Live Oak Gastropub @ Burnsville — Restaurant in Burnsville

My wife and I drove out from west Asheville to meet some friends that live in Burnsville for dinner and decided to grab dinner. We have only ever eaten at one other place there so we decided to give this place a try.

The staff was incredibly nice and very pleasant to talk to, and the weather was really nice so we decided to sit outside which was enjoyable.

For our meals my wife ordered the special which is Reuben eggrolls and they came out right from the fryer and was delicious and the dipping sauce complimented it perfectly. She really enjoyed it.

I ordered the Carolina Cuban as a Cuban sandwich is one of my all time favorite dishes and I was a bit disappointed. Overall it was ok, but I guess I was expecting it to be more flavorful because it said it had slow smoked jerk pork and yeah it had great smokiness to it, but that’s it. It didn’t have any jerk profile to it whatsoever but still it was good smoked pork which is still a win just not what I was hoping for. Also I’m guessing maybe the cook staff was in a rush because my sandwich was barely cooked, as in it wasn’t even room temperature, it was somewhat cold which was a big disappointment. My wife checked it and offered me one of her sections of egg roll to have.

I didn’t send it back because it was prepared as it should just there was no temperature so it is what it is. Overall we would try this place again, but the Cuban is a one and done. It’s definitely not worth the price point that it has at $18. That’s a $12-$13...

We stopped with a medium sized group of adults and toddlers for a birthday before the dinner rush and had a wonderful time.

Seating was comfortable and well suited for a group of our size. We elected to sit indoors as the temperature was dropping, although the outdoor seating looked great and offered protection from the wind as well as propane heaters.

Service was excellent. Friendly, fast, and helpful when the inevitable toddler spill happened (sorry!). Cocktails were made from scratch and a bit expensive, but the fact that they were boozy and not watered down with ice softened the blow to the wallet.

Appetizers were delicious and presentation was excellent. I didn't get to try everything, but it all looked spectacular and was well plated.

I was a bit disappointed with my Cuban sandwich. It presented well (although it was a bit small) and was cooked well (crispy bread, lots of meat) but it lacked 'wow'. The cheese, pickles, and mustard the Cuban is known for didn't show up. It was basically a ham and pork panini. I believe this was the most expensive sandwich on the menu; I could have chose better. The shoestring french fries were hot, crispy, and plentiful. Definitely some of the best I've had.

The experience was great, and hopefully my sandwich was...

awesome meal tonight! stoked for the fun menu. we tried the greek tacos, poke nachos, and paella. all were good, the sauces and dressings were a bit rich/sweet, but that’s just my personal taste, still had good flavor and i was pleased that they didn’t dress everything before hand so that my takeout wasn’t soggy by the time i got home. the fish was bright and fresh-tasting. I must have missed the menu description on the paella being an actual salad-salad. i was expecting actual paella, not a salad with couscous but honestly arugula is one of my favorite foods, and the roasted veggies made it a stand alone dish to be able to enjoy without dressing.

my only wish would be that some of the dishes served on fried chips/tacos had a less greasy option… perhaps soooome arugula? im joking, im sure they would accomodate. maybe we just picked two of the fried dishes, i look forward to trying the rest of the menu

i love that this review makes me sound like a healthy eater. im not. im fat and love bacon and french fries. i just prefer light and bright foods and im super stoked to have another option nearby that offers flavorful fare.

now if someone would just add some thai salads to their menu I’d just turn my kitchen into safe room and eat out...