Travel By Jury

As you make your way through the mountains of North Carolina, a stop in Asheville, NC is a definite must; it’s a charming Southern city with strong traces of mindful living buried in the town’s quirky fabric. Barley’s Taproom, located in the historic downtown area of Asheville is a great place to relax after a long drive or a day of shopping in Asheville’s boutique stores. Barley’s doesn’t have your average brews on tap – everything is either local microbrews or distinctive world brews. Barley’s isn’t for the anti-carb brigade; the hops in the beers are loaded with heady punches, and the sourdough pizzas and calzones are stout. Start your adventure into the one-meal-a-day plan with the restaurant’s fabulous black bean hummus, which boasts just the right of peppery kick. Sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese, and Andouille sausage are among some of the restaurant’s more adventurous pizza toppings, but the pizzas are huge, so plan accordingly. The jerk chicken and vegetable lasagna are great menu items, but if you stick with the pizza you’ll be definitely wowed. Couple the great food with a laid back atmosphere (a revamped early 1900s building, complete with high ceilings and exposed timber beams), alongside a little stage for live evening entertainment (bluegrass, folksy stuff that won’t intrude on your meal) makes Barley’s Taproom a welcome stop as you wind your way through the Blue Ridge.

Filed under: Great Eats, North America Tagged: | andouille sausage, Appalachian mountains, Asheville, Barley's Taproom, beer, big servings, black bean hummus, Blue Ridge Mountains, bluegrass, calzones, carbs, downtown, feta cheese, filling, friendly folk, great eat, historic, jerk chicken, live entertainment, local beer, local brews, micro brew beer, micro brews, music, NC, North Carolina, NY pizza, old building, pizza, sourdough bread, sun dried tomatoes, vegetable lasagna, world brews