Cúrate Bar de Tapas

Curate is one of the better dining experiences we have had in Asheville. I took a friend there for her birthday and it was a most pleasant experience. The interior of the restaurant is expansive with several different rooms, yet it feels intimate. I was happy to notice that there were several tables for larger parties - after all, small plates are more fun when you share! We chose 3 different small plates and two large plates. The mushrooms and pork were our favorites but all food is carefully prepared and food is high quality. Wine list is on the pricy side. I am medically gluten free and there were several options that were available, and our server pointed out options that could also be made gluten free. For dessert we received a gorgeous custom made cake on a pedestal - it was small (about 3 inches in diameter) but was extremely rich and was ample for the two of us. Would definitely to return to sample different dishes! Tip - go early - it gets crowded quickly. When we left there was an hour wait. Reservations a must.

I've tried for several years to get reservations at Curate whenever my husband and I are in town visiting family. It finally happened on 1/25/25, and we were excited to experience it with some friends who had also never been. We arrive at 7:45 for our reservation. We are told they don't have a table available, and we spend an awkward 20 minutes trying to keep out of the way of the waiters and the very crowded bar. It is a bad start. We finally sit down, order some drinks, and decide on tapas. My friend who is gluten free asks for the salad topped with shrimp, but to substitute sautéed shrimp for the breaded shrimp, because she is gluten free. The waitress responds that she can't do that. She suggests that my friend order the sautéed shrimp tapas. My friend does so, disappointedly. She really was looking forward to that shrimp salad, and given that sautéed shrimp are literally on the menu, why on earth can't a fancy restaurant accommodate her request? It was disappointing. My friend's date orders the shrimp salad as listed on the menu. My husband and I order the octopus and the eggplant. The food begins to arrive. The shrimp salad arrives for my friend's date. A second, shrimpless salad arrives, placed in front of my friend. She is confused. She didn't order the salad, because it couldn't be served in a way that accommodated her gluten allergy. The waiter doesn't hang around long enough for us to question the origin of the shrimpless salad. A few minutes later, the sautéed shrimp tapas arrives for my friend. We figure that the waitress assumed my friend wanted to order the sautéed shrimp and the salad, so she could put the sautéed shrimp on the salad. No, that's not what my friend wanted. She was too polite to make a fuss, and the waitress couldn't be found, even if my friend had wanted to clarify and send the salad back because she didn't actually order it. The salad is fine. The shrimp are well-cooked, nice shrimp. Nothing special. So far no one is impressed by the food, and we are all annoyed by the salad debacle. The eggplant and the octopus arrive. The eggplant is good. My husband and I enjoy it. The octopus is at least well-cooked and not rubbery, but that's the best I can say about it. The potato puree is gummy and bland. I'm beginning to wonder how this restaurant got a good reputation. We finish the food we have, and ask for the check. I go home still hungry, unwilling to spend another $25 on another plate of disappointing food.

We had the pleasure of hosting our rehearsal dinner in the wine cellar and it was an absolutely amazing experience with fantastic food, drinks and beautiful atmosphere! We received high praise from all of our guests who loved the food and drink selection. The team was very communicative and reached out frequently to ensure the menu selection and details met our expectations and accommodated all food sensitivities/requests (vegetarian, gluten-free, etc.). We will certainly return on our next trip to Asheville - highly recommend!