Everything was fresh and delicious! Great price for the large portion of food!! Highly recommend! read more

Salsa's - Slow Roasted Pork - Mexican Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

This place used to be good but the food has gone downhill. It is not authentic at all it's also overpriced. I actually didn't like anything that we ordered we had a good waitress though. read more

Salsa has a lot of hype but unfortunately the margaritas are where my good experience ends. I watched multiple sit without being approached for long periods of time (some even left) even people handing food back. Meals came out at very different times. We had to send fajitas back because it was covered in curry sauce which we requested to omit (and a quesadilla we ordered was missing the sauce). Not a huge deal, but the server acted like it wasn't curry sauce almost as if he didn't want to deal with taking the dish back (if you work here, you should know that's curry sauce). While the new dish came out relatively quickly, they forgot the tortillas for the fajitas. A different server noticed we were trying to get someone's attention and he never brought them back after acknowledging what we were missing. Our server never came back until he asked for the check. So the fajitas were ate without tortillas and all the toppings for the tortillas practically went to waste. For the chicken quesadilla, they have a lot of chicken on the side, but the "quesadilla" itself had a little chunk of celery and a tiny tomato chunk with some cheese. If you order a quesadilla, the quesadilla should be the star of the dish. This looked like food served at FYRE festival and the actual quesadilla was kids size compared to the amount of chicken you get. Pros: margaritas, big portions if you're into that (almost wasteful if you aren't able to take food to go however) Cons: horrible service, food not worth the price. If you're in Asheville for a vacation and only have so much time to try food around town, go somewhere else for a good experience and good food. Unfortunately I had to tip based on the service I received which was close to none. Servers here: please wait on your tables! read more

Salsa's - Grilled Chicken Quesadillas - Mexican Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

TLDR: Overpriced, food was bad, and the vibe of the place off from the beginning. Managed to mess up guacamole and nachos. The guacamole was 90% large onion pieces that looked like something had gone awry with food prep. The nachos had burnt chips as well as unmelted cheese and again large chunks of peppers/onions. The place seemed as though the staff was overworked or just understaffed in general. It made the vibe very weird and you could tell everything was running behind and it felt tense. Server was super nice and apologetic as it's definitely not his fault! Entrees were the only place where something went right. The meat was actually cooked great, the chicken, steak and shrimp we had were all really well cooked and seasoned. That's it though. There was hundreds of other things on the plate for no reason. Like possibly a whole onion and whole bell pepper on one dish. The quesadilla had almost no cheese and the plate was filled with strange slaws/salads? I literally don't know what they were, and also peppers and sweet potatoes? Overall: It was just all over the place and seemed as though the kitchen was just throwing things to fill the plates. Just bad. Also expensive for the quality, I think they were trying to make it seem worth your money and seem like the portions were large. Literally left and went to eat pizza after since it was so unsatisfactory. read more

Salsa's - Mexican Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

after sitting for about 15 minutes and no wait person came to table had to get up and walk out. I understand if you do not have any employees but do not seat people if you can not serve us. disappointed to have wasted time when there are many other places that have staff. read more

My favorite restaurant in Asheville! Amazing food that combines Mexican , Carribean, Central American spices, flavors and entrees. Great Mojotos and Marguerita's- space is small but offers nice ambiance and lighting . A must eat spot! read more

My parents actually recommended this place based on the salsa trio alone! My husband and I stopped in and had an amazing meal! Salsa sampler, paella loco, watermelon lemonade and margaritas! All super tasty! 10/10!! read more

Salsa's - Watermelon lemonade, Presidente Margarita and the salsa sampler! - Mexican Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

My husband and I had a late lunch at Salsas. The place was busy even at an odd hour. We were greeted right away and received excellent service throughout. Our server's name Joaquin. He was helpful with making recommendations, friendly and just responsive enough. When our food arrived we were amazed! Huge portions and it looked beautiful! Then we tasted. Wow!! My husband had an amazing seafood dish that included a whole lobster tail! There were mussels, octopus, scallops, shrimp and the sauce was amazing!! I had two flank steak tacos. They were the best I've ever tasted. Everything was so fresh and delicious! This is one of those places I will think about time and time again. We will absolutely return when we come back to Asheville. We have many friends that have homes in the area and we will be sure to recommend to all of them. Thank you to Joaquin for the yummy Hector's Smokin' Habanero Hot Sauce souvenir! read more

