Answer Woman: A new restaurant in former Copper River Grill?

Tiana Kennell, Asheville Citizen Times
·2 min read

ASHEVILLE - A reader asks about the future of a vacant commercial building in Asheville. Got a question for Answer Man or Answer Woman? Email Executive Editor Karen Chávez at KChavez@citizentimes.com and your question could appear in an upcoming column.

Question: What’s the status of the Copper River Grill restaurant building at 1302 Hendersonville Road? It’s been closed for some time now.

Answer: After several years being vacant, the former Copper River Grill building can be called another name.

Copper River Grill, a South Carolina-based regional chain serving American cuisine, closed permanently amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

The building, which has a 250-person capacity, sat empty until its current tenant moved in this winter.

La Cabana Mexican Grill has opened in the former Copper River Grill location at 1302 Hendersonville Road in Asheville.
La Cabana Mexican Grill has opened in the former Copper River Grill location at 1302 Hendersonville Road in Asheville.

On Dec. 20, La Cabana Mexican Grill opened in its place at 1302 Hendersonville Road. A grand opening was hosted on Dec. 27.

It’s wife and husband Britteny Olvida and Ivan Sanchez’s first restaurant, but their other partner, Alberto Garcia, also co-owns Andale Way, a Mexican restaurant on the South Slope.

“Ivan and Alberto, they’ve always worked as a server and bartender, and they’ve always wanted something of their own,” Olvida said.

La Cabana offers an expansive selection of Tex Mex favorites like fajitas, enchiladas, burritos, quesadillas, chimichangas, nachos and tacos al carbon, and the two-sided menu of dishes goes on.

House ceviche and a Cadillac margarita at La Cabana Mexican Grill in Asheville.
House ceviche and a Cadillac margarita at La Cabana Mexican Grill in Asheville.

Arroz con pollo is one of several dishes that have been popular with customers so far. Currently, the mole enchiladas are Olvida’s favorites.

“We also have a fajita cabana. We make the dish for the restaurant ― it has steak, chicken, shrimp and fish,” Sanchez said.

La Cabana’s hours are 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Sunday -Wednesday and 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

The lunch menu is available from 11 a.m.- 3 p.m. Monday-Friday.

The full bar is open and stocked with beer, wine and spirits, plus a list of signature cocktails that includes several margaritas.

Follow Citizen Times for more about La Cabana Mexican Restaurant.

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Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow her on Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Former Copper River Grill building gets new restaurant tenant