How to screw up bar food (at an otherwise okay bar): 1. Don't hide the fact that "extra salt" makes people drink more. Can you actually ADD salt to tortilla chips? Seriously? 2. "Try our crispy wings with sauces on the side." Sounds reasonable. Except: - soft isn't crispy - mild = totally tasteless, but has a nice red color - anybody that can't be more creative than "Sweet Baby Ray's" needs to hire a real chef... 3. The zucchini fries were good. But just good... My expectations have been adjusted. IF I ever visit again, I'll have a beer... read more

Perhaps a little unfair, but I want to complain about menu changes. The bar has pretty good food (similar to its offspring, Char7bar). The changes I object to are the removal of slaw (which was pretty good), the ability to order wing flats only for an additional charge, and the shrinkage (about half of what it was) of the Tavern salad (it comes in a smaller bowl so perhaps you are not supposed to notice the change). Changes I believe are contrary to continuing to please customers (well, maybe just me). read more

I can't remember my waitress name but she was fine and did her job well. Food was was awesome. Shrimp and grits were some of then best I have ever had. Shrimp pow pow was awesome too. read more

In town to visit Biltmore House and came across this restaurant is a trendy, modern outdoor shopping district. They have a large terrace for outdoor dining that overlooks a private courtyard in the shopping complex. There is inside dining, as well as a large bar area with a ton of TVs that are tuned in to sports channels. The menu is typical bar food. I choose the turkey reuben with fries. Mediocre, nothing special. Our server was the nicest young man and very attentive. The hostess at the front desk had absolutely no people skills; it seemed like we were bothering her when we showed up at the hostess station and wanted to be seated. Again, not my favorite restaurant, but ok if you want to have a beer and watch a game or are in the area for shopping. read more

Hickory Tavern - Turkey reuben with fries. - Sports Bars Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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New menu! New items added such as additional flatbreads and tacos, Low Country Boil is now a menu item, and new appetizers such as calamari. I tried the new steak tacos. Tasty and flavorful with pickled onions and a chipotle cream sauce. Loaded with steak! A little chewy but still good. Two tacos with a side. Reasonably priced also at $10.79(?). They also now have fried grouper tacos, buffalo chicken tacos and blackened shrimp tacos. read more

Hickory Tavern - Steak tacos with tavern chips - Sports Bars Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

It's a pretty standard American pub n grill, and while the beer shows up to the task, the food definitely leaves much to be desired. The nachos were soupy and surprisingly flavourless, and my sandwich was lacking any real flavour as well. Not the worst pub food I've had, but far from the best. If you're meeting up for drinks with friends you'll be fine, but don't expect a great meal out of it read more

Pleasant staff, nice bar with friendly bartender. Salt, unfortunately was the word of the day with the Seared Ahi Tuna. Visually the plate looked beautiful, but the amount of salt, made the dish uneatable. Add that disappointment with an over abundance of hot chili pepper, and you end up with "wait...what?" On a secondary note, it would be great if they had more gluten-free options. Pull back on the salt, and I'll try it again. read more

