I was provided a restaurant giftcard by The Cantina at Historic Biltmore Village to faciliate this post. All thoughts are my own.

The food scene in Asheville (North Carolina) is plentiful with staple and iconic restaurants, food trucks, breweries, farmers markets, and even tours. From Downtown Asheville to South Asheville, there are so many options that it can be hard to determine where to spend your dollars for the best meal possible!

This week, I had the opportunity to spend some time in various locations of Asheville and found one amazing restaurant in Biltmore Village that you must absolutely try the next time you are in the area!

Biltmore Village, located right outside the Biltmore Estate, was created to be the living quarters for George Vanderbilt's staff and their families. Originally built to house employees, this small and charming district is extremely walkable and is filled with unique shops and eclectic restaurants!

Are you taking a road trip to Asheville? Well, you should! While checking out all the amazing tourism that Asheville offers, The Cantina at Historic Biltmore Village should absolutely be at the top of your restaurant list! 

The Cantina is located at 10 Biltmore Plaza. It is on the corner of Brook Street as well. During high seasons and high visiting times, the district's parking (mostly street availability) can be limited, but usually something can be found if one travels a couple blocks towards the more business district near All Soul's Church. 

The Cantina's theme and food is Mexican related, which is unique for the historic Biltmore Village area, as most of the other restaurants are more sandwich/ Americanized cuisines. 

My sister and I visited on a Sunday evening and were met with wonderful hosts who were able to seat us right away. I am positive that this restaurant is booming on Friday and Saturday evenings as there is plentiful indoor and outdoor seating. 

Asheville is a very dog-friendly community, so the outdoor patio sections would be perfect for those of you who love walking your 4 legged friends to dinner with you! P.S.- we discovered that Asheville is an extremely dog- friendly city too!

We elected to sit inside as the heat was still pretty high, even in the late evening, and were met with a dimmed and cool (but not frigid!) atmosphere and temperature inside. 

Inside the restaurant, there are a few different sections with various types of tables, including booths and areas for larger families to gather. The Bar hosted seating as well. 

While our host provided us with menus, our attentive waitress informed us of drink specials and was quick to respond with recommendations when asked. We decided to pass on the cocktails, but I saw a few being made and they looked fabulous! 

The Cantina, like most Asheville restaurants, strives to use fresh ingredients that are based on seasonal selections offered through local farmers. They strive to create recipes that are handmade but tasteful and exciting. I was also impressed that gluten-free and vegetarian options were offered on the menu too, as that means they care about the food restrictions that others might need to face, which can be hard when dining out. 

I also found that they are extremely responsive when sending messages via their Get- in Touch- messaging method on their website, so if you have menu questions or want to check out about food restrictions, its a great way to reach out!  They seem to be lively on social media too, so that might be another option- and of course, there is always the old fashioned telephone method! 

We visited at dinner time, but I noted that there was a separate brunch menu as well as a kids' menu available as well. My sister perused the kid's menu and immediately pointed out that it included the drink with the meal, which is always a plus for her children when she travels. Her children seldom consume their entire drinks, which can be a waste when they are an added expense and on a budget while traveling. The kids' menu includes typical Mexican items like nachos and quesadillas, but also includes a turkey corn dog for those who have less adventurous palates. There is even veggies and dip on it, which I was impressed with!

The Brunch menu is geared towards a breakfast-feel- with breakfast burritos and huevos rancheros, plus a myriad of other options. It looked great, but we were at The Cantina at Historic Biltmore Village for dinner options, so onward to our menu!

The dinner menu for adults is full of items! Burritos, fajitas, quesadillas, and tacos are prominent features, but there are plenty of appetizers, salads, and soups to choose from as well! Also, the Cantina offers daily specials throughout the week. 

We decided to start off with the unlimited chips and dip as an appetizer. Unlike traditional "quick-Mexican" restaurants, the chips & dip are not included with the meal. At $3.99 though, I quickly found that this was a solid investment for a starter/ appetizer. Other appetizer items included items like queso, guacamole, stuffed avocados, and nachos. 

The chips were crispy tortillas that were perfectly fried and salted. The menu selection came with 2 dip offerings: Red and Green tomato based dips. 

The red had a bit of kick to it as it would be considered the more "spicy" of the two dips with its tomato red base. 

The green was more of a mild dip that uses a tomatillo base. In traditional recipes, tomatillos can be spicy, but certain recipes can also bring out the sweetness of the fruit as well. This recipe wasn't sweet, but it wasn't a "hot" spicy like the red based sauce. 

I'm used to traditional red tomato based sauces when I visit Mexican restaurants, but I feel that many are "Americanized" and probably have added sugars in them. With both of these dips, I could tell that they used fresh ingredients and weren't full of added sugars at all. The acidic nature of tomatoes can sometimes cause issues with me, but even the spicy red sauce was smooth and enriching to my taste buds! I had a tendency to gravitate towards the green one while eating, but absolutely loved both!

Onwards to the main entrées now! My sister decided to just get the Nachos as her entrée. These nachos aren't the traditional nachos that we think of as tortilla chips piled high on a plate and filled with various ingredients. Instead, these nachos contain blue-corn tortillas that are laid out on a plate. Each tortilla is topped with avocado, beans, Monterey & cheddar cheeses, sour cream, and pico de gallo. 

