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Delectable Cuisine in the Heart of the RIVER ARTS DISTRICT

Vivian will be Closed for the Unforeseen future until the business has power and water back, amongst other repairs & rebuilding. We feel so lucky the building is still standing unlike so many other amazing businesSes lost in the RAD. Follow us on Insta/FB for updates.

Honest American Food that Utilizes the Bountiful Products of Appalachia and the Rich History of European Cuisine

Vivian opened in 2017 in the River Arts District of Asheville, located 5 minutes south of Downtown. Husband and wife team, Josiah and Shannon McGaughey, began their grassroots culinary adventure as a food truck. They maintain these humble beginnings through Vivian—a casual fine dining restaurant that welcomes everyone into what feels like a cozy home dinner.

The small space is clean and simple, adorned with gifts from regulars and paintings done by Vivian, Chef Josiah’s grandmother who was the driving inspiration for him to begin his culinary career. Outside you’ll find our covered patio, fit for dining all times of year!

James Beard nominated Chef Josiah McGaughey changes the menu regularly, based on what seasonal cuisine is available from local farmers. Shannon McGaughey’s extensive wine list highlight’s old world European specialties with a curated half-off bottle list available Thursdays. Bar Manager, Porter Cornell, touts an innovated cocktail menu that changes seasonally and never fails to impress. Hope to host y’all soon!

 

CONTACT

(828) 225-3497 vivianriverarts@gmail.com

Location

348 Depot Street
Ste 190
Asheville, NC 28801

Free Parking available in the Pink Dog Creative lot

 

DINING Hours

Weds - Sat 5p–8:45p (restaurant closes at 11p)
Sun Brunch 10:30a–1:30p (restaurant closes at 3:30p)

 
 
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Make a reservation

Please note, parties of 5-6 guests must call in or email to make a reservation. We do not accept parties larger than six people, thanks!

Brunch is only served on Sundays.

 
 

Call 828.225.3497 or book online with Resy. Feel free to shoot an email to vivianriverarts@gmail.com with any questions!

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Give the gift of great food

Looking for a gift for a special occasion like an anniversary or birthday? Vivian offers gift certificates for any amount!

All you need to do is click here to Purchase a gift certificate! You’ll have the option to send your gift via email or text to a recipient of your choosing, and it can be easily redeemed in the restaurant at the time of their meal.

Already have a GC with Vivian?

Check the balance/ add more funds Here

***Please note, if you received a old school, paper gift certificate in the past, these will expire 12/31/2024. We have moved over to an an electronic gift card that is more efficient and safer for the business, and we will not honor paper gift certificates after this year. Any online gift certificates purchased here or gift cards purchased in the restaurant ill have no expiration date***

 
 

A Husband And Wife Team on a Mission

Josiah and Shannon McGaughey began the journey of opening a restaurant as a mere tabletop kitchen pop-up inside Burial Beer Co. in 2015.  It was a great way to put Josiah’s food out there to see if people enjoyed his style. Luckily for us, they did! Within one year, we were opening what became our permanent food truck—Salt & Smoke. Although Salt & Smoke operated through window service, we aimed to offer restaurant caliber service and cuisine, all plated on paper plates! We were graced with many accolades and wonderfully appreciative guests during our time running the truck, including being on the cover of Beer Advocate Magazine.  

During this time, we were constantly hunting for the ideal brick-and-mortar restaurant space. It was long and strenuous, but in the end, we couldn’t have asked for a better location or more amazing folks to work with along the way. We were extremely excited to take over space previously occupied by The Junction. The River Arts District truly was our first home when we moved to Asheville in 2013 when Josiah began his AVL career helping to open up The Bull and Beggar. We love being part of this neighborhood and its community of incredible artists and small businesses. 

Vivian is named after Josiah’s grandmother who was a driving force in his culinary upbringing as she hosted grand dinner parties in a Julia Child-like fashion during his childhood in Georgia. Josiah’s menu continues to explore the work he’s already presented at Salt & Smoke, but he challenges himself to elevate cuisine within our comfortable, casual dining space. The food is clean, with limited elements to a plate, but with each one promising big, robust flavors. He focuses on combining the perfect mix of tastes across appetizers, small plates, entrees, and desserts while continuing to explore the melding of European flavors and techniques into the realm of his Southern heritage. We work with our region’s incredible farmers, so the menu is seasonal and changes frequently. We offer an extensive wine list with unique and delectable old world varietals that compliment the food. We love serving up a classic cocktail as well as our constantly rotating selection of craft cocktails that explore similar themes as the culinary concept. And, of course, we continue to promote all the talented breweries of Asheville with local taps and bottles.

