This restaurant is located right in the heart of Downtown Asheville, and I've been wanting to check it out for some time now... I made RSVP for 2 at 6 pm on a Saturday night...and it turned out that I really didn't need to, as the place was only a quarter full. The place was very spacious...and was appealing aesthetically. However, the ambiance just wasn't there. For starters, the place was a bit dark...with dim lighting, but it didn't create a romantic effect. Rather, it just felt depressing. Also, the overhead music was also dim...muffled even. It would have been much nicer if it was cranked up. In short, the vibe was all off. It just struck me as a place that was probably awesome in its heyday, but just isn't anymore. Service was pretty good though...no issues there. Now the menu was rather small...and maybe more American than French. For some reason, I expected more French? They didn't even have Creme Brulee...HUGE disappointment! In any case, I ordered this Burrata Ravioli with Shrimp, and my husband got the Brisket Short Rib Burger. I personally loved my dish...as it even had Vodka sauce (my favorite), yet my husband only liked his. I think he was put off by how the cheese spilled unto the bottom of his burger, making it all soggy. In any case, we thought the foods were good. I only wish there were more options on the menu...and again, I wished they had the Creme Brulee. BTW, I tried their "Love Potion" cocktail...and it was very small, but strong. It was O-Kay. I didn't like how they hid the pricing of these drinks. Like WHY? Also, many drinks featured on Yelp is no longer of the menu. Yet another thing that was offputting was the attitude of the hostess. She did not even flick a smile when we entered. I simply don't understand how a hostess could put up a rude, silent demeanor when a guest walks in. Isn't part of their job is to greet the customer...and at least TRY to be friendly?? So yeah...the whole experience wasn't ideal. Again, the foods were good, but there were all these offputting things and the disappointments. Honestly, I thought about dropping 3, but I'll bump it up to 4, thanks to the delicious Burrata Ravioli.
Ernesto Rangel
A french bistro without onion soup! Food was "ok" and salty. nothing outstanding.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Lindy Darnell
Scallops & cucumber slumber were on point! Ask for Nick as your server, he rocks!
Chonk Family
We had a small elopement dinner at the Main Cellar and worked with Jason, Nicholas, and Brit. They were all so lovely to work with and made our dream event happen. They even let us have our dream cake and made sure everything went accordingly! Our servers Creg and Brooke were amazing and honestly helped us out so much! They were very attentive and fun! Our guests absolutely adored them!The Food was amazing as well. I will definitely be coming back to eat here again. The pastry was DIVINE!! love the pastry chef so much. I am a huge dessert person and the sweet Hors d'oeuvres, the seasonal cheese cake, and the cake really enhanced the experience for me. EVERYONE can not stop talking about how good the cheesecake was so definitely give it a try.Overall everyone was a pleasure to work with and if I were to host another event i would definitely go for Isa's Bistro again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cheesecake, Isa's Salad, Truffle Mac & Cheese, Salads
Gary Virts
Food was average, service was poor for the price you pay. Had to continually ask for this or that, which you normally would have been brought with the meal. Had pancakes, however no syrup??
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 2
Amy Bell
My husband and I love this restaurant. The food is amazing and the service unparalleled. They went over and above, working with my husband to surprise me with a martini served in a glass he had made for me and brought to them earlier in the day. They didn't have to go along with his crazy schemes, but they did and it made for a very special dinner. ❤️
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
R Calvasina
Food took over an hour
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Francisco Sarmiento
Amazing service food delicious and nick was our server super friendly and make us feel like home
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rocky Oliver
Good was great, service was excellent. Jill was an outstanding server.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
D S
We go here nearly every time we visit Asheville. Great outdoor patio area as well when we have our dog and the food, drinks and people watching are great. We were lucky to have an excellent cellist across the street playing. Reminds us of a little piece of Paris in NC.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: French Onion Soup, B Y O Bistro Hash Skillet, NC Chicken and French Toast, Truffle Mac & Cheese, Pei Mussels
We came here for brunch around 12:30 on a Saturday and it was not busy at all. Brunch portions were large and delicious. Really enjoyed the fries and pancakes! Everything came out in a timely manner and our waitress checked on us periodically.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Audrey Porterfield
As we were never greeted by the hostess, and there was no one at the bar we couldn't experience what looked like a great menu. Everyone looked stressed. Waitstaff had to make their own drinks as there was seemingly no bartender on duty and the hostess kept avoiding eye contact while running downstairs and back up, ducking around corners, putting the tablet she was carrying in front of her face so as to purposely avoid customers in what was a semi busy very understaffed restaurant.
Service: 1
Richard Johnson
Craig and Brooke were terrific wait-staff that made for a memorable evening. With a party of 12, they pampered us and met our every need. The food was simply wonderful. Everyone agreed that it was a special evening. I had a similar experience there prior to this one, but they outdid themselves with a much larger party. Definitely worth a visit.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Brad Lowry
Wonderful food, wonderful service and a wonderful atmosphere. We had a large crowd in a private room and had a great experience. I highly recommend Isa's and will go back the next time I am in Asheville! Thanks again to the chef, waitstaff and everyone else from Isa's that put our dinner together!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: French Onion Soup
S Lancaster
Hosted private event for 14. Craig and Brooke provided first-class service and the quality and presentation of the food was superb. Truffle mac and cheese and firecracker shrimp appetizers were outstanding! Highly recommend when in Asheville.
