South Slope is Asheville, North Carolina’s Brewery District. It is essentially the southern half of downtown and spans Patton Avenue down to Southside Avenue, framed by Asheland Avenue to the west and Broadway to the east.
South Slope is centered around Buxton Avenue and its many bars, breweries, and restaurants. It is not the most culturally-rich area of Asheville, but this is where you go to drink, stuff your face, see live music, and dance.
Oh, and there is a stadium.
South Slope used to be a Black / African American community but it turned industrial the early 1900s. Back then, it was called Buxton Hill for its high grassy slope. Buxton Hill was demolished to make way for factories, auto and machine shops, car dealerships, and other service business. Today, those old warehouses are packed with booze.
Coxe Avenue, one of its main streets, was one of Asheville’s first streets built for motor vehicles. It is noticeably wider than other streets in South Slope.
The defunct North State Fitting School was once in business there and famous author, Thomas Wolfe, was one of its first students. He mentioned the school in his signature novel, Look Homeward Angel.
If you are a Wolfe fan, visit the Thomas Wolfe Memorial and historic home downtown. Asheville’s Riverside Cemetery is dedicated to him, and you can even visit his famous statue in Oakdale Cemetery in Hendersonville.
Asheville is known around the world for its beer and brewery scene.
Due to maddening gluten and yeast allergies, I no longer drink beer unless it is specifically gluten-free. Unfortunately that kind of benches me for pub crawls these days. However, there are thousands of other people who can tell you all the in-depth info about each place’s flagship beers and their tastes, percentages, methods, and such.
Here are a few places where I have had a great time hanging out or enjoying a few pints in the past PGF (pre-gluten-free).
Dirty Jack’s is the original tasting room for Green Man Brewery. It has the distinction of being Asheville’s first craft beer tasting room, and they are credited for pioneering South Slope as a beer and brewing hub in the late 1990s.
Green Man Brewery started in 1997 as Benefit Brewing. It shared a location with Jack of the Wood, a bar that still exists downtown, until moving its production to South Slope in 2005. A new owner took over in 2010 and they expanded by opening an additional place called the Green Mansion in 2016.
A friend works there and was kind enough to give me a tour on a rare slow day.
Wicked Weed opened its original downtown Asheville location in 2012. Later, they opened the Funkatorium, South Slope’s cooler cousin, and another location in Candler. They now boast nearly 60 different taps of their own beer.
Wicked Weed is committed to sustainability and has a program called Beers That Build, a philanthropic project that focuses on providing food and housing, environmental conservation, civil service, and other initiatives with various community partners.
Twin Leaf Brewery was started in 2006 by a microbiology lab tech and engineer, but a few years passed before he opened shop in Asheville. Even more interesting to me is the owner’s dedication to supporting environmental conservation and STEM education.
Burial Beer Co. was started by three friends in the Pacific Northwest, who relocated to Asheville around 2013.
They chose the name Burial after being inspired by the unique and profound funeral processions and celebrations of life found in New Orleans, where some of the owners previously lived. As a deathcare worker, I really dig that.
Now, they have multiple locations in North Carolina.
Burial also owns Eulogy, an intimate 400-capacity concert and event venue. 
Hi-Wire Brewing opened in 2013 and has several locations in Asheville, other locations in North Carolina, and one in Knoxville, TN.
They are focused on donating to various charities and reducing their carbon footprint through multiple recycling initiatives and shipping procedures.
Urban Orchard Cider has been providing fresh Hendersonville-apple ciders since 2019.
They have really great murals inside and out, like this beauty:
Orange Peel has been roller rinks and R&B clubs in its past life, but is one of the most prominent and long-running venues in the Southeast. It opened as a music hall in 2003 after extensive renovations.
Rolling Stone magazine listed it as one of the Top Five clubs in the United States back in 2008, nearly 18 years ago, and it is still going strong.
Ben’s Tune-Up is a former mechanic shop turned sake brewery, beer garden, and Asian fusion restaurant. We have not had a chance to dine in yet, but it is on my list.
