ASHEVILLE – Open for less than a year, a West Asheville restaurant is turning heads and earning rave reviews from local and national customers.
10Best, a media component of USA TODAY, announced on January 5 the results of its readers’ Best New Restaurants of 2024.
Food and travel experts from across the country have compiled a list of their 20 favorite new restaurants opening in 2023.
Nominees ranged from “chef-driven, fast-casual concepts to fine-dining restaurants with an emphasis on hyper-local and sustainable ingredients.”
Regina’s Westside, located at 1400 Patton Avenue, was among the 20 properties under consideration. The public then voted for their favorite restaurants to create a top 10 list.
Regina’s, which opened last June, was ranked No. 2 on 10Best’s Readers’ Choice 2024 Best New Restaurants.
“We’re really happy to be here,” co-owner Lisa Wagner said. “This is a great review and we hope more people will join us because everyone who has participated has given us the best feedback. They love it.”
First place went to Otto’s High Dive of Orlando, Florida. The full list can be found at 10best.usatoday.com/awards/travel/best-new-restaurant-2024/.
“Great news. It’s amazing,” said Regina’s executive chef Kathryn Fitzgerald. “We’ve only been open six months, but it’s been a great accomplishment for everyone here in the building, and we’ve worked hard to bring the community together, and this is a solid recognition of that. If possible, we would like to continue to allow people in the neighborhood to break bread and biscuits together. ”
Here’s what you need to know about Regina’s Westside.
Dining at Regina’s Westside
Regina’s serves Southern comfort food for breakfast and lunch. Hours have been adjusted to 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily to accommodate the low winter season, but dinner service will be provided during the voting period and is expected to resume in the spring.
Homemade comfort food made with locally sourced ingredients on a menu carefully selected by Regina’s chefs. Fitzgerald said she focuses not only on knowledge about food, but also on the integration of space and food.
“I’m not pretentious at all with my food. I love breakfast. I’ve been in this industry for many years and want to learn and grow even more,” Fitzgerald said.
Wagner said the venue’s feminine beauty and comforting quality of food are the main reasons people enjoy visiting Regina’s.
“There aren’t a lot of places in Asheville for women. There’s a lot of masculine wood and steel, and this is the color of lipstick,” Wagner said. “Kat does a great job with the food. We get feedback on that first and foremost.”
regina breakfast menu
Fitzgerald’s favorite on the winter menu is the breakfast pork loin hash, which is made with a whole pork loin from Vander Farm in Lake Lure. It is also a top seller for dinner.
Pork loin is slowly roasted for 2 hours, then cut into cubes and served with potatoes. It’s drizzled with cheese sauce, bacon, jalapenos, and topped with two fried eggs.
“It’s very comfortable,” Fitzgerald said. “When I wake up on my day off in this industry, usually Monday or Tuesday, I just want to go somewhere and be given some love and warmth. For me, that’s a breakfast of potatoes and meat.”
Also try the cat head style biscuits with cantaloupe jam.
Regina’s lunch menu
Wagner’s favorite is the grilled eggplant sandwich offered on the lunch menu. It is made on toasted challah with bell peppers, baba ganoush, harissa yogurt, shug, and arugula. Sandwiches come with fries, home fries, or a side salad.
Wagner often recommends this dish to his guests, describing it as “a party in the mouth.”
Early in his culinary career, Fitzgerald helped open Yalla!, a Middle Eastern food stall in Atlanta’s Krog Street Market. She says this recipe was inspired by the pita that was on her previous menu.
Another bestseller at Regina’s is the burrata sandwich, made with prosciutto, arugula, Calabrian chile, olive relish and cantaloupe jam on sourdough. May be requested as vegetarian.
“My favorite thing to eat is when I’m at home. I buy burrata, prosciutto, vegetables from the garden and it’s like a snack,” Fitzgerald said.
Wagner said the balance of sweet and salty is a winner.
“It’s my jam,” she said.
The Fitzgerald is a wedge salad that elevates another classic with layers of flavor.
It comes with purple potato chips, pickled vegetables, Maytag blue cheese, buttermilk ranch, bacon, and all the condiments. Fitzgerald recommends adding fried chicken on top.
Drinks at Regina’s
Regina’s beverage program includes coffee, soft drinks, alcoholic beverages and zero-proof craft beverages.
“I started my career in Atlanta with a natural soda and lemonade program. It was a lot of fun and it was like getting my name out there in the culinary world,” Fitzgerald said.
The chef used to sell her homemade sodas at farmers markets, earning her the nicknames “Queen of Soda” and “Soda Wizard.”
Regina’s offers house lemonade and seasonal sodas. In the winter, the restaurant pours a sage and ginger lemonade made with fresh herbs and freshly pressed juices.
Fitzgerald said a customer favorite is the Painkiller, which is made with fresh pineapple juice, coconut milk, rum and a splash of orange.
Like the food, the drinks are made using fresh ingredients and homemade mixes such as Bloody Marys.
“It’s pretty standard, but it feels different,” Fitzgerald said.
Learn more about Regina
Regina’s owner and chef have many aspirations for the restaurant in 2024.
Wagner said he wanted to further increase the comfort level for guests and open up the patio with a fire pit.
“We want to be able to cook over that fire, like roast oysters, and have parties around it,” Fitzgerald said.
Look out for announcements of events centered around fresh seafood and other “fun pop-up parties” celebrating sustainable food and local providers.
“We’ve had people come here once or twice a week for the last six months,” Wagner said. “It’s a hidden gem. I’m glad you enjoyed it while there was still space.”
Another perk is that Regina’s offers full parking, a rarity in Asheville.
Also visit Regina’s Westside’s sister properties: Little Louie’s (formerly Malvern Bar), Desoto Lounge, and Barksdale Bar.
“We’re basically available morning, noon, night and late into the night,” Wagner said. “We try to provide some form of hospitality and make sure everyone feels welcome.”
Regina’s Westside
where: 1400 Patton Avenue, Asheville.
time: Open daily from 9am to 3pm.
information: For more information, visit reginaswestside.com and follow @reginaswestside on Instagram.
Stories you may have missed:
Tiana Kennel is a food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow us on Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this kind of journalism.Citizen Times subscription.
