Hendersonville-area restaurant openings from January-June 2023

Dean Hensley, Hendersonville Times-News
·4 min read
Construction workers continue work on the new Dairi-O, which will be located across the road from East Henderson High School on Upward Road.
Construction workers continue work on the new Dairi-O, which will be located across the road from East Henderson High School on Upward Road.

While there were several restaurants in the Hendersonville area that had to permanently close in 2023, there were also several that opened their doors for the first time.

Below is a list of restaurant openings in 2023 in alphabetical order:

Blue Ruby Kitchen

Located at 2702 Suite C Greenville Highway in Flat Rock, this eatery is owned by Jesse Roque and Lesley Milhas. It opened in May and offers bakery goods as well as other French foods, including baguettes.

The eatery takes over the spot previously occupied by Our Recipe Roots, owned by Jessica Owenby.

Dairi-O

Set to open this summer, Dairi-O will have its first Western North Carolina location in East Flat Rock across from East Henderson High School on Upward Road.

The fast-food chain originated in the city of King in the Central part of North Carolina and is now set to open its first location in the Western part of the state, according to Rusty LaRue, the chief operations officer for Dairi-O.

"This will be the farthest West that we'll have a restaurant. We just opened in Lenoir back in early November, but this one (in East Flat Rock) will be our most Western store once we get it completed," LaRue told the Times-News on Feb. 6.

Eagle Bar & Grill

Located at Cummings Cove Golf Club, this new bar and grill is open to everyone.

It is located at 925 Lake Ledge Court in Hendersonville and offers live music on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Eagle Bar & Grill offers a variety of American food, including seafood. The bar also offers local craft beers as well as traditional beers.

Indian Aroma Bistro

Images from the inside of Indian Aroma Bistro, located at 502 North Main Street in Hendersonville.
Images from the inside of Indian Aroma Bistro, located at 502 North Main Street in Hendersonville.

The town's first Indian restaurant, Indian Aroma Bistro, opened May 1 in Hendersonville at the site of the old Renzo's Ristorante at 502 North Main St.

The owners are Vikramjit Singh, 32, and his sister-in-law, Mandeep Singh, 42. Vikramjit Singh grew up in India but moved to America about 10 years ago, he said. If their names sound familiar, it's because they also own another Indian restaurant in Asheville called Mela Indian Restaurant, at 70 North Lexington Ave.

"The Asheville restaurant is more like South Indian food. Here, it's going to be both South Indian and North Indian food as well," Singh said.

Orchard Bar & Grill

A banner hangs over the old FATZ Cafe sign at Henderson Crossing Plaza announcing the arrival of the new Orhcard Bar & Grill.
A banner hangs over the old FATZ Cafe sign at Henderson Crossing Plaza announcing the arrival of the new Orhcard Bar & Grill.

Raynard Walker, the owner of Dreadlife Kitchen in Ednevyille, told the Times-News in March that he has partnered with his cousin, Ken Foster, to open a second location, which is Orchard Bar & Grill located at the spot of the old FATZ Cafe in Henderson Crossing Plaza off Four Seasons Boulevard. Foster will own Orchard Bar & Grill.

"(Ken) called me up one day and asked if I wanted to partner in and do the kitchen part of it. It was a great opportunity for me to be closer to town. We wanted to do this to give more life to the city of Hendersonville," Walker said. "It's going to be more of a bar/lounge type of deal. It will have my great food and be a place where people can come in and watch the games on TV and play a little pool at our pool tables."

Walker's Dreadlife Kitchen, also known locally as DLK, opened in 2018 and was featured on Food Network's show "Restaurant Impossible" with chef Robert Irvine in 2021. Walker continues to run DLK during the daytime and then heads over to Orchard Bar & Grill during the evening/nighttime hours.

Southern Streams CoffeeHouse

This is what as knows as the "condiment bike" inside Southern Streams CoffeeHouse in Laurel Park.
This is what as knows as the "condiment bike" inside Southern Streams CoffeeHouse in Laurel Park.

One of the newest coffee shops in town, called Southern Streams CoffeeHouse, is a family affair owned by a mother (Lori Rodriguez) and her two daughters (Amanda and Bethany), and they know plenty about coffee. It is at the site of the old Appalachian Coffee House in Laurel Park on Fifth Avenue.

The trio moved to Hendersonville from Colorado, where they owned a coffee shop there for about five years, Amanda Rodriguez told the Times-News on May 5. She said the family ended up moving to Hendersonville after her youngest sister moved here about four years ago.

The Rodriguez family has made several changes to the interior and exterior and has also brought their own style of coffee-making.

Tartan Sports Bar

Downtown Hendersonville's newest sports bar is located at 321 N. Main St. called Tartan Sports Bar and features a variety of American foods and local craft beers and domestic beers.

It opened earlier this year and is in Suite C in the downstairs portion of 321 N. Main St.

The Vitner's Table

This fine dining restaurant opened earlier this year at Burntshirt Vineyards, located off Sugarloaf Road in Hendersonville.

This new restaurant opened earlier this year and features views on its patio of the 19-acre vineyards.

Verri's Italian Fine Dining

Owned by Tom Verri, who also helps run Brooks Tavern with his wife and daughters, Verri's Italian Fine Dining is in the former site of the restaurant Mona Lisa on Church Street in downtown Hendersonville.

It opened in March and features Italian favorites, but also offers steaks and other selections.

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Hendersonville-area restaurant openings from January-June 2023