Like all restaurants, the challenges we faced when the pandemic hit were massive. We are extremely proud of our team’s willingness to pivot, re-create, as we faced the changing world and worked on projects like Vivian at Home or when we were acting as a grocery store to support local farmers and to provide unavailable food that was needed for the community at the height of 2020. During this time we invested in proving a safe dining space. Our restaurant is outfitted with an ionizing filtration system that kills 98% of all pathogens, and we are sure to diligently follow all CDC COVID safety guidelines.

In Spring of 2023 our Executive Chef/Owner, Josiah McGaughey, was nominated for Best Chef Southeast in the James Beard awards! We are so honored and surprised to be nominated and couldn’t be more happy. Vivian is a small cozy home we'd like you to think of as your own. We’re so grateful of the community we have built and all the lovely faces that have become part of that home. So, become a part of the Viv Family and enjoy delicious food and drinks with us soon!

 

Our Story

 
 
 

Press

Chef Josiah McGaughey Nominated for a James Beard Award for Best Chef Southeast: James Beard 2023 Semifinalists

Eater Carolinas Highlight’s Vivians Sunday Brunch 11 Amazing Spots to Eat Brunch In Asheville

Eater Carolinas Names Vivian as an Essential Asheville Restaurant

Asheville Food Fan Awards: Vivian Nominated for Best Restaurant for 3rd Year in a Row

Mountain Xpress Best of Winner of Best Restaurant in the RAD and Best French Restaurant

Asheville Food Fan Awards: Vivian Nominated for Best Restaurant for 3rd Year in a Row

OpenTable Winner of Top 10 Diner’s Choice in Asheville

Asheville Food Fan Awards: Vivian Wins Best Restaurant For 2nd Year in a Row

TripAdvisor’s Travelers Choice Award

Mountain Xpress “Best Of” Awards: 3rd Place, Best European Restaurant | 2nd place, Best Restaurant in the River Arts District

Asheville Food Fan Awards: Best New Restaurant, Best Restaurant Overall

Mountain Xpress “Best of” Awards: 1st place, Best New Restaurant

FAQS

Food

Is the menu always the same?

Nope! The menu is subject to daily changes, if there is a dish you are particularly coming in for please call and ask if its still available!

Can you accommodate a vegan or vegetarian diet?

The majority of our local produce is utilized for our protein based entrees. With our tiny kitchen team we are not able to create off-menu vegetarian or vegan entrees. We do typically have plant based starters and shareables, but options are limited, so please check the menu first to make sure its a good fit for you before joining us!

Can You Accommodate Allergies and Dietary ResTrictions?

Where we generally cannot allow for substitutions, we are absolutely happy to do our best to help with allergies and dietary restrictions. As a general rule, gluten free diets are very easy for us to accommodate. Dairy free diets can be more difficult as chef has a penchant for French cuisine, but we can usually provide a variety of options, especially if you are able to consume butter. Shellfish and nut allergies are easy, and the kitchen team is proficient in ensuring there is no cross contamination during the preparation of your meal Allium allergies are VERY hard for us—garlic, onion, shallot, chives, leeks go in the base of most dishes!

DO YOU have a kids menu?

We do not have a kid’s menu, but you are welcome to bring in any outside food for children 5 and under to enjoy if there is not something on the menu that suits them.

Do you have specials?

Every Thursday we offer half of select wine bottles! Follow us on Instagram to see the weekly post of offerings.

Do you still have your fried chicken special?

Sorry y’all, we LOVE how much you love our fried chicken special that helped us survive the pandemic, but we haven’t been offering that special since 2021. We’re always thinking about opening a lil chicken shack, but for now Vivian will let our chef’s stick to cooking the regular menu!

Do you have take out?

We cannot accommodate take out due to the size of our kitchen and team. The only exception is brunch sweets on sundays—feel free to pop in to grab some togo!

Reservations

Do you close at 8:45? Can I even book then?

We DO NOT close at 8:45 and you are absolutely not putting anyone out if you book at that time! We do our last seating at 8:45pm, the restaurant doesn’t close until 11:00pm. The same goes for Sunday brunch; we do our last seating at 1:30pm, but the restaurant doesn’t close til 3:30pm.

Do you have brunch every day?

Nope, brunch is only served on Sundays!

Can I book a large party?

