An unforgettable, deeply resonant meal at Neng Jr.
Our dinner here last night was exceptional—not just in execution, but in meaning.
As someone who is Filipino, ordering the corned beef was an unexpectedly emotional experience. The flavor was uncannily precise, transporting me straight back to my childhood. It tasted exactly like the corned beef my lolo used to make when he was raising us—humble, soulful, and deeply comforting. In that moment, I could vividly picture him in the kitchen, right down to the green-top salt shaker he always used. It stirred memories I hadn’t touched in years, and I found myself quietly moved at the table. Food rarely does that, and when it does, it’s profound.
Beyond that singular dish, every aspect of the meal was thoughtfully composed. The cooking honors Filipino flavors while elevating them with creativity and restraint—never overwrought, always intentional. Each plate felt personal, rooted, and confident.
The service matched the food: warm, attentive, and genuinely gracious. You feel cared for here, not just served.
Neng Jr. is not simply a restaurant—it’s a place where memory, culture, and craft intersect. An extraordinary dining experience that I wholeheartedly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Melissa Weiss
One of the best meals of my life. Homemade noodles, scallops, grouper, incredible salad and insanely good cocktails. Everyone is cool and hot and very attentive. Cozy, intimate and warm atmosphere. Cannot wait to come back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Andress Eichstadt
We had such a great time! We sat at the bar and loved seeing Chef Silver work his magic. Everything was beautiful, thoughtful, and delicious. It was the perfect spot for my husband’s birthday dinner. Will definitely be back! Pro tip: If you can’t get a reservation online, call and get on the waitlist.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jenn Z
Fantastic!! The food was delicious. The service warm and welcoming. The space cool and clean.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
P. Robinson
IMO and as someone who frequents high end to mom and pops restaurants, this place missed the mark for me. With all the rave, I expect to pick anything on the menu and at the very least and not be blown away, but really enjoy the food, this was not my experience.
The host and waitress were lovely. The food, just okay.
Food: 3
Ryan Orlosky
A great, quaint, Filipinx spot in West Asheville. Neng Jr.'s has been the buzz around Asheville for the last couple of years, making it difficult to get a reservation. Having snagged a Wednesday evening reservation two weeks out (via Tock), we were excited to experience it for ourselves. Neng Jr's is located on a quiet side street with almost a hidden entrance. Up the stairs, we were promptly greeted and seated at the bar. The space is charming and casual, although tight with limited seating. Unfortunately, we had the worst seats in the house, up against the wall on the far left of the bar - limiting our view of the action in the kitchen. Many hard surfaces in an intimate space, made it loud and difficult to communicate between ourselves and our server at times. Andrea, our server and bartender, greeted us promptly and warmly - she was fantastic throughout our dinner.
We started with the beef tartare and rice potpourri. The beef tartare was the standout of the evening, our favorite dish by far - well balanced with homemade, delicious chips. The rice was unique and we appreciate the chef's passion about the quality and sourcing of the rice and truffles. We would have loved a contrasting textural component with the rice to really help the dish shine.
For entrees, we had the grilled tilefish laing and lump crab aligue noodles (special for the night). The noodles were spicy with a strong lemongrass flavor and had a generous amount of crab, changing in flavor as we ate through the dish. The tilefish over spinach was a miss for our palates, lacking a strong flavor or texture. The portions were hearty, so we were unable to save room for dessert.
Although we had an overall good experience, we thought the prices were overall too high for the Asheville market; although we understand the strong demand and buzz surrounding the restaurant. This is compared to the experience and food quality at competing area restaurants like Tall John's or Leo's House of Thirst.
