Mehfil — Restaurant in Asheville

Mehfil, an unexpected gem!

From start to finish, this place delivered a truly memorable dining experience.

The host greeted us with kindness and seated us in a cozy waiting area with a plush blue couch and colorful throw pillows. We barely had time to get comfy before being whisked away to our table. The host noticed I was a bit warm and offered to move us to a cooler part of the restaurant—an offer we gladly accepted. Such thoughtful hospitality!

Our server, Saarra (I hope I’m spelling that right!), was an absolute delight. Friendly, attentive, and full of great suggestions. She even helped us rescue my husband’s phone, which was glitching out from a water spill earlier—she and the host brought us a bowl of rice to bury it in! 😂

We started with the saag naan stuffed with spinach, mustard greens, and cheese, served with a mango mayo that I didn’t expect to love but couldn’t get enough of. That sweet-and-savory combo was so out of this world I ended up ordering another serving for us to take home. We also tried the bullet naan loaded with garlic, spicy chilies, and cilantro—spicy and delicious— I know garlic and cilantro can be a deal breaker for some couples (but not us!).

We paired the saag naan with a spicy chutney trio that absolutely blew us away—especially the teeny-tiny fireball chilies that had us both crying (from heat and laughter). Pro tip: wrap one of those chilies in a piece of saag naan and dip it in the mango mayo. Trust me!

For mains, we went with the lamb chops (recommended by Saarra). They arrived sizzling, and the aroma hit us before the plate even landed. Perfectly seasoned, tender, and served with a green sauce that was the cherry on top. We also ordered the chicken makhani (butter chicken) with perfectly cooked basmati rice—classic, comforting, and done so right.

Everything—from the food to the people to the décor—was exceptional. Mehfil didn’t just satisfy a craving; it gave us an experience. We left full, happy, and already talking about coming back.

If you’re craving Indian food, or just want to treat yourself to a rich, flavorful, feel-good night out—go to Mehfil. You...

We would highly recommend the Mehfil team for wedding catering!

Not only was the food amazing, the Mehfil team was kind, flexible, and such a pleasure to work with. Their passion and dedication really showed when they were able to pull off a 3-day event for 200+ guests despite a last-minute change to our event location and the addition of extra meals throughout the weekend.

Tasting and Planning: When searching for an Asheville-based Indian caterer for our 200+ guest wedding, we came across Mehfil. We visited the restaurant and tried their buffet lunch and enjoyed the variety and taste of their food! We then spoke with Rajdeep, the owner, and Das, head chef. They were incredibly kind, helpful, and flexible as we worked together to create a unique menu for our 3-day event with a variety of Marathi, Gujarati, and Punjabi dishes. We were able to schedule a tasting, where we tried over a dozen varieties of options we wanted. There were still a few dishes we wanted to try, and Rajdeep was willing to let us have another tasting to make sure everything was perfect. Rajdeep and our coordinator worked together with the venue to determine how we would arrange the buffets and to make sure we had the right type of serving dishes and cookware.

Execution: We planned to have our wedding in Asheville in October 2024. Unfortunately, due to Hurricane Helene, we were forced to relocate our wedding to Charlotte with just 10 days notice. Rajdeep said “leave it to me to handle the logistics” and he absolutely delivered!! The Mehfil team was still able to pull off catering our event in a different city. Additionally, he was able to add menu items last minute since we needed to also cater breakfast and lunch for our guests because our new venue did not provide them.

Despite the challenges and last-minute changes, the Mehfil team executed wonderfully - food was delicious, staff was friendly, and everything was on time. We also learned that Mehfil was providing free meals to those in need in the weeks after Hurricane Helene. We are so glad we were able to work with such grateful and community-oriented people for...

This is an update to my previous review (more on this below). But first, the food.

I went on a weekday for the lunch buffet, and it was very good. A nice variety, fresh and well-prepared. The decor was also quite nice. I definitely plan to be back for the buffet again and also to try the standard dinner menu. This will now be my go-to restaurant for Indian food downtown!

I previously went to Mehfil for the lunch buffet and left without eating. My original 2-star review is below, which I'm leaving here for historical purposes. (Doesn't that sound pretentious?) While it is unfortunate when mistakes happen, they do. But it is important to see how they are handled, and Raj at Mehfil did everything exactly right in this regard. The day I left the review, the website was updated with the new price and Raj responded to my review saying I should contact them. When I did so he was very apologetic and explained that the price was an introductory price and only intended to be temporary. (Mehfil opened less than 2 months ago.) And when they raised the price, they also added a salad bar. He also offered me a complementary visit to the buffet, which is what this current review is based on. He was very nice and, again, apologized for the website price not having been updated. His prompt and generous resolution to my review demonstrates an efficiency and attention to customer care rarely seen these days! In addition to the attention to the quality of the food, that is.

review from 6/10/2022:

Having heard about this new Indian restaurant downtown, I thought I'd give it a try, starting with the lunch buffet. Unfortunately, the lunch buffet -- listed as $9.99 on their website -- was actually $12.99, which I found out when I got there. Had the website had the price at $12.99 I'd have gone anyway, but I'm not going to patronize a business that falsely advertises their prices. (Also, given that the lunch buffet was 30% higher than the price listed on their website, I wouldn't trust the regular menu prices...