Nine Mile — Restaurant in Asheville

We visited Nine Mile after seeing it featured on a food blog. The food was very good but the wait time tarnished the entire experience. We arrived and they appeared to be short staffed. It took several minutes for anyone to notice and greet us standing at the door. We were told we could eat at the bar but opted for a table instead since my daughter, who is a minor, was with us. The wait for a table was totally okay with us, since we were in town visiting and wanted to find some good local food that we couldn't get back home.

When we were seated we noticed the slightly concerning sanitation rating on the wall, less than what we would have liked. What we could see of the kitchen looked okay but the overall cleanliness was a concern and the longer we sat the more we noticed: dust on hanging items and dirt on the floor and baseboards.

When we received the bread for our table our sever informed us that the toaster wasn't working properly and not to worry that no one had taken a bite out of our bread. We appreciated the hand sanitizer at every table but the bottle itself was left exposed and I am not sure the bottle was being wiped down. I understand that they need to bring in business, but I do have to mention that our table and several others were not socially distanced. So much so that it made me extraordinarily uncomfortable. People were within a few feet to my right and behind. Keeping everyone safe during these times must be made a priority.

My friend asked for a non-alcoholic beverage and they didn't have any. We ordered our food right away and it ended up taking 30-35mins and then that put us at nearly 7PM so my friend actually ended up leaving early because of her concerns about driving in the dark to her airbnb in the mountains a good 50+ minute drive away.

When my friend's food arrived she was missing the sweet plantains that were included with her meal. I would give this place a lower rating if it wasn't for our very friendly server Brandon, who was extremely apologetic and discounted my friend's meal. Overall they seem to be very accommodating with food allergies and dietary restrictions. I believe they are making every effort to make this an enjoyable experience during these very difficult times however, unfortunately, because of the poor care given to cleanliness we will not...

Food: A Service: F-

First off, I know it’s a bummer when your a half hour from closing and someone comes in to eat. But that’s the nature of the business - my GF and I just got off from our long days and needed dinner. No other restaurant in the area was open and we already knew what we wanted to order (sharing one measly bowl of fish and rice!).

But their staff made it their mission to let the two of us know how unwelcome we were. The hostess tried her best to discourage us from coming in for food (‘we close in a half an hour...uh...so...the kitchen is kind of...uh...winding down...sooo....’). I had to ask directly if they would serve food and was met with an eye roll and reluctant yes. After we sat at the mostly empty bar, we were ready to order. But the bartender (and the whole serving staff at the end of the bar)took their sweet time to acknowledge us. We got more eye rolls when we didn’t order anything other than water. The only reason we sat at the bar was because while my GF was parking the car, they refused to seat ‘incomplete parties’ when I asked for a table for 2. A completely absurd rule when half the restaurant is empty.

My point is this - I’ve been a server and line cook before and have been in those shoes. If they would have treated us as normal customers, we would have been in and out with no fuss and a simple 1 dish order. I would have made sure to tip them extra for serving us so late. But because they were so stuck up and rude, they just got a normal tip and this negative review.

We probably won’t go back because of how...

What a great place! There is a reason why you will wait for 45 minutes - 1 hour for dinner here....it is an outstanding restaurant. Visiting from Chicago we were super excited to try carribean fare as we don't have much in the windy city. This place made us so excited! First, lets start with the fact they have a great local beer selection on tap & Buchi kombucha on tap which is awesome since I am pregnant. I have celiac & am vegan so initially I looked over the menu to see if there would be anything I could enjoy. Wow...so many options, they have gf pasta, rice and even zuchinni noodles. Just outstanding substitutions for those who can't do pasta. We had the hummus as an app which was devine, they served it with carrots for me & a ton of carrots at that. With our dinner came a side salad, I ordered mine with the tahini dressing which was lovely - highly recommend. I don't remember the names of our entrees but I had tofu with spicy tomatoes and a ton of seasonal veg along side zuhinni noodles. My husband had a beautiful piece of fish with a coconut curry sauce & linguine. The portions are large and so satisfying. The overall ambiance is fun, energetic and just lovely. If you have to wait there is a large waiting area inside the restaurant where you can grab drinks and chat. Thank you Nine Mile for doing it right, we cannot wait...