Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

Photo by zen Sutherland
The under-construction West Asheville music venue at 743 Haywood in the former Pastabilities location is coming right along, with the marquee going up Thursday. Known as the Isis Theatre in 1957, the space is being renovated and returned to its entertainment roots by a banjo-playing veterinarian from Atlanta.
According to Mountain Xpress, owner Scott Woody’s plans are for a restaurant and music space with “three bars, two ‘dining platforms,’ a main dining room, an event hall, a private party room upstairs, a balcony and an outdoor patio and green space (including parking, bike racks and a winding pathway to the street.”
More from Xpress:
In the kitchen will be Mike Mahoney, known for his work at the Island Grill in Atlantic Beach, N.C., where he cooked for more than a decade. Woody defines Mahoney’s style as “casual fine dining” — somewhere between what Sunny Point does and what you’ll find at The Admiral, but not quite as fancy as downtown restaurants like Cucina 24 or Curate. “Those are smaller plates and more sophisticated food,” Woody says. “Previously I’ve used the phrase ‘not bar food,’ but I want to be really clear I think bar food is fine. There’s a lot of really good bar food in town — the LAB has good bar food, Westville Pub and the Universal Joint … the Admiral is the only place on this side of town where you can sit down and have a sophisticated dinner. Then of course there’s good healthy food at Sunny Point. We’re going to try to fill a niche [between those two things] without competing with anyone else.”
Mountain Xpress article here.
Isis website
Isis Restaurant and Music Hall on Facebook
We need more bluegrass in this town, especially on the West side! Bring it on!
What kind of music should we expect there? Genre? Touring/local? How popular?
Wish I knew. When I know, you’ll know!
What we have heard is bluegrass, but I hope we’ll see some other styles in there. I don’t know if they plan on any touring acts.
Besides the doors, this looks like a perfect replication of the old Isis theater. Great job guys!