Each tortilla can also be topped with additional seafood (salmon, shrimp) or meat (chicken, steak, or shredded pork & beef). My sister choose to top hers with chicken. 

She absolutely loved the taste-including the avocado-on her nachos! She also commented that the chicken was cooked well with a nice marinade and/ or spice selection. Unlike some restaurants she has visited, she felt like the chicken was not overall spicy and the nachos were a great dinner selection if one didn't want a full entrée! 

I ordered the Big Boy Burrito. The name didn't disappoint as this was certainly a large burrito! It was stuffed with my choice of protein, onions & peppers, sour cream, and jack cheeses. It was topped with a creamy sauce that said cilantro, but I didn't taste it at all (which is good, because some of us dislike cilantro!). Instead, I tasted the creamy goodness of the cheese used in the sauce! 

I choose to add chicken into my burrito as well. I loved all the flavors combined to create this amazing burrito! In the past, I've been disappointed, but this one was excellent! The Chicken, the Peppers & Onions, and the spices used to create this dish were definitely on-point and filled my taste buds with excitement. 

To be perfectly honestly, I couldn't eat it all! 

The burrito sides included rice and beans. Normally, I'm not a beans fan and usually ask to leave them off, but because I was at a new restaurant, I wanted to try the refried beans. I actually ate more than just one bite of these beans! I'm not sure what makes them different from other places, but I would encourage non-refried beans lovers to try these at least once! I also noted that these had cheese in them, and I haven't often seen that at other restaurants! 

The plate also came with a side of Mexican rice. I've often been disappointed with rice in the past. It can be cooked in large batches, which means its overdone, cold, or just tasteless. This rice was cooked perfectly, seasoned well, and was a good addition to this burrito. 

I would highly recommend you try out any of the burritos at the Cantina at Historic Biltmore Village! 

We decided to hop on the dessert train and each ordered something special, which we don't normally do when dining out, but it was our first day of vacation! My sister ordered the cheesecake and I ordered the fried ice cream. 

The cheesecake was full of creamy goodness that she enjoyed. 

My fried ice-cream was excellent. The outer shell was fried nicely and the ice cream was encased in a coating that was crunchy and perfect. The chocolate and whipped cream were great topping and additions! I think the fried ice cream could actually be shared between a couple of people, especially after such a filling meal! 

If you find yourself on a road trip to Asheville this summer or fall, definitely head to The Cantina at Biltmore Village for an excellent meal! From their wonderful selection of adult drinks, like the margarita I saw being poured, to their vibrant tasting menu, your family will certainly not be disappointed!

One of the amazing things about this restaurant is that they also give back to their community. I love restaurants who try to help out as much as they can, as that means they aren't all in it for the profit. This particular restaurant encourages its customers to skip a side to feed someone hungry in the Asheville area. Partnering with a local food bank, they have given over 600,000 meals to folks in need! They also have a board up behind the bar that shows their current donations. I believe it was quarterly and monthly, but I'm not positive- it could have been yearly too! 

If you are in the area with a large group or family, be sure to utilize their 30-minute call ahead seating option. They don't seem to take reservations but are very accommodating and do have lots of space both indoors and outdoors! I believe they also have a separate private dining room in case you need to celebrate a special occasion!

One thing I loved about this restaurant is that I didn't feel rushed at all! While the food came out very fast, we were allowed to linger, take our time, and have great conversation. Now, of course, if this was a very busy time with customers waiting, my own personal ethics would prevent me from hanging around, but since it was later in the evening and semi- quiet, I enjoyed the time spent here. 

We even got a chance to browse the collection of photography and history showcased in the hallway near the restrooms that described the history of Biltmore Village and how it was formed. The rest of the restaurant highlighted the Mexican theme in a very chic way- nothing was overkill or cheap, but you could tell tha they try to stick with their theme!

I would definitely suggest you visit The Cantina at the Historic Biltmore Village with your entire family, or grab a few friends and road trip to Asheville for the weekend! If you are planning to visit the Biltmore Estate, but don't want to stay on property or eat in one of their restaurants, this is a great local establishment to try out nearby that has great food, good ingredients, and supports their local community as much as possible! 

Want it? Eat it! 

Visit The Cantina at the Historic Biltmore Village for an amazing brunch, lunch, or dinner option in the Asheville area! They are located at 10 Biltmore Plaza in Asheville, NC in the Historic Biltmore Village outside of the Biltmore Estate.

Be sure to check out their hours before heading over to the restaurant, as they are currently closed on Tuesdays & Wednesdays! Their normal hours are 11:00 AM- 9:30 PM (except Mondays, they close at 9:00 PM), so check the website or call ahead if you are unsure! 

Follow The Cantina at Historic Biltmore Village Social Media to learn more about their meal selections, specials, and drinks on Facebook or Instagram! 

Be sure to skip a side and support the local food bank that the Cantina parnters with to provide food for those hungry in the Asheville area! 

The Cantina at Historic Biltmore Village should definitely be at the top of your dining list the next time you road trip to Asheville!