Daddy Mac's Down Home Dive — Restaurant in Asheville

Didn't receive silverware and sodas were extremely flat. The atmosphere and restaurant was fine and clean. However, we ordered the Daddy Mac as it appeared to be the staple dish offering a variety of their menu. The brisket, pulled pork and burnt ends were good but nothing spectacular in comparison to other BBQ joints in NC. It was supposed to come with collard greens but for some reason, we didn't receive them. The smoked wings actually seemed to have been cooked with a lightly crisped skin and moist inside but the flavoring they put on was either forgot or used so spraringly that they tasted like plain chicken wings. They were served with a very sweet sauce that resembled honey and a berry sauce that I couldn't quite figure out. It's almost as if they tried too hard to fit a modern narrative of what hip modern food should taste like. The potato salad might as well have been a shot of liquid smoke. The pimento cheese was actually one of the best things on the board but wasn't served with enough Ritz crackers or toast to eat with the meal. The hash had the taste of an MRE that was pulled straight from the package and served. The Barbecue beans had a sweet tomato and whiskey taste which didn't exactly compliment anything on the plate. The slaw wasn't bad, a little vinegary but went well with the pork. There was another jar of something on the board and we were not told what it was (and it wasn't on the menu) but we assumed based on taste that it was some type of buffalo chicken dip. The candied bacon was actually the saving grace and it was saved until last to end the meal with a good taste in my mouth. As far as portions go, I have a healthy appetite and split the meal with my wife who eats like a bird and if the food were great, then I probably could have ate most of it myself. I will say that although I didn't enjoy it and probably won't go back, it did taste completely authentic and definitely not a...

I had high hopes for Daddy Mac's in downtown Asheville, especially knowing the heart and vision that Dave put into honoring his grandfather by creating a unique dining experience for the community. I’ve heard great things about what he tried to build, especially his passion for food and family legacy. Sadly, my experience didn’t live up to that vision.

I came in to support a local friend and enjoy what I hoped would be a great meal. While the craft brews were solid, just about everything else missed the mark. We were seated and waited quite a while before anyone acknowledged us. Several people who came in after us were served first, and the service continued to spiral from there.

We were talked out of trying the spicy items we wanted, changed our order based on staff suggestions, only to have the wrong order arrive. The brisket—what we came for—was completely missing, and we were served an item we specifically declined (which the bartender had confirmed). To make things worse, when the food runner brought out the order, she became oddly confrontational, defending the bartender and seemingly missing the point entirely.

Some of the food was okay, but trying to get a menu afterward to possibly confirm that this was not our order was so difficult. We were ignored, one waitress literally picked her nose and walked away after making eye contact, and several staff members stood around audibly complaining about each other and their jobs.

I don’t enjoy writing reviews like this, but it was without question one of the worst restaurant experiences I’ve had in Asheville in years. I truly wanted to love this place, especially knowing Dave’s journey and intentions—but unfortunately, the service and execution fell completely flat.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t try it—maybe we hit a really off night—but as for us, we won’t be returning. Wishing the team...

The food was delicious! We got loaded curly fries, and the slider sampler which allowed us to try 3 types of their sliders (6 sliders total). The loaded fries were amazing, still crispy even with all the cheese! And we loved all the sliders! We got the pork BBQ, the blackberry habanero chicken, and the classic burger and they were all fantastic. Our server was so friendly and very apologetic after realizing we’d ordered tots instead of the fries we’d received (we didn’t mention it because it’s the same price and we also love curly fries!).

Our only issue was that the hostess didn’t repeat our phone number to confirm when taking it down for seating and wound up putting in the wrong number so we never got the text that a table was ready. My sister and I were waiting just outside, and I even went in to use the restroom at one point. I guess they sent the message that our table was ready but as they had the wrong number, we didn’t get it, so they messaged the next people waiting. The hostesses never walked out/around to check if we were still waiting, and we wound up having to go up to them ourselves after seeing the people after us get seated. And we even waited a bit to do that because we’d over heard them complaining about previous experiences with impatient customers asking when they’d be seated, and we didn’t want to be like that. The lighting where we were sitting was also pretty nonexistent, but I think that was really just in the corner we were in. Overall, a great experience and delicious food for reasonable prices. I will definitely be back next time I find myself...