We love to continue to see the expansion of food diversity in our community and will continue to follow Neng Jr.'s journey in Asheville.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 5
Morgan
We had an incredible experience for my birthday. The staff were incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. We had several different plates from the menu. They were all mind-blowingly delicious. The tuna, lumpia, beef tartare, and lump crab pasta were a great selection of dishes that came well recommended from our server. The portion sizes were perfect and we left feeling so well taken care of and nourished. The atmosphere was perfect including fantastic music. You absolutely have to go here for the food and stay for the vibes. The wine was also really good and went fantastic with our food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jean Toxen
Even one star is too many. Loud music, thumpa, thumpa, boom boom boom. No idea what kind but made listening to the waitress (who was attentive) VERY difficult. Bad red wine in a small serving. $7.99 a bottle Costco red better. We were given what the waitress said was garlic peanuts, neither of us could taste any garlic. Our mains were blah. My husband had some plain roasted cabbage with his, mine was grouper that had been steamed with nothing special. We could easily cook these dishes better at home and my husband makes a fabulous Sinagang Hippon so we eat Filippino at home sometimes. Also it was my husband's birthday and I had stated this on the reservation ($60 fee if you cancel) where it was explained that they would do everything to make your night special or some such. No offer of birthday cake was made so even though the place sits 18 people total the staff could not be bothered to remember what was on our reservation. My husband used to travel in the Philippines. I thought maybe the chef could come out and say hello to him and they could have some fun talking about the Philippines. No way, the kitchen staff was too self-important to get involved with us. Think try making eye contact on the New York subway and you will understand the vibe we got by watching the kitchen workers. We left around 10 pm (reservation was for 9) and were thrilled to escape after I paid close to $150 for terrible food and a terrible atmosphere. Thumpa, thumpa, boom, boom, boom.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 3
Kerry Sturgis
So excited to having finally gotten a reservation here. We snuck in at a 5pm slot on Friday and had a great dining experience. The place is small and intimate with very limited seating. Dishes were fresh, creative and delicious. Service was attentive and not pretentious. Would absolutely recommend and come back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
eric lentsch
Simply put this was the best food experience we had in Asheville for our entire trip.
food was seriously good, flavor and taste you don’t get everywhere. The ‘entree’ type choice also sent me home with leftovers I got so full
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Wilfred Wong
Well executed Filipino food and good drinks. Dirty rice Martinez was so good. Toasty rice perfumed the entire mouth and the vermouth just played so well together. Started off with the oysters, which had a quail egg, muscadine, and adobo component. Creamy, meaty, and refreshing. The black pepper vinagrette was delectable. Good start. Next was the lumpia, which was well done. The eggplant was absolutely delicious. Char, umami, and brightness give way to a melty interior and really warms the soul. Wish I had gotten rice for this. The duck Adobo was stunning. Grilled breast served on a mound of pomme purree surrounded by a coconut sauce. That sauce went so well with the duck. Every bite was chock full of meaty coconut duck. The rice was a literal vessel for the sauce, and we finished all of it. Dessert consisted of the queso cheddar ice cream and a peach sorbet. I wished the cheddar was a bit stronger, but the peach sorbet was perfect. Overall, a great meal, and we left stuffed. 😋
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rose Soto
Sat at the bar, Andrea server / bartender was so wonderful walked us through each menu item. House cocktails were fun and worth it! Definitely always get the oysters and lumpia (eggroll), shrimp & noodles so good, my husband really liked the tuna tartare, and don’t skip the cheese ice cream!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Chris Bemis
My second visit here and just as wonderful. I absolutely love the ambiance and presence here. This visit started with a passing smile from the chef. Our meal started with fruit with a wonderfully salty sauce that was a delicious pairing. Then we had a ceviche style tuna as described by our wonderful server, I might add ;)) which was refreshing with a bit of spice. We finished with a fried trout dish accompanied by heirloom tomatoes also in a light dressing that paired perfectly. As we walked out, again I caught a genuine beautiful smile from the chef and cannot tell you how much We appreciate you, your staff and wonderful food. Thank you for sharing all with us.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fruit Plate
kirk dehaven
This is hard. The food was mediocre at best. Four dishes, one great, one fair, two poor. Really like what Neng is doing here, great efforts but clumsy overly seasoned noodle dishes, burnt not charred appetizer, fish that was not acceptable at Long John Silver coupled with best tomatoes of the summer. What's going on? Don't you taste your dishes before you share them with an eager public?
