Being so close to Asheville proper, it’s no surprise that Black Mountain has way more wonderful restaurants than you might expect of a similarly-sized town elsewhere. Set in the beautiful mountains, Black Mountain boasts multiple breweries, a distillery, and even a cider/mead purveyor, bringing tourists in for the craft beverages, and you know how a drink might get you hungry. You’ll also find incredible hiking, all of which makes it a great place to grab a bite to eat alongside a local brew after a big adventure. 

As a result of all this tourism, the places to eat in Black Mountain, NC, run the gamut, and you’ll be pleased that so many Black Mountain restaurants have a strong commitment to excellent sourcing and fresh ingredients. With so many locally-owned restaurants in Black Mountain, find one you really are excited to try and stop by the next time you’re here! 

Don’t forget to check out our web story: The 14 Best Restaurants in Black Mountain, NC

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The 14 Best Black Mountain Restaurants

1. Bush Farmhouse

It’s not every day that a Black Mountain restaurant features a flower garden, a pen of animals, and a cozy farmhouse full of South African-inspired dishes. Black Mountain has more than you’d expect when it comes to variety and depth in its restaurant scene. 

Bush Farmhouse has really created something special, with approachable and tasty dishes as well as fancier dinner options that can make a special occasion truly memorable. With warm and pleasant service and flavors that are consistently praised in reviews, this spot draws a wide and popular following. 

The laidback atmosphere, accompanied by frequent live music sets, has created a special environment that people are eager to come back to and experience again and again. 

Location: 151 South Ridgeway Avenue, Black Mountain

2. Open Oven Brunch and Bakery

Whether you’re rising early and coming for a hearty breakfast or letting your day ease in with a late-morning brunch, Open Oven is ready to serve you with the brunch classics all week (except Tuesdays) rather than just on Sunday morning. 

This counter service spot lets you quickly place your order, self-serve your drinks, find a table, and await a wonderful meal, keeping things moving nicely, even if you take your time with the food itself. From the variety of eggs benedict options on their menu to their various omelettes and sandwiches, you’ll find a great mix of hearty breakfast fare and sandwich shop favorites. 

Try the Heavenly Hash, full of sweet and red potatoes, spinach, caramelized onions and peppers, mushrooms, lemon tahini sauce, and avocado, all completely vegan and delicious. Carnivores will still rejoice at the Hickory Nut Gap sausage for the omelettes and the fried chicken for the waffles, covered with a chipotle maple syrup. There’s something for every appetite!

Location: 102 Church Street, Black Mountain

3. La Guinguette

Modeled after social gathering locales in the 20th-century suburbs of Paris, La Guinguette works to be the convivial French food destination that lets you let your hair down and just relax. From the various flavorful crepes to empanadas and fresh salads, you’ll find all kinds of French fusion flavors that are crafted with as many local and fresh ingredients as possible. 

Enjoy the cheeky menu with dishes like the Popeye au Poulet crepe, featuring spinach and chicken in béchamel, wrapped in a delicately thin pancake. Flavorful corn masa tamales stuffed with mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, and mole sauce fill and please the vegan diners, while Cuban sandwiches pressed full of pickles and pork make the carnivores sing La Guinguette’s praises. This French spot is a true contender among the best restaurants in Black Mountain, NC.

Location: 105 Richardson Boulevard, Black Mountain

4. Fresh Wood Fired Pizza & Pasta

There is something truly special about a pizza made in a woodfired oven. While not the uniform circle of crust you’d find on a frozen pizza made at home, the stretchy, chewy, crispy pizzas at Fresh Wood Fired Pizza & Pasta are tastier in part due to their lack of uniformity – enjoy a few bites with a crispy bubble of dough while others have that excellent chewy tear. 

The menu at Fresh Wood Fired Pizza & Pasta features many of the standard pizza offerings but also specialty pizzas like their Drunken Clam, featuring diced clams and bacon and a butter wine sauce, or the Chevre, featuring local goat cheese and veggies. Their pasta dishes include favorites like bolognese and eggplant parmesan, and you can wash it all down with a delicious San Pellegrino soda water or one of their microbrews or wines. 

Location: 100 S Ridgeway Avenue, Black Mountain

5. Trailhead Restaurant and Bar

A local restaurant with a theme drawn from the amazing hiking on local peaks, Trailhead Restaurant and Bar works to create excellent dishes that get their extra pizzazz from the top-quality local ingredients they use, including sources like Dynamite Coffee, Eat More Bakery’s gluten-free bread, and Apple Brandy beef. 

