The elegant + historic S&W Market, Asheville’s first-ever food hall, will *finally* open its doors to the public for the first time on Wed., June 16, and we are practically jumping out of our seats with excitement.

The building first opened in 1928 as the S&W Cafeteria, before eventually relocating to the Asheville mall in the 1970s. | Photo by Tim Robison

The new endeavor, a collaboration between five-time James Beard nominee Meherwan Irani and The Ellington Realty Group, features an impressive collection of independent restaurants, several watering holes + an event space, which we’ll break down in more detail below.

And for those who may be unfamiliar, the iconic building — designed + built by renowned architect Douglas Ellington in 1928 — has a rich history, and is one of Asheville’s finest examples of the Art Deco movement. (Read more about that in #TBT: The S&W Cafeteria)

An event space, along with a second, smaller bar for Highland Brewing Co. will be located in the mezzanine. | Photo by Tim Robison

And today, you better grab your shades because the future's looking bright for this newly reimagined, beloved building — and we’re bringing you a sneak peek. Here are the highlights of the space, and what you can expect to see on the menu.

The space:

10,000 sqft between the mezzanine + main floor space
An additional 5,000 sqft in S&W’s new event space, Circa 29
165 indoor seats, 40 outdoor seats, plus standing tables for 20

The vendors:

Highland Brewing Company — Asheville’s oldest brewery will finally be downtown (again), with 18 taps, 2 bars + a merchandise stand.
The Times Bar & Coffee Shop — Creative, seasonal craft cocktails + coffee, located adjacent to the main space.
Bun Intended — The first brick-and-mortar location from this Thai street food truck, features hits like pork belly bao, spicy curry, fried rice + seasonal skewers.
Buxton Chicken Palace — Bourbon and Cheerwine slushies, fried chicken sandwiches + waffle fries brought to you by Buxton Hall BBQ’s Chef Elliott Moss + Meherwan Irani.
Farm Dogs: Creatively-topped hot dogs + sausages from the same folks who brought us Farm Burger.
Hop Ice Cream: This local establishment, aka the holy grail of dairy + vegan ice cream, milkshakes, sundaes, etc., is finally coming downtown.
Peace, Love Tacos: Tacos, nachos, street corn + margaritas from the folks behind Mountain Madre Mexican Kitchen & Agave Bar.