On a recent trip to Asheville, my husband and I decided to stop in for dinner and we were not disappointed. We sat outside on a Friday night and the streets were lively, but not too loud. The food was amazing and our server was so attentive. I ordered the mushroom pasta. My husband ordered the shrimp scampi, and I must say you cannot skip the garlic bread. I would recommend anyone going to Asheville to check the spot out. read more

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Before making reservations I checked Yelp reviews and found opinions quite polarized, a fair number of recent very high and very low scores. Booking reservations online gave me my first caution, when I was advised my table was only mine for 90 minutes, and there was a $40 per person charge for reservations not cancelled 24 hours in advance. Both of these feel extreme. But I was really in the mood for veal, which is hard to find in Asheville. So, onward! Modesto is in the Grove Arcade, built in 1929. It is a very small trattoria, the tables are very close together, with a well-supplied bar taking up a fair amount of room. The walls are all hard surfaces, the ceiling is not that high, so for a small place it was quite loud. There was no host/hostess to greet us when we walked up, but someone arrived shortly to show us to our table. Service ended up being reasonably quick and efficient, but also felt mechanical. Smiles were in short supply. My wife ordered the wood fired romaine salad and SC shrimp scampi, while I ordered the pear and gorgonzola salad and veal marsala. I was intrigued by some of the seafood specials, but I had been craving veal for a while and went with that. The two salads arrived quickly, and were very generously sized. We both thoroughly enjoyed the salads. My wife liked hers so much I joked that she was licking the plate. I had not had pear and gorgonzola salad in maybe 15 years, and mine very good, I think they used almost a whole pear. The only off note was that I considered their choice in gorgonzola to be bland - ideally the sharpness of the cheese should offset the sweetness of the pear, and that tension was missing. The two entrees did not fare so well. My wife found her pasta very bland and flavorless. I tried a fork full, and it definitely needed more salt in the pasta water, and was overcooked and soft, not al dente. My veal was served over saffron risotto and veggies. The veggies were very good. OTOH, there was no saffron flavor in the risotto, and the veal was a complete miss. It was tougher than any steak I've had in recent memory, and had so much cracked black pepper on it (from the kitchen, not tableside add-on) that any veal flavor was completely buried. Overall, a very disappointing meal given that we spent over $150 with only one drink apiece. I doubt we'll be back. read more

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I've lived in Asheville for years. Somehow, I never ate at Modesto. I thought it would be red sauce and spaghetti. I was wrong. We missed lunch and stayed for dinner. That mistake turned out to be luck. I ordered monkfish and scallops with roasted vegetables. It came with a purple cabbage relish, saffron risotto, and a butter-caper sauce on the side. Each bite hit hard. Big flavors. Clean. Bright. Rich. The risotto had rosemary and depth. The butter cut through everything just right. Even the scalloped potatoes, tucked beneath the vegetables, had a crisp edge. Every part was seasoned. No fluff. No filler. Just damn good food. The kind you think about days later. Honestly, for a foodie town, it's rare to find dishes this elevated. So much thought in the flavor. You can taste it. Modesto knows what it's doing. read more

Modesto - Italian Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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My friend and I went to Modesto for our Christmas celebration dinner, and everything from start to finish was wonderful. We were greeted immediately by a friendly staff member and taken straight to our table with no wait at all. We decided to skip cocktails and appetizers (even though several sounded amazing), and started with the bread service. The sourdough loaf with seasoned oil was absolutely outstanding -- soft, warm, and honestly some of the best bread I've ever eaten. My friend ordered the Chicken Parmigiana, and I chose the evening special, Herb-Seared Verlasso Salmon. My friend admitted she ate a little too much of that delicious bread to fully enjoy her entrée, but she still said it was very good. My salmon was cooked perfectly, beautifully seasoned, and served over creamy risotto with plenty of fresh vegetables. Every bite was delicious. We finished our meal with the Grand Marnier Crème Brûlée, which was the perfect ending -- smooth, flavorful, with a beautifully caramelized top and a few pomegranate seeds for a bright touch. Highly recommend Modesto. Wonderful service, excellent food, and a truly enjoyable dining experience. You won't be disappointed. read more

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I've been twice now and cannot wait to return. Although not in Asheville full time, this is a go to once there. The personalized service, intimate feel, and everything delicious food is as great as you will find! read more

Had lunch here after walking around the Grove Arcade downtown. We sat outside which was so pretty. My husband had the carbonara pasta which was really good. My son had a perfect margarita pizza. Big enough to share. I had a beautiful, fresh salad with grilled shrimp and a lemony dressing. The shrimp were large and perfectly cooked. Service was great. I would go here again. read more

