Visit January 2, 2026 - I typically stay at Renaissance properties when I travel internationally and loved the ones that I have stayed out. So on our last minute decision to go skiing, I picked this one in Asheville, NC. The decor is nice and the their breakfast buffet is great and filling. They have your typical staples - eggs, bacon, fruit, biscuits/gray, and more, and even have a dedicated omelet bar/line. To take full advantage of the breakfast, I would recommend adding the breakfast option to your room/stay. We also ate dinner their one night, but unfortunately they don't offer room service but we were able to sit down eat and then order food to go to take to our room. read more

See all

When I stay at the Renaissance Hotel, breakfast is free during my stays based on my status. The breakfast buffet is fine although more attention could be paid to replenishing it and having someone at the omelet and waffle station as I stood there for a long time before anyone went to get someone. Service is decent too and they bring your beverages. The restaurant is always cold as they seat people in the front and the hotel front door constantly revolves so that is an open door basically. So dress warmly. I decided to dine at the restaurant for dinner as I was exhausted from a busy day and the fire alarm going off at the hotel. I was the only one there at first. So that was a sign I should have ventured out to somewhere else. The menu was limited with nothing really appealing. I went with the $14 bbq sandwich that came with fries and coleslaw. It wasn't bad. Service was bad for very few people there. It took forever for a drink refill. I just had water as I was never asked if I wanted anything else. Basically my food was dropped off and then I got the check. I just paid the check without noticing that I was charged for cake as well. The $10 was not removed for the food and beverage credit. I used that for a generous tip as I had no clue when I'd see that waitress again. Then with the charge for the cake I never got, I was overcharged a lot. My bill should have been closer to $4 and not $24. I do not recommend dinner at Writer's Bistro as there are better options for food and service. read more

See all

While staying in the Downtown Asheville Renaissance a group of us came here for breakfast each morning, I only attended once and that was plenty for me. The buffet has decent items on it, with the biscuits & gravy probably being the best. They have an omelet station too, which is nice, but the service we got one morning from our server was annoying. We were discussing work and she constantly interrupted for one reason or another. The venue it bland too, very "hotel" looking. Coffee was decent though. I can't see any other reason to come here, unless you're staying in this hotel though. read more

Writer's Bistro - New American Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

We had breakfast here because we had a free voucher, thankfully. Took a bit to be seated and plenty of empty tables. We were seated and told of the buffet and omelet station, no menu to order from. Once we got up, the omelet line was 12 people deep and one person making omelets so we promptly skipped that disaster. We opted for the buffet which was well picked through at only 9am and was a mess. The eggs were burnt to the pan, and a crumbled mess, probably because they were powdered. The bacon and sausage decent and unfortunately didn't try much else as the fruit was mostly empty and no options for healthier yogurt other than full fat, full sugar. The bill came at a hefty $40 price tag, which I gasped at! If I had to pay out of pocket I would have been angry, it was that bad. Service was nice, but overall it was dirty and unkept. Very disappointing for it being the Marriott! read more

See all

I'm always surprised at the questionable ratings of Marriott properties restaurants! For hotel restaurants they can be fantastic! They're always well decorated, typically going with a theme of the local area, and their food is always quite good! No, it's not going to be a 5 star locals bistro that you talk about for years to come, but it's always going to be quite tasty! Writer's Bistro is no different as they went with the theme of authors from the Asheville area! A beautiful little Bistro that's right off the front entrance lobby that's worth a morning visit for breakfast! read more

Writer's Bistro - New American Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

See all

Bottom Line: A decent hotel restaurant located inside of The Renaissance. My husband and I dined at the Writer's Bistro for breakfast three times during our visit to Asheville. What I liked about the Writer's Bistro is the decor and that the breakfast buffet had a variety of foods on it including made to order omelettes and French toast. Initially I thought we would do breakfast here a day or two but the convenience, price (free for Platinum Elite members) and variety kept us coming back. Also, we enjoyed the coffee. read more

We usually don't eat at hotel restaurants, because we like to venture out into the streets. However during the dark days of COVID, we decided to go downstairs from our wonderful suite at the Marriott Renaissance to eat at Writer's Bistro. To be clear, this was for breakfast and, typically, breakfast was a buffet. First, the service was pleasantly efficient, the seating arrangements were sympathetic to the virus outbreak, and servers were dispensing food so that the ordinary mortals couldn't contaminate the food areas. So far, so good. The coffee was plentiful and came with real cream, but it was not great coffee. No matter...after all this is a hotel eatery. We went to the food line and were met with all the usual suspects. Scrambled eggs, sausage links, bacon, biscuits and gravy and potato hash browns. Beside all of this was a selection of fruit. The scrambled eggs were awful and obviously made from powder rather from fresh cackle-fruit. The sausages were excellent. The bacon was cold dry and greasy, the hash browns were indescribably bad (soft, old, greasy and cold) the biscuits, made offsite were, according to my wife, dry and bland and as such a perfect accompaniment for the equally tasteless gravy.The fruit was nice. All-in-all, this was a very predictable setup. We become used to this sort of trash for breakfast when on a road trip. It would have been easier to accept if it had been available gratis with our room ($320) but it came in at a gourmet price. COVID or not, there is no excuse for serving food which is well past its peak. We would certainly return to the Marriott Renaissance...but can't imagine we would bother the Writer's Bistro again. read more

