Chefs like Katie Button of Cúrate, Meherwan Irani of Chai Pani, and William Dissen of The Market Place have established Asheville as a culinary destination, blending regional traditions with inventive flavors. Asheville’s farm-to-table movement began long before the concept was trendy, with Mark Rosenstein opening The Market Place in 1979 as one of the pioneers. In 2009, chef William Dissen took over the restaurant, maintaining the ethos of working with local purveyors—and the restaurant was nominated for a James Beard award for Outstanding Restaurant this year, its 45th year in business.

Located in the heart of Asheville, The Market Place is a favourite amongst locals for its European and American cuisine. Established in 1979 the restaurant is well-known for its use of seasonal ingredients grown locally and sourced within a hundred mile radius of Asheville. If this doesn’t already sound like the perfect community-orientated restaurant, The Market Place also supports local charities, and the arts and education.

My husband and I have been to The Market Place in downtown Asheville a few times, and have had very good dining experiences there.

Like Button, Meherwan and Molly Irani have worked hard to lead Asheville’s culinary community toward its post-Helene recovery, and I still dream about the dinner I had at their restaurant Chai Pani, which offers creative but loving versions of Indian street food. I couldn’t stop reaching for more okra fries, shatteringly crisp slivers of the vegetable tossed with exactly the right amount of salt and spices, while the succulent beef bihari kebab, marinated with green papaya, red chile and yogurt, disappeared from my plate alarmingly fast. And the spring-green uttapam special—a pancake made from fermented rice and lentils, stuffed with ramps, rapini and other local vegetables—was a seasonal delight.

The Market Place has been around since 1979, which in Asheville restaurant years makes it basically a historic landmark, and its James Beard Awards nomination in 2024 for Outstanding Restaurant in America was a reminder of just how good it is. Chef William Dissen was a champion of farm-to-table before it became a marketing gimmick, and it shows in the menu: Appalachian trout with roasted garlic, perfectly seared scallops, and a rotating cast of seasonal dishes that always feel like they belong exactly where they are. If you want to taste what made Asheville’s restaurant scene what it is today, this is the place.

This long-lived establishment has been an Asheville fixture for decades, and it still takes to heart its mission of serving superb cuisine using local ingredients and supplementing with the best foodstuffs from around the globe. Seasonal menus feature dishes like roasted pork tenderloin and braised bacon with collard greens and black-eyed pea risotto, roasted young chicken with brussels sprouts and walnuts, and wild striped bass with clams, bacon, and Meyer lemon. Wine pairings are suggested, and the restaurant also presents a casual dining option: Bar 100.

20 Wall Street Asheville, North Carolinamarketplace-restaurant.com. Named a semifinalist for the James Beard Award’s Outstanding Restaurant category in 2024, The Market Place is worth a mini detour into downtown Asheville for a memorable dinner. The restaurant originally opened in 1979, but chef, and now owner, William Dissen, took the reins in 2009, making it one of the most celebrated farm-to-table restaurants in the Southeast.

Yes, you'll find meat from regional heroes like Brasstown Beef and Benton's Smoky Mountain Country Hams, but look beyond that and you'll find chef William Dissen carefully crafts vegetarian and vegan dishes into his menus. They change seasonally, so it's hard to say what you'll find. Most recently, the spring menu showed a Carolina gold rice middlin risotto with local mushrooms, cashew cream and herbs.

The Market Place is one of the fancier restaurants in Asheville, ideal for a romantic date or intimate dinner. The genre is New American with strong Italian leanings– they do a mean Lamb Pappardelle and a lovely Sunday Gravy, for example. Intriguingly, most produce served at this restaurant comes from farms located within 100 miles of Asheville.

At Asheville’s Market Place restaurant, American farm-to-table cuisine is brought to life. On the menu, you’ll discover healthful, locally sourced foods, making this one of the most genuine stops in the state. It’s the ideal location to refuel before chasing some of Asheville’s most spectacular waterfalls!

Armed with a culinary degree from Johnson & Wales in Rhode Island, the Pennsylvania native came to Asheville to work first at the Biltmore Estate, then The Market Place, where she met Widner. When the two decided to create a healthier quality of life for themselves, they devised a concept to fill a vacuum.

Treat the crew to Chef William Dissen’s signature American farm-to-table cuisine!. The Market Place’s menus are ingredient-driven and focus on the best of the season based on what’s fresh from local farms. And you’ll love their cozy location, tucked away on historic Wall Street in downtown Asheville.

Highlights: A Bit Fancier | Downtown Asheville | Weekend Brunch | In The Heart Of It All. If you love people-watching, The Market Place is a great spot for brunch in Downtown Asheville. We highly suggest making advanced reservations if you don’t want a one to two-hour wait, though.

Well, you don’t actually need special occasions to check out one of the best restaurants in Downtown Asheville. However, The Market Place’s farm-to-table dining experience and chic decor provide the ideal set to make memories. You will be impressed from beginning to end.

The Market Place Restaurant and Lounge serves up farm-to-table American cuisine, backed by an excellent wine list and craft cocktails. All ingredients are supplied fresh from local farms. The setting is upscale but casual for comfort.

This American farm-to-table restaurant has been led by the same chef for many years. It is located on Wall Street, the most charming street in downtown Asheville. Everything on the menu is great, but we especially love the scallops!

Eat here and most everything that passes your lips will have traveled no more than 100 miles to get there. Not that that limits the food in any way. Chef William Dissen is like an alchemist: Whatever he cooks turns to culinary gold.

If you can't get into Curate a few of my other favorites are Cucina or The Marketplace. The Bull and Beggar is also delicious, although it is not downtown. Other great picks are Chestnut, Nine Mile, and The Lobster Trap.

20 Wall St, Asheville, NC 28801Phone: 828-252-4162 Visit Website. A post shared by The Market Place Restaurant (@market_place_avl). The Market Place is a well-known and upscale establishment in downtown Asheville.

Chef William Dissen's inventive menu features seasonal and organic ingredients from area farms, plus an extensive wine list. Recommended by… read more. A world-class favorite located on charming Wall Street.

The largest being the Western North Carolina Farmers Market, open seven days a week. There are also indoor markets and special holiday markets that are open seasonally.

The Market Place specializes in American farm-to-table fare. Their menu changes according to what is in season. It is healthy, locally sourced, unique, and delicious.

- Rating: 4.1/5 (627 reviews)- Price level: $$- Address: 20 Wall St. Asheville, North Carolina - Categories: New American- Read more on Yelp

The Market Place had a nice little combo playing last Saturday evening. I don't know what the schedule is there, but the band was nice :-)