Asheville pizza covers a lot of ground: New York slices on Merrimon, sourdough pies downtown, wood-fired Neapolitan in the River Arts District and 28-inch pies for late nights on the South Slope. Here's where to go for each.
Pizza is mostly walk-in here. Luminosa, Bargello and Soprana take reservations if you want a table and a bottle of wine with your pie.
Luminosa
Downtown, 20 Battery Park Ave
Luminosa is the Italian restaurant inside The Flat Iron Hotel, and its wood-burning oven turns out the pizza on a menu that earned a 2026 Michelin Bib Gourmand (Asheville Citizen-Times). The same kitchen makes pasta by hand every day and works toward zero waste (Luminosa), so a pie and a pasta to share is the way to order. It's a sit-down dinner with local beer, including a collaboration brewed for the restaurant, and it takes reservations on OpenTable.
Tip: Valet through The Flat Iron is complimentary.
Bargello
Downtown, 7 Patton Ave
Bargello's dining room inside the Kimpton Hotel Arras is built around an open-fire pizza hearth, and the pies share the menu with fresh hand-rolled pasta and house-made bread (Bargello). It's the pizza pick when you want a sit-down dinner with a reservation, a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence wine list and a view of Pack Square. Dinner is Wednesday through Sunday. The open kitchen makes the hearth part of the view, and the bar works for a pie and a drink if you didn't book ahead.
Tip: Sit where you can watch the hearth, and pair a pie with a glass from the Italian side of the list.
On the critics' lists
Time Out and The Infatuation each name these pizzerias among Asheville's best restaurants.
828 Family Pizzeria
North Asheville, 946 Merrimon Ave
828 Family Pizzeria makes New York style pizza and continues a family pizza business that started in 1933 (828 Family Pizzeria). Beyond pies, there's a full menu of Italian favorites: salads, pastas, sandwiches, calzones and strombolis, and they cater. It's a family-run shop on Merrimon Avenue that works for a weeknight dinner with kids or a stack of pies for a crowd. Longtime regulars may still know it by its old name, Marco's, and the sauce is made in house.
Tip: Order a calzone or stromboli alongside a pie so you get both sides of the oven.
Asheville Brewing Company
North Asheville, 675 Merrimon Ave (also 77 Coxe Ave and 1850 Hendersonville Rd)
Asheville Brewing Company pours its own beer and serves what it calls award-winning pizza pies at three locations (Asheville Brewing Company). The Merrimon Avenue location has a 150-seat first-run movie theater with tables in front of the seats, and it serves the full restaurant menu during the movie, so pizza and a new release is one stop. By its own description it's Asheville's original dine-in movie theater, with popcorn, craft beer and cocktails alongside the menu. The South Asheville location on Hendersonville Road handles pickup and delivery of pizza and beer.
Tip: Catch a matinee on Merrimon. Their site calls matinee prices an especially good deal.
Twisted Laurel
Weaverville, 10A S Main St (also 130 College St, downtown Asheville)
Twisted Laurel serves Mediterranean comfort food at reasonable prices from two locations: the flagship on Main Street in Weaverville and the downtown Asheville restaurant on College Street, open since 2014 (Twisted Laurel). Stone hearth pizzas like the Figgy Piggy share the menu with pastas, gyros and a smashburger. Both locations have patios, and Daphne's Catering Co. handles their catering. Their site says downtown is where it all started, even though it was the second location to open. Downtown also has a dog menu for the patio.
Tip: Make Weaverville a Sunday trip and pair pizza with a walk down Main Street.
West Asheville and the River Arts District
North and East Asheville, Weaverville
- Del Vecchio's, 333 Merrimon Ave. Family-owned New York-style with dough made in house.
- Piazza, 4 Olde Eastwood Village Blvd. Wood-fired pizza in East Asheville since 2009.
- Blue Mountain Pizza and Brew Pub, 55 N Main St, Weaverville. Pizza, house beer and homemade ice cream.
FAQ
Where is the best New York-style pizza in Asheville?
828 Family Pizzeria and Del Vecchio's on Merrimon, Birdies downtown and PIE.ZAA for late-night slices.
Where can I get wood-fired pizza in Asheville?
FRESH Wood Fired in the River Arts District and Piazza in East Asheville. Bargello cooks on an open-fire hearth.
Where can I get pizza late at night in Asheville?
PIE.ZAA on the South Slope is built for it. Check the profile for tonight's hours.
Where can I get gluten-free or vegan pizza?
Mellow Mushroom and Pizza Mind both list gluten-free options on their profiles.
