Spiro Nicolopoulos Blues Apocalypse plays Barley's Taproom on Friday, October 9 at 8:30 PM. Easy one to plan a night around.

Barley's Taproom & Pizzeria has been a downtown Asheville gathering place on Biltmore Avenue since 1994. It pours craft beer and cocktails, and the kitchen serves fresh sourdough pizza, lasagna and sandwiches.

Locals treat it as a longtime downtown standby for a slice and a pint, with live music and late nights.

Barley's Taproom & Pizzeria

Asheville's food scene is mostly local, and this guide walks it neighborhood by neighborhood. Many of these spots post their daily specials, happy hours and events on Dig Local, so check a profile before you go. Downtown, Posana on Biltmore Avenue builds its menu around local farms, The Rhu on South Lexington Avenue is known for its cruffin, Old Europe Pastries has made Hungarian pastries since 1994 and now sits on Broadway, and Capella on 9 serves tapas on the roof of the AC Hotel. On the South Slope, Tiger Bay Cafe cooks Latin and West Indian food inside Ben's Tune Up, and the Funkatorium on Coxe Avenue pours sour beer. Haywood Road in West Asheville has Biscuit Head, Thai Pearl, Finest and Westville Pub. Merrimon Avenue in North Asheville has plant, Mountain Madre, Mother Ocean Seafood Market and 828 Family Pizzeria. In East Asheville, RendezVous serves French bistro food on New Haw Creek Road, and Rocky's Hot Chicken Shack fries Nashville-style hot chicken on Patton Avenue and in Arden.

Asheville Food and Drink: Restaurants, Specials and Happy Hours

Asheville breweries pour everything from crisp lagers to wild sours, and these taprooms, brewpubs and craft beer bars are worth the trip, downtown and across the mountains. On the South Slope, the Funkatorium pours sour and funky beers, Wicked Weed's original brewpub anchors Biltmore Avenue, and Asheville Brewing Company has taprooms on Coxe Avenue and Merrimon Avenue. The River Arts District has Wedge Brewing, New Belgium on the French Broad River, RAD Brewing and Ginger's Revenge for gluten-free ginger beer. West Asheville has Archetype Brewing, One World Brewing West and Westville Pub on Haywood Road. Just north in Woodfin, Zillicoah and Riverside Rhapsody sit along Riverside Drive, and Salt Face Mule adds 36 holes of mini golf. East Asheville's Highland Brewing is the city's first craft brewery, and Black Mountain has Pisgah Brewing and Lookout Brewing. South of town, try Sweeten Creek Brewing, Turgua in Fairview, 12 Bones Smokehouse in Arden, and Sierra Nevada and Mills River Brewing in Mills River. Every brewery below has hours, photos and directions.

Spiro Nicolopoulos Blues Apocalypse

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