Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar — Restaurant in Asheville

Overall: Nice southern cuisine with a charming bee themed atmosphere, although the food was extreme in salt, spice, or sweetness depending on the item.

A minor stressor but one that happened first: we were running late and tried calling to let them know but they did not pick up their phone after numerous calls. No biggie, we made it in time anyway.

Unfortunately they were out of the no-buzz bee's knees, but all their non alcoholic drinks seemed fruity and refreshing even so. The Southern Hospitality Agua Fresca was a nice substitution. The Summer Sangria was delicious but not much at all for the price, and strangely served in a wine glass. The drink selection had an amazing variety though, with fun names for their cocktails and a wide selection of beer.

For appetizers we got the fried pickles and fried green tomatoes. The tomatoes had very little flavor but a satisfying crunch. The pickles were very salty but still yummy. No complaints here.

The entrees were where there were some strange inconsistencies. The cast iron pork was crazy spicy with nothing to cut it with - perfect for any spice lover, but it caught me off guard as there wasn't a good indication on the menu of spice factor. However, the meat was tender with the duck fat making it moist on the outside. It was a little dry towards the middle, so I wished it came with a side of bbq sauce to dip it in, but overall it was great. The fries were also pretty salty but delicious, and the braised green beans were like soup (which is not necessarily a bad thing). I heard good things from the others I ate with: shrimp and grits had a bit of a kick, was well seasoned and hit the spot as a timeless southern classic. Another had the chicken and waffles and it was obviously good because I blinked and he had eaten it all. No complaints about the meatloaf either.

For dessert we all shared a regular sized banana pudding - if you're looking for a dessert for two or just yourself, get the mini size!! It was a larger portion than expected, very soupy, and insanely sweet. Again, just leaning a little too heavy on one element of the flavor profile.

The service was good, although our waiter forgot a couple of our sides and forgot to ask for our drink orders, instead bringing our appetizers first. Again, no big deal at all, just had to remind him of a few things. The food came out fast and hot, no complaints there. One of the bathrooms was out of soap when we got there, and about an hour after, when I was in line, one of the staff came by with a bag of soap but put it on the table outside the bathrooms, but not in the one that needed it. It finally disappeared from the table about half an hour later. Just a little weird thing I noticed.

We might come here again, although probably for brunch rather than dinner. Tupelo Honey was originally a cafe, and looking at the other reviews I think that's...

Honestly, I'm pretty sad this is a place that we tried on vacation and it's not closer than 6 hours! To start our experience, we called to check the wait and tried to get in for the night. When we called, it was already about 7. The lady that answered the phone told my wife that they were on a 2 hour wait at the moment but then came back and told her that she could fit us in, in 45 minutes if we were okay with dining outside. It was a nice evening, so we had no problem with that at all. We got there about 5 minutes early and checked in. The hostess told us it would be just a few minutes. Well, a few minutes turned into 25 minutes and my wife goes and ask the hostess if we were getting close. When she did, they told us our table was finishing being cleaned and then we were sat right after that. While it sucked because we were told one thing, it was still well ahead of what it could have been. So, honestly it wasn't a big deal at all. While we were sitting and looking over the menu, the manager came up to our table and told us that he had heard we had had a long wait and apologize and offered us a free appetizer! I really don't think that was needed because they squeezed us in anyways but it was an extremely nice gesture and the type of top notch customer service that keeps bringing people back! Anyways, the manager, who was also a super nice and friendly guy on top of his gesture recommended we tried their Fried Green Tomatoes. My wife and I had never had green tomatoes before and we're a little apprehensive about them. My wife more so. But after looking over the appetizer list, we decided to go ahead and give them a try. These Fried Green Tomatoes may just have been the best appetizer that I have ever had! They were amazing! My wife loved them too and she hates tomatoes!!! From there, we decided to order the half a chicken and Mac&Cheese and split it. They were both excellent! I have had better fried chicken but Tupelo's is definitely up there as one of the best! We finished up with the sampler of their three puddings and they were all excellent as well! The worst thing about the experience was the outdoor seating. Tupelo's outdoor seating is right out front of the restaurant, basically on the sidewalk. There were some homeless people yelling and carrying on. That was kind of distracting for dinner but they eventually passed and we were able to enjoy the nice evening. The manager did go outside and talk to the homeless gentlemen and get him settled in and moving along before he could really bother any of his customers. So, once again, this guy delivered in providing the best possible experience! The next time your in Asheville, I would definitely recommend Tupelo Honey! Whether you've already been...

Tupelo Honey doesn't look like the type of joint that serves fried chicken yard birds would gladly give their lives for. But even after reading the many reviews online that crow hither and yon about this chain, I had to stare at the menu posted in the street out front to make sure I was in the right place. The decor feels more like something you'd see in an airport than the land of Dixie. I was hesitant, but then noticed the plates piled high with seeming deliciousness in front of the people sitting on the porch outside. My hesitation subsided for the moment. A round of local Asheville IPAs helped, as well, as our helpful and attentive waiter helped us settle in at a table looking out at Pritchard Park. Unfortunately, my anxiety increased again when the fried green tomatoes landed. It's a rough year for produce, so I won't comment, but suffice it to say, I was pretty bummed out. Fried Green Tomatoes are hard to come by where I'm from and I was looking forward to them. It's a rough year for chicken, too, but luckily, that didn't effect my sandwich at all. I had the sweet and spicy chicken, which is basically General Tso's on challah bread—not that that's a bad thing, but plan your day accordingly. The chicken was juicy and perfectly fried. The balance with the mayo and pickles against the spicy Sriracha was really nice, especially with Challah bread. I feel like buns are the hardest thing to get right in a sandwich and they often go overlooked. Challah is the perfect choice for this sandwich, as it's just sweet enough to complement the spice and soft enough not to disrupt the many flavor harmonies going on within. (Where was this complexity in the fried green tomatoes?) Then came dessert. Wow. Chocolate pecan pie—who knew such a thing even existed, first of all. Hot, sweet and decadent. The banana pudding was buttery as heck and I swear the devil entered my body at one point while eating it. Amazing. I would recommend hitting this place up after all the local spots, as this is indeed a chain with many locations throughout the region (and a freakin' loyalty club with coupons and an app on the website, eye-roll). Good is good, but surely there are other places in Asheville that don't make you feel like you're part of a marketing plan. I wish I could give 3 1/2 stars, as this place indeed contains many yums, but my experience was not...