131 main

expensive and overcooked. my wife had this place's $13 cheeseburger, ordered medium rare but served cooked to shoe leather while i chocked down a $16 grouper sandwich which was literally burnt. all i could taste was char! ketchup was all that made it edible and normally i have no use for that sauce. this was the second worst meal i have had in asheville in the last thirty years! beyond the overcooked meat elements the offering was pedestrian with an overwhelming emphasis on iceberg lettuce and pickles.

horrid service!!!. if i could get past the horrible service i might be able to review the incredibly overpriced food, but being as though i still am in shock at how bad our service was...

as soon as i arrived i was greeted by the hostesses. i was taken to my seat and greeted by server within minutes. jenna was the server. very prompt and attentive. the new assistant manager hailey was wonderful. very knowledgeable and made sure my visit was exceptional. i was dining alone but did not feel alone at all. will be a regular. my new spot for lunch. thank you for making me feel welcomed. this picture of these delicious crab cakes does not do it justice. they were phenomenal.

great food, went for brunch and it was delicious. sadly they were out of the waffles, but got a delicious breakfast sandwich with crab and asparagus and it was to die for. service was great and the mimosas were obviously made with fresh squeezed orange juice. yum!

had dinner here recently, while staying at the hilton. filet mignon was good. crab cakes were ok. rib eye was tender, but expected more flavor given the write up on the menu. service was good. very convenient to the hotel.

after having been told how great 131 main was, i am disappointed.  first, i would mention that we were a group of twelve celebrating a friends wedding.  the waiter and servers were very good, friendly and professional.  the waiter recommended the halibut, which i love.  what was served was a very thin piece that was dry, not the thick and moist halibut that i am accustomed to being served.  because of the occasion, i chose not to complain.  my wife had the lamb chops that were excellent.  since the final bill was being split to cover the guest couple, there were a number of charges on my bill showing 1/10 of their charge and that was fine.  my bill included a 131 mainiac for $10.00, grilled artichokes for $12.00 and a coffee for $2.85.  neither of us drink alcoholic beverages and neither of us had coffee.  so, the bottom line is we were charged $24.85 for beverages that we didn't receive and $38.00 for halibut that was a small portion and very dry.  the remainder of the bill was correct and listed every thing that we ordered and were served.  this certainly didn't meet our expectations or live up to the recommendations of friends.

for more upscale dining. we all enjoyed the shrimp and grits. would definitely order it again. the skillet cornbread was also good. it's pricey but the quality of food was comparable to the price.

we are from out of town and wandered in for dinner, we were seated right away. monday and tuesday nights are 1/2 price wine, which made the belle glos very affordable.... i had the lamb shank and crab cakes. the lamb was very tasty with their sauce and mashed potatoes, the crab cake was pedestrian. one of my colleagues had the danish baby back ribs, he raved about them. my other colleague had the rib eye steak, which did not seem great for the price. service was great and attentive. overall a solid choice on 1/2 price wine night...

nice surprise. i really didn't expect much from a restaurant right next to a movie theater but this place is great. the best grilled pork chop i've had in years...plus half off all wine bottles including belle glos! great bar service too

girls trip- thai steak salad a must. i am a gourmet cook myself and found this unexpected charming restaurant a true find. just visiting asheville for the first time and tried it for lunch. i started with a thai steak salad that was so packed with flavors that i found myself studying every fork full. then we ordered the grilled trout with the wild rice side dish which sounds boring, however i'm here to tell you it's anything but. trout is very popular in this region due to all the fresh water streams. i always hesitate to order it due to picking out the bones...none here. again the dish was so packed with flavor...some kind of dried fruit and nuts in the rice. then the hostess insisted we try the cast iron cornbread with green chilies....well needless to say that became our dessert and came home with us! incredible experience which i will try again!

poor attempt at ribeye..... had the ribeye simple grilled, has no flavor at all. i guess if you don't choose the "dipped in soy sauce" option they figure you want a steak cooked straight out of the ingles wrapper with no seasoning....and one side for a 30 dollar meal is extremely cheap also. for the money, eat anywhere else and have a much better meal.

pleasantly surprised!. read so many bad reviews about this place so i was surprised our good friends suggested we eat there tonight prior to going to see a movie next door. they said they had eaten there many times and enjoyed the food, the service and the atmosphere. the service tonight was prompt and professional, and the ribs with fries and cole slaw was possibly the best i ever ate. we will be returning and be bringing other friends and family. the only complaint i had was that our waitress was no where to be found when it was time to pay the check. other than that, a real winner.

we live within walking distance -if the menu ever changed we'd visit a lot more often. they announce the prime rib special every weekend as if it we'd never heard of it before. they serve the same (not very appealing) crab topping on every fish special. same tired sides- quinoa, spaghetti squash with forgettable pomodoro sauce.
how about some variety????

2nd time still not the charm. we were invited back to 131 main via email from the management to try this restaurant again so like sheep we went. the hot food was still cold and the cold food was still hot but the server was the worst - rude does not decribe the vibe. it is a shame since the atmosphere is very nice but atmosphere alone does not nourish. i really hate to write a negative review again but the prices are way too high for the poor quality food and service. again the restaurant was not busy......wonder why. 131 main won't be seeing another negative review from here as we don't intend to come back so please save the email stamp and don't invite us to try again - thanks!


-----30 jul, 2013-----

a bit of a let down. first time and probably the last time - food that was suppose to be hot was cold and by comparison food that was suppose to be cold was hot - service was lousy and they kept trying to take the plates away - we felt rushed and the place was not busy - wonder why - way too expensive for what you get - or what you don't get which is sad because the locale is excellent.

good for the rich and lonely. pedestrian high-end presentation. it's good but not mind blowing. about as far up from the olive garden as the olive garden is from applebee's.