Location: Mills River
Top Restaurants in Mills River
Top Things to do in Mills River
Mills River Food Guide: 10 Must-Eat Restaurants & Street Food Stalls in Mills River
Mills River is a town in Henderson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 6,802 at the 2010 census, and was estimated to be 7,168 in 2016. The town took its name from the nearby confluence of the Mills River and French Broad River. It is part of the Asheville Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was incorporated into a town in June 2003. Sierra Nevada opened a brewery in Mills River in 2014.
Things to do in Mills River
1. China Dynasty
Overall Ratings
4 based on 34 reviews
Reviewed By Channel70Productions - Los Angeles, California
Members of our North Carolina crew have been eating at this restaurant for a decade and a half. The food is excellent, the prices a great bargain, and the staff, outstanding. One of North Carolina's best kept secret's.
2. Blue Sky Cafe
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 189 reviews
It's Always a Sunny Day at Blue Sky Cafe! Come & discover this eclectic dining oasis in the heart of Fletcher. Here you will find a relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere where there is something on the menu that will appeal to everyone! Our original menu features wraps, salads, sandwiches, chicken, burgers, freshly prepared sides, decadent desserts and a great kid's menu. Creative daily specials will wake up your taste buds! Stop by, meet our friendly staff, enjoy a cold beer or glass of wine on the breezy patio, relax and brighten your day at Blue Sky Cafe! :)
Reviewed By vacationmom56 - Atlanta
We visited the Blue Sky Cafe on our way out of town. Fletcher is about 30 minutes south of the Biltmore, which is on the south side of Asheville. It was a perfect stop for a fairly quick, delicious lunch. We showed up about 2:30pm...MoreWe hope you enjoyed your visit to Asheville! Thank you for taking the time to review us. We appreciate your business, and look forward to serving you again next time you're in the area. :)
3. Rockys Hot Chicken Shack- South
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 195 reviews
At Rocky's Hot Chicken Shack, we pay homage to "Tennessee style" hot chicken and southern soul food. We prepare our unique fried chicken to order and it all starts as "Plain". From there we can add the spice from mild to XX hot (lots of folk just love it without any spice).
Reviewed By Seagator48 - Christiansburg, Virginia
I love the chicken here. I get it Mild which is somewhat spicy but you can get it hotter or you can get it without spice - still the best fried chicken and the pieces are really large. If you're in Asheville and want fried chicken, try this place.
One word of caution, if you are coming for lunch the lines are much shorter before 11:30 or after the 12:00 rush.
4. Mills River Creamery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 63 reviews
Reviewed By VF0rge - Houston, Texas
Stopped in for a quick treat to get some ice cream. Good service, pleasant surroundings, and very tasty ice cream. I got a single scoop of vanilla, which was huge, creamy and delicious. Customers seem to come in waves so it can be very busy one minute and not so busy the next. Family friendly and worth the trip!
5. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Taproom
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1 reviews
Western North Carolina is known for its love of food and passion for great craft beer. At our Mills River Taproom and Restaurant you’ll find an abundance of both. Visit the Taproom to sample one of our 23 beers on tap, many produced just a few feet from the restaurant. Beers are accompanied by artful, chef-driven food focused on small plate, sharable, whole animal and farm-to-table dishes sourced mainly from local suppliers. We are a first come, first serve restaurant. Please feel free to stop by the host stand to put your name on the list, or grab a beer and head outside to our Back Porch and Beer Garden to take in the views of the beautiful forest or stroll through our Mills River Estate Garden. We use the homegrown vegetables and herbs for our restaurant and small-scale pilot brewery.
Reviewed By MaryDen - VA, USA
This beautiful facility is more than a destination for beer lovers.
We took our grandson on a week day during lunch time.
The grounds are landscaped and the interior is composed of a large interesting restaurant, a large brewery offering various tours, educational displays, and museum type artifacts from the beer brewing industry.
In the restaurant, which is family friendly and a little noisy, we tried the four 2 oz beer sampler with help from the waiter and ordered house pizza and mild chicken wings with a soy glaze. The food was very good and would be reason enough to return.
