Chestnut — Restaurant in Asheville

Quick Review: Higher end contemporary American done right and with passion! Simply great food and great service, well worth the price and multiple visits!

LONGER REVIEW BELOW

Group Size(s): 4+ people every visit.

How many times we've been: 4 times

What we've ordered: The menu changes monthly but there are some "house staples" such as the Lobster Bisque and the Truffle Fries that we've had. We try to each get a different dish and share a little of each. The variety, creativity, and quality between the dishes and between our different visits has been fantastic. I'll add photos to this review and will label the dishes as best as my memory can serve.

What we spent: ~$50+/person before drinks and tips. That usually covers 1 starter/salad, 1 medium plate (usually shared with the table), and 1 entree. Of course some dishes are much more expensive or cheaper than others on the same menu.

What we liked: Food: The quality, creativity, and portion sizes are well worth the price of admission. We've had everything from vegetarian vindaloo to the best pork schnitzel you'll ever taste. It's been said by other reviewers but the Lobster Bisque will change your life haha definitely recommend it!

Gluten-sensitive options: We've been twice with very gluten-senstive friends and each time the kitchen and wait staff provided options and substitutions that were top tier. The gluten-free bread and butter specifically was amazing. The staff also helped alleviate any concerns about cross contamination and neither friend experienced the slightest issue after eating at Chestnut.

Service: The waitstaff has always been attentive and helpful, even despite some very busy nights that we've visited. What seals the deal as Chestnut being great in our eyes is that when we asked what the chef recommends, the Chef de Cuisine Matt came out to us once and gave his passionate and informative answers! Even the waitstaff has had good insight into each dish and a clear passion/joy working with the back of house staff.

What we didn't like: Food: We personally have no concerns or complaints with the food. Service/Location: While not fair to Chestnut, they are in a popular spot and have a popular reputation and on two nights we went there has been a large and loud group in the restaurant. While Chestnut is far from the loudest restaurant we've been, it has always been busy and if busy/loud places are a no-go for you, it's something to consider.

Comparisons to similar places in the area: Chestnut takes the cake when it comes to "fine dining" for us in Asheville and even compared to other experiences we've had elsewhere. We haven't been to several other higher end places in Asheville and honestly, we haven't felt the need or desire to because when the question comes "what should we do for a nice occasion?" It's been Chestnut and I don't see that changing. While the prices and popularity can definitely be intimidating, I think if you like trying new dishes and come hungry, Chestnut will meet and exceed any price-to-performance expectations.

Our rating system: 5 stars = Great to amazing food and experience. Shout from the roofs to tell people about. Return often and eagerly or find excuses to book a table for a more expensive place. 4 stars = Good to great food and experience. Write home about. Eager to return. 3 stars = Ok to good food and experience. Will offer suggestion if asked but likely would rather go elsewhere. 2 stars = Underwhelming to ok food and experience. Not worth a return and might tell people to skip. 1 star = Bad to underwhelming food and experience. Regret going and tell...

I walked in for dinner and waited on line and spoke with the host. While she was taking me to a seat at the bar, a couple walked around us and sat themselves. Both the host and the manager acknowledged they aren’t supposed to do that but let them sit and told me to wait. I walked out. Abysmal service. -- Update after the Owner's reply -- Hi Kevin,

Thanks for your reply and I appreciate that you have given this some thought, but I do not appreciate the implication that I was being unreasonable; your manager evidently did not give an accurate account of what happened, and your implied defense of the hostess and manager’s actions does not make sense. In the correct context, the implication that I was being unreasonable is frankly absurd.

First, a spot was not being cleaned for me at the bar; after the hostess allowed the other guests to sit at the bar, she informed me the wait for a table would be 30 minutes and told me if anyone could ask the guests to move it would have to be the manager. I waited for her to get the manager and speak with him, and he spoke with the bartender. He informed me that the bartender said one party had requested a check – not that they were cleaning a spot. So it was anyone’s guess how much longer I’d have to wait for them to pay and actually leave. The manager said he couldn’t ask the other guests to leave because they’d already been greeted by the bartender. So after waiting for a seat I was given the option of… more waiting.

Second, to suggest it was a matter of disappointing some guests over another is reductive and bizarre. I waited in line and spoke with the hostess and followed the restaurant’s procedures - and standard operating procedure for any restaurant with a host. The other party had been in line behind me, but snuck around us and took the seats before we got there (this wasn’t an innocent mistake). If they were to take issue and decide to write a bad review, it would be because they didn’t want to speak with the host before being seated – hardly a legitimate complaint – whereas I was shunted because the hostess and manager seemed afraid to inform those guests that they need to wait to be seated by the host, and instead wanted me to keep waiting.

If I walked into the restaurant tonight and milled around, then jumped into a seat as soon as it opened up, regardless of the wait/line, and the server said hi to me, evidently based on Chestnut’s seating policy, you’d let me stay. If this sounds like an absurd scenario, it’s because it is, but that is exactly what happened.

This is not about what I “felt” was right; this was the setup of a Curb Your Enthusiasm episode, and a completely amateur response...

We loved everything about Chestnut — from the greeting to the location and atmosphere to the impeccable service to the menu and the food we ordered. Even the desserts made a lasting impression.

During our short visit to downtown Asheville, after reading a lot of reviews, we chose Chestnut for it’s walkable location from our hotel. Did we chose the right place or what?!

Our server, Arah, was absolutely top-notch. She answered every question and described every menu item to a T. Her knowledge and attentive service alone earned this visit five stars. The rest was a bonus, and what a bonus it was.

Drinks: a craft beer on tap for me and a fancy cocktail I can’t recall the name of — but it was cute and apparently delicious. Dinner: A food-sharing night, we settled on three medium plates — plenty to satisfy us and leave room for dessert. We had the lobster Mac n cheese (my favorite of the three), fried green pickled tomatoes (the other favorite), and bacon-wrapped scallops. All three were not only delicious, but nicely presented. Dessert: we knew from the onset we’d be getting dessert since we were celebrating a special occasion. Well, the descriptions were so enticing, we ended up ordering two. No regrets with that decision! The Maple Sundae was a smash hit — hands-down our favorite. The Gingerbread Trifle came in second but was a delight in its own right. Thankfully they were also both photo worthy because the only evidence left that we even had dessert were the photos I took before digging in. In other words, they vanished.

With so many dining options in Asheville, Chestnut is one worthy of your consideration. We’ll almost certainly be back for more— especially since their menu changes regularly.

We loved Chestnut, and we think you will...