Best Specialty Markets in Asheville—A Local’s Perspective
- Ian W.
- Sep 10, 2023
- 5 min read
I know I’m always harping on the many wonderful restaurants of Asheville, but today I’d like to talk about the alternative to eating out. No, I don’t mean starving. Or foraging. I mean cooking.
Perhaps the ol’ pan and spatula are the last things on your mind during your romantic getaway in the mountains and I can’t blame you. But if you fancy yourself a cuisinier fantastique, a true artist of the onion and the blade, or simply find yourself staying at a certain brand of luxury cabin equipped with an all-purpose kitchen, then I’ve got some local lore just for you.
Namely, that Asheville’s best specialty markets brim with every manner of gourmet ingredient, from all across the world. Doing a little food shopping at these hidden gems is your gateway to a cost effective and delicious way to entertain/torment your traveling companions via experimental recipes. Live like a local. Cook the unimaginable.
Longtime readers of the blog will know I’m partial to the Asheville City Farmer’s Market, hosted on downtown’s North Market Street on Saturday mornings. I do love an excuse to go downtown. But that’s not where Asheville’s farm-fresh produce starts and ends. Far from it.
Head on up to the WNC Farmer’s Market complex, just a drop south of West Asheville, and you’ll find a cornucopia of local products, ranging from seasonal fruits and veggies, to baked goods, to jams, to muscadine wine. Sticking to the market stalls should be enough for the purposes of the travelling chef, but if you really want a taste of the local flavor, take a detour to the truck sheds to buy directly from Western North Carolina’s finest farmers.
As an added convenience, they’re open 8am-5pm, all year-round, making it easy to check out this truly special market no matter what else you have planned for the week.
Local Favorites: Spiced apple cider come October. Sourwood honey, the fame of southern Appalachia.
I came across this particular specialty market in Asheville through a cup of Vietnamese coffee—the kind bolstered with sweetened condensed milk—drunken at the Wild Ginger Noodle Bar. A restaurant which I highly recommend, by the way.
Anyway, I asked where they got their coffee, and I was directed just a few storefronts away to what was then known as "Lee’s Asian Market." It was a match made in heaven, and that brand of coffee and I have been going strong for nearly eight years, requiring frequent returns to Lee’s.
This arrangement has given me plenty of opportunities to pick up all sorts of odds and ends at this well-stocked market. And I’ll admit it, usually this means Japanese candy. But from kimchi to lychees, if you’re looking for an east Asian ingredient, you can likely find it right here.
Since that first encounter, word has gotten out. Lee's has moved into a much larger space just down the street from their original location next to Wild Ginger, offering an even wider selection of out-of-this-world imports and the new and improved "Asiana Market."
Local Favorites: Matcha pocky. I am a simple man.
It doesn't get any more local than this, folks. This outstanding downtown grocery store is a true pillar of the community. Locally-owned, organic-focused, and with a real commitment to keep prices fair, especially through their dynamite bulk department, featuring more herbs, spices, teas, and fair-trade coffee than you can shake s a stick at.
If you find yourself downtown, there's no better way to get a taste of what the locals are cooking with than through a visit right here. There's plenty of WNC cheeses and meats, perfect for catering a little picnic in the Blue Ridge. If you're in more of a rush, opt for some of their hot soup or cold-cut sandwiches, just right for a light repast while exploring downtown.
Local Favorites: Head to the kombucha zone. If it weren't beer, I reckon kombucha would be Asheville's signature drink.
There’s no shortage of excellent Indian restaurants in Asheville, including a certain nationally acclaimed purveyor of chaat on the South Slope.
Growing up here, it is more than easy to acquire an appreciation for this kind of food. The next logical step, of course, is making it yourself.
At Radha Indian Grocers—on the way west out of downtown and the River Arts District—it's as easy as grabbing one of the spice packets near the front of the store (instructions included, usually) and combining it with a block of savory paneer. Don’t forget the rice and the naan, of course, represented here at Radha in every flavor under the rainbow.
It’s a great way to inject some spice to your weekly repertoire, or simply learn to make a new dish. The only thing that can make it better are hot fried samosas, which Radha provides too, of course.
Local Favorites: Candied fennel, aromatic and sweet.
Although Asheville, and the South Slope in particular, may be best known for its beers, I think one and all can agree that regardless of what libation you’re partaking in, it can always be made better with some aperitifs. And, as I so often say, you ought to satisfy this particular yearning with a big old block of cheese.
Imported cheese no less. Or local artisan cheese. They’ve got it all at the South Slope Cheese Company, plus charcuterie, vegan cheese, sheep’s cheese, caviar, wine-pairings, and pre-prepared boxes brimming with some of the most refined beverage accompaniments in all of Asheville.
Yes, a visit here is the perfect way to lay in stock for an evening of fine wine and dining, or, perhaps even better, a romantic picnic on the Parkway. That’s where my imagination goes anyway. Visit this specialty market in Ashville yourself and see where yours takes you.
Local Favorites: Manchego sheep’s cheese, creamy and smooth.
If you're ready to head out there and live like a local, food and all, then all that's left to do is find a spot to stay like a local. For my money, that's got to involved a full kitchen. And if that's a case, then might I recommend: Â Asheville Cottages.
Our luxury cabins offer top-of-the-line private accommodations, hot tubs, grilles, heated bathroom floors, and of course, a kitchen ready and raring to provide you the perfect space to use all of Asheville's prime ingredients.
Book a stay yourself and see just why Asheville Cottages is rated number one on trip advisor, with plenty of five-star reviews.
Businesses Mentioned
WNC Farmer's Market
(828)-253-1691
570 Brevard Rd, Asheville, NC 28806
Asiana Market
(828)-585-2362
1968 Hendersonville Rd, Asheville, NC 28803
French Broad Food Co-Op
(828)-255-7650
90 Biltmore Ave, Asheville, NC 28801
Radha Indian Grocers
(828)-505-1991
813 Patton Ave, Asheville, NC 28806
South Slope Cheese Company
(828)-575-2109
11 Southside Ave Ste 110, Asheville, NC 28801
