Luminosa — Restaurant in Asheville

We had only planned to stay in Asheville for one night, but decided to extend our stay another night solely because of Luminosa. We both agreed we would regret it if we didn’t eat there one more time.

First and most importantly, the food was amazing. The taste, the presentation, the speed with which it arrived at the table- everything was perfect. I feel confident that I could close my eyes, point anywhere on the menu, and love whatever my finger landed on. The bone marrow tator tots were to die for. The okra is the best okra I’ve ever tasted.

We tried three different steaks- KC strip, filet, and chef’s cut. All of them were incredible and had their own unique strengths, and none of them had any weaknesses.

The KC strip had one of the most unique and flavorful crusts I’ve ever experienced on a steak. I’ll be chasing that crust on my grill, probably forever. It was perfectly seasoned, and the meat was nice and tender. The filet was unbelievably tender and tasty. There is no need for a knife at all. The chef’s cut was surprisingly flavorful and was in no way a downgrade from any of the other more expensive steaks on the menu, being that it is significantly cheaper than the other options. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to try the dry aged ribeye, but I’m already planning my next visit so that I can do so.

If I had to pick a favorite, I would choose the KC strip; however, for the price, you cannot beat the chef’s cut. On the filet and KC strip we were offered an authentic, made-in-house bone marrow bordelaise sauce- an offer I highly suggest you accept. This sauce is unlike any other bordelaise sauce I’ve ever tasted. It perfectly compliments the steaks.

On the second night, I ordered the trout, which was spectacular. It was so tender and juicy and every single bite was packed to the gills with flavor. The trout comes as a full fish, and is presented beautifully. Unfortunately, I ran out of steam and could not finish all of it. The body of the fish is tender and juicy, while the head and tail areas are crunchy and flavorful. It’s almost like getting two different trout dishes with only one fish.

Other notable choices were the gnocchi, potatoes, and the soft serve. The soft serve was hands down the best I’ve ever had. I could eat a gallon of it in one sitting.

The taste and presentation of the food was impeccable, but what really sets Luminosa apart from any other restaurant I’ve ever been to is the service. Rob and Dimitri were well-studied aficionados, knowing all the intricacies of every single ingredient on every single menu item. We let them guide us through the dining experience, leaning on their recommendations for each dish we selected. Seriously, these guys know what they are doing.

Luminosa was an unforgettable highlight on our latest journey to Asheville. We plan to make it a tradition to stay at the Flat Iron Hotel and visit Luminosa every night! If you want a true 5 star dining experience, this is where you need to be. This restaurant has raised the bar so high for me that I fear I won’t be able to dine out anywhere else without comparing it to Luminosa. My apologies for the lighting in some of the pictures. We sat outside and some of the picture turned out a little dark. Please come check this place out and have a life-changing...

Someone posted Southern Living’s top 20 restaurants here the other day, and my wife and I decided to try Luminosa while we were downtown. It was 7:30 on a Saturday—prime time—so we didn’t expect to get in, but figured we’d try.

The host said a table for two wouldn’t be ready until 9:30, but he offered to put us on the list for bar seats (which were full). He said they’d call when space opened up. While we waited, we were told we could hang out upstairs at the rooftop bar or downstairs in the speakeasy. We headed to the roof.

The rooftop was lively and relaxed—great vibes. People were enjoying pizzas from the kitchen, and they all looked incredible. There are two outdoor lounge areas with downtown views, and the whole place felt upbeat without being pretentious.

After about 30 minutes, we went back down to check in. Turns out the host had made a typo in my number and the calls didn’t go through. I expected to be bumped to the back, but to my surprise, he said they’d saved two bar seats for us. Who does that these days?

We sat down and talked to the bartender—super friendly without being overbearing. He recommended the bread service, the lemon ricotta arugula pizza, and the Italian sausage rigatoni. We ordered all three and were blown away.

Everything is made from scratch, and they source locally when possible. The baker comes in at 4am daily. The bread service included garlic knots, breadsticks, and the lightest focaccia I’ve ever tasted, all dusted in fresh parmesan and served with sumac butter. I’m not even a "bread person," but I woke up thinking about it.

The lemon ricotta pizza—my wife’s pick—sounded odd at first, but it totally worked. No sourness, just a beautifully balanced flavor with visible zest. The rigatoni was made that morning, and the sausage and sauce were rich and comforting.

What stood out was how intentional the service was. They updated us as courses were prepped, and told us to take our time—they weren’t rushing to “flip” seats. It felt like they wanted us to savor every bite.

Earlier in the elevator, two guys told us not to miss the seasonal spruce pine tip ice cream. So after saving half our meal to enjoy the next day, we ordered it. It’s exactly what it sounds like—house-made soft serve with sugared pine needles—and it was the perfect finish.

Before leaving, I asked to speak with the manager. She looked nervous, like she expected a complaint, but we just wanted to say thank you. We told her how much we appreciated the food, the vibe, and the staff. Everyone we encountered seemed to love working there.

And here's the kicker: the bill was only $75. We don’t drink, but we’ve easily paid twice that for half the experience. We left a $25 tip and are already planning our next visit.

This place is the real deal—and yes, we’re...

I don't know if anyone would even read all the AMAZING THINGS I have to say. BUT, I'm going to anyway. First of all, I had my made reservations at Cuba Hemingway 2 months in advance for a Saturday night 7 p.m. on the rooftop for a two year anniversary and another private anniversary. They called Me the Wednesday before my Saturday night reservations to cancel; saying they had a private event which left me destitute for a place to go for this special night that I had two months planned in advance. I called numerous places, to find what 8 already knew, finding a res. That issue notice you're a rooftop was going to be impossible! I called the Luminosa, because the photos on Google shows a rooftop of some sorts. The hostess assured me (after i told her the story) that she could seat us outside, No problem, and we are welcome to have a cocktail at their roof bar or in their bottom speak easy that sounded wonderful to me. When we got there, it was raining. So of course, reservations were pushed back. They felt super horrible, but we were not in a hurry.As this was our 2 year anniversary, another special anniversary and we had a babysitter for all of our kids.We went downstairs and had a couple of cocktails in the speakeasy, which was beautiful twenty's themed Ambiance. It was incredible.The drinks were well worth the price.And our bartender, Brandon, was a local of East Asheville, as are we and we had a great conversation. Our reservation was still not ready as people were obviously taking their time, not wanting to leave in the rain. So, we walked the entire flat iron building.It was beautiful and went on up to the rooftop area.We will definitely be back when it's not raining. When we came back down we went to check to see if our reservation was ready and just so happened it was. Amy and Ronnie We're able to Seat us right as the rain cleared up in a beautiful bay window. The restaurant had a gift, flowers and a card signed by the entire staff for us, with a complimentary side for our wait. Dimitri was our server and I can't say enough good things about this dude. His menu and alcohol knowledge was on point and he knew he was serving other local restaurant workers and was a pleasure. This is By far the best food we have ever had in our adult life in downtown asheville The prices are special occasion high, BUT it is MORE than worth it !!!!!!! Thank you luminosa for making our night unforgettable. When at first, it was a huge disappointment Because of my original reservation cancellation. If U cud figure out how to...