It’s as classic an outing as they come; dinner and a movie. Asheville is home of some of the most delicious and distinctive restaurants in the country. We also boast a high volume of independent, locally owned businesses that thrive in our culture, a culture that we’re extremely proud and protective of.
Being a business owner myself, I understand the importance of reputation and hard work. Here are a couple of hard working businesses who always bring their best!
Liberty House Cafe has to be one of my new favorite caffeine destinations in town. They recently opened up at 221 South Liberty St. and have done a fantastic job at creating a warm, friendly and comfortable cafe. Quality coffee drinks and a highly impressive menu of small plates and lunch treats. The cafe also boost a large outside area, peppered with picnic tables, shade and a badminton court on one side, and an Italian umbrella covered deck on the other. For us loyal locals the only other request we have now is for Liberty House Cafe to expand their hours and stay open later than their current 4pm close! But don’t worry, in the meantime, we have other places to check out!
Mojo Kitchen & Lounge started out serving customers from a food truck. Their fan base grew and the demand for a more permanent location hatched. They serve Cuban / Caribbean inspired street food and source their meats locally. Their fun, laid-back environment is the perfect place to start your night. Go visit Mojo Kitchen & Lounge for yourself at 55 College St. They cater to many different dietary needs, serving gluten free, vegetarian and vegan options. They’ve also created a menu using many local, regional & seasonal ingredients, providing fine-dining inspired flavors in a casual atmosphere, located in a downtown music venue. 
Mojo also uses primarily locally sourced meats from Whispers Holler Farms & Joyce farms, as well as local products made right here in Asheville such as Smiling Hara Tempeh, Lusty Monk Mustard, Annie’s Organic Bread, Crooked Condiments, Geraldine’s Bakery, and Gypsy Queen Falafel. Needless to say, they love to support our local economy!
Kids eat free on weekends, Saturday 12-5pm & Sunday 4-close. They also do “Bluegrass Brunch” on Sundays from 11-3, and Live Acoustic Dead every Friday to kick off the weekend at 530 with $3 tacos.
Now since you’re already downtown, stroll on down to the Grail Movie House. Not your ordinary movie theatre, catch a locally produced flick or a classic film tonight after your delicious local meal!
Davida Horwitz and her partner Steve White opened the Grail Moviehouse in May of this year. Davida, armed with a knack for teaching special education, and White with a background in theater, set out to create a home for their mutual love, films. Then a couple of years ago they started scouting out locations where a small indie theater may work. Last summer we found our current location at 45 South French Broad and started to build it out from an open warehouse space into a 3 room cinema. We are right downtown, we have parking, and we love sharing a building with Hopey and Little Bee Thai!!
They currently have 3 screening rooms with 40, 80, and 122 capacities, where they screen a variety of films. They have the capability of playing anything first run, but they are finding their niche with amazing smaller indie films, documentaries and foreign content coming out. They also have a classic series that they now run, called the Grail Canon Series. Davida and Steve do everything from selecting films, scheduling, managing, ordering concessions, sending box office reports, working with the press, maintaining the website, social media, cleaning the theaters – you name it they do it themselves. Pop on down to South French Broad and catch yourself a flick this week!