Horrible experience here! This place needs help! Placed an appetizer order of Spinach and Artichoke dip that came out with chips that were cold, soggy from being soaked in oil, and straight up inedible. The dip was bad, and not even warm, just a mess of quickly microwaved slop that had no taste. How this passed from the kitchen is beyond me. What a lazy kitchen to send this out and it's obvious the server didn't even glance at the dish before delivering as it was visibly gross. A sign of a bad server that doesn't value the food quality that they are serving their customer. It's one thing when a kitchen screws up but when a server still delivers a visible mess like that it shows real lack of care and laziness. When bringing this to our servers attention she didn't care at all and got an instant attitude with us. Unacceptable behavior as I was handling this in a kind and accepting manner, simply stating that my wife and I wanted to send the food back as it was pretty inedible. I was being apologetic for sending the food back! Well there were no apologies at all from our server, just instant attitude. Usually a server would take this as an opportunity to up their service and try to salvage the dining experience for the customer. This server decided to go the opposite direction though. What a shame as we were enjoying our drinks and the lunch up until this point. The gross appetizer didn't even upset us that badly to completely ruin the experience. But the attitude was an instant downer. The manager eventually came over and gave a half assed apology and admitted that the appetizer was "a bad batch" but didn't do anything to make our experience better. Our server continued to give us attitude and barely checked up on us or even communicated to us after this and it further soured our experience. This was the final straw. We had planned on staying and enjoying drinks after our meal until this happened and we just wanted to get out and find another bar. Our entrees were just mediocre anyway. The burger I ordered wasn't special in any way and was average at best. Can get better burgers at fast food restaurants, ugh I hate when I have to say that! So much better food offerings at the same or even cheaper price points in the area though. Terrible service, very bad to mediocre at best food. Will not be returning here. If in the area and reading this review I can only say to look elsewhere, there are much better restaurants around! What a shame. After reading the reviews of this place (wish I saw them before) and talking to another local friend, this seems to be pretty common for this place. Don't think we will ever return and will most definitely spread the word as wide as we can about this place. Terrible! read more

Amazing, Amazing, Amazing! I can't even believe how amazing this place was! The service was incredible. Misty was an incredible server/host! The manager was extremely friendly! The food was top notch! Misty sold me on the salmon and the spiked apple pie cocktail, and they were amazing! I had the Oregon Cedar Salmon with crispy Brussels sprouts with bacon and a balsamic glaze and a side of smoked Gouda Mac & cheese. It was delicious! The salmon was on point! The Brussels sprouts were perfectly crisp! The smoked Gouda Mac & Cheese was the best I have ever had! The ambiance was great. We will be back! Oh and the warm brownie with ice cream great place!! I would highly recommend! read more

Hickory Tavern - Oregon cedar salmon, Brussels sprouts, smoked Gouda Mac n Cheese Drink: Spiked apple pie - Sports Bars Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

If I could give a zero star I would. Just went for the first time to get a to go order and found my bag sitting on the counter with about 10 flies swarming the opening and flying down inside. When I told the manager she looked down, rolled her eyes and said if I don't want that one I'll have to wait another 25 mins for them to recook it. Will never go here again. read more

The food order was completed nearly 1 hr late. We ordered online for an 8 o clock pick up and didn't get food until 8:50. We patiently waited for nearly an 1 hr, got our food thinking it was freshly made, and drove home. We arrived home only about 5 minutes later as we live nearby and everything was cold. Parts were wrong, 3 parts of the order were missing, the food quality is your typical really bad bar food, and the wings were burnt, some were completely black. The kids carrots were dirty, raw carrots. We pitched it and ordered a pizza . read more

Hickory Tavern - Burnt chicken - Sports Bars Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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Went to eat after going to the movies around 4. When we entered there were 4 guys standing at the hostess desk. One of them went to seat us at a dirty table. We asked for it to wiped off and he did. There was trash and food in the seats so we asked for him to wipe the seats off. Ordered our drinks. Wine came in a dirty glass with lipstick on the rim. Asked the waitress for a clean glass and her reply was they can't get the lipstick off of any of the glasses. We thought that if the place was that dirty in the dining room and glasses wondered what the kitchen was like. So we decided to leave. While walking out we said to the hostess there is trash all over the floor and his reply was he just seats people. read more

The host staff at the front of house is a complete joke! We put our party's name in, checked back with the same host person using our name 3 times over 40 minutes. On 4th time, this male host said "I called your name and another party took your table." I said okay, whatever, can you seat us next, This absolute Moron says, "no you will have to wait again on our list, now a 60 minute wait." I say, "you have to do something we have kids," the rudeness of this person seeped out everywhere as he grinned and said "No, you have wait at the bottom of the list." I realize this business could care less, but you lost my business forever and everyone I can possible tell! Do not go, stay away, this kind of rudeness culture comes top down!!! read more

Awful. We were tired and hungry. Nice looking patio, so we have it a try. Its not good and service poor. The shrimp ans grits pre made luke warm. Tater tots not fresh, soft and had been sittinf a while. read more

Hickory Tavern in Biltmore Park has the best mushroom Swiss hamburger in Asheville. It is superb and cooked perfectly at Med rare. Our server, Heather, was also wonderful... completely responsive and accommodating. Excellent experience all around. A Davis read more

I've been coming here for a couple of years now & I love their food & that they have a large selection of beers of draft.

