Not your average Asian take out. Compact and full of flavor, Gan Shan West is a locals spot that reminds you why Asheville is so great.
In A West Asheville Alleyway….. Waiiiit….
You will not find Gan Shan West in downtown Asheville. Instead, you will find it in the lovely West Asheville. We stayed in this part of Asheville during a long vacation and came to love this part of town.
The area is filled will all kind of bakeries, bars, breweries, and restaurants. Gan Shan West actually shares a building with a brewery (shocker) and a Pizza restaurant. We did not get a chance to try them out but they are on our list.
The parking is around the back of the building. The parking is shared with the other businesses and a town house community so it was tight finding a spot. We did end up finding the last open spot but this is likely an issue in the warmer months. We did not see the small alley way to quickly get you to the front door. So we hoofed it the long way around the building but we did not mind.
There are other public places to park near by but I imagine they all suffer from the same issue of over crowding in the warm months. Come with a little extra time and some patience.
“NOT DAIRY”
Gan Shen West has a very modern esthetic with bold overtones. Everything from the massive print on the wall, to the color choices of the building, to the menu is in your face. I found this refreshing. We had not had a top notch Asian food in some time and I was not expecting a great atmoshere too.
Gan Shen West is the second location of the very popular Gan Shen Station that was shut down. The Owner decided to simplify his life by just keeping this West Asheville location open. And Simplify he did. This location is mainly outdoor seating and to-go orders. This appeared to cater to more locals who were in-the-know than anything else.
The one piece of the decor that made me laugh was the fridge. They used some blue take and wrote out “Not” next to the original “Dairy”. I imagine there is a goofy story behind that.
WARNING: Delicious
The Food at Gan Shan West is inspired by local ingredients and seasonal occurrences. They believe in this so much so that they do not even publish a menu on their website. You have to go to their online ordering platform to see it. I decided to just get some Pork Ramen to warm me up. Kaitlyn decided go a little wild and got mapo doufu with tofu. She loves this stuff but every time she orders it anywhere people warn her 2-3 times against it for being very spicy.
We both clean up our bowls before we left. I got a cup of tea also because I was just cold. Nothing super special. I was really impressed at the variety of different sakes they had available. I thought about getting one to try but I admittedly know nothing about sake. The food options are not super extensive but I would argue that most will be able to find something they like.
Unapologetically Bold
Gan Shan West is a small restaurant compare to some but every inch of its existence is bold. The décor, the food, the people and the location all demand respect and attention.
Overall
Gan Shan West offers some vibrant Asian food with simple convenience. They pack a lot of personality into a small shop that I enjoyed going to. My only regret was not coming when it is warmer to sit outside.
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