Daytripper: Western North Carolina restaurants worth the drive
ASHEVILLE - Asheville’s a foodie destination that draws tourists and locals, but there’s much more to discover outside of the city limits.
Take advantage of the warm weather, school break and vacation days and let the highways and parkways lead you to towns and eateries across Western North Carolina.
Head west for Thai cuisine, homemade ice cream and American barbecue bounty.
Summit mountaintops for Appalachian feasts while feasting your eyes on stunning landscape views.
Stroll Main Streets for local gifts, goodies and bounteous biscuits in small town gems.
Take the tasting trail less traveled as you set off on summer explorations to these WNC destinations.:
Betty’s Biscuits
640 West King St., Boone, bettysbiscuitsnc.com
For anything but basic biscuits, head to Betty’s Biscuits in Boone ― less than two hours from Asheville ― which offers biscuit sandwiches, freshly baked buttermilk biscuits and more Southern comfort plates.
In 2018, restaurateur Tina Houston launched Solar Food Truck leading to the opening of the brick-and-mortar Betty’s Biscuits last March.
Houston said everything at Betty’s Biscuits is made from scratch and ingredients are sourced from neighborhood farmers.
Menu bestsellers are the Butterbuster — buttermilk fried Joyce Farm chicken topped with marinated cucumbers and remoulade. Yo'Nanna is a sweet dish prepared with a french toast biscuit, hazelnut ganache, sorghum bananas and whipped cream. A meatless favorite is the Towanda made with fried green tomato, pimento cheese and greens. And a traditional must-have is the chicken and dumplings.
Betty’s Biscuits was named after Houston’s grandmother, whom Houston described as a “wonderful baker” who instilled in her the importance of caring about what and how she does everything.
Photos of Houston’s mother, grandmother and great grandmother and the staff’s matriarchs are displayed throughout the restaurant creating a homey dining room and “Betty vibe.”
Check out Houston’s other eateries, Reid’s Café in Sugar Mountain and Reid’s Catering and The Beacon Butcher Bar in Boone.
Dalaya Thai Cuisine
1084 West Main St., Sylva, dalayathai.com
A cozy Thai eatery off Scott Creek in Jackson County nearly an hour west of Asheville continues to make waves with diners regionally and nationwide.
This year, Kanlaya Supachana ― known as Chef Gun ― chef and owner of Dalaya Thai Cuisine was named a 2024 James Beard Foundation Awards semifinalist for Best Chef: Southeast.
Chef Gun, who owned a Thai eatery in New York, said, in 2019, she chose to open Dalaya outside of central downtown because the mountainous scenery reminds her of her hometown, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Dalaya’s scratch-made, authentic Thai dishes originate from Chiang Mai and are prepared with many WNC farm-sourced ingredients, like the chef’s signature Khao Soi, made with soft, thick egg noodles in a rich Chiang Mai coconut curry soup with dark meat chicken, crispy thin egg noodles, pickled mustard greens, shallots, sweet soy sauce and chili oil.
The popular Spicy Fish Sauce Wings ― described as “spicy, sweet and tangy” — are made with Springer Mountain chicken wings that are marinated in fish sauce, sugar and garlic, and then deep fried and tossed with a house-made sweet and spicy sriracha glaze. It’s finished with fried garlic and scallion toppers.
Dalaya’s abbreviated lunch menu features bestsellers like the “Curry in a Hurry” rotating selection of classic Thai curries.
Chef Gun said there’s been nearly a 30% increase of customers at the restaurant since the James Beard nod. The 25-seat dining room and estimated 15-seat patio is first-come, first-serve. Dalaya offers homemade food and not-fast food, so plan accordingly in case of longer wait times or consider carryout.
On June 24, Dalaya hosted a sold-out pop-up in partnership with Master BBQ and Zillicoah Beer Co. in Asheville, with a return date to be announced.
Look out for Chef Gun’s ice cream truck that she plans to bring to the city serving housemade, plant-based Thai ice cream made sans dairy and eggs.
Visit Sylva’s quaint downtown district for shopping, cultural and artistic attractions, and more dining options. And enjoy nature-centric activities, like hiking, camping, fishing and other outdoor activities.