Very underwhelming experience. The location and environment were good but that was about it. Food and drink menu was more limited than one would expect. I got the chicken tacos and they were just okay. They could use more seasoning and maybe a sauce. The beer I had was not very good, but with the limited menu I wanted to try something I had not tried. The service was not up to par either as we lost our server for long periods of time. Overall with the great restaurants in Asheville this is the first one to get below a 4 star rating. I would work on growing/improving the menu and better training for the servers. read more

Three stars for the build your own salad menu item! Love it! And kudos to the servers who were hustling and the bartender who took our to go order and offered good customer service. Both salads and dressings were very good. Would return for that but would definitely be a to go order. Why you may wonder? Let's begin with the hostess stand and the 3 hostess that were "working" that day. What a train wreck and lack of social skills and basic customer service. No greetings to incoming patrons just blank stares, no smiles, no organization. It was literally painful to watch for the 20 minutes we sat in reception waiting for our to go order. We even saw people leave the line to be seated after they too observed the incompetence. How sad for the business to loose patrons because of the first impression that they are met with. If you're into a place that is deafening loud with music blasting AND the sounds of several dozen TV's (literally wall to wall) blaring, not really into conversation with the people you're dining with and don't care how you're treated when you walk in then this is your niche. For us, when craving a good build your own salad will be calling it in to go. read more

My life partner and I tried Hickory Tavern yesterday. The service was spot on. Our appetizer came out at the right time and we had time to finish it before our entrees came out. The BBQ chicken nachos are very tasty! She had the pulled pork hamburger with the Carolina gold BBQ sauce and she loved it. I had the Korean style beef tacos and they were tasty too. The fries were rather fat ones and seasoned just right. read more

We went to Hickory Tavern for a work event for my husband. Checking out other reviews I was a little hesitant, especially with the entire dealership being there for dinner. Starting out the manager warned us that the kitchen was short staffed and so the pace of the meal was going to be longer than usual. It was, but with so many people to talk to and enjoy it was just fine. Our server was excellent ... one server for what looked like 30 people to me. She rocked. Kept the beverages filled and was super on it! Our table shared several different dishes almost like family style. The Pow Pow Shrimp was spicy goodness. The spinach dip was super cheesy. The appetizers were much better than the entrees though. The burger has mediocre. The salmon was passable (with a not really fully baked potato). The Southern Fried Chicken BLT tasted like something from Chick Fila, not bad, just like a fast food sandwich, however the sweet fries and Gouda Mac & Cheese were YumO. The wings were good. The French Dip sandwich was also good. Then we shared desserts, the strawberry cheese cake was good, but nothing like the Chocolate Mountain Cake which was huge and delicious! Overall all it was pretty good, with the entrees being the weakest part of the meal. We will try this place again! read more

Alan the bartender is the man. Took great care of us. Hustled the entire time. Made our evening. Great experience.

Elaine was the best waitress ever!!! Great place for a drink and have a bite to eat. Come every time I'm in town. read more

If you look up Mediocrity in the dictionary this place's photo is probably there. The service was excellent! Local tapped ale was great: The food came to us quickly which is about the best thing I can say. It did not taste bad it just tasted mediocre: Also here on a night they had live 'music'. The drummer was just good enough that I could identify the songs the rest of the band was butchering. read more

I gave a one star becuase the General Manager Eric was so rude to me and the party i was with. When i ask a simple question about the burger he placed in front of me. I ask if it was cooked well done and his response was...if you ordered it well done, then it's well done. Not realizing two guest had the same order. He also placed the wrong orders in front of the wrong guest, reaching over other guests plates and heads. Eric should not be a General Manager if he has an rude demeanor with his guests who are asking simple questions and food orders. This was the worst customer service i have ever had coming from a General manager. read more

