A spotlight from Downtown Asheville
Cúrate
From elBulli to Biltmore Avenue — Katie Button and Félix Meana's Spanish tapas bar
When we drove through Asheville, we knew this was the place for us. It's a small city, but with a super vibrant walkable downtown.
— Katie Button & Félix Meana, Chef & Co-Founder / Co-Founder & Wine Director
From elBulli to Asheville
Katie Button studied chemical and biomolecular engineering at Cornell before dropping out of a neuroscience PhD program to cook. Her first restaurant job was with José Andrés in Washington, D.C., where she met her future husband and business partner, Félix Meana.
After a seven-month stage at Ferran Adrià's elBulli in 2009, she left the lab world behind for good — and in January 2010 she and Meana moved to Asheville with her parents to open Cúrate, which debuted in 2011 inside a former bus depot on Biltmore Avenue.
A Spanish tapas bar in Appalachia
Cúrate opened as a Spanish tapas bar in a city that had no Spanish restaurant, and Button has spent fifteen years building a program that includes an all-Spanish wine list, a hand-carved jamón program, and a farm-to-table pintxos menu that leans on Appalachian growers.
The restaurant won the James Beard Foundation's Outstanding Hospitality Award in 2022 and earned a spot in the 2025 Michelin Guide.
Biltmore Avenue
Cúrate sits at the heart of downtown Asheville on Biltmore Avenue, a short walk from Pack Square and the Grove Arcade.
The dining room hugs a long marble bar where the jamonero slices Ibérico by hand, and locals stop in for a vermut and gilda before dinner service even begins.
Order this
The dishes that made Cúrate
Jamón Ibérico de Bellota
Hand-cut acorn-fed Ibérico ham — Button has said she loves the texture of ham cut by hand, thin but substantial.
Gambas al Ajillo
Shrimp sizzling in garlic and guindilla pepper oil, served with grilled bread for sopping.
Paella del Día
A daily lunch paella made in a wide steel pan, rotating seasonally with Appalachian vegetables and Carolina seafood.
Good to know
Cúrate, answered
How should I plan a first visit?
Reserve on Resy weeks ahead, or grab a walk-in bar seat facing the open kitchen for the best show.
How should I order?
Order 6–8 tapas for two to share and let the sherry list guide the pairing — the Manzanilla program is deep.
Anything I shouldn't skip?
The Spanish cheese cart. The aged Idiazábal with quince paste is a Cúrate ritual.