Pillar Rooftop Bar

Wonderful, festive drink selection. Also beautifully made. There were two bartenders, and they were both attentive. They wiped off a table for us so we could be more comfortable and delivered the drinks to the table even though we ordered them at the bar.

We are locals, and we have our favorite places that we frequent, but one of them was so packed, that we pivoted and decided to come here instead. We pass by it all the time. We’ve also had some friends send us invitations for times when they are performing here, and so we thought we would give it a try. Normally, we’re not much for hotel bars, but for some of the hotel rooftop bars we will make an exception. That said, I understand that the real draw for this bar is the sunsets and the fact it’s a rooftop bar. We came at night in the winter time, so we weren’t able to experience what is probably their number one asset.

However, they had it decorated pretty festively for Christmas, and again, the cocktail specials were on point! I had a hot buttered rum, and it was beautifully presented. Our server was pleasant. My husband had a Belvedere martini dirty with olives. I also had an “elves with attitude” which was tequila based, and really well balanced! It was served with enough rosemary that the drink almost fell over! Super festive. Almost a baby Christmas tree in my drink.

The reason this is four stars instead of five is that it was so brightly lit! I know that this bar is also a restaurant and people need to see the menus, but it is mostly a bar, and I would really prefer if it had dimmer lighting. They had so many Christmas lights up and other lights that they easily could’ve dimmed a lot of the overhead lights and still had plenty of brightness in the room. We asked one of the bartenders to dim the lights a bit, and to his credit he did…just a bit. So thank you! But we still felt it was way too bright. Brightly lit bars and restaurants are really offputting to me. Especially, again, when they had so many Christmas lights and around the room that they could eat easily have turned off the overhead lights, and it would still be fine. Or course we didn’t ask them to turn them off completely, but gosh, they could’ve dimmed them by 2/3, and it would’ve been a lot nicer. It’s just not inviting to stay when the lights are so bright. It almost feels like that time of night when the bar turns the lights up because it’s last call!

We will come back one day when the sunset is beautiful and enjoy that element of it. Again, the drinks were excellent and well crafted. Servers were friendly.

Kid-friendliness: There were a couple of kids there, which seemed weird to me. I know this is also a restaurant, but mostly had a bar scene.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 5

Service: 5

Lovely place. Was wonderfully themed for Christmas.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Felt like I was in a Christmas movie on the Hallmark Channel. Awesome drinks, food and atmosphere.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Food & service good but no value. Double kettle one is $25. Come on, that’s ridiculous for a cocktail… You are not an island resort, no tip for you.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We hosted our Welcome Party for our wedding at Pillar Rooftop Bar. Chad was so wonderful to work with and made the setup easy and stress free. It was the perfect casual spot on a rooftop in Asheville with beautiful views, large space with plenty of room to mingle, plenty of seats and amazing drinks! We will be back!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I’m disappointed with Justin Picone's handling of unauthorized charges after a stranger’s actions led to my tab being billed incorrectly. Despite reaching out for resolution, management dismissed my concerns, leaving me to dispute the charge myself. It’s disheartening to see a business in our community fail to take responsibility and instead, publicly shift the blame onto customers. Adding to this, the sun-bleached plastic plants outside signal a broader neglect of genuine care and respect. I won’t be returning and hope others are aware of the hotel’s lack of accountability.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

The brand fell short of expectations in both service and environmental practices. Billing errors and a lack of accountability in addressing them were disappointing. Additionally, the use of artificial plants outside the hotel contributes to a disregard for sustainability. The hotel's overall operations could benefit from improvements in customer service and environmental responsibility.

TRUE Bartenders working at The Pillar. Very entertaining watching them make drinks. The vibe is vibing. Food and drinks are amazing!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

always good

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Location was meh. Drinks were okay. Food and service were good. Definitely not the best view in the city. It was okay. Wouldn't go out of my way to go here.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 4

Service: 5

We had a very nice experience at this bar. This was our first trip to Asheville and we definitely wanted to try out some of the rooftop bars. The staff was wonderful and engaged in good conversations.

Had some pricey drinks, but hey… we were on vacation!

Atmosphere: 5

Service: 5

Good service with a nice view! They have live music some days

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Lively atmosphere and the DJ was the bomb. There were some fireworks downtown and that was an awesome surprise.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Wings

Came here as part of our anniversary celebration. Food was amazing, drinks were good and view is decent. More casual than we thought but it was great nonetheless.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Wings, Smoked Brisket & Fries, Fried Green Tomato Stack

One of my Favorites! The Bartenders are GREAT.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Okra and Chicken Sandwich, Pillar Burger, Fried Chicken Sandwich, Hamburger, Wings