Service from Caroline was great and the burger was fantastic. Heaters on the covered patio = pet friendly year round! Trent the manager stopped by and was very kind. Thanks for having us! read more

This was my first time at a hickory tavern, and I sincerely enjoyed my meal! I got the cedar smoked salmon which I thought was fabulous - comes out on a cedar plank and smells heavenly! I also got a double side of the Brussels sprouts - again, heavenly. I would return again simply to order this (FIVE STARS). I was pretty underwhelmed by the bar drinks, but I frequently am with house liquor options. I wouldn't order liquor drinks again - liquor was pungent and their mixed drinks attempted to mask the flavor of the cheap liquor. We were a large group (25 ish) so I'm sure it was confusing, but the waitresses brought several drinks and meals that weren't ever ordered. We were still billed for them, but I'm not sure anyone asked for them to be removed. Service wasn't fabulous. Tip: they have a music bingo one night. Call ahead! It's super fun! read more

If your in the Biltmore park area and have time to stop by the tavern please ask for Danielle. Most kind respectful attentive servers and team members there! She's been with the company for years! Going out is an especially special thing right now. Ask for the best at HT! Dani! read more

We love eating here! They have a great food selection and all at a good price point. Great environment and good place for the whole family.

In came into this restaurant for the first time in a couple of years (crappy service in the past) and was enthusiastically greeted by the manager Mark and was able to pick the seat of my choice.I drank a few brewskis from a huge menu of local, domestic, and imported beers. I then proceeded to order my normal burger from a pretty awesome menu. My server then announced to me that it was buy one burger get one free, holy crap I have lunch for tomorrow, full belly, and a nice taste of beer on my breath for my loved one....I'm happy!!! All in all it was an amazing experience, especially the service! Isn't the fun part of going out to a restaurant the inner action with the staff and other customers? I was able to enjoy both and have a really solid meal. I highly recommend this place to locals and tourists alike!!!! read more

I really want to rate this place higher. I love the beer selection. The waitress we had the first time was excellent. The philly steak was solid. But the shrimp were not quite fresh, smelling more like fish than shellfish. They weren't quite bad enough to return, but not good enough for a quality operation. We decided to give them another chance. It was two days after a big snow. There were maybe ten people in the restaurant. They said we could sit in the "high tops," but that we couldn't actually sit at a real table. When I was younger, the high tops were great. But now I am at an age where it hurts my back and my legs to sit at one for more than ten minutes because "high top" chairs are barstool height. I was flabbergasted that they couldn't just let us sit at a table where our feet were on the floor. Since I usually start at 25% for a tip, I most likely would have tipped at least 30% as I had the time before. The tables are actually between the kitchen and the bar seating area, so whoever was assigned to those tables wouldn't have even had to go more than three steps out of his/her way. As someone who put 30 years into the food and beverage industry, maybe I am too much of a throwback. Maybe I am wrong to think that a bartender or wait person should be happy to take three steps out of their way if it means satisfying a customer. Maybe I'll go back and give them a chance at strike three. But I probably won't. read more

Beer special- $3 a bottle Entree-smothered chx breast-it was ok. Nothing special. Sides-salad was not to my taste but maybe others would like it. Charred Mexican corn was the best part of the meal. Service was slow. They get two stars because of the amount of televisions that Monday night football was playing on. This made the experience bearable. read more

I've been there maybe 3 times. I can't complain at all. I loved the vibe. It's Buffalo Wild Wings with a more bar feeling. Nothing wrong with that. I'm not a bar girl but I still enjoy the vibe. Food was great. The Desserts were to kill for. read more

I have not eaten at this restaurant and never will because of the experience I just had with the owner. I was walking my dog outside of the restaurant in a public grassy area and she pooped... AFTER I picked it up the owner approached me and immediately started yelling how inappropriate it was of me to let that happen. He then continued to follow me down the street to my car saying how he's "the f***ing owner of that restaurant" and that I better not ever let that happen again. I was very caught off guard and frankly shocked to be yelled at for picking up after my animal? (Service animal by the way). If this is how they treat strangers I will never contribute to their business. read more

