Arabella - Breakfast and Brunch — Restaurant in Hendersonville

OK folks.....you probably don't know me but trust that I don't give an unconditional recommendation very often. A little background.....I was born and raised in New Orleans and am somewhat of a foodie so I care deeply about food. LOL If you are in the Hendersonville, NC area a meal at Arabella is an absolute must! Start with the cool location on Main St. Hendersonville. Indoor or Outdoor dining available. You can expect a warm welcome too, the folks here understand what it means to provide excellent customer service and you can see them working hard to provide it. Then you look at the menu and it's hard to choose. I've eaten there weekly for a couple months now and each time my wife and I try something different. I'd tell you what my favorite item was....but I just can't choose one. Lots of places say "home made" and "fresh" but you can tell if it's true after the first bite and Arabella doesn't disappoint....ever! If you're having a tough time deciding you really can't go wrong with any menu item that includes the Cuban Mojo Pork. And if your meal doesn't include their in-house version of chorizo....get it as a side, you don't want to miss it. Today I tried Chilaquiles for the first time and they were amazing. The house made, fried to order corn tortilla chips make a great foundation for the fresh ingredients. (don't forget the side of chorizo LOL). And....save room for a pastry....they are also delicious! And the folks here pay attention to every detail so even your cup of coffee will be above average. From the friendly and attentive staff to the amazing food I absolutely cannot give a higher recommendation. Today I overheard someone mention that their version of crab cakes is unique and delicious....so that's the next item I will order when I return next week. (unless we wind up there again tomorrow....it's that good folks!) C ya there!!!

Update: 8/8/2020 -OK....I know I sound like a broken record but if you haven’t been to Arabella....have your next meal there! Today’s special treated me to something new...hash brown waffles! Loved them! And the Jalapeño Queso Sauce was the perfect finish. I don’t know what their secret is but as I enjoyed my meal I thought....every meal here is better than any meal somewhere else. I could go somewhere else and pay 2 or 3 times as much and not be as satisfied with the quality and taste of the meal. Might be back tomorrow! LOL.

3/27/2021: Time to update this review because they've got new, and awesome, menu items. Once again Arabella's has taken something good and made it better! I consider myself a "pot pie connoisseur" and I've had many different varieties and levels of quality. I don't say it lightly that I had my favorite today. I even got an explanation from Mike (the owner) as to how they do it different. (He says different because he is too humble to say better.....but I can say it.....their way is better!) The disclaimer is that it's not actually a pie....but that is done on purpose so they can make the puff pastry fresh when ordered and place it gently on top of the delicious "filling." The result is that this "pot pie" is missing that gooey dough that gets that way from being in the filling so long. The puff pastry is light, fresh, and delicious and the filling is creamy chicken and veggie goodness. It's not like I didn't already have trouble deciding what to get there....but I will definitely need more of these in the future. Once again Arabella is serving your favorite dish....but they're making it better than anyone else! Next up....Loaded Waffles! :-)

12/17/2021: Well, after all this time I decided to try the soup. Just like many of the other menu items, I didn't get anything I haven't had before....Tomato Bisque and a Grilled Cheese sandwich! But again just like the other items....they do it better than most! Delicious soup and a great sandwich! Arabella continues to be our "go to" place to dine and consistently provides delicious food, great service, and a nice atmosphere to enjoy it in. Can't get enough of...

Very disappointed today with my brunch at Arabella. I recommended this place to eat today for Mother's Day to my mother and sister and regret it. I ate here last Mother's Day and it was great and that is why I recommended it today. We waited an hour and a half for a table, but that was ok....it's Mother's Day...I get it! We ordered our food and it took over 30 minutes for it to come out, again I get it! When the food came out my food and my Mother's food was cold. My mom sent her food back ,but I decided I would just go ahead and eat mine, until I got to my cold pancake. I decided to send that back, only for it to come back out cold again. After eating maybe half of my food I stopped. I just can't eat cold eggs and the sausage was so tough I had to cut it with a knife. My plate was supposed to have home fries, but instead we got 2 frozen hash brown patties. Did I mention the coffee was cold as well?? I also got one pancake instead of two. After we paid I decided to let management know about the food, so maybe he could fix the problem and prevent any other issues with cold food coming out of their kitchen. While he was cordial and apologetic he never offered to comp us for at least my meal or give us a gift card for a future meal since we had already paid. I also will point out our waitress was not that great either and never returned to the table after we received our food to check if everything was OK! We had to flag her down about the cold food. I'm not one to write reviews or really to fuss or complain, but this meal was about as bad as it gets. I would have been better off going to Waffle House. Arabella, be prepared next time for a busy Mother's Day weekend! I won't...

Mojo pork is the bombbb! I catch myself drooling while I daydream about mojo tacos regularly ever since being banned from coming here with no explanation whatsoever. Not a fan of the town or it's values personally, up front honesty and brash personality made fitting in difficult. I will forever recommend stopping here for breakfast or lunch! Especially due to how reviews and perception, whether it's honest or not, is a make or break factor for businesses as such. Considering how we accept everything will always rise, the prices here are good. Understanding how kitchen cleanliness can be up and down anywhere you go..you could find issues here the same as any kitchen you go into. Food service in our country is not and easy job. Any decent person preparing food has no ill intent when feeding you. And believe it or not most waiters/waitresses aren't as cheerful and happy as they are when their livelihood(tips) are at stake while serving you. They serve great food here. That's for sure. Marketing is real and is not always honest. Take words like fresh made, made to order, homemade daily, and add a grain of salt to your excitement. Everyone has flaws! Even the most respected great business owners have no problem looking you in the face and spilling out white lies regarding their products or people, or simply telling anyone whatever they may want to hear to get through that moment. Just business right? One thing matters..if you're content with what you paid for a product. Great food here! Fake people..but some folks love a fake! Like good ol vegans paying double for meat substitutes. Whatever makes you smile. This spot is 100% worth...