An unforgettable, deeply resonant meal at Neng Jr.
Our dinner here last night was exceptional—not just in execution, but in meaning.
As someone who is Filipino, ordering the corned beef was an unexpectedly emotional experience. The flavor was uncannily precise, transporting me straight back to my childhood. It tasted exactly like the corned beef my lolo used to make when he was raising us—humble, soulful, and deeply comforting. In that moment, I could vividly picture him in the kitchen, right down to the green-top salt shaker he always used. It stirred memories I hadn’t touched in years, and I found myself quietly moved at the table. Food rarely does that, and when it does, it’s profound.
Beyond that singular dish, every aspect of the meal was thoughtfully composed. The cooking honors Filipino flavors while elevating them with creativity and restraint—never overwrought, always intentional. Each plate felt personal, rooted, and confident.
The service matched the food: warm, attentive, and genuinely gracious. You feel cared for here, not just served.
Neng Jr. is not simply a restaurant—it’s a place where memory, culture, and craft intersect. An extraordinary dining experience that I wholeheartedly recommend.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
One of the best meals of my life. Homemade noodles, scallops, grouper, incredible salad and insanely good cocktails. Everyone is cool and hot and very attentive. Cozy, intimate and warm atmosphere. Cannot wait to come back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had such a great time! We sat at the bar and loved seeing Chef Silver work his magic. Everything was beautiful, thoughtful, and delicious. It was the perfect spot for my husband’s birthday dinner. Will definitely be back! Pro tip: If you can’t get a reservation online, call and get on the waitlist.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Fantastic!! The food was delicious. The service warm and welcoming. The space cool and clean.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
IMO and as someone who frequents high end to mom and pops restaurants, this place missed the mark for me. With all the rave, I expect to pick anything on the menu and at the very least and not be blown away, but really enjoy the food, this was not my experience.
The host and waitress were lovely. The food, just okay.
Food: 3
A great, quaint, Filipinx spot in West Asheville. Neng Jr.'s has been the buzz around Asheville for the last couple of years, making it difficult to get a reservation. Having snagged a Wednesday evening reservation two weeks out (via Tock), we were excited to experience it for ourselves. Neng Jr's is located on a quiet side street with almost a hidden entrance. Up the stairs, we were promptly greeted and seated at the bar. The space is charming and casual, although tight with limited seating. Unfortunately, we had the worst seats in the house, up against the wall on the far left of the bar - limiting our view of the action in the kitchen. Many hard surfaces in an intimate space, made it loud and difficult to communicate between ourselves and our server at times. Andrea, our server and bartender, greeted us promptly and warmly - she was fantastic throughout our dinner.
We started with the beef tartare and rice potpourri. The beef tartare was the standout of the evening, our favorite dish by far - well balanced with homemade, delicious chips. The rice was unique and we appreciate the chef's passion about the quality and sourcing of the rice and truffles. We would have loved a contrasting textural component with the rice to really help the dish shine.
For entrees, we had the grilled tilefish laing and lump crab aligue noodles (special for the night). The noodles were spicy with a strong lemongrass flavor and had a generous amount of crab, changing in flavor as we ate through the dish. The tilefish over spinach was a miss for our palates, lacking a strong flavor or texture. The portions were hearty, so we were unable to save room for dessert.
Although we had an overall good experience, we thought the prices were overall too high for the Asheville market; although we understand the strong demand and buzz surrounding the restaurant. This is compared to the experience and food quality at competing area restaurants like Tall John's or Leo's House of Thirst.