Our food was very good and everyone enjoyed. I would say our server wasn't the friendliest, but she was attentive and we didn't want for anything. It was a little disappointing they didn't do anything for my son's birthday, no song, no cookie, no exuberant exclamation to make a 5 year old feel special. read more

Living in ATL there aren't any spots that I truly can say that I 'love' when it comes to a place to watch all sporting events, get good food, good service and enjoy myself. Hickory Tavern is just that! Great sports bar, very good service, friendly environment and good food. Tons of TVs and places to sit. What I love most about this place is that it turns into an OHIO STATE Alumni bar on College Football Saturdays; however, everyone else supporting their teams are in attendance as well. Good spot, but there are times where parking is a bare, but when isn't it. Check it out, you'll love it. read more

After trying for a while to find a bar in Asheville that was playing the Stanley Cup finals I called Hickory Tavern and they said they would be playing it. It's shockingly hard to find anywhere in Asheville playing hockey. So my gang and I geared up for the game and went here and they were super awesome and accommodating. While they have about a million TVs all around the place playing different sporting events, they put the game on the GIANT TV in the middle of the bar for us. Like, borderline movie theater sized screen. There wasn't any audio playing, just music and we asked if they had mini speakers for individual tables and they ended up putting the game comentary over the whole sound system. Their menu had a lot of good looking food, though we mostly stuck to beer. I was eyeing the build-your-own salad section but had already ate, though one of the friends I was with said the salads were great. We did consume an impressive about of tater tots which were exceptionally delicious and enjoyed their extensive beer menu. My only criticism was that the Black and Tan I ordered was more like a Brown and Brown as the beers weren't separated but not a deal-breaker by any means. Overall our experience was great, Hickory Tavern is everything you could ever want from a sports bar. We are excited to watch the rest of the series there! read more

Hickory Tavern - Biggest sports screen in town - Sports Bars Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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Landed in North Carolina for a work trip, and this was the first place that my coworkers and I headed to for dinner. Ended up getting the bogo burger deal and got the bacon something western burger or whatever lol (it's the one that has a box around it). It was smaller than I thought it would be, but it was really good! Other than that, beer was good, onion rings were good, company was good. The only gripe was the waitress. Man oh man did she seem to hate her life or job. She came with my coworker's beer, spilled some of it on his cell phone, flung her hand out to get the rest of the beer off her hand, and then walked away. No "sorry," no towel to wipe off his phone...nothing. This attitude lasted the entire time that we were there. To be fair, it seemed like she was really the only waitress for the place, but it wasn't that busy. I don't think she smiled the entire time we were there! Ah well... read more

Hickory Tavern is always a great place to go out, watch some sports, and have a casual night. I have eaten many times at Hickory Tavern and have had a variety of things. The build-your-own salad option is great and their burgers are also very tasty and fulfilling. It tastes like pretty average sports bar food. The service is usually pretty quick and everyone is very friendly. The bar area can get pretty loud at times, but the outdoor seating option is awesome and I would definitely recommend trying Hickory Tavern. read more

Mediocre food at best. Cool atmosphere with a generous selection of beer on tap. However the atmosphere did not make up for the quality of food or service received. More importantly the food ordered did not match the menu descriptions. I ordered the grilled pimento cheese sandwich, which I was disheartened when it came to the table still cold in the middle. read more

Hickory Tavern - Grilled pimento cheese. - Sports Bars Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

The big reason people come here on Sundays is to watch football, and yet the staff doesn't think to switch to any of the later afternoon games. 20 mins in, when my waitress finally asks the manager to put up the game that I want to watch, he says that he can't find the game. Really? Don't you have the Sunday ticket....it's not a blacked out game. Just go to Wild Wing cafe down the street - they are smart enough to make sure that every game can be seen all over the bar. The game that I wanted to watch was showing on several screens over there. read more