Modesto - Grilled shrimp salad. - Italian Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Celebrating the holidays with our office group at Modesto. The boss was not invited, just his credit card!! Our table of 4 enjoyed calamari for an appetizer; one of the sauces that came with the dish had a wonderful heat/spice. We devoured a few sandwiches: the Muffaletta, and the Modesto Burger. Of course, we had to try a few pasta dishes; the SC Shrimp Scampi and the Bolognese were exactly as you would expect at an Italian fine dining restaurant. Portion sizes for all the dishes were impressive and we left with a few to-go boxes! Local celebrity siting as we were seated. A few tables over, Stu Helm the Asheville Food Fan was also dining at Modesto!! read more

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Modesto's was a fabulous experience. Right in the heart of downtown Asheville where almost everything is being renovated and rejuvenated with cool retail, boutiques, bars and restaurants. But our group was in the mood for some Italian, so Modesto's it was. With 20 years experience, a small in size but huge in service and experience restaurant, Modesto's puts out some amazing entrées and cocktails. For starters the Cherokee Pumpkin Crema with green pumpkin seeds was so creamy smooth and scrumptious. My entrée, Wood Fire Chicken & Shrimp was an amazing piece of art work with so many different flavors. Just out of this world delicious. Our server was very entertaining and knowledgeable. He knew in detail how meals were prepared and with what ingredients. And the cocktails. Oh my my the cocktails. We were at a high top right next to the bar so I was able to see the magic being shaken, stirred and poured. Lol. No way there was going to be any desserts ordered after this meal. Besides, I had my eye on a fancy chocolate shop down the street! Lol If you're looking for top notch Italian cuisine, then Modesto's is a Must. read more

Hector and Jim were amazing during Hurricane Helene and fed us free of charge when there was no water, cell service, etc. They brought us in off the street and made sure we had food. Nothing was open. It was delicious-- you'd never know we were in a natural disaster. Best food I ate in Asheville. Give good people who make good food business! read more

Modesto - Spaghetti Bolognese - Italian Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Ordered the special which was a filet and 1/2 lobster that came with risotto and vegetables. The lobster that was served was inedible and the risotto was chewy. The fillet was the only thing that was eaten on the plate. The restaurant offered lobster ravioli as a replacement. There was so much mint flavor in the sauce that it was inedible as well. Management refused to take the meal off of our bill because the filet was eaten. I understand charging for the filet but not the whole meal. I will not recommend this restaurant to anyone. read more

Modesto - Italian Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Went to Modesto for my birthday dinner. Always great food and impeccable service. You don't have to come for special occasions--they have a great lunch menu, too! read more

The first thing our beers bursted when opened when the waiter opened and he said he will be back with new ones. 20 minutes later received our beers after we had to ask the waiter for them. The food is average or below average and over priced. Over rated on yelp and over priced on what we got, 2 stars. Will not be back. read more

The food was outstanding. We had perfectly cooked pasta and the octopus pizza was delicious. The service was fantastic as well. Even the leftovers were so well packaged. I highly recommend this restaurant if you're in Asheville. read more

Oh my gosh. I can't say enough about this restaurant. The food was amazing. I ordered one of the specials "pecan roasted tuna in a sambuca cream sauce" and my friend went allll out with lobster and filet. The food had so many flavors that came together.. the service and meal were AMAZING! read more

Modesto - Italian Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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Love this place and here's why. Host or hostess always friendly. Server always helpful and friendly. I start with this because we have been many times. I always love a Wood fired Grill. I had chicken Parm there, several times, and every time loved it. I frequently get that because my dinner date always gets something else I like to share. This time was an amazing ribeye on the wood fire! We also got the Fancy Wood fired bread.Mmmmmmmmm! Oh yes, great job bartender. read more

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This is a nice place with a promising menu though pricey. I ordered two appetizers and a salad. One appetizer, grilled octopus, was like rubber. The second, clams, were not cleaned properly and so were full of both grit and pieces of shell, from the first bite. Both of those issues are something that cooks should be able to handle. At any price, but especially this price. Both dishes did have nice tasting, light sauces, but that didn't save them. The third, the salad, was charred romaine. I didn't like it, the texture (though again the sauce/dressing was good). I'll blame that on myself, because I had never tried it before and so wasn't sure what to expect. When at the end I told the waitress that the octopus was like rubber, she chirped, perhaps out of habit, "Absolutely!" and I said, "Huh? Absolutely?" She backpedalled a little. She offered they would do better if I came back, but, honestly not going back. Even if the sauces/flavorings were decent. read more

Went there for a late lunch with my son. Beautiful today and seated promptly outside by attentive servers. He started with the seafood chowder. I opted for the Italian onion Soup. Both tomato based and delicious and piping hot. My entree a crab cake Caesar was over the top. Crab-cake perfectly breaded and peppered and a great anchovy based dressing. My son had the shrimp scampi again tomato based. What a meal... read more

