Tupelo Honey Cafe

Tupelo Honey Cafe in Downtown Asheville

12 College Street
Asheville, North Carolina
Signature Dish: Sweet Potato Pancakes
Menu Link: Tupelo Honey Cafe Menus

Tupelo Honey Cafe is a landmark restaurant in downtown Asheville. The restaurant prides itself on utilizing local farmers, organic vegetables, as well as hormone-free meats and dairy products. They also claim to engage in local tradition by exuding creativity and imagination throughout its menu. The southern comfort cuisine is heavy on the soul food, but does experiment with unique food combinations that can make southern cookin' traditionalists upset. The restaurant is ranked as the #1 location in Asheville by UrbanSpoon and #10 according to the TripAdvisor. Featured in Southern Living and the New York Times alike, this restaurant has a reputation to live up to.

Tupelo Honey has a casual atmosphere that is informal in attire, but has some formality to its dining experience. The downtown location takes no reservations, but its newly opened sister restaurant does. For the downtown staple there is typically a line outside the doors at opening time. In the back of the restaurant is a waiting area with bench seating and complementary coffee. When it is time to seat a small party, a spot at the bar may indeed be the next available seat. It is here that you are obligated to eat.

The wait staff was very knowledgeable and way, like...uh...casual. But they were also very curteous and helpful. They were quick to share their opinions and guide the ordering decision. We decided to start our lunch with the cheesy grit cakes. They were served with a chili sauce, salsa and sour cream - which all served to really spice up what would otherwise be a bland dish. The cakes were crispy on the outside and "gritty" in the middle - hitting the mark for texture. An excellent way to start a meal.

Sweet Potato Pancakes with Coffee

The veggie bowl was a meal-sized entree with pinto beans, goat cheese grits, sautéed greens, fried okra and some more of that Sunshot Farm salsa. The combination of textures and tastes made this a hit. Scooping up the grits and poking a few pieces of fried okra while toping it all with the mild salsa made my taste buds sing. I also had to try the "famous" sweet potato pancakes. It was a huge pancake that miniaturized the plate upon which it was served. It was served with a wipped peach butter, but all of the flavors were understated. There is no doubt that it was a nice twist on the traditional buttermilk pancake, but did not venture too far from the traditional tastes to warrant the fame. I added some brussel sprouts and homestype squash casserole to my meal, which were all perfectly adequate.

Overall, the meal was excellent, but I felt as though we only touched on the unique flavors that the restaurant can provide. Perhaps a trip at dinnertime to try the other "main courses" is necessary to find those entrees that really tickle the palette. The dining experience was good enough to make a solid recommendation: when in Asheville, be sure to visit the local favorite, Tupelo Honey Cafe. You'll find the whole dining experience to be very Asheville.