Little Bee’s Thai

Hooked on Took: Chef Took turns out a mean ... well, everything.

Don't eat here. Well, you should eat here, but in many ways, we kind of wish you wouldn't. Getting fed at this tiny restaurant is a notoriously long and arduous process, thus we're rather conflicted about offering this disclosure in the first place: Little Bee's offers easily the best Thai food in WNC.

Located inside a rather nondescript Exxon gas station in south Asheville, the restaurant offers only a few scattered tables. The counter where the ordering takes place is hilariously close to sugary gas-station cappuccinos and Technicolor slushies, offering a wild juxtaposition to the unfailingly authentic food that's turned out by the chef and owner of Little Bees, a woman who prefers to go simply as "Took."

Took's skills are absolutely no joke. The beef salad is outrageously Thai spicy, the kind that tickles before the satisfyingly lush wave of pain. For sadists and serious spice lovers only, it's a gratifying dish for those who crave traditionally spicy food that’s un-Americanized. The tom kha is perfect, with actual galangal rather than ginger, and the pad thai will bring you to your knees.

But please — don't eat here. 

For more, visit http://www.littlebeethai.com. Since the food here is made with serious attention to detail, it's highly recommended that you call ahead and be prepared to wait: 681-0710.

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3 thoughts on “Little Bee’s Thai

  1. susan

    what happened to this place?? it was so good! someone needs to do some investigative reporting! It’s very sad that they changed hands and the food is nothing like it was. It’s now Toi’s Thai, Little Bee is nowhere to be found, the website hasn’t been updated and there’s no sign of the remarkable Took anywhere! :(

  2. James Farmer

    I would love to know where they are now and if they have plans to work in food again. I think that Took was a rare breed of cook who was both passionate and focused on producing only the highest quality food. No other Thai is even close and Toi’s is a joke compared to Little Bee. I’m spiraling into a depression just thinking of my life without more Little Bee. Please email me if anyone knows anything more.

  3. CB Reid

    Looks like they are doing packaged “to go” sauces and fresh summer rolls at the French Broad Co-Op Market on Wednesdays from 2 pm to 6 pm. Their new telephone number is 828.404.1370. Info is now on their website: http://www.littlebeethai.com.

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