I eat here, religiously, once a year when I visit Asheville. Everything about this family-owned restaurant is perfect. It is a charming space in the charming small town of Mars Hill (a quick and well-worth-it drive from Asheville). Free parking along the street. The inside is welcoming, friendly and always crowded (the food is that good!). The service is always exemplary. I always go inside the restaurant for table service, but from what I understand, it is also a take-out place.
I always get the same thing, baked ziti. It is piping hot and delicious and a lot of food for a small price (I think it's around $12 - cheap in my thinking). It comes with a nice fresh green salad with delicious dressing (the 1,000 island is fantastic!) and a bowl of the BEST garlic rolls anywhere. I am a vegetarian, so I very much appreciate it that I can get it with plain red sauce (or a meat sauce for the meat-eaters). Last night, my friend had the salmon, which came on a bed of quinoa with a side of asparagus - he said it was great. Again, the price was reasonable (I think about $13). I laughed when I got the bill because it would have been about double that in Miami! (We pay $20 for the dish I got here for $12.)
I highly recommend this place and when I return, I really want to try the pizza - it looked so good on other people's table.
The friendliness of the owners, the clean place, the fantastic food, the reasonable prices will keep me coming back whenever I am anywhere near Mars Hill.
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MY REVIEW FROM 10/23/2014:
OMG! GARLIC ROLLS!! Oh, yea!
To be clear, the description says "pizza take-out." Originally, it was take-out and outdoor seating, but they have since made a beautiful indoor space with lots of tables - and table service, and a much bigger menu than just pizza. The inside was very clean and the service was excellent.
I have a fondness for this place, because a good friend and I would go all the time when Papa Nick's was in Miami. We loved the place!
Now that that friend lives in Asheville 6 months of the year, she discovered that Papa Nick had retired and his restaurant was now in Mars Hill. It is a down-home, family place - just like it was in Miami.
I have longed for the garlic rolls. After having them all those years in Miami, I never, ever found a place where they were as good. And, they definitely stayed as good, if not better than I remembered them. (See my photo - you can tell how delicious they are by the picture!)
I had the meatless baked ziti. It was very good. It comes with a nice green salad. I had the thousand island dressing, and the server told me it was made there - it was SO good.
My friend had a calzone that was ENORMOUS. He said it was very good. The portions of all our meals was very big; and the price was very reasonable.
Mars Hill is a tiny, tiny town about 20 miles from Asheville - it is most definitely a far cry from Miami (in a good way!).
We got there around 5:45ish on a Wednesday night. We were seated right away, but by the time we left, the entire restaurant was full. I suggest going early.
Oh, and if you use cash to pay for your meal, they give you a 10% discount! I like that!
This was a great dining experience, not only for the nostalgic reason, but because it was great food, with great friends, in a wonderful, friendly setting. All good! read more