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Mexican Caribbean fusion is interesting enough that it is worth trying just for the novelty alone. The food... was pretty good. I got the Jerk Chicken El Salvador Style Plato for lunch. I couldn't taste any jerk seasoning at all. I found the flavor to be a bit bland. The best part was the pupusa on top. I still enjoyed it, and brought home leftovers (they pile the plates pretty high!) which I enjoyed again later. The guacamole on the plate was fresh and delicious. I would highly recommend getting a guac or salsa appetizer too, they were outstanding (although the tortilla chips tasted.. industrial). I got an ice tea and loved it- another standout of the meal. This is purportedly the oldest restaurant in Asheville- worth checking out, but I probably won't return next time I'm in town. read more

Solid food but waaaaaaay overpriced and pretty understaffed, which lead to poor service. After waiting for someone to take our order for a really long time after being seated, we blurted out our entire order as soon as a waitress showed her face out of fear we wouldn't see anyone again... We started with the chips and salsa trio -- all really flavorful and clearly made fresh in house but I didn't love how the three salsas were served in one bowl, all kinda running together. For $9, not the worst deal on the menu but a little hard to swallow when most Mexican restaurants bring you free chips and salsa. After that, Ted had the steak and shrimp empanada ($17) and I had the mole steak fajitas ($20). My fajitas were certainly good but by far the biggest rip off of the evening. I get charging for high quality ingredients, atmosphere, etc. And, I get that Salsa's is fighting an uphill battle trying to do high end Mexican/Caribbean. BUT, they miss the mark for me on cost/benefit. I've had $12 fajitas that we're just as good as Salsa's $20 version and they were served by way more attentive, friendly wait staff. read more

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Food was incredible! Service was ok, but not bad. Best burrito in the city in my opinion!

To make it short: The food is really good and fresh. The price is ...Mhh I would say a little bit high. Most disappointing was the service. We waited over 1h for food didn't even see the server or didn't get the drinks. The chips also took forever. After we approached the server with this issues he replied very rude: what should I do? That's definitely not the right answer! read more

We, party of six, walked in on vacation for our dear friends Birthday! There was a wait and even in the frigid cold we couldn't wait inside, but the packed house indicated we were doing right. When we finally got seated our server was very attentive. My table raved about the limeade of which was sweet but not overly sweet. I also got the club soda (each of which was $3) and it was good. Dinner wise two people had chicken nachos of which they were fairly satisfied, the birthday girl has paella del mar, another had another paella with mussels and shrimp and I had the VEGAN chef's special plate. The vegan chef's special plate had pickled mushrooms, beets, vegan chorizo (not a fan was mushy), sweet potatoes, carrots,yucca, plantain, black beans, strawberry salad of a sort, rice, avocado, and salsa. I am not a fan of avocado so I choose extra salsa. I am a lover of all things spicy so the salsa was underwhelming. We as a table asked for some hotter sauce, for my friend and I who are obsessed with hot food this was dtill subpar. Upon further inquiry it was discovered that there was a chef's special sauce that's a knockout. THIS SAUCE WAS IT!!! Tons of habaneros, something that grows in spicy in higher concentration, with cilantro and tomatoes. Perfect nasal clearing, taste bud numbing, satiating sauce, it's a $4 upcharge so be on lookout for that. Overall service was great I know they forgot mine and a friend's plantain and yucca, but I kindly alerted my server and she rectified it immediately. If I had to give any constructive criticism I would say start taking reservations for parties of 6 or more since gratuity is already added anyways. I would return when in Asheville again!! read more

Salsa's - Chef's Special Vegan Plate. - Mexican Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

For a tourist, great little spot. For locals, way overpriced. It's $24 for a quesadilla and it's not that big. You can get the SAME portion, if not bigger, at papas and beer. Great food presentation, but the price does not make me want to go back. The bottle Mexican sprite was flat. read more

