Neng Jr.'s — Restaurant in Asheville

We’ve wanted to try Neng Jr’s for some time now and we’re glad we finally got the chance. Chef Silver Iocovozzi and the Neng Jr’s staff do an outstanding job making the dining experience one to remember. It’s a quirky place in the best sense of the term “quirky.” The entry is not on the main street where you enter other restaurants that dot Haywood Road, but instead it’s around back off of an alley. My first thought upon walking in the door was “are we in the right place?” You go through a solid door into a rather bare, spartan hallway and then up a few stairs and then you’re there. It is a very small, intimate place. There were 9 seats at the bar and 8 more at 4 tables for 2. The staff was attentive and helpful without being intrusive, which we appreciated. We’d never been to a Filipinix restaurant before and we discovered we’ve been missing out. We had May Fruit, Pink Mizuna Ensalada, Kwek Kwek with Sugar Snap Peas, Oyster Mushroom Inihaw, Striped Bass in a Coconut Sauce, and Duck Adobo … the latter two come with generous servings of Jasmine Rice. Sitting at the bar, you can watch Chef Iocovozzi hard at work. Dishes came out as they were ready, so it lends itself to sharing. The flavors and the presentations were fantastic. If you’re palate leans towards a burger and fries or a plain cheese pizza, this may not be the right place for you. But if you’re up for something different then Neng Jr’s should be on your bucket list. Each dish was loaded with flavor and the ones that packed a little punch were spicy without being overpowering. There was nothing I tried that I didn’t like, but if I had to pick a couple of real gems I’d choose the Kwek Kwek (boiled quail eggs rolled in batter and deep fried with a spicy dipping sauce and snap peas) and the Duck Adobo (a generous portion of duck breast in an excellent adobo sauce along with some potatoes). Our daughter got up at midnight a couple of evenings in a row a few weeks back to try and snag a reservation as they opened up and we really appreciate her effort. We’ve dined at other places that had gotten a lot of hype and we felt a little let down when we tried them. That was definitely not the case at Neng Jr’s. It was every bit as good as the hype and we look forward to our next visit. Thanks to Silver and Cherry for a wonderful evening. And best of luck to Neng Jr’s at the James Beard Awards on June 5th … we’re rooting for you to come home to Asheville with the Best New...

An unassuming space is met with superb cuisine and friendly service. As someone who previously worked at a prestigious restaurant and considers herself to be a mildly experienced home cook, I had to experience for myself what this restaurant, named one of “The 50 Restaurants in the U.S. We are Most Excited About Right Now” by the New York Times and a James Beard Finalist had to offer. Neng Jr.’s has set the mark incredibly high for Asheville restaurants. You can observe the owner, Silver, smiling and cooking up delectable dishes on any given night while their husband greets you with a warm personality and recites the menu from memory without skipping a beat, not forgetting one ingredient that is in each dish. The duo was kind enough to squeeze me into a bar seat on a busy Friday night, where I enjoyed the striped bass nestled on a bed of green cooked in coconut sauce and a side of crisp fruit with an accompanying sauce that can’t be explained, it must be experienced.

For those who have reviewed this space negatively based on the sheer size or food quality, I must assume that you don’t have the taste for a 5 star dining experience that exceeds expectations. If you’ve browsed their website prior to dining here, as most food connoisseurs do, you can’t help but read that the space is intimate (it only seats 18) and offers competitive reservations. I appreciate the fact that this restaurant is intimate, the service perfectly melds causal with professionalism, and the food is stellar. It is very affordable with generous portions, especially considering the quality. For those who sincerely appreciate a dining experience that is modest in appearance yet excellent in its taste, as I do, you must...

Parking on the street wasn’t an issue. The entrance is in the back. Seated promptly when we arrived for our reservation. The menu felt simple, serious, and very sure of itself. The cocktail list and beer list were short, and felt succinct. The server walked us through the entire menu and asked for any dietary requests. We ordered cocktails and a mocktail, which were both excellent. As we scanned the menu, small details of the space, it’s design, and the intention behind it all began to emerge. When you dine here, make sure to turn the menu over and read the note on the back of the menu. The meal felt like stepping into the home of someone both incredibly proud and incredibly skilled in the ability to communicate through food. Highlights: the “July Fruit” was everything in a perfectly executed dish….simple has could possibly be but flawless. Each piece of fruit was perfect and the sauce was complex, spicy, fragrant…amazing. The eggplant was sweet, the texture of melted raclette, bright herbs and raw garlic perfect alongside heirloom tomato. The skin was blistered and blackened and added a complex char to the dish. Outstanding. The fried chicken was cooked perfectly, the chicken was the star, not the breading. ( the breading was amazing) but the meat was incredibly flavorful, it had a complexity which I imagine was a process of how it was brined/smoked. The gravy and rice were perfect as additions, but I did not need much rice. The lumpia were good, but severely overshadowed by the other dishes. I am so grateful to have eaten here and look forward...