Jacques I.
Yelp
I like southern food, which is hard to find in my neck of the woods, so Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar has been on my bucket list for a while. Although it's now a successful chain with many locations beyond the southern part of the country, it's a popular restaurant in the south, including in Asheville, North Carolina.
We came here for brunch without a reservation and there was about a 20-minute wait. If you don't want to wait, make a reservation, especially for a weekend because it's a poppin' place. Throughout our brunch, there was always a wait outside the restaurant. The restaurant is spacious, with many different seating areas, including a heated patio and outdoor area where it's dog-friendly.
The food had a lot of southern classics, like chicken and waffles, biscuits, collard greens, you name it. Much of what is offered looked appealing. They also have a mimosa flight and a full bar. I ended up settling on the smothered chicken, which is a boneless, fried chicken with gravy and the two sides I chose with were the mac and cheese and collard greens. I also had a side biscuit, which came with butter and blackberry jam.
The food was solid. The star of the show, the chicken, was the best part, which is how it should be. I liked how tender, moist and flavorful the chicken was. It was delicious even without the gravy. The collard greens were so salty that they were inedible. I wouldn't recommend. However, the mac and cheese was better. It's not the best mac and cheese because we all know that's Beecher's! But it was good. If I came back, I'd be open to trying different sides as they have a lot to choose from.
Overall, if you haven't had Tupelo and like southern food, then it's a spot you'll have to try at least once. Unfortunately, there are none in Washington, but I'm glad to have finally checked it out while in Asheville.