There are definitely familiar dishes, but the chef’s range is evident when you check out the options: appetizers range from beer-battered onion rings with the distinctive flavor of an IPA to fresh mussels steamed in coconut and red curry broth! 

The soup and salad menu is extensive, and the Appalachian Trail chickpea salad is particularly flavorful, where the chickpeas are tossed in lemon and honey and served over grilled kale, pickled onion, and goat cheese with a red pepper sauce on top. 

From the burgers to the tuna sandwich and the many high-quality steaks and other entrees on the dinner menu, you’ll find more than enough to fill you up, and all with great combinations of flavors that will keep you returning to the Trailhead after a satisfying day in nature.

Location: 207 W State Street, Black Mountain

6. Berliner Kindl German Restaurant

With authentic dishes of all kinds, you’ll find that Berliner Kindl is like getting transported to a tasty German food restaurant back in Europe. With dishes that feature pork schnitzel, German-style sausages, and a variety of sandwiches, all with German flair, you’ll get a hearty meal and be able to also enjoy the sauerkraut and German potatoes that often accompany these dishes. 

Hundreds of visitors to this restaurant have commented on the kind and friendly service and the travel atmosphere that makes you feel like you’ve found your way into a cozy neighborhood tavern. 

It’s also seen as a great spot for enjoying a family meal together, and for the beer drinkers among you, there are German beers to sample! If you’re looking for unique Black Mountain restaurants, don’t miss this one. The front is a little unassuming, so know that you’re in the right place as long as you go to the address – the magic is inside!

Location: 121 Broadway Avenue, Black Mountain

7. Cousins Cuban Cafe

When two cousins whose parents left Cuba in the 1960s came together to make a restaurant, the Cousins Cuban Cafe was born. The delicious flavors of Cuban food are brought to life on the menu here in Black Mountain so that guests and locals alike can fall in love with the flavors and taste the sunny and bright dishes. 

They are a great option for a healthy and plant-forward breakfast, with dishes like the Miami Brunch Bowl that features tostones, avocado mash, black beans, and crispy fried eggs, though you can sub the eggs for a helping of mushrooms. 

Classic pressed sandwiches and bowls with flavorful proteins over black beans, white rice, and sweet plantains fill the lunch menu, and a menu of yummy Cuban snacks makes this a good spot to stop if you’re not quite hungry enough for a full meal (or if a full meal needs a few little extras to fill you up!). Between their gourmet coffee drinks and full bar, you’ll find something refreshing to drink alongside your meal as well!

Location: 108 Broadway Avenue, Black Mountain.

8. The Clean Plate

Near Dynamite Coffee’s shop, you’ll find a great breakfast/lunch joint known as The Clean Plate. They aim to source their ingredients locally and as sustainably as they can, yielding a simple and flavor-forward menu of tasty tacos. 

If you stop by at lunch, grab a pulled pork taco from Apple Brandy Farms pork shoulder that has been braised with brown sugar, coriander, and other spices. Topped with pico de gallo, it hits the spot! Or come by for breakfast and scarf an avocado and potato, brisket and egg, or bean and cheese taco – or all three! 

They have occasional catering days and special menu items like burgers, so keep an eye on their social media, but once you try these farm-fresh flavors, you might be bugging them to cater your next event too.

Location: 3206 US-70, Black Mountain

9. Que Sera and Tayloe’s Oyster Bar

Que Sera and its next-door buddy, Tayloe’s Oyster Bar, form a dynamic duo of fine dining options near the train depot in historic Black Mountain. The owners have worked meticulously to create an atmosphere where you can sit down for a pint at the bar or hold a major celebration with fine dining, all while bringing the best-quality seafood and local produce to their dishes.

Order some barbecued wild gulf shrimp with baked asiago cheese grits or an incredible Trout Almandine covered in lemon sage brown butter with grilled romaine. At the Oyster Bar, eat your way through multiple oyster options or grab some crispy fried blue crab claws served with their housemade cocktail sauce. You’ll swear you’re minutes from the coast when really, you’ve just found a seafood treasure in the mountains. 

Location: 101 Black Mountain Avenue, Black Mountain

10. Veranda Café

While I’m out sightseeing, I often don’t really want a super-heavy lunch, and the idea of a bowl of soup is the absolute top option – filling but not heavy, I can get right back out to enjoy more of the local sights. 

