The Biltmore Estate serves visitors from dawn to dark in a wide variety of cafes, restaurants, bars – and ice cream stands.

A visit to the Biltmore Estate – the 250-room mansion built between 1889 and 1895, with meticulously planned gardens, lush landscapes and rolling pastures of farmland – is a feast for the eyes. A springtime visit unveils a vibrant tapestry of blossoms—azaleas, rhododendrons, dogwoods, and viburnums burst into color across the gardens, grounds, and the stately interiors of Biltmore House, inviting guests to soak in the seasonal splendor.

When all that sightseeing works up a powerful thirst and hunger, there is no shortage of options to satisfy the appetite.

A coffee and a muffin in the morning to get you going? Check. Burger and fries to keep you going? Check. A fresh-churned ice cream cone to treat the kids? Check. Glass of wine and a charcuterie board? A classic cocktail? A hearty ribeye sourced right from the estate? A four-star six-course meal? Check, check, check and check.

Altogether, Biltmore visitors can select from five seated meal options, several grab-and-go spots close to the house or in Antler Hill Village, a complimentary tasting in the Biltmore Winery tasting room, and a cocktail lounge. The first cup of coffee is poured at 7am and the last dish cleared from a table some 15 hours later.

Overseeing the entire affair is Estate Executive Chef Mark DeMarco, who says he utilizes color codes, Post-it notes, and even symbols to keep it all straight. Even then, he admits with a laugh, “I throw myself off sometimes, especially in the super busy time between October and Christmas.”

With 21 years at the Biltmore under his chef’s coat, DeMarco has a well-honed handle on it. He arrived in Asheville after culinary school in 1999 for an externship at the Grove Park Inn, worked at some restaurants in the region, and began at the Biltmore as a demi chef at the Bistro. He worked his way up to his current post, where he oversees all menu development, kitchen staffing and staff training, plus the catering for proms, weddings, and special events.

He is deeply engrained in the Biltmore’s Field to Table philosophy, core to George Vanderbilt’s original vision for his property – a self-sustaining, working estate supported by agriculture.

“As Executive Chef, it’s my responsibility to ensure that our team delivers the very best to our guests. A key part of that is knowing the full story behind the sourcing of our beef, pork, and lamb—understanding how the animals are fed, raised, and processed,” DeMarco says. “We have the privilege of seeing this right in our own backyard. We work closely with our farmers and that delivers an exceptional product.” 

That means estate pastured beef, lamb, pork, and eggs from chickens, are served in estate restaurants. Through the seasons, herbs, fruits, and vegetables are grown on the property and supplemented through partnerships with farmers in Western North Carolina.

“All of our restaurants have something from the estate, but our signature Field to Table would be Bistro,” DeMarco says. “We have an amazing dry aging program that chef James O’Hern runs. The rib eye is from the cattle on the estate. Two salads – the Estate Caesar and Estate Mixed Green – both use hydroponic lettuces and micro greens grown here. We got the first of the estate lamb a couple weeks ago and that first round will go through the end of May.”

Bistro is the restaurant next to the Wine Bar in Antler Hill Village and Winery. The counter service Kitchen Café and the Creamery are the casual options in that area.  Two other full-service restaurants in the Village are Cedric’s Tavern – the name is a nod to the Vanderbilt’s beloved St. Bernard and the menu inspired by English and Irish pub fare – and Village Social, which serves a seated breakfast to order and Southern-inspired classics like fried green tomatoes, cornbread (from estate-grown corn), shrimp and grits, and chicken and dumplings for dinner.

The Dining Room, in the Inn on Biltmore Estate, is the most formal of all the settings, where diners can experience exquisite fine dining with all the luxury accoutrements, an expertly coursed meal, stellar service, and expansive views of the estate. 

About 30 years ago, the Vanderbilt’s former horse stables – located adjacent to the home – were reimagined into the Stable Café, where guests from all over the world can get a taste of Appalachian comfort food by chef Shellbie King, who like DeMarco came up through the ranks. Collard green dip, buttermilk cornbread, estate-raised brisket in mac and cheese or on a sandwich, 16-hour house-smoked pulled pork barbecue, and the signature burger – two estate-raised Black Angus beef patties with all the fixin’s are some Stable standards.

Menu planning and development is a year-round process, changing five times a year. Not all at the same time, but by early to mid-April, what DeMarco and his team have been working on since January is fully in place, and they have started on the early summer transition. “The chefs and I sit down twice a month as a group, and I meet one-on-one with each restaurant chef as we go along. We adjust dishes here and there through each menu, as needed. Our biggest changes take place on the spring menus and the Candlelight Christmas menu, which begins in late October-early November.”

And because there’s always room for ice cream, no one has to go far to get a cone, milkshake, or sundae. The Biltmore Dairy Bar is on the plaza by the estate and The Creamery is in Antler Hill Village. “We’re happy to be able to serve our guests from dawn to dark here on the property,” DeMarco says.

Edith and George Vanderbilt, consummate hosts, would be pleased that their legacy continues more than a century later.

For a view of all the dining and drinking options, hours of operation, type of service, menus, and location, follow this link Restaurants – Biltmore.

Biltmore management reminds that to dine on the estate, guests must have a daytime ticket, a Biltmore Annual Pass, or stay at one of the estate’s overnight properties.

More on Biltmore.

— Written by Kay West

Photos courtesy of Biltmore:
First photo: Dinner at Bistro, with Estate-raised steak
Second photo:  Cattle at Alta Vista on Biltmore’s west side
Third photo: Chefs prep for service at Bistro