a picture of his food!! I ordered the Frittata with spinach, mushroom and smoked mozzarella with focaccia. Delicious flavors and the amount of focaccia provided could have been a meal itself! Next time, I'm ordering the Tuscan Poached Egg dish (Thom did share one bite with me, but I neeeeeeed moooooore). Can't wait to go back again very soon! read more

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This lovely Italian restaurant makes everything by hand. Each dish is delicious. The salads & desserts are incredible. The Gemelli wines go perfectly with the various flavors. This is a restaurant not to be missed. Wait staff and chefs are very friendly and knowledgeable. We recommend for anyone and we'll definitely go back when visiting Asheville again. read more

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What a delightful surprise. Had brunch there and was not expecting the level of flavor & quality considering it's tucked in a strip mall & doesn't have servers. This is a cafe with order up front style but with better then cafe foodie Italian choices. They did a great job with the decor- it's vibey, modern and clean and the trees of vines growing up the sides of the patio helps obscure cars so you forget the location. Just ordered a cappuccino and their Benedict (subbed veggies for the steak) sitting in the mustard yellow velvet lounge booth. I'm pleasantly surprised to get perfectly seasoned crispy broccolini with an array of savory mushrooms, perfectly poached egg, with jazz in the background and plenty of lunch & business dates chattering around me. The bread here is fabulous. Husband tried the carbonara & it was excellent. We'll definitely be returning- eying those desserts: pistachio cheesecake & homemade tiramisu. read more

Had lunch at Gemelli with two dining companions, and it was fabulous! Three of us shared the Tartar and the mussels as appetizers. For entrées, we enjoyed the Bianco pizza, the Gemelli pasta, and the carbonara. All of the food was delicious - I am drooling, looking back on the pictures again. The carbonara was creamy, and contained guanciale for a wonderful, flavorful zing. All of the pasta was fresh, and perfectly cooked. The muscles were served with a crusty ciabatta, and large enough for three to share... As fabulous as the food is, I cannot rave enough about the staff! Polished, friendly, knowledgeable; they are enthusiastic about their menu and their restaurant. The ambience and the employees make Gemelli feel like a five star dining experience. With a wonderful wine menu, impressively professional staff, beautiful, intimate ambience, and generous portions of delicious food, I will highly recommend this gem of an Italian restaurant. read more

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Disclaimer: I live in New Orleans (ie, some of the best food in the country), and I've also spent months living in Italy. That said, a "pit stop" in Asheville on a road trip was a surprise highlight meal of the year. The location is humbly tucked into a shopping center, but the food on par with any 5 star flagship. Easily the best Italian food I've enjoyed in ages. My teenage son devoured the lasagna, and my cacio e pepe entrée was simple, yet incredible. The pasta is all handmade; the sauces were fresh and clean and just delicious. The staff, including the owner, couldn't have been more welcoming. Service was efficient but relaxed, and we loved the ambiance. Don't be scared to book the "couch" - it's a curved, intimate banquette dining experience! We can't wait to return soon. read more

My partner took me to Gemmelis for my birthday dinner, which I chose as we hadn't been yet. Let me preface this review with few things. First I'm of Italian heritage and love to cook and have been to Italy several times. Secondly, my partner has worked in specialty foods for decades. Atmosphere - we liked the color scheme and the overall appearance, however, despite the restaurant only having about 10 tables seated, the noise level made it difficult to converse, and at time, painful. Had we understood what the "couch seating" was, we would have chosen it, as the benches and chairs were not comfortable. Service - the host was very pleasant and was our waiter as well, Seating us immediately. Food - For starters. partner ordered a Pinot Grigio and the foccacia, and i had the "limoncello spritz" and ciabbatta. The spritz was interesting, but heavy on spritz, light on limoncello. P had a ceasar salad, kudos for real anchovies! I had calamari, which was very nice, and tasty sauce on the side. Entrees - P had the ravioli verde, which she found the sauce tasty. But the pasta somewhat over chewy. The watermelon radish slices the size of a cocktail glass added nothing to the dish. The lasagna was my choice, the layering was very well done, with distinct layers of pasta, sauce, cheese and meat. Sauce flavor was fairly good, you could taste pork in it, and had bright tomato and basil notes. Overall, to our minds. It only came in around 3.5 stars. Like many restaurants in Asheville, the experience didn't match the hype, and value for $ no better. read more

Such a hidden gem tucked away near Earth Fare in Westgate. When I came, they had been open for just about 4 weeks. Staff were very kind and accommodating. The inside it so cute and unexpected given the location in the shopping center. Wine selection is great. I always love places that offer Sangiovese, which to me shows they know what they are doing. You can also ask for a half glass of wine even though it isn't on the mOrdered the Four Seasons Pizza, which Aaron said is most popular. Want to come back and try the pasta after 2pm. They also serve breakfast until 2pm everyday! I'm sure you could just come and work as well with the great ambience and free wifi! read more