I had the Wagyu Meatball pasta. Let me tell you, the dish was perfection. The vodka sauce was light and full of flavor. The beef meatball was perfectly portioned and perfectly seasoned. The servers were attentive, and very informative. The decor and atmosphere were intimate. If you're in the area I highly recommend this establishment! read more

Modesto - Italian Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Enjoyed sitting at the bar. Very attentive service. Enjoyed the mushroom lasagna and the salmon was cooked perfectly. Overall good experience for a cold winter night. read more

Poorly made pizza. No flavor. Bottom totally burnt and inedible and served cold. The dough was barely cooked while the bottom was burnt. read more

Their food is nasty and way overpriced. The lobster had no meat and was burnt. I've worked in restaurants and would never have let this plate leave the kitchen trash can. The lobster ravioli to replace it tasted like crest toothpaste. The mgr believes his food is excellent and gave no discount for the food !! Never would I ever let anyone go there ! This place would have been chopped half way through round one. Nasty ! Our waitress did her best and should be working somewhere else that serves tasty food! read more

Modesto is the definition of excellence. Friendly service, outstanding food and warm comfortable atmosphere. The Veal Marsala is one of the best meals we have ever had. Already planning our next visit. read more

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Service was very nice food was truly farm to table. Came here for our anniversary and did not regret it. Highly recommend the wagyu meatball pasta and the cocktails. read more

Excellent food and service. I had three meals and all were exceptional quality and tasty.

food was very good, but was told the wine, a Montepulciano for $48, was actually only a 1/2 bottle, so she brought out a different one for twice as much. Felt like a upsell, if it is listed as a bottle on the wine list it should be a full bottle read more

The food was great, the service was great and we had a great time celebrating two anniversaries that the customer next to us, showed us a wealth of kindness paying for our dinner. We can never repay him but think of this to be able to do what he did to someone else in the future. Thanks for Modesto for making this time special. read more

We have been coming to Modesto since 2013, but it's been about a year since we last came. The last couple of visits weren't great, but the pizza was always good. We decided to come for our 34th anniversary since we received a gift card we wanted to use. It was a Monday night and I was looking forward to their pizza- it was always good. But no pizza. Waiter said staffing issues. Ok, it happens! I was bummed but we looked over the menu (see photos) and were literally SHOCKED @ the prices! We asked the waiter for a recommendation for an appetizer (wasn't going to get the grilled Caesar @ $19!!!) He suggested the bacala croquettes. They were...fine, but nothing noteworthy at all. Rather bland actually. (See photo)Note the garnish of veggies on the plate.. more on that later. My husband ordered the pork chop ($46!) I ordered the Tagliatelle Bolognese ($36) bc their pasta used to be pretty good. The pork chop(s) were 2 enormous bone-in chops which could feed 3-4 people. They were really significantly undercooked. Cold in the middle, and.. the veggies were the SAME EXACT VEGGIES THAT WERE ON THE APP PLATE!! (see photo) which were just a mishmash with absolutely no flavor. The Bolognese..I am not a pasta snob- but this was THE worst bolognese I have ever eaten. Again, $36. It was thick and gloppy and so over-salted that I couldn't really eat it. When it cameI I could tell there was NO love on that plate! I decided to bring it home. I could add some cream and some fresh tomatoes & herbs and use it on my own pasta, again! Neither of us wanted to spend the night complaining as it was a fun night out for us, so we didn't. We brought home 1 & 1/2 chops and the sauce and we're going to remake our own dishes. That isn't why we went to Modesto- to bring back food that we could recook. My mom called them to buy us a bottle of whatever wine we chose. Apparently, they called her back and told her that she should add a tip for the bartender! Balls to the walls!! Last time @ Modesto! read more

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Modesto is fire. Love the food, love the staff. Some of the best pasta dishes in Asheville. Some of the entrees could honestly feed two people. read more

We chose this restaurant based on the reviews, so was surprised that our visit was a bit disappointing. I'm giving our visit 3 stars only because one of the 3 meals was a hit. We started with the chicken meatballs (a little dry for me) and the calamari Fritti. The calamari had a nice aeoli which complimented the batter. Also it was garnished with fried spinach leaves which made it interesting. In the dim lighting I did bite a slice of fried lemon with the rind, which was not unpleasant but would not choose to eat again. I had the vegetable lasagna and for $4.00 more, had the Bolognese sauce on top. In retro I would have held the bolognese, because I missed the crunchy baked goodness of cheese and pasta. The vegetables inside the lasagna seemed over cooked and weirdly, on the plate was a pile of pickled vegetables and a smidge of pesto. All of these different flavors did not work for me and my overall impression of this entree was underwhelming. One of my companions had the Organic Chicken Ricotta with mushroom risotto. The risotto was undercooked with crunchy white kernels therefore was missing the rich creaminess of a good risotto. The chicken was lackluster and dry. The star of the night was the seafood carbonara which had tuna, calamari, mussels and shrimp in a smoky Parmesan-y, not-too-rich sauce. The seafood was cooked to perfection and I believe the pasta was home made. Service was adequate. For the price, I was hoping for a memorable dining experience. read more