Wheelhouse is a coffee shop by day, and a bar/venue by night. Rumour has it, they hold a good honky tonk from time to time.
Asheville Yards is an outdoor concert and event venue in the same location Rabbit Rabbit used to be. I have not been inside since it became Asheville Yards, but I am hoping to attend next month’s Mastadon show.
Speaking of “used to be,” French Broad River Brewing expanded many years ago and pushed out Toy Boat, a fringe community center venue that my friends and I all sought refuge in and hosted our performances for many years.
Recently, I also discovered that the old Thirsty Monk is now the Crow Bar.
I absolutely LOVE crows and this place is all decked out with them, so no complaints here.
Easy Tiger is a sports bar, which is the precise opposite of “my thing” but I do love the name.
RESTAURANTS
For something more substantial and healthy, South Slope has plenty of dining options.
Chestnut took us by surprise, but we went with it. I went for the Earl Grey vinaigrette I had heard about but they were sold out, so we went with their namesake, The Chestnut. This is a freshly baked iced donut and a really delicious chestnut glaze.
After having dessert first, we went for a small cup of super creamy lobster bisque, and shared an order of avocado toast with roasted root veggies.
On later visits, we shared kale salads, corned beef hash, and Eggs Benny.
UKIAH Japanese Smokehouse opened in 2021 by a James Beard-nominated chef and other well-known Asheville chefs.
My friends and I got together to celebrate and splurge.
We ordered basically everything off the menu, splurging ourselves into utter bliss and oblivion.
I regret nothing.
Not a bite.
Chai Pani and its little sister Bottiwalla are two places I never get tired of.
Chai Pani, the words for tea and water, is Indian slang for “grabbing a tasty little bite” and that is exactly what this place is known for.
First of all, the decor inspires awe.
These spicy chicken sliders are one of their most popular items.
Good Hot Fish is a counter-service fish fry, but do not mistake them for cheap, greasy, or low class.
Their battered cod and macaroni and cheese are fan favourites.
There are only a few seats available inside, and a few more outside, adjacent to this incredible mural:
Plant Bar is such a lovely place for coffee and treats, small meetings, or dispensary items. Their motto is “Reimagining the Non-Alcoholic Bar” and they have a plenty of options to accommodate a range of dietary and lifestyle preferences.
I first visited the Chattanooga, TN location before the one in South Slope, but they also have one in West Asheville.
Each location is differently decorated to vibe with the surrounding community, and this one is my favourite.
Farewell Coffee and Little Chango are on my list for the next visit.
Antidote advertises as an apothecary-themed cocktail lounge, and that sounds nice, but it is actually fairly plain inside.
We waited and waited and watched a few 5-8 tops who arrived after our 2-top get their food, while we still had not been asked what we wanted to drink. We notified the hosts and all of them just stared at us. We were dressed nice and are not treated like this in other places, so I do not know what their deal is.
We eventually just got up and walked out. Three droopy employees stood at the door watched us leave. Cool, cool.
I really want to love this place, so I will give them another try sometime.
Mother Bakery is a coffee shop, cafe, and wine shop with some fairly fancy small plates.
South Slope Cheese Company is your spot to pick up fancy, artisan cheese, wine, and all that goes along with it.
INDIGENOUS WALLS PROJECT
My favourite part of South Slope is the Indigenous Walls Project, an initiative that brings Indigenous art to public spaces, typically by means of murals on walls and sides of buildings.
There has not been much activity online since the project’s Intertribal Graffiti Jam in 2022, and I can only assume it is related to Hurricane Helene.
When I reached out to them on socials, they declined to offer any info.
Nevertheless, I feel so much buzzing energy in this space and I cherish the fact that it exists.
My ancestry is part Cherokee. I have been writing about the Cherokee and their history, culture, and art, for many years.
I hope this project endures and, hopefully, expands in the future.
Here are some of the other murals around South Slope that I love:
In the area for a while? Follow me to downtown, West Asheville, River Arts District, or to the nearby towns of Black Mountain, Waynesville, Sylva, Brevard, Hendersonville, Cherokee, Boone, Blowing Rock, Grandfather Mountain, and Franklin.
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