After lunch we took the free self guided tour of the brewery and the packing and shipping operations by walking along a special mezzanine platform. All 3 of us had a great time and we were there for over two hours.
6. Starbucks
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 4 reviews
Reviewed By Levannah - Hendersonville, North Carolina
I love good coffee and a good latte. While Starbucks isn't usually my first choice in terms of quality for the kind of coffee I like, for the most part, the coffee drinks at Starbucks are consistent and good. I've ordered a latte here three times. In most all Starbucks', the customer can order an "extra hot" drink and the barista will make the drink hot. They seemed puzzled about my order for extra hot. It is also not unusual to order the drink with sugar or sweetener (I order mine with one Splenda.) The barista simply pointed to the sugars at the end of the bar when I asked for the latte with one Splenda. Disappointing. They have no scanner, so if you have a Starbucks app, the barista will have to enter your code manually. It's great to have Starbucks inside grocery stores, but I've often found the quality and service in these locations inconsistent.
7. Mills River Restaurant
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 166 reviews
http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/82/802969/restaurant/Asheville/Mills-River-Restaurant-Mills-River
Reviewed By Clara P - Davie, Florida
After hiking at the Dupont Forest's Triple Falls, High Falls and Hooker Falls, we wanted lunch on October 26th, 2017. By chance, we came to the Mills River Restaurant. There was the option to order the buffet but we wanted fish. We ordered two types of broiled fish, baked potatoes, rice, coleslaw, and green beans. The food had the right amount of seasoning--not salty--and much like good home cooking. The waitresses were really friendly and helpful. We ate so well that we didn't have room for dessert. This restaurant is a good choice as it offers a healthy and tasty menu with reasonable prices.
8. 12 Bones Smokehouse
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 200 reviews
Reviewed By Dean H - Wilmington, North Carolina
Wife & I each got a pulled pork sandwich and we tried 3 bones of Nekid and brown sugar ribs. We preferred the nekid ribs. We both tried the smoked potato salad which was different but tasty. I had the collards that were very good. Wife had mac & cheese that didn't look all that special.
We had been trying to eat here for years but were always busy during days when there and they have odd hours plus mainly a lunch spot. We made it this time on way to nearby orchards plus the leaves are way behind changing.
9. Fidelia's
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 47 reviews
Reviewed By jay f - Hendersonville, North Carolina
My wife and I have become "regulars" at Fidelia's because it is convenient to our home in Hendersonville, the wait staff are always friendly and very efficient, and the food is great! It is NOT a white table cloth restaurant; but I would much rather have great good then pretty atmosphere. It is comfortable, friendly and, today (St. Patty's Day) had corned beef and cabbage which my wife loved! I usually have the fish because they know how to prepare fish. The broiled fish is delightful, moist and delicious and the fish and chips is as good as I have ever gotten in London. The Chicken Marsala is stupendous! They know how to prepare vegetables so that they are still "al dente" and have good texture and flavor. We will continue to eat at this close great restaurant in Horse Shoe, NC
10. Jonny Mac's Lowcountry Grille and BBQ
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 65 reviews
Reviewed By tray2212 - Davidson, North Carolina
Personally I don't think it's much of a barbecue place as it is low country Louisiana Seafood. Seafood and even alligator tail is flown in daily.
I had the shrimp and grits and gumbo. Personally like shrimp and grits spicy but I got to tell you that creamy cheese grits and the light wine cream sauce over top was fabulous. The gumbo was rich - definitely not spicy - but good. Next time I'll just have it without the rice there's plenty of stuff going on and there that you just don't need it. Came with a fried biscuit. They also have a specialty swamp tee that has fresh squeezed fruity flavorness in it.
I arrived few minutes before the lunch hour. At 12:15 I counted 13 people waiting in line to order and when I left there were only two tables available.
Definitely a popular little place. I saw quite a few hamburgers and Cuban sandwiches come out however I understand there's a lot of seafood during dinner time.
Will definitely be back