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Very nice place. Kind and attentive staff. The food is excellent! They have restored my faith in pizza in Asheville. read more

Modesto - Suprema pizza. - Italian Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Service was beyond bad, it was ridiculous. 1 hour and 45 minute's later, multiple it's coming up, it's being plated and we never got our food. Sad because the place has all of the features needed to be a great restaurant. read more

Just finished up dinner here and am FULFILLED! One of the best meals I've had in months. We shared the bolognese and margarita pizza and I would absolutely recommend this combination. The pizza crust is delectable and was lovely to dip in the bolognese sauce. The pasta was wide and cooked to perfection. It was topped with delicious vegetables. I would also recommend the wood fired octopus. Hector was the chef tonight and you should definitely come when he's back in the kitchen! The ambiance was wonderful! I thought the music was perfect and the dimmed lighting perfected the environment. I didn't catch our servers name, but he was bald and had an octopus tentacle broche. He was AMAZING!! One of THE BEST servers I have ever had. He was hospitable and so thoughtful. He even brought us out a warmed damp towel to wipe hands after dealing with seafood. Price is a little on the higher end, but completely valid as the food and service was 10/10. One of the best restaurants in Asheville and would absolutely recommend. read more

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The food was exceptional. The service failed to impress, and the seats were too close together.

I've come to this restaurant twice - once stumbling upon it with some girl friends then I rebooked it for my anniversary with my partner. On both occasions the staff was so incredibly kind and helpful, and the food was fabulous. Our waitress guided us through the menu, educated us on the wine selection and was so great the entire time. I don't think you can go wrong with any food selection. I can't wait to come here again! read more

Modesto - Italian Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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My wife ordered Ipswich clam linguini in porcini mushroom sauce. Sounded great . What she had was clam grit throughout the meal. I ordered a seafood risotto with half a lobster. The kitchen managed to make the lobster meat stringy and disgusting and drown the risotto in a cup of oil. It was Monday so maybe the kitchen was on their day off. If so better to close on Mondays rather than let the children play in the kitchen. And if it wasn't the chef's day off this restaurant has a much bigger problem. read more

The ambiance, service, and food were amazing. We sat the bar which was a wonderful experience. Eli was the bartender and our server. He was so very kind and a pleasure to be around. read more

I had lunch at Modesto this week. The service, the food, and the atmosphere were 10 out 10. The server suggested the Crab Cake Ceasar, and she wasn't wrong. That is one of the best crab cakes that I have enjoyed. The tiramisu was divine. I would definitely return and suggest to others. read more

Modesto - Tiramisu ... minus one bite! - Italian Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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We were walking around Asheville late on a Tuesday night after having been to something that made it so we could not get out earlier. The place we were headed to was closed on Tuesdays and so were many other places we walked by. Then we saw lights on the trees, heard music, and found Modesto. As we walked over a man stuck his head out and asked if we wanted to sit inside or out. I chose outside and he told us where we could sit. When the very nice staff member set up our table, we asked when they closed. She said, we close at 9, but the chef wants to make you food and for you to enjoy it, so do not worry. (It was just after 9.) We decided to let the chef choose what he wanted to make us as a shared entree, got the freshly made bread, and a drink. We were served Veal Milanesa! It was truly one of the best meals I have had. Everything was perfect. We asked our waiter if the man who had told us to sit was the chef, and that was confirmed. After dinner, we knocked on the glass door to thank him for his excellent choice, and the chef was thrilled to speak with us. He even told us about his Uncle Modesto. It was a wonderful experience through and through. read more

Modesto is a gem in Asheville. While other restaurants get the spotlight, Modesto curates delicious spins on traditional Italian. That's fine with us because every time we visit, we can get a reservation! Anyway, if you're visiting, don't overlook it. read more

Modesto - Wild mushroom pasta - Italian Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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This was a diamond that we were unexpectedly hoping to find. We called late for reservations we were able to have two seats at the bar saved for us. We decided to go with the fig and prosciutto Pizza along with pistachio encrusted halibut with vegetables. Both of these were delicious and there was plenty of food. there are plenty of other traditional options on the menu. For dessert we decided to go with and share a tiramisu this was very tasty and light and fluffy and not overly sweet. We would definitely go back and I suggest you give it a try. read more

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