Haywood Smokehouse
Locations in Dillsboro, Franklin and Waynesville, haywoodsmokehouse.com
Chow down on brisket and more barbecue favorites at any of Haywood Smokehouse’s three locations, in Dillsboro, Franklin and Waynesville.
Joe Beasley, who co-founded the restaurant with his wife Brenda in 2013, said Texas, St. Louis, Kansas City, South Carolina, Georgia and North Carolina-style barbecue are offered at the restaurants.
Haywood Smokehouse, local family owned and operated, has been recognized on nationwide customer-ranked lists including ranking No. 11 on Yelp’s 2024 Top 100 U.S. Restaurants list.
Its slow-cooked Texas-style brisket earned the restaurant the No. 1 spot on Yelp’s list of Top Brisket Spots in the U.S. and Canada in 2023. Haywood Smokehouse placed in the Top 10 on the site’s Top 100 BBQ Spots list and ranked No. 11 on the Top 100 U.S. Restaurants lists in 2024.
Beyond the brisket, Beasley recommends first-time visitors try the baby back ribs – offered on Saturdays only. The quesadillas made with brisket or pork are another crowd favorite.
Local craft beers, sweet teas and more are on the beverage menu.
Beasley recommends diners visiting Dillsboro, a former old train stop, to visit the downtown shops, breweries, pottery and craft shops and other local restaurants.
He noted that the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, which boards in Bryson City, makes a stop in Dillsboro.
Also stop into Brenda Beasley’s retail shop, Horse Feathers Mercantile and Boutique in Dillsboro.
Mount Mitchell Café & Eatery
2388 N.C. 128, Burnsville at Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 355, mountmitchellcafeandeatery.com
Refuel up on the way to the summit at Mount Mitchell, the highest point east of the Mississippi River at 6,684 feet elevation, at Mount Mitchell Café & Eatery in Burnsville.
In May, owners Melissa Howell and Chef Leigh Howell reopened Mount Mitchell State Park’s restaurant as the newly rebranded eatery, which sits at an estimated 6,200 feet elevation and offers American and Appalachian fare.
The menu features handcrafted, made-to-order gourmet sandwiches, soups and salads made with local ingredients and artisan bread. Gluten-free options are available.
Grilled and fried local trout are among the favorite dishes with other signature standouts offered like the Elisha’s turkey and pimento melt and the 6684 Burger.
Hiking trails and scenic views are plenty just beyond the restaurant’s doors. Take in the sights on the café’s patio lounging in Adirondack chairs ― outside dining service is not offered.
Before heading home, visit downtown Burnsville, nearly an hour down the mountain, and enjoy a meal at the Howell’s other restaurant, Pig & Grits.
The Restaurant at Gideon Ridge Inn
202 Gideon Ridge Road, Blowing Rock, gideonridge.com
Make the hike up the Blue Ridge Mountains to dine at The Restaurant at Gideon Ridge Inn, a 2024 James Beard Foundation Award semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurant.
Executive Chef Hunter Womble said The Restaurant ― about an hour-and-a-half northeast of Asheville ― offers long-range views from any seat in the dining room, guest-tailored experiences and “a beautiful balance of fine dining without all the pretentious notes.”
The Restaurant’s local and regional farm-to-table menu rotates regularly with seasonally and features fresh imports like Alaskan halibut and Northeastern mussels.
Two longtime staples are the local, spreadable chicken liver pate paired with sorghum mustard, rehydrated cherries and chive oil. The escargot is prepared with local mushrooms, cognac cream sauce and a classic garlic parsley mix.
The in-house, curated cocktail program complements the seasonal dining menu.
The dining room features banks of glass windows offering unadulterated, infinity mountain views.
Womble recommends dining al fresco on the patio and taking a walk along the Rhododendron gardens. An on-site hiking trail loops and leads to a cave that is available for guests to explore.
The Restaurant is open to the public and Womble said many new diners have come in after the James Beard nod. The Restaurant is reservation only via Resy. Reservation time blocks open two weeks out.
Consider staying a night or more at the Inn, housed in a building constructed in 1939 and formerly owned by the locally famed Cone family.
In Blowing Rock, Womble recommends hiking, tubing, fly fishing and shopping downtown. Also, check out Gideon Ridge Inn’s other properties, Bistro Roca and Hellbender Bed and Beverage.
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Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at [email protected] or follow her on Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Daytripper: Western North Carolina restaurants worth the drive
