What Asheville restaurants do diners miss most? A list of mid-year 2024 closures

ASHEVILLE - Halfway through 2024, Asheville’s food and beverage market has welcomed more than a dozen newcomers from coffee shops giving customers a caffeine fix to cocktail bar extensions at local craft beer breweries designed to offer well-rounded libation offerings.

Unfortunately, myriad challenges have caused some of the area’s restaurants, bakeries and bars to permanently close, like Home Ground and Cascade Lounge, which were displaced this spring after the businesses’ leases were unexpectedly ended by its landlord.

Over the years, too many beloved businesses have left us too soon.

Here’s a look at some of the local food and beverage businesses that have closed from January to June 2024.

Share with the Citizen Times via the below poll and on social media what local food and beverage establishments you’d most like to see return.

Home Ground and Cascade Lounge

Home Ground Coffee Bar and Deli and Cascade Lounge at 219 Amboy Road were closed by the end of April. Home Ground’s sister restaurant HomeGrown remains open for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner at 371 Merrimon Ave.

Asheville Beauty Academy and Sovereign Remedies Exchange

In April, Asheville Beauty Academy, at 28 Broadway St., announced plans to close a few months after its sister bar, Sovereign Remedies Exchange closed at 2645 New Leicester Highway in Leicester.

Sovereign Remedies ― a cocktail bar and restaurant at 29 North Market ― and The Getaway River Bar ― a tiki-inspired dive bar off the French Broad River at 790 Riverside Dr. remain open.

Morsel Cookie Co.

In May, Morsel Cookie Co. closed at 175 Weaverville Highway, Suite D. after three and a half years in business. The downtown cookie shop at 45 Rankin St. closed in November 2022.

Melting Pot Social

As of March 31, Melting Pot Social is permanently closed at 74 Patton Ave. downtown. The company, founded in 1975 with restaurants across the U.S. and Canada, cited that the location closed due to economic market conditions. Opened in 2021, the Asheville restaurant was the first of the company’s bar-centric Melting Pot Social concepts.

Zella’s Deli

In March, Zella’s Deli closed at 48 College St. downtown after opening in 2022. The restaurant relocated to 2372 U.S. 70 in Swannanoa, the former home of Loott House. Imperial, the upstairs cocktail lounge, expanded to the ground level of the College Street building.

Alley Cat Social Club

In February, Alley Cat Social Club, a popular West Asheville hangout and karaoke bar, permanently closed at 797 Haywood Road, Suite 100.

Asheville Sandwich Company

In February, Asheville Sandwich Company closed at 794 Haywood Road after its lease was not renewed. In 2012, the restaurant debuted and has had multiple locations and owners over the years.

Little Bee Thai

In February, Little Bee Thai closed at 45 South French Broad Ave., suite 190 after 15 years as a food truck and then a brick-and-mortar restaurant.

In March, Bee Thai Kitchen opened at the address ― no affiliation with the previous Thai cuisine restaurant.

Rise Above Bakehouse

In February, Rise Above Bakehouse closed at 1207 Charlotte Highway in Fairview after nearly five years in business.

Noble Cider (downtown)

In January, Noble Cider, an Asheville-based cidery, closed its downtown taproom at 49 Rankin Ave.

Noble Cider’s West Asheville cidery and taproom remains open at 356 New Leicester Highway.

Big Tikka, a restaurant, is expected to open at the Rankin Avenue address this summer.

Taco Billy food truck

In January, Taco Billy closed its food trailer, Little Billy, which had served as the resident food partner for Little Jumbo cocktail bar at 241 Broadway St. since the spring of 2023. The eatery offered breakfast, lunch and late-night bites.

Stories you may have missed:

• Which Asheville restaurants, bars opened in 2nd quarter 2024? Italian fare to coffee shops

• Now closed: Asheville restaurant, taproom, bar closures from January-March 2024

• New patios, cool rooftop bars to visit this summer in Asheville

Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at [email protected] or follow her on Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: What Asheville restaurants do diners miss most? What's closed so far?