The Market Place — New American / Farm-to-Table, Asheville
The number that matters here is a hundred miles. William Dissen sources The Market Place from within a hundred-mile radius of its dining room at 20 Wall Street in downtown Asheville, and has done since long before “farm-to-table” became a marketing line — the restaurant opened in 1979 on that premise and never abandoned it. Sourcing that tight is a discipline, not a slogan: the menu has to change with what the Blue Ridge farms actually deliver, week to week, which is harder than buying year-round from a broadline distributor.
Dissen’s cooking is Appalachian technique applied to that larder. The cornmeal-fried catfish with butterbean and boiled-peanut stew is the dish that shows the method — a regional fish given a crisp cornmeal crust, set over a stew that treats the boiled peanut as the Southern ingredient it is. The candy roaster squash soup is the autumn signature, built on a heritage Appalachian squash most kitchens have never cooked. Red wine-braised short ribs and a seasonal vegetable plate round out a menu that reads of the mountains rather than of anywhere.
The format is flexible: a three-course prix fixe runs $55 a head, with most dinners landing between $50 and $100 per person depending on wine. The wine list is built to match mountain cooking — American producers alongside the European bottles the techniques call for. The recognition is current: The Market Place was a James Beard Foundation semifinalist for Outstanding Restaurant in America in 2024, more than four decades after it opened.
The Room
A warm brick-and-timber room on historic Wall Street, a half-flight below the downtown bustle. The sound sits at an easy conversational level, the lighting is low and amber, the tables are well spaced, and the dress code is smart-casual. It is the kind of room that has earned the trust a forty-year restaurant earns — comfortable without being casual.
Best for Closing a Deal
Book The Market Place to close a deal in Asheville because it carries genuine authority: the oldest serious restaurant in town, farm-to-table before the term existed, with a kitchen good enough to be a James Beard semifinalist in 2024. The quiet, well-spaced room lets a conversation carry, and the prix fixe keeps the bill predictable. Order the catfish, let the sommelier match it, and make the case over a meal nobody will second-guess.
Not for
Skip The Market Place if you want trend-driven, of-the-moment cooking — this is a forty-year-old farm-to-table kitchen rooted in Appalachian ingredients, not a room chasing the latest format, and the menu rewards consistency rather than novelty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Market Place worth it? Yes, if you want the most locally sourced serious cooking in Asheville. It opened in 1979, sources within a hundred miles, and chef William Dissen took it to a James Beard Outstanding Restaurant semifinal in 2024. A three-course prix fixe is $55, with most dinners $50 to $100 a head depending on wine.
What should I order at The Market Place? The cornmeal-fried catfish with butterbean and boiled-peanut stew is the dish that defines the kitchen; the candy roaster squash soup is the autumn signature; and the red wine-braised short ribs are the reliable centre plate. The menu changes with the season, so trust the prix fixe for the kitchen’s current best.
Where is The Market Place? 20 Wall Street, on historic Wall Street in downtown Asheville, North Carolina — a short walk from Pack Square and the main downtown hotels, a half-flight below street level.
How hard is it to book The Market Place? Reservations are essential, especially on weekends and through leaf season in October when Asheville fills. Book a week or two ahead for a Friday or Saturday; midweek is easier. Dinner runs Tuesday to Saturday.