Name: Peggy Ratusz Trio
Start: 2026-11-08T20:00:00.000-05:00
End: 2026-11-08T20:00:00.000-05:00
Location: 5 Walnut Wine Bar

Sunday night at 5 Walnut is a solid way to close out the weekend. The wine bar keeps things intimate and low-key, good for settling in with a glass and letting the trio do their thing.

The room holds about 75 bodies, so when the wine bar books live music most nights with no cover, those window bar seats and tight tables fill up fast. Show up early if you want a proper spot to post up with a glass and a cheese board from the shop next door.

5 Walnut Wine Bar is a wine and cheese bar at 5 Walnut Street in downtown Asheville, with live music every night and doors open at 2 pm daily. It opened in 2010 and puts local bands first, so one week might bring hot jazz from The John Henrys, traditional bluegrass, jump blues and rock and soul, mostly at 8 pm in a small room.

The room is built by locals, too: maple bar tops from Spruce Pine by woodworker Peter White, barstools by chair-maker Brian Boggs, salvaged-wood tables by Thomas Taggard and a long mural by Ben Betsalel. The wine list and the cheese lean local, same as the room.

This is where locals end up after dinner downtown. You grab a glass, squeeze into a table near the band, and an hour turns into three. The bartenders are friendly, the pours are generous, and the music stays at a level where you can still talk.

5 Walnut Wine Bar

Looking for the best bars in Asheville? Find cocktail lounges, dive bars, rooftops and live music spots downtown, on the South Slope and in West Asheville. Downtown, [Little Jumbo](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/4554-little-jumbo) pours cocktails in an old grocery on Broadway, [The Crow and Quill](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1617-the-crow-and-quill) stocks more than 800 whiskeys behind an easy-to-miss door on Lexington Avenue, and [The Workshop Lounge](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1583-the-workshop-lounge) has jazz inside The Foundry Hotel. [Capella on 9](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1369-capella-on-9-rooftop-bar-and-lounge) serves drinks with mountain views atop the AC Hotel, [District 42](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1888-district-42) sits on Pack Square, and [Cork & Keg](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/4034-cork-keg-wine-bar-tap-room) pours wine inside The Weinhaus on Patton Avenue. [5 Walnut Wine Bar](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1529-5-walnut-wine-bar) has live jazz and acoustic sets most nights, and [Fitz and the Wolfe](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/4035-fitz-and-the-wolfe) runs three rooms on Battery Park Avenue. On the South Slope, [Banks Ave.](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/4031-banks-ave) hosts drag shows and DJ nights, and [Sovereign Kava](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1916-sovereign-kava-bar) pours kava on Biltmore Avenue. Haywood Road in West Asheville has [The Low Down](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/2525-the-low-down) under The Hop, wine and vinyl at [Potential New Boyfriend](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/4165-potential-new-boyfriend), and late shows at [The Odd](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1413-the-odd-eclectic-dive-bar-music-venue-oddities-museum) and [Fleetwood's](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/2073-fleetwood-s). Out east, [The Social](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1502-the-social) is a neighborhood pub on Tunnel Road, and [Town Pump Tavern](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/3998-town-pump-tavern) and [White Horse](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1558-white-horse-black-mountain) anchor downtown Black Mountain. When the night's over, call [AVL Ride](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/723-avl-ride) for the trip home.

Bars in Asheville, NC: Nightlife, Lounges and Music Halls

Asheville makes and pours a lot of its own. Downtown, [The Crow and Quill](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1617-the-crow-and-quill) on North Lexington stocks more than 800 whiskeys, [5 Walnut Wine Bar](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1529-5-walnut-wine-bar) has live music seven nights a week, and [District 42](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1888-district-42) mixes cocktails on Pack Square. On Patton Avenue, [Cork & Keg](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/4034-cork-keg-wine-bar-tap-room) pours wine by the glass inside The Weinhaus, and [The Crowbar](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/4526-the-crowbar) has pool and karaoke. [The Workshop Lounge](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1583-the-workshop-lounge) runs a rotating cocktail menu inside The Foundry Hotel, and [Fitz and the Wolfe](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/4035-fitz-and-the-wolfe) hides a Palm Room speakeasy on Battery Park Avenue. Near Five Points, [Little Jumbo](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/4554-little-jumbo) works from a thousand recipes in the old Jenkins grocery building. In West Asheville, [Potential New Boyfriend](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/4165-potential-new-boyfriend) pairs wine with ice cream and vinyl, and [The Low Down](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/2525-the-low-down) sits below The Hop on Haywood Road. On the South Slope, [the Funkatorium](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1134-the-funkatorium) pours sour beer and [Banks Ave.](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/4031-banks-ave) has drag shows and DJ nights. For spirits made here, [Eda Rhyne Distilling](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1467-eda-rhyne-distilling-company-and-tasting-room) forages Appalachian botanicals in Biltmore Village, [Ginger's Revenge](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1325-ginger-s-revenge) brews alcoholic ginger beer in the River Arts District, [Oak and Grist](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/1301-oak-and-grist-distilling-company) makes whiskey and gin in Black Mountain and [Two Trees Distilling](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/2530-two-trees-distilling) is in Fletcher. [Biltmore Estate Winery](/asheville-nc/explore-places-to-go/861-biltmore-estate-winery) includes a tasting with a daytime ticket. Every spot below has hours, photos and directions.

Peggy Ratusz Trio

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