Asheville Food Bites: New coffee shop, tropical bar, Asian food-brew celebrations, more
ASHEVILLE - A local coffee shop set to open its fourth location; a neighborhood cocktail bar flips into a tropical oasis; Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations; and a hard cider company offers tasting tours at its facility.
Dripolator coming to Tunnel Road
Dripolator is expanding once again with a fourth location to open at 811 B Tunnel Road in Asheville.
The locally opened coffee shop debuted in Black Mountain in 1999. In the last two years, the business has seen steady growth with a location in Candler that opened in 2022 and a third store that opened in Gerber Village in South Asheville last year.
The opening date for the Tunnel Road coffee shop has not been announced but is expected to be in the spring.
For more, visit dripolatorcoffee.com and follow on Instagram @dripolatorcoffeehouse.
Little Jumbo’s tropical cocktail bar
Little Jumbo is helping guests shake the winter blues while shaking fruity martinis through the month of February.
Beginning Feb. 1, Little Jumbo, 241 Broadway St., will break from its classic style to transform into Tropilachia Club, a bar designed to bring tropical drinks and vibes to Appalachia until Feb. 29.
“We thought it would be fun to do something a little different and to provide an escape in that gray, late-winter time when everybody starts to drag a little naturally as we’re past the holidays, it’s still cold and not spring,” said co-owner Chall Gray.
The bar's vintage decor will be swapped with bamboo furniture, grass thatch, seashells, and maritime paintings, and a palapa hut will be constructed in the bar room. The staff will wear floral bar uniforms.
“We’re already an eclectic bar and quirky but this is going to be far beyond anything else we’ve ever done as far as a departure of what people think of as a normal Little Jumbo-style flow,” Gray said.
The drinks menu will receive a complete overhaul and be replaced by a full menu of Mai Tais and more.
The Itty Bitty Teeny Weeny Lychee Martini is one of the cocktails on the special menu, made with Ninja Vodka ― a new spirit released by Gray and Asheville Brewing ― and Cultivated Cocktails' Hwy 9 gin and lychee.
Saturn in Jupiter features gin, almond syrup and guava.
“Our goal is for you to come in and have a miniature tropical vacation at the corner of Elizabeth and Broadway,” Gray said.
Tropilachia Club's hours will be 4-11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 4 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday and Saturday from Feb. 1-29 only. For more, visit littlejumbobar.com and follow @littlejumbobar.
Chinese Lunar New Year beer
Highland Brewing’s annual Chinese New Year celebration will return with a new beer release and taproom events for the Year of the Dragon.
On Feb. 10, Highland Brewing’s Wooden Dragon(fruit) Wheat will be available on draft, a beer made in collaboration with Lucky Envelope Brewing in Seattle.
The beer is described as a wheat beer that “boasts a vibrant fusion of dragon fruit purees and powders, coupled with a blend of Luminosa, HBC-1019, and Strata hops” with notes of peach, mango, lemonade and bubblegum.
Highland’s Lunar New Year Celebration and Beer Release party will be 12-10 p.m. Feb. 10 at 12 Old Charlotte Hwy. The event is free.
The traditional lucky red envelope giveaway will gift the first 88 guests with items like branded merchandise and gift cards.
Dragon Phoenix Lion Dancers will perform the traditional Lion Dance from 3-4 p.m.
Captain Midnight will provide live music from 6-9 p.m.
Asian cuisine will be sold by several vendors, Bun Intended, El Kimchi, Pop Bubble Tea and Nibbly Onigiri.
Also, return to Highland Brewing from 1-3 p.m. Feb. 18 for the Bun Intended Dumpling and Beer Pairing with Highland's Sensory Scientist, Megan Rayfield, who will guide guests through each pairing. Guests will receive four different dumplings paired with four Highland beers, including the Wooden Dragon(fruit) Wheat.
Tickets are $45 per person.
To purchase tickets and for more event details, visit highlandbrewing.com.
Cider tasting tours
Barn Door Ciderworks is now offering tasting tours to give guests a behind-the-scenes look at the making of barrel-aged hard cider at its cidery at 23 Lytle Road in Fairview/Fletcher.
Tours cost $25 per person and include a look at the pressing shed, production room, and aging and barrel room before enjoying a tasting flight of cider and light fare in the taproom.
Barn Door Ciderworks specializes in the traditional fermentation and aging process, using oak barrels for its small-batch barrel-aged cider. This method gives the cider depth and nuanced flavors, according to co-owner Katie Moore.
The ciders are described as "completely dry with zero residual sugar" due to being made with fermented apples without added fruit, flavors or sweeteners.
Tours are by appointment only. Contact Katie Moore via phone (828) 484-1586 or email katie@barndoorcw.com to arrange.
For more, follow Barn Door Ciderworks on social media at facebook.com/BarnDoorcw/ and @barndoorciderworks.
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Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow her on Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Dripolator's new coffee shop, Highland's Chinese New Year events, more
