North Carolina's Best Cocktail Bar Is An Old-School Asheville Gem With Award-Winning Drinks

Whether it's India's best-kept secret island or Los Angeles' best-kept secret restaurants, sometimes you'll stumble across a place so special that you want to keep it all to yourself. Unfortunately, when it comes to my favorite cocktail bar in Asheville, the secret is out. Chowhound recently released a list of the best cocktail bars in every state, and Little Jumbo received the big honors for North Carolina. As Chowhound notes, "the list of awards this bar has received runs nearly as long as its impressive cocktail menu."

Cocktails at this tiny tavern are causing a stir thanks to their menu descriptions that translate the bar's biblical beverage knowledge into poetic prose. For example, The Happy Moment — made with vodka, Aperol, St. Germain, lemon, and orange — is described as an "indie-romance in drink form," while a Negroni Scout, Little Jumbo's twist on the Italian classic, "throws in a wink, a nod and a knowing glance."

If the Cheesecake Factory-sized menu seems overwhelming, don't be shy about asking the super friendly bartenders for help. Also bear in mind that you can't go wrong with an Old-Fashioned, their bestseller, available in three iterations. And, one Google reviewer even praised the bar's zero-proof cocktail selection, calling the non-alcoholic drinks she tried "fantastic."

Located just over a very walkable half-mile north of downtown Asheville, Little Jumbo is tucked into the storied Montford neighborhood, an area filled with character homes and historic inns. The neighborhood bar occupies a hundred-year-old space that's lived past lives as a grocery store, punk music venue, and an office before its current cocktail bar incarnation.

Wood-paneled ceilings, exposed brick, blue damask wallpaper, and vintage lighting give off classic, cozy living room vibes, plus, there's also a small, covered outdoor space. A rotating installation in the bar's "weird art corner" showcases works by Asheville artist Wade Asa, often depicting a whimsical, mythical beast that's become the bar's beloved unofficial mascot. They even sell a T-shirt featuring the "Little Jumbo Creature" that makes a fun, quirky souvenir!

While cocktails put Little Jumbo on the map (including being named one of USA Today's Best Bars of 2025), locals and reviewers alike will tell you to also come for the jazz, as the bar hosts a rotation of talented musicians who perform on Mondays and Tuesdays. And while you're in town, don't skip a visit to the River Arts District, a lovely artsy Asheville neighborhood with its own noteworthy watering holes like tequila cocktail bar Anoche and the rooftop bar at boutique hotel The Radical.