This restaurant is located right in the heart of Downtown Asheville, and I've been wanting to check it out for some time now... I made RSVP for 2 at 6 pm on a Saturday night...and it turned out that I really didn't need to, as the place was only a quarter full. The place was very spacious...and was appealing aesthetically. However, the ambiance just wasn't there. For starters, the place was a bit dark...with dim lighting, but it didn't create a romantic effect. Rather, it just felt depressing. Also, the overhead music was also dim...muffled even. It would have been much nicer if it was cranked up. In short, the vibe was all off. It just struck me as a place that was probably awesome in its heyday, but just isn't anymore. Service was pretty good though...no issues there. Now the menu was rather small...and maybe more American than French. For some reason, I expected more French? They didn't even have Creme Brulee...HUGE disappointment! In any case, I ordered this Burrata Ravioli with Shrimp, and my husband got the Brisket Short Rib Burger. I personally loved my dish...as it even had Vodka sauce (my favorite), yet my husband only liked his. I think he was put off by how the cheese spilled unto the bottom of his burger, making it all soggy. In any case, we thought the foods were good. I only wish there were more options on the menu...and again, I wished they had the Creme Brulee. BTW, I tried their "Love Potion" cocktail...and it was very small, but strong. It was O-Kay. I didn't like how they hid the pricing of these drinks. Like WHY? Also, many drinks featured on Yelp is no longer of the menu. Yet another thing that was offputting was the attitude of the hostess. She did not even flick a smile when we entered. I simply don't understand how a hostess could put up a rude, silent demeanor when a guest walks in. Isn't part of their job is to greet the customer...and at least TRY to be friendly?? So yeah...the whole experience wasn't ideal. Again, the foods were good, but there were all these offputting things and the disappointments. Honestly, I thought about dropping 3, but I'll bump it up to 4, thanks to the delicious Burrata Ravioli.
A french bistro without onion soup! Food was "ok" and salty. nothing outstanding.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Scallops & cucumber slumber were on point! Ask for Nick as your server, he rocks!
We had a small elopement dinner at the Main Cellar and worked with Jason, Nicholas, and Brit. They were all so lovely to work with and made our dream event happen. They even let us have our dream cake and made sure everything went accordingly! Our servers Creg and Brooke were amazing and honestly helped us out so much! They were very attentive and fun! Our guests absolutely adored them!The Food was amazing as well. I will definitely be coming back to eat here again. The pastry was DIVINE!! love the pastry chef so much. I am a huge dessert person and the sweet Hors d'oeuvres, the seasonal cheese cake, and the cake really enhanced the experience for me. EVERYONE can not stop talking about how good the cheesecake was so definitely give it a try.Overall everyone was a pleasure to work with and if I were to host another event i would definitely go for Isa's Bistro again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cheesecake, Isa's Salad, Truffle Mac & Cheese, Salads
Food was average, service was poor for the price you pay. Had to continually ask for this or that, which you normally would have been brought with the meal. Had pancakes, however no syrup??
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 2
My husband and I love this restaurant. The food is amazing and the service unparalleled. They went over and above, working with my husband to surprise me with a martini served in a glass he had made for me and brought to them earlier in the day. They didn't have to go along with his crazy schemes, but they did and it made for a very special dinner. ❤️
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food took over an hour
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Amazing service food delicious and nick was our server super friendly and make us feel like home
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Good was great, service was excellent. Jill was an outstanding server.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We go here nearly every time we visit Asheville. Great outdoor patio area as well when we have our dog and the food, drinks and people watching are great. We were lucky to have an excellent cellist across the street playing. Reminds us of a little piece of Paris in NC.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: French Onion Soup, B Y O Bistro Hash Skillet, NC Chicken and French Toast, Truffle Mac & Cheese, Pei Mussels
Restaurantji Recommends
We came here for brunch around 12:30 on a Saturday and it was not busy at all. Brunch portions were large and delicious. Really enjoyed the fries and pancakes! Everything came out in a timely manner and our waitress checked on us periodically.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
As we were never greeted by the hostess, and there was no one at the bar we couldn't experience what looked like a great menu. Everyone looked stressed. Waitstaff had to make their own drinks as there was seemingly no bartender on duty and the hostess kept avoiding eye contact while running downstairs and back up, ducking around corners, putting the tablet she was carrying in front of her face so as to purposely avoid customers in what was a semi busy very understaffed restaurant.
Service: 1
Craig and Brooke were terrific wait-staff that made for a memorable evening. With a party of 12, they pampered us and met our every need. The food was simply wonderful. Everyone agreed that it was a special evening. I had a similar experience there prior to this one, but they outdid themselves with a much larger party. Definitely worth a visit.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Wonderful food, wonderful service and a wonderful atmosphere. We had a large crowd in a private room and had a great experience. I highly recommend Isa's and will go back the next time I am in Asheville! Thanks again to the chef, waitstaff and everyone else from Isa's that put our dinner together!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: French Onion Soup
Hosted private event for 14. Craig and Brooke provided first-class service and the quality and presentation of the food was superb. Truffle mac and cheese and firecracker shrimp appetizers were outstanding! Highly recommend when in Asheville.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Truffle Mac & Cheese