Stopped here on our trip to Asheville. Good Latin eats in downtown in Salsa. Great service and good size portions for meaI had to take some of my meal home because it was so much. I had the vegan chorizo empanada and it was very good. I would recommend to stop by for a good meal ! read more

Salsa's - Vegan chorizo empanadas - Mexican Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

I would never recommend this restaurant to anyone. The steak fajitas plus the rice and beans were the most bland food I've ever eaten anywhere. I don't even think there was salt and pepper on the dish let alone any other seasoning. The margaritas were fresh and yummy, but very overpriced. The service was good but that doesn't make up for any other aspect of the experience. My boyfriend and I had 1 margarita each and shared 1 order of the fajitas and our total was $70 which is INSANE. Overall, the meal was a ridiculous waste of money and I realllllly wish we had gone elsewhere for dinner. read more

This is hands down some of the best Latin food I have ever had in my life. The fresh Caribbean style fruits only add to the flavor profile of the dishes. I have a soft spot for Latin food, specifically Peruvian and Oaxaca and this was lights out, hands down one of the best dining experiences I have ever had. I recommend not only any dish, but honestly every dish as we sampled more than 4 plates and each was utterly perfect. I wish I had taken more pictures, but literally we couldn't think of anything but the next morsel that was served in perfect timing over and over. The head chef even sent out an off menu ceviche as we arrived. read more

Salsa's - Sorry, food was so good I forgot to take a before picture :) - Mexican Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Went here with my girlfriend when we visited the city on vacation. The reviews looked amazing so we decided to go for dinner one night. The place was very busy so I understand being behind or slammed, but what leads me to leaving a negative review was not even being acknowledged by our waiter for almost 20 minutes. We had been to other places during our trip where they were busy, but someone would stop by just to let us know they'd be back soon. Here, we didn't get that. Just rushed to put our orders in. The food and drinks were great, but the service was terrible. Maybe go here on a less busy night but if we ever venture back to Asheville, we'll be skipping this place. read more

First of all this was a pass by find. Did not show up on a yelp gluten free search. Owners may want to take a look at that. I ordered the ultimate lava rock bowl cazuelas with a couple margaritas. This was on recommendation of Patricia. And these were really good. Patricia was a blast to talk with and her service orientation was great. Definitely an recommended place in Asheville if you have to be GF read more

Salsa's - Mexican Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Really nice dinner. We shared the Cuban paella. It was really good and plenty for two people. Came with some fried plantains that were very tasty. Wouldn't hesitate to go again if we were in town for a few more days. read more

The mussels on my plate were obviously very fresh and friends at the table kept commenting on that. That and the monkfish were delicious. It's probably just city life, but there was quite a wait which took a bit longer than what they told us. Maybe see if you can call ahead. Small groups are probably best for the tight space. You're probably looking at about $30 for most plates patrons after tax and tip. Service was pretty good. Weird feedback, but the water even tasted good. A lot of times tap water is not great, but this water was good quality haha. My only complaint would be that the chips and salsa are not included and are a bit pricey. They didn't tell us that when they offered to get us chips and salsa. read more

The environment was good. The food was nice but not that Wow. Drinks is fancy but a little expensive. read more

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The lomo saltado was amazing! It had so much flavor. The service was great and such it is such a cute quaint place it had a really good ambiance. read more

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Great food, slow service Warning: they charge for a glass of water. Chicken Quesadilla read more

