Early Girl Eatery: Finding a Vegetarian Restaurant in Asheville, NC

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Publish Date:: October 17, 2023
Category:: HOW TO -
Video License: Standard License
Imported From:: Youtube

Early Girl Eatery in Asheville, NC

And looking for vegetarian restaurants became a bit of an obsession for me before we arrived.

Staying in the heart of the eclectic area of West Asheville, I found Early Girl Eatery, which pretty much checked off all the points above.

They proudly showed on their site they are local, organic with a wide range of veggie options, and vegan!

And the best part, they had a restaurant literally walking distance from where we were staying.

Early girl eatery asheville vegetarian restaurants

The place was way cuter than I expected.

It feels like a 1950s family diner, and it is 100% local and organic.

This was not only evident with the menu, but everything the waitress talked about that they served has a story from a place nearby.

And I love to see that. Fresh ingredients with a powerful story and impact right from the neighboring areas and the Blue Ridge Mountains.

food from Early girl eatery ashenville nc

And the options for me and my husband were incredible. Everything on the menu can be done to a vegetarian dish, and most can be done vegan.

My absolute favorite was the delicious Apple and Berry salad with the homemade Raspberry Vinaigrette made with raspberry preserves from a farm only 30 minutes from Asheville.

We ordered an extra portion of smoked tempeh, which combined perfectly with the rest of the salad.

smoked tempeh early girl eatery vegan asheville north carolina

For dinner I went with a totally vegan option of Cake Grit Stack, a bit of southern flare with a Tomato gravy.

Cake Grit Stack from Early girl eatery vegetarian restaurants asheville

And my hubby had the tasty Veggie Breakfast Bowl which we made vegan as well.

Honestly, we didn’t want the meal to end.

The experience overall was so homey and peaceful with hot tea from a neighboring tea farm.

Fun Facts about Early Girl Eatery

Their motto – Made From Scratch

Their menu relies heavily on the high-quality local produce grown in the area by family farms and community-supported agriculture (CSAs).

The menu at Early Girl Eatery is seasonal to enjoy and for them to better utilize the local ingredients.

They have been open for almost two decades.

They serve products from Imladris Farm—a sixth-generation family farm in nearby Fairview. The farm is known for its sustainable production of berries, pasture-raised eggs, jams, and sustainable forestry products.

The farm-to-table movement celebrates fixing food with local ingredients, directly from the field to your table. This makes food taste better, and it is better for the environment as less travel means less energy consumption.

It’s all about community – Buying from your neighbors helps the local economy thrive, and you know where your food comes from. Western North Carolina is a tight-knit community where farmers are appreciated.

They have three different restaurants scattered around Asheville, so there is no excuse for you not to make it one!