There are so many wonderful cuisines from all around the world, but one that certainly stands out as many people’s favorite is Italian.
If you live in Asheville and are looking for a place with delicious Italian food, look no more. In this article, you will learn about the best Italian restaurants in your city.
If you are craving some Italian food in Asheville but are not sure where to go, here is a list of the ten best Italian restaurants in your city with some additional tips on choosing the one that suits you the most.
Strada Italiano
$$ | (828) 348-8448 | WEBSITE
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This Italian restaurant offers delicious and relatively inexpensive meals with a view. Their rooftop, carefully-crafted menu, and a great selection of cocktails, wines, and beers will make you this restaurant’s regular customer.
They are open daily from 3 pm to 10 pm, and if you are a fan of brunch, you can enjoy it on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 2 pm.
Their menu is designed for special food requirements, so you will find many gluten-free and vegan dishes here. When you decide to eat in this restaurant, make sure to call or reserve your place online a few days in advance.
Vinnie’s Neighborhood Italian
$$ | (828) 253-1077 | WEBSITE
This restaurant offers an “old school” Italian vibe paired with delicious, affordable food and a pleasant atmosphere.
You can find it in two different locations, so you don’t have to worry about driving for too long to eat some yummy Italian food.
Another great thing about this restaurant is its Goombah club – members get to earn points for every dollar they spend so they can get discounts, rewards, and other perks.
Vinnie’s restaurant doesn’t accept reservations, so you can expect to wait for some time before diving into the pizzas and pasta.
Modesto
$$ | (828) 225-4133 | WEBSITE
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Modesto is a lovely, cozy restaurant that runs on a woodfire kitchen and offers excellent service. This restaurant offers a variety of antipasti, pizzas, pasta, risottos, and more.
Prices are moderate, and the ambient is soothing. If you visit Modesto with up to three other people, you can enjoy your meals for two hours.
If you go with four or five other people, you can sit there for 45 minutes more, and if you bring at least six other guests with you, you can stay for three hours.
Reserve your place by calling them and consider preordering drinks and appetizers to minimize waiting time once you get there.
Cucina24
$$$ | (828) 254-6170 | WEBSITE
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This restaurant is a fantastic place for people who never know what they want to eat. Here, you pay 60$ and get a five-course meal with a few options to choose from.
Their website is updated every day so you can see the courses you will eat before you get there. If you are not in the mood to go out, you can order their food online.
If you want to be onsite, call and reserve a place, so you don’t get disappointed when you arrive at the restaurant.
Carraba’s Italian Grill
$$ | (828) 281-2300 | WEBSITE
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Carraba’s Italian Grill is a restaurant with two locations in the Asheville area. It offers numerous meals, so you can choose to eat pasta, pizza, steak, chops, seafood and pair the meal with different appetizers, wines, and cocktails.
The restaurants in Asheville are well-decorated, and the servers are delightful and hospitable. The prices are reasonable, but make sure to reserve your place before going there.
If you plan an event or a party, you can count on Carraba’s catering skills.
Del Vecchios
$ | (828) 258-7222 | WEBSITE
This family-owned restaurant has been serving appetizing Italian food to people in Asheville since 1996.
Their menu consists of starters, pizzas, calzones, strombolis, sandwiches, and pasta, along with a few sides options and drinks to go with your main meal.
Del Vecchios is also kids-friendly, so that you can choose one of the several meals from the kid’s menu for your little ones.
If you want to make someone else happy with fantastic food, you can buy a gift certificate, and if you are planning a party, you won’t go wrong with their catering services.
Piazza
$$ | (828) 298-7224 | WEBSITE
Piazza serves authentic Italian pizzas, pasta, and salads. The food is hand-made, the toppings are generous, and the portions are fairly large.
What’s even better is that this restaurant supports other local and family-owned businesses, so they gather the ingredients for food from other business owners in this area.
You can drink craft beer and coffee here. You can try your chances and go without a reservation, but it’s better to reserve the spot beforehand, just in case it is too crowded.
Grata Pizzeria
$ | (828) 575-2400 | WEBSITE
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This pizzeria is owned by a couple passionate about serving customers tasty pizzas. They acquire all ingredients locally and make the dough, toppings, dressings, and sauces from scratch.
If you are unsure what to eat, you can always choose their Farmer’s Market offer – a pizza made from the couple’s weekly visits to a farmer’s market.
If nothing on the menu looks particularly appealing, you have the option of making your own pizza. This pizzeria also organizes open mics and gigs from time to time, so make sure to check their socials and visit them.
Pomodoros Greek & Italian Café
$$ | (828) 299-3032 | WEBSITE
This restaurant offers Greek and Italian food at reasonable prices. They have three different menus; you can choose from pasta, spaghetti, stromboli, pizza, ravioli, sandwiches, and salads when it comes to Italian food.
They also offer catering if you need to impress your colleagues, family, or friends with amazing appetizers and meals.
Expect high-quality ingredients and friendly service, but also try to reserve your spot beforehand, so you don’t have to wait for a table for too long.
Bellagio Bistro
$ | 828-658-9700 | WEBSITE
Bellagio Bistro is another restaurant in Asheville that doesn’t focus on just one cuisine – here, you can find specialties from Greece and Italy, as well as some of the traditional American food, such as burgers, subs, and fried chicken tenders.
When it comes to Italian food, you can choose from a wide variety of pasta and pizza specialties.
Their portions are large, but you can choose a smaller option if you are not too hungry or don’t want to take the leftovers home. Bellagio Bistro offers gift certificates and catering services.
What To Look For When Choosing Italian Restaurant In Asheville
If you are still not sure what restaurant to choose for your day or night out, here are some things to look for that may help you choose wisely.
Menu
Before going to a restaurant, make sure to check out their menu. Think about what you want to eat and see if the menu has a meal that you are craving.
Of course, you can always choose on the spot, but if you are one of us overthinkers, it’s probably better to be informed of the options beforehand.
It’s also a good way to rule out certain restaurants that don’t have anything original or unique on the menu or something you have eaten a lot of times before.
Location
The restaurant’s location is an important factor if you don’t have a lot of time on hand. Use Google maps or another similar tool to figure out how much time you need to get to a place and how well it fits your schedule.
Eating out alone or with other people is a pleasant experience, so you can use your day off to go further away and try some new restaurants you’ve always wanted to try out.
Prices
If you are on a budget, you should look at prices before reserving your place at a restaurant. There are awesome cheap places to eat at, so don’t worry too much about finding a perfect spot.
You may need to spend more time driving or getting there if you can’t find anything nearby, but you will indeed find something affordable.
Reviews
Reviews are critical when it comes to choosing a restaurant. The most valuable ratings you should consider are the ones coming from the people around you.
Not everyone has the same taste, so if someone knows what kind of food you love to eat and they recommend you a spot, you should trust them.
Another way to see the reviews is online, and not many restaurants have 5/5 stars from customers.
Still, you should look into the comments and potential reasons for bad ratings, such as staff shortage on a particular day, different tastes and preferences, and similar.
Summary
Asheville is a great city and has a lot to offer regarding Italian restaurants. We reviewed ten of them in this article, so make sure to check them out the next time you are looking for a place to dine out.