We didn't know that this place existed but we are happy to know now! My husband and I are locals so obviously we don't have much need to stay at The Renaissance, but The Writer's Bistro was a lovely treat for our date night. The atmosphere is classy and romantic. The food is artfully and thoughtfully designed as well as delicious. The service was also a plus. Kimberly was friendly and very professional which enhanced our evening. There was a prix fixe menu tonight since it is Valentines weekend and it was very well priced. We look forward to coming back another time to enjoy another delightful evening. Whether you're just visiting or a local The Writer's Bistro is well worth it. (A side note: We parked free of charge in the parking lot directly behind the entrance to the hotel and walked in through the outdoor patio) read more

See all

Let me start by saying the buffet is nothing great. It is similar to what you get at a limited service Marriott. The second morning I ordered off the menu and it was a huge improvement. Order off the menu. read more

Writer's Bistro - New American Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

See all

This was the restaurant in our hotel and we ate here one night out of convenience. The place was dead at 7:00 PM. Only one other party in the entire restaurant. However, the ambience was very nice and the service was very good. The food was better-than-expected too. I had a grilled chicken sandwich with bacon-tomato jam and Gouda with sweet potato fries. My partner had a bacon and bleu cheese burger with regular fries. Both of our fries were outstanding. Sandwiches were good too. We got a slice of lemon-raspberry cake and a piece of peanut butter pie to take back to the room. Two sandwiches, two fries, two desserts and one soft drink was just north of $60 with tax and tip - so typical hotel restaurant pricing. Combine the slightly elevated price point with the fact that there are probably 50 or more excellent restaurants within a 15 minute walk of the hotel, and you might get the answer as to why the place was dead during peak dinner hours. There are simply too many great restaurants in Asheville to choose from and Writer's Bistro, while good, isn't anything that most people are going to seek out. read more

We had taken a ghost tour the week before. And while waiting for the tour I noticed the restaurant. The muni looked nice so we decide to. Go back and try the place out this weekend. The restaurant was fairly empty for a Saturday night which was okay with us because we had skipped the waiting lines at other places. We were seated upon arrival . Although the dim lighting does create a nice atomosphere the seating is so close there is no privacy. The tomato bisque was nice although I found a noodle in mine. My husband ordered the fried chicken salad with fried grit croutons. ..also nice but not outstanding . My son enjoyed the garlic mashed potatoes and fried chicken. He said his greens were burned . We were not impressed. Far nicer places to eat in Asheville. Don't think we will be returning . Pretty average in all respects. read more

I was to early for lunch so I got tea and hummus at the Lounge. The service was great and friendly. These food presentation is beautiful. Vegetables and hummus are delicious. I was also very happy with the friendly service. read more

Writer's Bistro - Hummus. - New American Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

Steak was amazing and so was the mashed potatoes. Service was very friendly and timely with our food. read more

Writer's Bistro - Ribeye was cooked perfect mashed potatoes were extremely tasty. - New American Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

See all

Dined with the bistro for their breakfast buffet during our weekend stay. Lovely decor, decent coffee. omelet station was a nice add. They open at 8 and when we arrived at 820, most the fruit and bacon was gone. Offerings were yogurt, oatmeal, bacon, sausage, biscuit & gravy. French toast one day. Waffles another (kinda bland and no toppings). There's also your typical cereal, bagel, eng muffin and scones. Comparable to the hampton's free continental well neither of us thought the $16/pp tag was worth it but it came with our hotel package. It did the job though. our experience doesn't reflect their full breakfast menu fare or dinner options. read more

Pretty good for hotel food. I had the huevos rancheros cheeseburger. It was cooked well and the ingredients were fresh

What a great dining experience! I'm only in Asheville for a week and I'm so glad I popped in here for dinner. The front of house staff (Dale and I unfortunately forget the other young man's name [sorry!] were very welcoming despite my łate arrival and the fact that they were closing in a half hour. Jeff was an amazing and very attentive waiter and it was a pleasure chatting with and being served by him! The highlight of the meal was when Chef Adam made an appearance and asked how everything was. I loved that little extra touch and it made my already delicious meal even tastier. Long story short- whether or not you're staying at the Renaissance Hotel you should make it a point to head into the Writer's Bistro for a great meal, cool ambience, and awesome service. Next time I'm in Asheville I will definitely be back. read more

The ambience was very nice and the server was a real sweetie. However, my steak was overcooked and a bit tough. Blegh.

I don't get it, I've been in this restaurant several times and it's always dead. But the food is EXCELLENT!!!! Food is top notch, service is spot on, ambience is high end, to top it off, prices are very reasonable!! It has everything you need but customers.... True, it is a hotel restaurant, but one of the best I've been in (and I've been in a lot). The parking situation is horrible out front, don't know if that's part of the problem. In a town with some very good restaurants this is one of them. read more

At 9:45 on a Tuesday *morning, we didn't expect a long line for the breakfast buffet. The hostess was very sweet and repeatedly apologetic, so we agreed to wait for 20 minutes. After the wait, we were seated and given water by the hostess and told our waitress would be right with us. Almost 10 minutes later, we flagged the hostess down and asked if we could just go to the buffet since the waitress hadn't appeared. Again, very sweet and apologetic, she told us we could. At the buffet, a line of 3 people were waiting for the one guy making omelets and waffles. Done. We left. Could have been to another place and eaten by then. read more