“We are focusing more locally and in the Village,” adds Sherrye, an Asheville-native. The cilantro and kale, for instance, are grown just across town at Asheville Urban Farms, an indoor hydroponic growing facility, owned by Sherrye’s husband Anthony.
The Cantina is all about local, even down to the dish names. The Ashevegas Veggie Burrito is a large spinach tortilla with grilled zucchini, mushrooms, Monterey Jack cheese, goat cheese, and a trio of salsas. The Biltmore Chicken quesadilla is stuffed with grilled chicken, spinach, pico de gallo, and sundried tomato. Other Mexican-inspired main dishes include fajitas, taqueria-style street tacos, burritos, quesadillas, chimichangas, and enchiladas.
Michelle Kelly, an award-winning instructor at A-B Tech’s Culinary School, helped the restaurant’s chefs develop new menu items, such as the Cobb salad and char-grilled romaine salad, which you can keep vegetarian or add salmon filet, shrimp, or chicken. The house made dressings include avocado-ranch, chipotle-citrus vinaigrette, mango salsa vinaigrette, and creamy cucumber-lime.
Begin your meal with a soup or an appetizer like the stuffed avocado, house made guacamole, or crispy plantains. The menu offers other gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan options as well. “We make food the way people want it and abide by their dietary restrictions,” says Sherrye. With a variety of options and a highly trained staff committed to accommodating needs, everyone at your next family dinner (or Cinco de Mayo celebration) can enjoy.
As a member of the Green Restaurant Association, The Cantina has also made a commitment to the environment. Solar panels heat the hot water and a green lighting retrofit conserves energy, says Sherrye who is the current president of Asheville Independent Restaurants.

The Cantina is Asheville’s only tequila bar with a wide variety of options. All margaritas are made with freshly squeezed lime juice, lemon juice, and agave. Purchase frozen or on the rocks, by the glass or choose a pitcher for the whole table. The Skinny Margarita is made with Sauza Blanco and organic agave while the Top Shelf is a blend of 1800 and Grand Marnier. Sip your margarita out on the patio or grab one of the seats at the full bar.
Through community outreach, personalized service, and environmental consciousness, The Cantina has what Sherrye refers to as a “three-focus bottom line of people, profit, and planet.” We couldn’t do it with only those three things, she adds. “Our goal is to delight a diner every time at every seat.”

The Cantina has contributed $10s of thousands of dollars to local charities over the last three years, but we felt that our various contributions were not doing enough. This, combined with the fact that over ½ of our guests take home a to go box with left overs (that although compostable may still be getting into the landfill), assisted us in creating our ‘giveback’.

The Cantina has adjusted our menu so that each of our Dinner entrees is offered with your choice of two of many unique side items. In an effort to combine our desire to reduce waste and to do more in helping our local community, each guest has the option of ‘donating’ one or both of their sides to a local food charity.

Only 2 weeks after introducing this concept, our generous diners have been nice and given their rice 200 times. This contribution is the equivalent of 1200 meals for our local neighbors in need through Manna Food Bank. Being a part of this amazing community is an honor and a privilege, thanks to our guests for their part in helping make our world a better place and helping to feed our neighbors in need while enjoying Fresh Mex in Historic Biltmore Village.