Gemelli Restaurant - Cafe Misto - Italian Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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Really enjoyed breakfast here today. The service was excellent and the staff was very kind. The best part though is that they have so many vegan options, which is a rarity for breakfast in almost every city. Even Asheville with so many plant options overall is seriously lacking when it comes to good vegan breakfast. We tried the frittata (and added mozzarella) with roasted potatoes for one meal. I also made a breakfast plate out of sides - roasted potatoes, eggs, sausage, focaccia and berry compote. All plant-based and vegan! Next time, we'll try the verdura as well. We can't wait to return and to also try them for dinner! The wine selection looks great and the vegan lasagna is tempting. read more

Gemelli Restaurant - All vegan - roasted potatoes, frittata with mozzarella, scrambled eggs, housemade sausage, focaccia and berry compote. - Italian Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Great atmosphere and attention to the small details. The service is excellent, super friendly and helpful. The food has been excellent both times I've eaten here. The food is presented beautifully as well. read more

Gemelli Restaurant - Veggies in a pesto sauce - Italian Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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We tried Gemelli as a part of restaurant week and was thoroughly disappointed. We had the burrata and calamari for appetizers both were lacking, and both had a big pile of wilted arugula. The mains: Risotto and Lasagna were not good, I'd rather have a Trader Joe's frozen risotto and lasagna than these. For dessert we tasted the cannoli and tiramisu, I say tasted because that was all we tried. Neither were worth a second taste. The cannoli filling was not good and the tiramisu did not have any flavor. This meal was a waste of a night. read more

Passing through Asheville and was excited to see an Italian spot with several gluten free options. We got there right at 5:15 on a Friday and we were seated immediately. The restaurant is spacious and the environment is pleasant and very comfortable. All of the staff are attentive and friendly. I ordered the GF calamari and it was wonderful. I haven't had calamari in more than 15 years because...gluten. The marinara could be a bit spicier but the calamari was tender, the breading was flavorful and crispy, so I ate it ALL (oh yeah, and the GF focaccia ). I opted for the golden milk tea and I'm glad I did because I did get glutened. I have the pills I can take which helped my stomach but the other symptoms are still raging (congestion, headache, swelling joints). Fortunately, the server caught it as I was on the 3rd bite and stopped me from eating anymore. They fixed me another dish but the damage was done and my appetite was gone. They were very accommodating with dessert (tiramisu was not my fave) on the house and packed up my replacement meal for lunch tomorrow. I understand that this can happen when we have allergies and choose to eat out and the team at Gemelli handled it well. Wonderful to have so many options. Despite the mistake I recommend the restaurant if you want GF pasta and CALAMARI! read more

Had a wonderful meal with siblings and cousins, seven of us and all were delighted with their choices. Many moments of silence as bites were savored, and silence is a rarity in our family of comedians and scholars! read more

Awesome vegan lasagna!! Terrific service from Viviana. We loved spending a birthday dinner here. Cannot wait to return. Highly recommend this restaurant. read more

Service is outstanding, the reason for the review is their Tiramisu!!! Absolutely perfect, and I am a Tiramisu snob. The soaking of the lady fingers is VISIBLE!!! Solid 10! read more

Gemelli Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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One of our favorite brunches of our trip to Asheville. The evening before we went to their sister restaurant for dinner in downtown as well. The service at Gemelli were really sweet and both our dishes we ate every single bite of. We tried the carbonara and the Italian croissant sandwich and I wish I could eat it everyday haha. We also had espresso before our meal which was perfectly made. More people need to know about this place! read more

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I've been there twice, on Thursday nights. It's not crowded, but I imagine on the weekends it is. Make reservations. They are on Resy, so they're easy to do. They have an extensive wine list of quality wine. They are a little proud of some of their wines, so take a look at the price before you order it. I had the mussels marinara, which were excellent. There is a red spicy sauce, and comes with , some of their homemade bread which makes for a great meal. These people are owned by the people that owned strata on Broadway in Asheville. Several of their items are in both locations. The service was great. That might be because there weren't a whole lot of people in the restaurant either. But I'm optimistic about that. Check it out. It's great for a relaxing evening. read more

Came here for dinner because it was in walking distance of our hotel. It's at the end of a strip mall. Restaurant is lovely inside and our server was attentive and helpful. We had the Four Seasons pizza and it was delicious. So cheesy! Managed to save room for some tiramisu. Yummy! read more

