The Med — Restaurant in Asheville

I’ve been reading some of the reviews and the complaints about the wait. For all of you who are unaccustomed to waiting a while for a table, there is this advice. On any given Saturday or Sunday in a lot of other cities, there is always a wait in line for restaurants that have very few tables, such as the Med does. A good rule of thumb is that if a place doesn’t accept reservations and they are small then… there’s usually a wait. I wonder if it’s because the Med is a diner, and while people would wait in line for some higher-end restaurants, they consider waiting in line for a diner to be unusual? I’m not quite sure, but you can clearly see by the size of the restaurant that unless your timing is perfect, there will be a wait. Get a cup of coffee someplace nearby and then go and wait. Enjoy your time outside talking to people. Go into some of the nearby shops if you would like. Stroll around. They send you a text when your table is ready so you don’t even have to hang out outside on College Street.

All that said… The Med has a lot to like.

Pros: The ice tea was fresh. The coffee was hot. The server was quick to come to our table. She was pleasant but not obtrusive. The cooks were working their butts off, and I love the traditional diner open kitchen. I left the optional $10 tip for the cooks on the bill.

Tips on ordering: The potatoes, the potatoes, the potatoes! I would come back just for the potatoes. They are crispy, and large and they look like they’ve been smashed and cut large, not diced into 1000 little itty-bitty pieces where you can’t taste anything. These are real potatoes. Chunky and fabulous and packed with flavor, and that nice crispy crispy crispy skin! Oh my!!

Husband ordered the royale with potatoes and a biscuit; my son ordered the chicken Gyro, and I ordered the hash bowl with a sunny side up egg. Both my dish and my husband’s dish came with potatoes. My hash was made with their homemade sausage, which was excellent. My son said his gyro was good, and it looked large and tasty.

The mimosa and bloody Mary were good. The bloody was not Excellent, but it was good. We’ve had some exquisite bloodies in her lifetime, and this was good, but not memorable. The price point was good for them, however. Only seven dollars for the bloody and six for the mimosa.

Cons: Only two small cons. Although I did not mind the wait, the link they sent was very odd. I kept saying “zero minutes”, so it wasn’t very helpful for me understanding how much time we had left to wait. I had to check in a few times and told them it said “zero minute” wait. When the apps say “10 minutes” or 15 minutes” it’s much easier to plan your wait, but when it just says “zero” and continues to say zero for 15 minutes that’s not very helpful.

There is no reason why they should not have unisex bathrooms. Sure, there’s a urinal in the men’s room. I know this, because the ladies room was busy and the person was not leaving and I waited for about five minutes, so I ducked into the men’s room. I have seen plenty of unisex bathrooms with urinals in them. There are also people in my community who don’t identify as either gender, and they would feel safer and better if the signs just said “restroom”. I’ve also seen restroom signs labeled as “restroom” and then underneath the sign it says “ this bathroom also has a urinal” so that if there is anyone who is offended for some reason by having a urinal in the bathroom, there would be a sign on the door warning them of such and they could use the other bathroom.

That’s it. We hope to be back to the Med soon and to add it into our rotation. Over the last 16 years or so, we have seen Downtown become much more touristy, and we have avoided some restaurants in favor of things a bit further out, but this restaurant is a reason to eat...

If I could give The Med Scratch Diner ten stars, I would! This place is a true masterclass in hospitality, food, and atmosphere—a shining example of what a diner should be. From the moment I walked in, I knew I was in for something special, but what I experienced at the counter went far beyond my expectations.

First, the food. I had the Pisgah Bowl, and let me tell you, it was nothing short of soul-warming perfection. A bed of perfectly creamy, rich grits served as the foundation for the most tender, melt-in-your-mouth pulled pork I’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting. The flavors were deep, smoky, and balanced—a true testament to the skill behind the kitchen. Every plate that passed in front of me looked just as spectacular, making the counter a delicious visual temptation that kept me eagerly anticipating each bite.

Now, the staff. Watching the two incredible women behind the line cook with such effortless grace and rhythm was mesmerizing. They were perfectly in sync, calm under pressure, and never missed a beat—an orchestra of sizzling pans, fresh ingredients, and pure skill. It was like watching culinary ballet, and their teamwork was a thing of beauty. And the magic didn’t stop there. The entire team, from servers to kitchen support, moved with efficiency, kindness, and a genuine sense of joy. Everyone had a role, and they played it to perfection, creating an experience that felt warm, welcoming, and flawlessly executed.

The atmosphere? Pure diner charm elevated to an art form. Sitting at the counter felt like being in the front row of a live-action cooking show, complete with sights, smells, and the lively hum of happy guests. The staff was engaging, friendly, and made me feel like part of the family from the moment I sat down.

Bottom line: If you’re in Asheville and you haven’t been to The Med Scratch Diner, you are missing out on one of the best dining experiences in town. Whether you’re a local or just passing through, this is not just a meal—it’s an experience. A perfect fusion of amazing food, phenomenal service, and a vibe that makes you want to stay for hours. I’ll absolutely be back—and next time, I’m...

Like many of the lower starred reviews for this restaurant, I must agree with how poor the service was. Our waiter never introduced himself, just showed up and asked what we wanted only to be annoyed at our confusion/slight delay in answering (confusion was only because two seconds prior, we’d just been told by another server she’d be back to get our order, so sorry it took more than 3 seconds to collect our thoughts/orders?). After taking our order the only other time we saw him was when he came to collect payment (he said absolutely nothing when approaching the table, just snatched our cards up). He then returned our cards, and we were shocked at the 180 in approach when it was time for him to be paid. I left a very poor tip due to the bad service/experience. We left, food was fine, you win some, you lose some.

The only reason I’m even writing this review is because the waiter later found my group walking downtown and went out of his way to approach us about our tip. We kindly explained what happened and he was argumentative and basically just in denial that the service was bad. He asked, we were happy to explain, but it wasn’t what he wanted to hear. His only point in the argument was that he was “making jokes” and stating that maybe they didn’t land. That had not been the case at all. I personally don’t consider the singular joke at tip time as compensation for the rest of the experience. I also tried to explain to him that it was his attitude that landed the tip, but I was interrupted with combative comments every time I tried to elaborate.

Having been in the food industry for 7 years myself, I never expected a good tip when I gave less than exceptional service, and I absolutely never would’ve harassed my customers on the sidewalk to argue about the service I provided. Lastly, I absolutely empathize with the fact that server wages are unfortunate, I had plenty of bad days as a server, but at least I was always able to face reality and accept that I wasn’t going to be paid for being unpleasant (and again… didn’t go out of my way to chase down my customers to argue that their perception of their...