This is a hidden gem in downtown Asheville - of course I found them on yelp! Was looking for some comfort food in the middle of the snow storm and this hole in the wall def. hit the spot. As soon as you walk in many spices and aromas attack your nose - and you immediately know your in the right place. Appetizer - ranchero Salsa. This salsa is closest to your tradition salsa. However, there a twist to it. They add tortillas inside the actual salsa. Kind of soggy but different. The chips were the perfect crunchy and had some type of green sauce drizzled on top. (Very good). Food - Caldera Verde - eggplant, tofu, Tomato sweet potatoes and goat cheese. This was a delish dish. All the flavors and textures def. complimented each other here. All the ingredients were incredibly fresh and vibrant in the bowl. ~Tofu fajitas tacos - curry, rajas , roasted veggies, mixed cheese. Came with a side is rice/beans and guac. The curry sauce was killer. The only thing I would of change was the level of spice with the curry. Other than that these taco were one of the favorites of the dishes I ordered. The tofu came out sizzling on a hot cast iron pan with the veggies as well. *** Libations: The reposado margarita- it had El Jimador tequila and Gran Gala liquor. Jazzed it up and made it spicy with the habaneros and jalapeño additions. This was a very refreshing cocktail with a kick of spicy. The entire staff was very up beat and friendly. Many of them came to our table to simple say hello and check to make sure everything was to our standards. Words can't describe how great this place was. Just go! If you looking for something different and tons of flavors (didn't even need to hit it with salt and pepper), come here!!!! Parking lot one block up from Salsa's $ Not much street parking. Great for all groups of people. There's something on the menu for everyone. Vegetarian/vegan friendly :) read more

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We literally followed our noses two blocks to this place & it did not disappoint. We split the ceviche as an appetizer (delicious) my husband had the Azada Quesadilla and I had the Ropa Vieja. Both were amazing. HUGE portions so we'll be enjoying our leftovers for lunch tomorrow too. read more

Salsa's - Ropa Vieja, Ceviche, & Azada Quesadilla - Mexican Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Small place and a bit underwhelming, but the food was amazing. The presidente margarita was excellent. When I am back in Asheville I will definitely visit this place again. read more

My boyfriend and I were seated for a total of 35 minutes before I was served what I ordered after 20 mins of sitting as heterosexual tables were seated after us, greeted and spoken to by the workers and being also served. Hopefully it is what I think it is, but I nicely requested the check after I ordered one drink, went with my gut. read more

Salsa's - Mexican Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Great salsa fresh homemade and tasty Try the pineapple salsa! My daughter loves the chicken tum-yum-tum But it can be spicy.. I went simple and had the fish tacos .they are huge and way tasty The restaurant is small and cozy but no chain restaurant food is here!! It can be a little cold depending on the weather and where you sit in relation to the door but bundle up or take off your coat and enjoy !! read more

Salsa's - Fish tacos - Mexican Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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Spending the weekend in the Asheville area, and heard so much about this place, I figured I would take my friend there for her birthday... We went in for a late lunch / early dinner... Be warned... Very small place... But absolutely worth waiting for a table to open (they do not take reservations)! We got the three-salsa appetizers: Smoked Chipotle Tomato / Mango - Poppy Seed - Habanero / Guacamole... Everything was DELICIOUS!!!! Then I ordered the Steak Pilon... Very cool dish... Lots of incredible flavors... Service was a pleasure, and price was very good... Yes, I definitely HIGHLY recommend this place! :) read more

Salsa's - Steak Pilon... Looks so yummy! - Mexican Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Got the pork Pom Pom Pom and loved it! The menu was so overwhelming that I didn't know what to order but ended up getting the Pom with no rice and extra veggies. Slow braised pork was soooo flavorful and tender. So flavorful w the pineapple chutney, curry sauce I could not taste at all, kale and veggies added a nice crunch. It was huge and can definitely be shared. You can adjust anything bc everything is made to order!! Super nice about it too:) Friend got quesadilla which he enjoyed and other got the "ultimate" stone lava bowl one. This dish has a broth and super flavorful too. If you like broth, go for this! If you dont like me, get the Pom! Also split the chips w guacamole and it was so good. Chips are drizzled w a "mojo" sauce which is apparently cilantro garlic and olive oil.. Amazing!! Unique food! Was hesitant but glad I tried it before leaving Asheville! read more

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We had such an amazing experience!! Fantastic food and our service was impeccable, thanks to our server James! We started with a pupusa appetizer (steak & avocado with chimichurri sauce. We ordered 2 dishes. One being the chilaquiles and the other a pork tenderloin molcajete that was served in a bowl made from lava rock! This meal was to die for and a true dining experience As you can see from the photos, we had plenty of left overs !! Needless to say, we will be back !! read more

