Luminosa

This place was AMAZING. Went here for Mother's Day with my wife and kids. Service was top notch,…read morefood was perfect, and overall it's just an amazing experience all around. My daughter absolutely loved their "pasketti" as well. Will be back for sure.

My first night in town I was lucky enough to find Vinnie's. It seemed like it was an Asheville…read morestaple and nearby. I ordered the breaded flounder and tiramisu. The serving of flounder was so generous I had the second half the next night. The mashed potatoes and broccoli with capers was very good. What I will definitely get again is the tiramisu. It was delicious. I can't express that enough. It was enough for two servings but I gladly finished it off in one.

Arancinis

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Twice-Baked Meat Lasagna

Strada Italiano

3.9(1k reviews)

Dined at this restaurant on the Wednesday night after Valentine's Day. It seemed pretty busy & that…read moremaking reservations ahead of time would be better. We were offered bar seating since that was first available. While being taken to the bar we noticed the restaurant was bigger that it seemed from the outside. This restaurant is two story, dimly lit & smelled delicious! We couldn't wait to order. The bar was full service & drink list included several specialty cocktails. For dinner, we ordered calamari for an appetizer, short rib bolognese & chicken parmesan for entrees. For cocktails we ordered the speciality amoretto sour with egg whites. Our food

We came here for a friend's birthday party and I was underwhelmed…read more I really enjoyed my mocktail, and the apps were great as well. The entrees could use some work. My husband got the spaghetti with meatballs and he said it lacked seasoning. He said the meatballs were slightly overcooked and the crispy part was the seasoned part of the meal. I got the duck breast with broccolini and risotto. The duck was fantastic. There was nothing special about the broccolini and the risotto was super watery. No complaints about the service, but nothing outstanding about it either.

Second floor dining brings a new meaning to low overhead.

Portofino $28

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Bartender's choice... delicious!

Contrada

4.6(34 reviews)

0.0 mi

This place is on an intermediate side street on the hill (the map marker I looked at made this hard…read moreto tell) and is a small location inside with more exterior seating, which will work for many but not all days in Asheville. It's a small pizza and side dish menu, but it looked to be of enough quality to be worth spending an evening in Asheville on. I took a recommendation on a cabbage salad with black garlic and walnuts. It was quite mouthwatering and was a novel flavor combination for me. Now I need to go and buy some black garlic. For a pizza I went with an arrabiata, which was basically a cheese pizza with calabrian chili and a little extra cheese. It was quite indulgent, and also garlicky, with a nice charred crust that flopped in the hand and was a bit damp towards the center (generally a marker of quality). I enjoyed it enough that I didn't wish I was somewhere else, which in Asheville is saying something, and I liked the innovation on the menu. And surprisingly, I can't recall having been to any other high-end Neapolitan-ish pizzas in Asheville, so maybe this is the one that will stick.

Great pizza and drinks. Small but good. Unique pizzas. Some are olive oil based and some…read moretraditional.

White Anchovies

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Antipasti

Soprana Rooftop Cucina

4.1(127 reviews)

We came here for a girls night for dinner and thankfully made a reservation in advanced because…read morethey were busy. It's inside of a hotel so you take the elevator up to the top floor. Near the host stand there's a shelf of swag that they offer, like stickers, hats, sweaters and t shirts which was pretty cool. Loved the vibe and set up as you walk in. There's high tops, bar seating, big old school leather booth and big doors that open to offer outdoor patio seating. There was a beautiful sunset that night as well. We didn't get seated right away and found out they were having issues with their ovens prior which affected timing and caused delays to service. Luckily but the time we got sat our server told us that everything was up and running! We started with a couple glasses of wine and got some nice sunset pictures and then made our way to our table. Ella was very nice and guided us through some of her favorite options and we rolled with a few of them. We tried the honey pot cocktail which was so cute and unique. Had a small dollop of a meringue on top that gave it some texture. Our starter was the house made Foccacia and whipped ricotta spread. This was delicious! I found that 2 pieces of bread was not enough to devour all of that creamy and decadent ricotta so we asked for more and she gave us a couple more pieces which was nice. After that was the oven roasted chicken wings with garlic and grilled lemon. I absolutely LOVED these! They were tender, flavorful and that grilled lemon was what sealed all the flavors together. We moved along to the pizzas and decided to try two different kinds. The Asheville and Fig & Prosciutto. Both had their own unique thing that made them tasty. I love a hot honey on a pizza and the combo of sweet and savory so these were great. My only feedback is that the crust was a bit too doughy and not as crispy as I'd hope but that could've just been because they were just getting their ovens up and running right before. However they tasted good and we still enjoyed them. Overall, we had a great time and enjoyed the food and service from Ella. Looking to sit outside next time!

10/10 service, food and ambiance! I'm one to steer clear from going to Italian restaurants due to…read moreover consumption of mediocre Italian food. Soprana has changed my perspective. Can't wait to come back here next time we are in town! TARTUFO pizza will forever be dreamt about until my next return.

Bar area

Pepperoni Pizza

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Indoor seating

Posana

4.3(828 reviews)

Being from Houston with lots of James Beard award winning restaurants, Posana exceeded my…read moreexpectations! Eli was the best bartender/waiter I've had in years! Highly recommend

I can't say enough good things about Posana! The ambiance, service and food are all exactly what…read moreyou'd hope for during a celebratory dining experience. My fiancé took me here for my birthday, and I felt celebrated every step of the way. Our server Laura brought us a complimentary small bite before the meal and after dessert. She also made dessert super special and was kind and attentive the whole meal! The food was all phenomenal, I couldn't believe it was all gluten free. It felt very fresh due to the farm to table nature of the restaraunt. We started with the cheddar biscuits, which were a hit. My short rib with polenta and roast veggies was delectable and a very generous portion! Finally, we ordered 1 dessert but they brought us a trio. I was wowed by the cheesecake and olive oil cake! Would definitely return for date night or any other special occasion!