We love to continue to see the expansion of food diversity in our community and will continue to follow Neng Jr.'s journey in Asheville.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 5
We had an incredible experience for my birthday. The staff were incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. We had several different plates from the menu. They were all mind-blowingly delicious. The tuna, lumpia, beef tartare, and lump crab pasta were a great selection of dishes that came well recommended from our server. The portion sizes were perfect and we left feeling so well taken care of and nourished. The atmosphere was perfect including fantastic music. You absolutely have to go here for the food and stay for the vibes. The wine was also really good and went fantastic with our food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Even one star is too many. Loud music, thumpa, thumpa, boom boom boom. No idea what kind but made listening to the waitress (who was attentive) VERY difficult. Bad red wine in a small serving. $7.99 a bottle Costco red better. We were given what the waitress said was garlic peanuts, neither of us could taste any garlic. Our mains were blah. My husband had some plain roasted cabbage with his, mine was grouper that had been steamed with nothing special. We could easily cook these dishes better at home and my husband makes a fabulous Sinagang Hippon so we eat Filippino at home sometimes. Also it was my husband's birthday and I had stated this on the reservation ($60 fee if you cancel) where it was explained that they would do everything to make your night special or some such. No offer of birthday cake was made so even though the place sits 18 people total the staff could not be bothered to remember what was on our reservation. My husband used to travel in the Philippines. I thought maybe the chef could come out and say hello to him and they could have some fun talking about the Philippines. No way, the kitchen staff was too self-important to get involved with us. Think try making eye contact on the New York subway and you will understand the vibe we got by watching the kitchen workers. We left around 10 pm (reservation was for 9) and were thrilled to escape after I paid close to $150 for terrible food and a terrible atmosphere. Thumpa, thumpa, boom, boom, boom.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 3
So excited to having finally gotten a reservation here. We snuck in at a 5pm slot on Friday and had a great dining experience. The place is small and intimate with very limited seating. Dishes were fresh, creative and delicious. Service was attentive and not pretentious. Would absolutely recommend and come back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Simply put this was the best food experience we had in Asheville for our entire trip.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
food was seriously good, flavor and taste you don’t get everywhere. The ‘entree’ type choice also sent me home with leftovers I got so full
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Well executed Filipino food and good drinks. Dirty rice Martinez was so good. Toasty rice perfumed the entire mouth and the vermouth just played so well together. Started off with the oysters, which had a quail egg, muscadine, and adobo component. Creamy, meaty, and refreshing. The black pepper vinagrette was delectable. Good start. Next was the lumpia, which was well done. The eggplant was absolutely delicious. Char, umami, and brightness give way to a melty interior and really warms the soul. Wish I had gotten rice for this. The duck Adobo was stunning. Grilled breast served on a mound of pomme purree surrounded by a coconut sauce. That sauce went so well with the duck. Every bite was chock full of meaty coconut duck. The rice was a literal vessel for the sauce, and we finished all of it. Dessert consisted of the queso cheddar ice cream and a peach sorbet. I wished the cheddar was a bit stronger, but the peach sorbet was perfect. Overall, a great meal, and we left stuffed. 😋
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sat at the bar, Andrea server / bartender was so wonderful walked us through each menu item. House cocktails were fun and worth it! Definitely always get the oysters and lumpia (eggroll), shrimp & noodles so good, my husband really liked the tuna tartare, and don’t skip the cheese ice cream!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
My second visit here and just as wonderful. I absolutely love the ambiance and presence here. This visit started with a passing smile from the chef. Our meal started with fruit with a wonderfully salty sauce that was a delicious pairing. Then we had a ceviche style tuna as described by our wonderful server, I might add ;)) which was refreshing with a bit of spice. We finished with a fried trout dish accompanied by heirloom tomatoes also in a light dressing that paired perfectly. As we walked out, again I caught a genuine beautiful smile from the chef and cannot tell you how much We appreciate you, your staff and wonderful food. Thank you for sharing all with us.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fruit Plate
This is hard. The food was mediocre at best. Four dishes, one great, one fair, two poor. Really like what Neng is doing here, great efforts but clumsy overly seasoned noodle dishes, burnt not charred appetizer, fish that was not acceptable at Long John Silver coupled with best tomatoes of the summer. What's going on? Don't you taste your dishes before you share them with an eager public?
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 3
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