Terra Nova Beer Co., Loott House partner to open new taproom, restaurant
A local burger joint and budding brewery have teamed up to build a bridge that connects the food and beer scenes of Asheville, Swannanoa and Black Mountain.
On Nov. 12, Terra Nova Taproom, in partnership with Loott House restaurant, opened to the public at 204 Whitson Ave. in Swannanoa.
Loott House relocated from 2372 U.S. 70 as of Oct. 30.
For Terra Nova Beer Co., the Swannanoa venue will allow the new Asheville-founded brewery to make its introduction to the community on a smaller scale before opening its main taproom in the South Slope brewing district next year.
“It gave us an opportunity to practice what we’ve been talking about for all these months while we’re waiting on permits to be approved in downtown Asheville at the Terra Nova space,” said Terra Nova Director of Operations and owner Doss Church.
The restaurant and brewery partnership allows both local businesses to shine and do what they do best.
“We’re excited to still be in Swannanoa … to provide another, updated community space and partnering with somebody who’s also passionate about being in Swannanoa and bringing the community together,” said Loott House co-owner Ali Whitman.
Native Kitchen and Social Pub operated at the address for nearly eight years before closing in 2020. Church saw the potential for a turnkey taproom with a food component.
“It was important to the community. A lot of people came here, it’s right in the middle of Swannanoa, and it’s a special place and the people of Swannanoa loved it,” Church said. “It’s not Asheville, it’s not Black Mountain, it’s something in between.”
Terra Nova Taproom
Terra Nova Beer Co.’s brewery is now slated to open in early 2024 at 101 South Lexington Ave., in the former site of Bhramari Brewing, in Asheville.
In the meanwhile, beer enthusiasts can get their first taste of its craft beer at the Swannanoa taproom, which has eight drafts and four canned brews available for retail sale.
“This will be a before taste of what’s coming after we’re open in the downtown area, which is going to be this and so much more,” Church said.
The inaugural flagships from Head of Brewing Kyle McKenzie include the Czech Pale Lager, Czech Dark Lager, Mango Moonbeam Fruit Beer and Lumos Haze Hazy IPA.
Loott House's burgers and more
For Loott House co-owners Jake and Ali Whitman, the relocation is like a homecoming.
For four years, Jake Whitman worked as a chef for Native Kitchen before establishing a family-owned and operated eatery of his own. Loott House, where he’s the head chef, opened in June 2022.
“He had always wanted his own spot, and we felt a great connection to Swannanoa, so that’s why we opened our own space over there because that was an available building,” Ali Whitman said. "Eventually, we were approached by Terra Nova wanting to do this partnership opportunity, and we just couldn’t say no."
The husband-wife team, who also are owners of The Pure and Proper in Black Mountain, imagined the collaborative concept as a place to expand.
“More parking, more seating, a bigger kitchen — our kitchen was very limited over there for what we could produce out of it, so this enables us to continue growing our business,” Ali Whitman said.
Loott House's mainstay is its cheeseburgers ― which range from classic to specialty styles ― but the menu isn’t limited to them.
“We’re more than just a cheeseburger place. We make all of our sauces in-house; we’re very passionate about fresh ingredients and local when we can," she said. "We have all different salad components to our menu ― you can add a burger patty to it if you want or not."
Other menu highlights include a chicken sandwich made with a complementary pineapple slaw and Swannanoa cheesesteak.
Loott House’s specials ― which in the past have included sweet Thai chili wings and variations of stacked burgers ― will return after the restaurant reopens and the kitchen crew gets settled in.
The Sunday brunch concept will be revamped and relaunched in about a month.
Tasting and dining spaces
The venue offers two indoor tasting rooms and an intimate event space available for private bookings.
The expansive, enclosed covered patio is temperature-controlled with heating and cooling units and shaded windows. The overhead glass panels provide views of the sky and give the patio a greenhouse feel, which complements the brewery’s nature-forward brand.
The indoor space has been spruced up with several preserved moss wall installations, made with real plants sourced from France and created in the U.S., and foliage entangled in the chandeliers to create the illusion of nature reclaiming space.
“We want people to come in and feel like, ‘We’re inside and outside at the same time,’” Church said. “We’re going to weave nature in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the outdoor culture and love for the outdoors, anywhere and any way that we can.”
Murals complementing Terra Nova’s brand were commissioned by Amar Stewart, who’s also the designer of the brewery’s can art.
“It’s not just art, it’s about beauty. It’s the idea that it lowers our heart rates, it gives us something to look at that’s not looking down at our phones,” Church said.
The partners agreed not to install televisions to encourage guests to disconnect from the world and connect with each other.
The taproom is tucked away on a side street off U.S. 70, and in its backyard is a spacious fenced-in area for guests to relax and play. The open-air beer garden will be enhanced with landscaping and a small stage for live music performances.
“We had this grand vision of creating something that melded beer culture restaurant culture, great beer, great food, and the outdoors, specifically a quieter place that encourages people to sit and be in nature,” Church said.
Terra Nova Taproom/Loott House
Where: 204 Whitson Ave, Swannanoa.
Hours: Tentatively, 11-9 p.m. Monday, Thursday-Saturday.
Info: For more, visit lootthouse.com and follow on social media @terranovabeerco and @loott.house.
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Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow her on Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: What to know about the new burger, beer joint Terra Nova Taproom