Posana Restaurant's exterior and patio located on Historic Pack Sq. in downtown Asheville.

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Posana Gluten Free Celiac Friendly Kitchen

Vinnie's Neighborhood Italian - South Asheville

4.2(154 reviews)

7.5 mi

Excellent Gnocchi - great bartender and service…read more Gnocchi made fresh every Wednesday!

We have been to Vinnie's a few times since moving here. The food is delicious and we have really…read moreenjoyed Charles, one of the bartenders. The restaurant has an old school NY Italian restaurant vibe. My husband says it's his happy place. So far, our favorites are the chicken piccata and lasagna. The chicken is moist and it's some of the best lasagna I've had. I highly recommend checking Vinnie's out.

Fully stocked bar

Spaghetti with Sunday dressing (sweet sausage, meatballs, meat sauce)

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Dining Room wall

Cucina 24

4.1(477 reviews)

0.0 mi

•$$$

One of my favorite restaurants in Asheville. The menu…read morealways has a variety of options. It's hard to decide. The portions are perfect. Homemade pasta!! Seasonal Cocktails. Professional waitstaff. Italian food with a twist. Delicious!

Asheville restaurants are open for business! Please support our local businesses - the food is…read moreamazing and the staff are excited to be back at work! We love Cucina 24 and especially sitting at the chef's table where you can watch pizzas going in and out and the restaurant of the kitchen staff hard at work. The menu and wine is Italian the latter is segmented by wine region. Check this place out!

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Gemelli Restaurant

4.1(123 reviews)

2.0 mi

Our experience at Gemelli was absolutely outstanding in every way…read more Our meals were delightful. Choosing an entree was difficult with so many fresh, tantalizing options. We appreciate the use of locally sourced ingredients throughout the menu. The truffle mushroom risotto was the best risotto I have ever had, and the rest of our party enjoyed the bucatini. Not only was the food perfectly prepared, fresh and unique, the service was impeccable. Servers were attentive and friendly. We were celebrating a special occasion, and our dinner at Gemelli was the perfect place to be. The classy decor, perfect lighting and interesting art elevated dinner out to an experience not to be forgotten. We will definitely back, whenever we're craving a unique and delicious dining experience.

I know this place has a strong following, but after trying it twice, it just hasn't impressed me…read more Some dishes were better than others, but overall the food leaned heavily on salt. The bean dip was so salty and garlicky that it was inedible for me. The ragu had decent flavor, but again was overly salty, and the pasta itself was very dense. The short rib dish was probably the best item we tried, though it too was quite salty. We also tried the meatballs, which were dry and not something I would order again. Another disappointment was the added credit card fee. I understand that some people may not mind this, but with the number of extra fees diners are already facing, it's frustrating and discouraging. The pricing also felt high for what was offered--pasta dishes start at $22 without protein, and adding protein begins at $9. For that price point, I expect more value and balance. Overall, I left feeling underwhelmed and found the experience overpriced for the quality.

Interior of restaurant

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Seconds please, coffee joy!

Cúrate

4.5(2.7k reviews)

•$$$

I don't do restaurant reviews. But I had to let you know! Curate was the best dining experience…read moreI've had in a very long time. From atmosphere to front staff, waitress, but the food was most deserving of 5 stars. Oh wait the red Sangria!! Sooo yummy

Wow. Wow. Wow. This was our first visit snd we were blown away by everything. The food, the energy,…read morethe beauty of the restaurant, the service, everything was stellar during our visit. After having visited Spain and experiencing tapas, our expectations were set high and Cúrate delivered on all levels. We ordered several plates to share, ordered a bubbly white wine and later a pitcher of Sangria and enjoyed the thoughtfulness of their progression of our meal. Every dish was thoughtful and tasty. The patatas bravas were better than some we had in Spain. The lamb skewers were the least favorite as they were slightly overcooked. I missed taking a picture of the mussels because we slopped that up so fast! Overall, I cannot wait to visit again, especially as they change their menu seasonally so new surprises would be amazing. Thank you for a wonderful evening!

Inside

Seafood paella

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Inside

Del Vecchios

3.8(268 reviews)

1.1 mi

I placed an order for our usual, the Gorgonzola chicken pasta and decided to try a cold cutlet sub…read more When I got to the shop, I had to wait an extra ten minutes while they finished up but the staff was very polite and communicative about it. It was worth the extra wait! The pasta was perfectly cooked and the chicken was moist and well-seasoned even though it was closer to closing time, even the sauce was on point. The cutlet sub was also delicious, I would get it again.

We'd just gotten into town and had a lot of great foodie plans for our Asheville weekend, but for…read morethe first night, just wanted to keep it simple and go for some casual Italian. Del Vecchios came up on Yelp, and we liked the look of everything and the sound of all the reviews. Seemed like our kind of place, so we ventured out. Very convenient off the loop, and kind of an interesting little building with a small parking lot. There are a few outdoor tables, but we decided to eat inside where there was a bit less road noise. Saw lots of people coming in and out for takeout. All orders are placed at the counter, and if you're eating in, they bring it out to you. Perfect. We both went for calzones, and really, neither of us had a single complaint. Both were baked perfectly, came with a generous amount of a DELICIOUS marinara sauce and a bit of shaved parm. I like that no plastic ramekins or cutlery are used for eat in orders, keeps their costs down and it's more environmentally sustainable. Taste was wonderful on both, mine was a meatball and pep combo, nice and hearty. Good ricotta, not too much or too little. We would definitely come back here again.