Luckily, one of the best places to eat in Black Mountain at lunch is a soup, sandwiches, and Southern specialties spot, Veranda Cafe. You’ll have to stop by to know what soup is available on a given day, but know that they come with fresh-baked rolls and you can pair them with a Garden Side Salad for a very affordable price. 

Grilled sandwiches like the Turkey Berry Brie, Cuban, or Greek Chicken Gyro will fill all your food groups and give you that luscious crisp bread toasted on the grill. The cafe also boasts a selection of freshly baked cookies, cakes, and pies, in case you’re alright with a little sweet ending to the meal – some lunches should be decadent, after all!

Location: 119 Cherry Street, Black Mountain

11. La Tapa Lounge

When an Asheville native chef and a Barcelona-born chef went into business together to make a new spot in Black Mountain, everyone involved seems to have benefited. La Tapa Lounge is named after the fun and iconic snack or small plates that were initially created as a tapa or “cover” for a drink, which are now iconic Spanish traditions in small-plates dining. 

Their menu combines the best of many fusion worlds, from excellent tacos and small plate tapas to more common entrees and sandwiches, as well as a wide array of signature cocktails. You can really choose your own adventure with this menu: order your protein bowl with rice, beans, baja sauce, and a protein (from chicken to mahi to chorizo). 

Or bring a crowd and order Spain-inspired patatas bravas, firecracker shrimp, calamari, chorizo crostini, and more to share, letting everyone eat a few bites of each dish. Having a meal together will feel like a party! 

Location: 400 E State Street, Black Mountain

12. Goldfinch Cocktails and Kitchen

One of my favorite things about the Asheville area is that there is a nice list of go-to restaurants where, no matter what I order, I know that I’m going to be eating the rainbow, enjoying a variety of delicious textures, flavors, and nutrients that will not only taste great but make me feel energetic and happy afterward. 

Goldfinch has a menu that really offers this. From their red and golden roasted beet salad to their spicy and textured Bahn Mi bowl, they offer multiple dishes that are simply brimming with vegetables in a way that a simple lettuce-centric side salad rarely can accomplish. 

If you’re in the mood for crispy and rich, you can fulfill that too, from the falafel with cucumber yogurt sauce to the mac and cheese pancakes with Sriracha syrup! They keep the menu very fresh and seasonal, locally sourced when possible, and with many options for the vegans, vegetarians, gluten-free and others with dietary restrictions among us. 

Location: 122 Cherry Street, Black Mountain

13. Louise’s Kitchen

I’m already biased when I see a restaurant being operated out of a house – historical homes make for such a romantic and cozy setting for a little cafe! Louise’s Kitchen is in a building built in 1904, but their flavor profiles are up to the moment, with breakfast and brunch dishes to suit many palates. 

Relish favorite plates like the Smoked Pork Quesadilla, full of cheese and beans and served with both Jamaican jerk sour cream and a sweet Thai chili sauce – think fusion and bright flavors! Or hit the Black Mountain Cheese Steak for lunch, where the traditional meat, peppers, and onions are accompanied by homestyle pimento cheese on the hoagie roll, a flavor combo you’ll have to try to believe. 

I’m personally a big fan of a great chicken salad, and Louise’s Curry Chicken Salad studded with red grapes and pecans is a real treat. Grab a drink, alcoholic or non, and consider trying the “Manmosa,” a strange and perhaps satisfying combo of orange juice and PBR beer. Figure out why this is a porch everyone wants to be sitting on. 

Location: 115 Black Mountain Ave, Black Mountain

14. Blue Ridge Biscuit Company

I’m sure it’s a culture shock when people from the United Kingdom, who see biscuits as crisp cookies, first encounter a great Southern biscuit, but I’d say a fluffy buttermilk biscuit really is one of the most delicious of all the baked treats. 

Blue Ridge Biscuit Company will serve you a variety of biscuit-centric breakfasts, and all are delicious and surprising. The “Twisted Biscuits” menu features everything from a fried chicken and fried green tomatoes biscuit to a smoked trout spread on a biscuit, completed with special cream cheese and tomato jam alongside red onion and arugula – this is biscuit eating elevated! 

While one of the more casual among the best restaurants in Black Mountain, it’s absolutely a spot for both sweet and savory breakfast flavors that is hard to beat. 

Location: 601 W State Street, Black Mountain

There you have it! The 14 best restaurants in Black Mountain, NC. Which Black Mountain restaurants are your favorite? Let us know so we can give them a try!

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