North Carolina Eatery Named Among The Best New Restaurants Of 2023

After two North Carolina restaurants were named as some of the best new restaurants in the South, another eatery in the state has been recognized as being one of the best new restaurants in the entire country.

Food magazine Bon Appétit released its picks for the best new restaurants of 2023, expanding its list to 24 establishments around the country that they say "represent the very best of dining." Good news for foodies in the Tar Heel State — one of the eateries singled out among them is located right here in North Carolina.

According to the site, Neng Jr.'s in Asheville is one of the best new restaurants in the entire country. The first Filipinx restaurant in the city offers a menu filled with must-try dishes, including Bon Appétit's highlights of adobo oyster, duck adobo, pork belly pulled noodles, keso ice cream and adobo martini.

Here's what the site had to say:

"On a quiet dead-end street in Asheville, North Carolina, swooping letters painted on an outside wall signal you've reached your destination: The Fabulous Neng Jr.'s. If you step into the 17-seat Filipinx restaurant solely in search of the familiar, you won't find it. ... Behind the chef's counter is Silver Iocovozzi, sporting a chopped and screwed button-down with plenty of slits and cutouts (to maximize airflow and chicness, of course). Equipped with a Kaginushi charcoal grill, a fryer, and a few burners, the chef tenderly blends North Carolinian and Filipinx flavors. Alongside his partner in work and life, the restaurant's wine director and co-owner Cherry Iocovozzi, he injects the space with a vividly queer sensibility that touches everything from the wine to the art on the walls. At Neng Jr.'s, Silver is putting Filipinx food on the fabulous pedestal it deserves."

Check out the full list of America's best new restaurants of the year at bonappetit.com. to read up on what sets these establishments apart from the rest.