ASHEVILLE – A downtown food hall vendor popular for its empanadas closes; a new downtown restaurant with a wide-ranging whiskey program sets a reopening date; a fast food chicken chain shutters one of its locations after more than 40 years; and another chicken eatery set to reopen after renovations in West Asheville.
Mikasa Criolla closes at S&W Market
Mikasa Criolla, a Peruvian and Spanish-fusion eatery, has closed at S&W Market food hall, 56 Patton Ave. downtown.
Owners Ana Austin and Santiago Vargas opened the brick-and-mortar location in December 2022 as an extension of their catering company.
The food hall vendor closed due to Tropical Storm Helene and remained closed during the citywide water crisis, reopening with S&W Market about a month after the storm, which arrived in WNC on Sept. 27.
In December 2022, Mikasa Criolla opened at S&W Market food hall.
Austin said the business’s lease was scheduled to end in November. They decided not to renew because of downtown’s tourism decline, resulting from Helene.
Austin said she and Vargas worked with the food advocacy organization Food Connection to prepare and distribute nearly 10,000 meals to Helene-impacted neighborhoods.
As of January, Austin and Vargas had pivoted the business to focus on catering services, operating from their commissary kitchen, including for weddings, meetings and special occasions. Austin said nearly all of their clients have been local.
“The lesson learned for us was ‘adapt,'” Austin said. “Adapt to the new reality, to the new circumstances and move forward.”
Mikasa Criolla’s Peruvian handcrafted empanadas are available, frozen, at regional retailers, including Earth Fare, West Village Market & Deli, New York Butcher Shoppe in Arden, Sara Jo’s Station in Hot Springs, and Grateful Roots Market and Deli in Leicester.
Vargas said empanadas and food trays would soon be available to order online for pickup and DoorDash delivery.
For more, visit mikasacriolla.com.
Wildwood Still reopening on Biltmore Avenue
Wildwood Still, a rooftop restaurant at Moxy Hotel downtown, is slated to reopen following Tropical Storm Helene on Feb. 26.
On the seventh floor at 61 Biltmore Ave., the restaurant debuted on Sept. 9 before closing for the Sept. 27 storm.
The Wildwood Still will open at the Moxy Hotel in Asheville, August 15, 2024.
Wildwood Still specializes in American and Asian-inspired cuisines. A revised seasonal menu of small plates will be offered.
Wildwood Still’s bar includes an extensive collection of more than 150 whiskeys and bourbons, influencing the establishment’s name and design.
The hours of operation will be 4-11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 4 p.m.-12 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
The Moxy and Aloft Hotel are open and have regular operations.
For more, visit wildwoodstill.com.
Bojangles closed on Merrimon Avenue
The Bojangles location at 99 Merrimon Ave. has permanently closed after more than 40 years.
Randy Poindexter, executive director of marketing of Bojangles of WNC, told the Citizen Times in an email on Jan. 30 that the Arden-based franchise company operates more than 120 Bojangles restaurants.
Bojangles has permanently closed 99 Merrimon Ave. in Asheville, across from Trader Joe’s.
He said 90 locations were in Helene-impacted areas in Western North Carolina, Upstate South Carolina and August, Georgia. They employ more than 2,700 team members.
He said more than 75 locations closed amid Tropical Storm Helene and all but nine restaurants reopened within two weeks of the historic, devastating storm.
“Despite widespread damage and temporary closures, we have remained steadfast in supporting our communities – mobilizing resources to aid recovery efforts while working tirelessly to restore operations,” Poindexter said.
By late October, two restaurants remained closed ― at 99 Merrimon Ave. and 5697 Hendersonville Highway in Fletcher.
Poindexter said the Fletcher restaurant sustained severe damage due to the storm. A renovation project is underway to rebuild the interior. The reopening is projected for early April.
He said the Merrimon Avenue restaurant’s lease will end soon and will not be renewed. The location opened in November 1982 and later became a franchised location of Bojangles of WNC.
“For more than a year, we have been exploring a replacement location in the Asheville downtown area,” Poindexter said. “While we have not yet found a new location, we felt this was a good time to go ahead and close this location.”
He said Merrimon Avenue employees were relocated to other Bojangles in the Asheville area.
For more, visit bocountry.com.
KFC reopening on Patton Avenue
KFC temporarily closed at 1030 Patton Ave. in West Asheville.
KFC spokesperson Lauren Leger told the Citizen Times in an email on Jan. 30 that the location underwent remodeling and would reopen on Jan. 31.
According to KFC, the location at 1030 Patton Ave., was remodeled and would reopen on Jan. 31, 2025.
The duration of the closure was not disclosed.
According to a city permit filed in January 2024, the interior renovation included improvements to the dining room and exterior painting, lighting, and signage upgrades.
KFC’s second Asheville location is at 800 Fairview Road at River Ridge Market Place and is listed as open on the company’s website. For more, visit kfc.com.
Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Tips, comments, questions? Email tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow @PrincessOfPage on Instagram/Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Bojangles closes on Merrimon Avenue, more Asheville restaurant news
