With Caribbean inspired cuisine, this casual and comfortable restaurant is one of my favorites in Asheville. If you live in the area and have never been or are considering a trip to the mountains of Western North Carolina, make sure you hit up this fantastic restaurant. I bring all of my out-of-town visitors here and no one has yet to leave disappointed. Nine Mile is nestled in the heart of the historic Montford, one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in Asheville.
I hardly ever eat out, but when I do Nine Mile is at the top of my list for a whole bunch of reasons.
Lets start with the food.
Not only are they are vegetarian and meat-eater friendly, but they are also gluten free friendly. Can you say “bonus”?!?! The menu offers a lot of pasta and rice dishes (some with very clever names like More Fyah!), but if you’re feeling a little less hardy you can substitute your heavier pasta for their raw zucchini pasta substitute. The zucchini pasta is so thin that it cooks quickly with whatever else is in your requested dish, making it just like pasta – only zucchini. Pretty cool huh? And if you do want something hardy but gluten free there’s always the elbow quinoa pasta substitute. Yum yum.
My threshold for anything spicy is as low as it gets. Usually even the least spicy item on the menu is too spicy for me. Nine Mile does a great job of accommodating my super sensitive spicy taste buds. Thanks Nine Mile.
Another perk – if you are there for dinner, a very generous house salad comes with your meal. I recommend their house dressing “His Majesty’s”, which is tahini based. Delicious!
As for all of the other reasons I love Nine Mile, they are the same reasons I love other restaurants (other than the food) – friendly staff, easy parking, clean, convenient location, everything is made fresh to order, fairly priced and practical portion sizes.
The picture above is my favorite dish called Jamaican Me Thirsty. Jerk tofu, fire roasted tomatoes, fresh veggies in their own homemade sauce on a bed of zucchini pasta really hits the spot. I’ve tried to make it at home before, but unfortunately it just wasn’t as good.
So what are you waiting for? Today is Dine to be Kind in Asheville – a fundraiser to support local animal shelters and Nine Mile is a participating restaurant! Good food for a good cause!