Gemelli Restaurant - Tiramisu - Italian Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Stopped on a Sunday for an early dinner and were seated in a classic half round booth near the window. Lovely! The waiter told is he had worked with the owner for over 20 years so something is working well with this owner's second restaurant in town. We split a reasonably prived bottle of chianti and ordered a lamb sausage pasta and a mushroom Risotto as mains. Risotto was so good I'd return just for that the sausage and pasta needed some Sort of seasoning and more thought. Nevertheless Gemelli is worth a return visit. read more

Worth the drive from down town. I'd recommend the Focaccia with Tapenade along with Caesar Salad for starters both were fantastic. Cacio e pepe with pulled chicken for the entree. One of the best iterations of the dish I have had. read more

Wonderful staff, tasty food and beautiful ambience. Thank you especially to Ty and Abigail for your kindness.

Westgate Center: Next to Earth Fare, in years past, was a restaurant next door. It served 'bowls' and brown rice, or something like that, if I remember correctly; a 60's redo. Meh. This week, I dunno, as we were talking, entering this brand new place, GEMELLI'S, I nearly dropped my purse when my gap-open-mouth said, "HOLY COW!" This was so incredibly well designed and inviting! Certainly not your typical place ... ah ... restaurant. There was no hostess, so it was a little confusing a first. Where were we to sit? The table arrangements were just great! 'Anywhere'; they'd come up'; wait for someone? We did'n know. Well. Silly me. It took all of five steps forward to see there was a 'menu board'! Duh! Then, quite warmly, we heard this amazing voice, "Hi guys! Come on in!" For a minute CB I thought it might be a relative: so friendly; endearing, actually! In short order he have us an eye tour of the counter - hard copy menus were there - and the pastries-under glass; the water-station and the all important coffee stand (fill ups, 'natch'!) You know, I am forever kicking myself for not taking pictures! Usually, I'm so hungry or flipping-lip conversations that I ... well ... jus plain dang-it, forget! So, again. Sorry. You'll have to see for yourself! We had come for an early lunch: it was about 11:15am but found out breakfast continues until noon! Period. Oh well! LET'S EAT! Their menu choices were thoughtful and enticing. I ordered 'steak-hash' with two poached eggs; beloved had a cast-iron served omelette. The side bread was great! My dish was i n c r e d I b l e! Just wowza! Husband says his was a 'B'. (Don't think that's bad, right?!?) Coffee was divine! I believe these people are prepared to make this restaurant great; certainly, they are getting wonderful reviews, including mine. Every person there, 'hosting', serving, behind the counter, on the ceiling (just kidding about that one) were so amazingly inviting, warm and informative! Yes, it even felt like Uncle George finally got his wish to open a 'real' restaurant. Of course, we will be back to watch Gemelli's become all that it could and should! read more

This place was really good, exceeded my expectations! I was nervous looking at the menu, it looked a bit fancy for me. I got the ragu, which was pasta with bolognese sauce. It was SO good. The bread service was good, but I didn't like the wheat style bread. The ambiance was really nice, I loved the vibes and the decor. I would go back to sit at the bar! read more

Gemelli's is killing it!! I've been here twice and the food was amazing both times, once for lunch and the other for breakfast. The tar tar is on point, John and Pam are amazing and the atmosphere is wonderful. I love the fancy yet relaxed cafe feel of the place. Also an amazing spot to sit and work for a few hours in the morning with a yummy latte. FYI they have wines on tap. read more

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Very disappointing breakfast - great service but would not return for breakfast. The restaurant was almost empty when we were there but could imagine it's very noisy when full. read more

This place is absolutely some of the best Italian food I've ever had! The service is quick, and the restaurant itself is both adorable, efficient, and relaxed. I absolutely love the curved booths by the window. read more

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We finally got a chance to try this place out. It's close to home and we were hoping it would be a go to kind of place. The inside is really nice with plenty of seating, including outdoor seating. They have a small menu compared to other Italian restaurants with most of it offering vegan choices. They do have chicken, duck and lamb on some menu items but it's mostly vegan with the option to add the protein for extra dollars. So, my wife Kathey chose the Gemelli Insalata along with the Zuppa Ribolita, a mixture of stewed vegetables in a tomato based soup with some rustic bread cut into squares and placed on top of the soup dish. I picked the Cacio e Pepe, a black pepper spaghetti, parmigiana-reggiano and agrodolce tossed arugula. I added the shredded chicken for the extra dollars. The dish is a buttery based pasta with seasonings. The food was very good. I just wish that there were more available selections to choose from. Not quite as good as I had hoped for but a pretty decent restaurant overall. The service was great and our server was friendly and quite helpful. So glad we stopped in to give it a try. read more

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