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The ingredients are fresh. The papusas were wonderful. The platanos were amazing. This restaurant takes a nice spin on Spanish and Caribbean. We would definitely go back. read more

Salsa's - Mexican Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

The Resturant kind of is over hyped. The service was not good. Our nachos were missing key ingredients, and the layering of the super hot queso caused the chips to wilt so it tasted mushy. I would maybe give it another chance, but wasn't the best. read more

Mexican and Caribbean delights. Rum cocktails were splendid, and my partner loved the tequila offerings. Small space, but cozy & well worth the price. Phenomenal vegetarian and pescatarian options. read more

Salsa's - Mexican Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

We love to eat in the alley. They have fresh squeezed margaritas and the food is always amazing!

Always a pleasurable dining experience at Salsa's! Just visited for the first time since Covid and was reminded again of why this restaurant is such a gem in Asheville. The service is top notch and you cannot go wrong with anything that you order on the menu. Their plantains? DELICIOUS! Yummy and creative margaritas. My favorite go to dinner order is their steak empanadas. Last- The service is impeccable, I have never had an unfriendly waiter or waitress. Can't wait to come back! read more

Someone told me this place had amazing Mexican chips and salsa and drinks so we ducked in for a snack and a drink one sunny afternoon. I ordered the chips and 3 salsas with mojo for $12. Their mojo is a cilantro oil sprinkled on the chips, and frankly, I could have just eaten that by itself because it was that good. For our "salsa" choices, I ordered guacamole, ranchera, and Mexican corn salsa. The waitress assured us non of them were spicy, because my husband doesn't do spicy. The guacamole was average (but good), and the corn salsa was our favorite. The ranchera had a nice flavor, but dang if it didn't leave us both sucking down water. It was very spicy, and I happen to like spicy stuff! Apparently they were out of sangria and had no pina coladas, so that limited the drinks. My husband just wanted a rum drink and the waitress didn't have much of a recommendation. One thing that should be noted is that is NOT a Mexican place. It's Mexican Caribbean and the Caribbean flare definitely shows in their food. That's a good thing if you have that expectation. But if you're expecting basic boring tacos, this isn't the place. Just a tip for management- the bathrooms were not very clean. There was an apron lying on the counter in one and paper on the floor. All in all though, the food was good and they were very efficient. read more

Salsa's - Mexican Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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While visiting Asheville my wife and I got a hankering for some good Mexican-style food. We looked at the ample options in the town and settled on Salsa's- it's been there a long time and locals called it a "stand-by". We were kinda blown away. The food and flavors were so fresh, vibrant, and complex. Staples like enchiladas and more interesting dishes from Central America/ Cuba made for some hard choices. The fresh citrus margaritas were delicious and deceptively strong. There may be newer, cheaper, or easier options in town, but don't shy away from this place. One thing to note- the dining room is tiny. We were kinda close to folks during Covid... but they can't help that. Service was friendly and prompt. read more

This restaurant use to be our old stand by. Amazing fresh flavor combinations and spices. Since moving away and coming back through town over the years, it has always been the one restaurant that we would make sure we would find time to eat at. Sadly, this was the visit that I would say that the cost of the dish really didn't match up to what was served. The heart and flavor profiles seem to have gone. Hector what has happened?!? The goat curry was too salty and the spices and flavor profiles were far off from the way a carribean goat curry should taste ( I have moved to a place that has a restaurant that has amazing goat curry so maybe it isn't fair to compare?) When the dish came to the table it looked beautiful. I thought for sure it would be delicious- the way the goat fell from the bone. Also ordered the octopus appetizer. It was okay..needed to get pieces of everything in appetizer in your forkful for flavors to begin to work. Plenty of food to take home as other commentators have mentioned. However the leftovers are still in the fridge. And contrary to previous times, there is no excitement or current interest in heating them up for seconds. Very sad day when I must give Salsa's a mediocre review for overpriced food. I am sorry Salsa's. Maybe we will give you one last try next time... maybe we will read the reviews before doing so... read more