As we are a smaller space and team, we only allow large parties of six or less (and we do not split groups between tables). We find its the best way to enjoy our food and service, as well as keep space available for our lovely locals and regulars! If you would like to book a party of 5-6 people, please call or email directly to inquire. Parties of 5-6 people are subject to a 22% applied gratuity.

Can i reserve a seat at the bar?

We have two seats at our six seater bar available for booking on Resy, but all other spots are first come, first serve!

Do you allow walk-ins?

Absolutely! Where we do encourage guests to make a reservation, we always are happy to take a walk-in. We always have seats available at the bar and counter that cannot be booked online. Where a walk-in table can be more difficult to snag on a Friday or Saturday, we typically have lots of availability on Wednesdays & Thursdays!

Booking with Resy

I swear I made a reservation but I don’t have an email confirmation….

If you do not IMMEDIATELY get a confirmation email after completing a booking on Resy, you did NOT successfully book a table. Resy makes you confirm multiple times after providing your credit card, so make sure you complete those steps. Check you Resy profile to make sure you have your correct email address updated. If you can’t sort it out, give us a call!

Why is resy asking me for a credit card?

This is mainly to avoid no-shows on the day of. We’re a small space and if someone doesn’t show up for their reservation, that means we have held the table all day for no reason and have difficulty finding folks to fill those seats last minutes as most people rely on a secure reservation to come in. If you need to cancel, we just ask you to do so the day before, or before noon on the day-of. If you have an emergency and need to cancel day-of, just call us and let us know the situation.

What if I am running late for my reservation?

If you are more than 15 minutes late for your reservation, we will cancel your reservation. So if you are running late, give us a call and we will see if there is anything we can do to help outside of that 15 minute grace period.

I dont see any tables available, are you fully booked?

If you don’t see a spot or preferred dining time available on Resy, we may have a secret spot available!

Patio

You say the patio is heated…how warm is it really?

Our patio is fully roofed so you will never have an issue with rain. Additionally, the patio outfitted with vinyl flaps that allow us to completely enclose the patio or roll up some flaps depending on the temperature. Our heaters are attached to the ceiling and have their own thermostat that pumps the heat up to 78 degrees! We’ve had folks dine during winter with temps as low as 30 degrees. We always encourage guests to wear layers so you can adjust as needed, but you’ll definitely be cozy!

What about in summer? is it too hot on the patio?

We have ceiling fans and a floor fan that we pop on in the hotter days. Since the patio is completely shaded by its roof, it doesn’t get too warm out there!

Can I bring my dog?

Well behaved dogs are welcome to join on the patio! The only time dogs are allowed inside are if they are service dogs. If you are bringing in you service dog, please be prepared to provide the proper documentation.

Other

where are you located?

Vivian is located in the River Arts District of Asheville, just 5 minutes south of Downtown. We’re surrounded by wonderful artists, if you’d like to check them out, note that most close around 5pm. We’re technically walkable from downtown, but it gets pretty hilly so I’d recommend the 5 minute drive,

Where can i park?

We have free parking in our lot across the street marked Pink Dog Creative, as well as unmetered street parking.

what do you do to protect against covid?

Our restaurant is equipped with an ionizing filtration system in the HVAC that kills 98% of pathogens. We have outdoor seating on the patio that has airflow for those who don’t feel comfortable dining inside. Our team is all fully vaccinated and diligent about keeping everyone safe. We always sanitizing thoroughly between guests with CDC approved sanitizer and conscious steps are taken to reduce touch points.

WHAT IS A KITCHEN APPRECIATION FEE?

Kitchen Appreciation is a 3% service charge that is added to all of our guests checks. The entirety of this charge is used to assist in paying our hard working kitchen staff a fair wage. The current economy and the affordable housing crisis in Asheville have led to a huge surge in the cost of a living and what is required of a living wage. Obviously, our incredible employees deserve a living wage, but as a small, independently owned business it is becoming very difficult for us to provide this. Thus, we have turned to the Kitchen Appreciation fee that we see our friends and colleagues at restaurants such as Bull and Beggar, The Admiral, Tall Johns, and Jettie Rae’s using as a way to help us with this endeavor. We had considered raising our food prices drastically, but found that this service charge would be a lesser cost to guests and allow us to continue providing delicious, farm fresh food at fair prices. The welfare and safety of our employees is paramount, and this charge greatly helps to maintain that. We understand that this is a newer type service charge in restaurants and may be too progressive for some of our guests; if you do not want to pay this fee, please tell your server and a manager will be happy to remove this charge.

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