For Paula Thomas, opening The Asylum in Lewisburg was simply inevitable.
Looking back now, Paula Thomas—owner of The Asylum in Lewisburg—says it’s no surprise she ended up in the restaurant business. Born and raised in Greenbrier County, she says her aunt Suzanne and uncle Danny ran J&S Restaurant in Rainelle and a catering business, so she helped them out at both places for years. Her aunt Elaine also owned a family restaurant in Meadow Bridge.
“Both sides of my family have always been really amazing cooks,” she says. “My mom was a baker for years, and my brother Ethan went to culinary school and was the chef who helped open this restaurant. Maybe it’s just in my blood!”
So when the opportunity to open her own restaurant presented itself in a “foodie” town like Lewisburg, how could she resist? Her boyfriend, Dr. Colin Rose, bought the building, and her little dream became a reality when the doors opened back in 2014. That dream just didn’t stay “little” for long. “The Asylum was supposed to be a small bar and restaurant, but people loved it so much that it just grew to the point where we needed a much larger kitchen after only a year open. And I knew I wanted outside deck seating and a rooftop deck, too, so the dream kept getting bigger.”
Today, you can enjoy three floors of seating with large TVs, a gas fireplace, a full bar, and live music every week. Those spaces—combined with a drool-inducing menu served in a laid-back atmosphere—have made this a popular spot for locals and visitors alike.
“We had lots of fine dining in our town, so I wanted to have more bar food with great wings and sandwiches,” Thomas says. “And the highlight is our burgers, made with local beef from Mountain Steer Meat Company in nearby White Sulphur Springs.”
There’s the Asylum Burger with pimento cheese, BBQ sauce, bacon, and sautéed onions; the Smokehouse Burger with smoked gouda, pulled pork, pickles, bacon, and an onion ring; the Breakfast Burger topped with hash browns, a fried egg, bacon, and cheddar; or the Don’t Sue Us double smashburger with lettuce, bacon, pickles, sautéed onions, and Thousand Island dressing. You can also build your own burger or choose from a mouthwatering selection of appetizers, sandwiches, wraps, and salads. A new menu will be unveiled soon, along with changing seasonal cocktails and some interior and exterior building enhancements as well.
Thomas is grateful that The Asylum was such a hit from the start, thanks to great support from friends and family that quickly spread throughout the city and beyond. “We get a lot of local business, and we have a lot of people who drive over from Beckley and from Covington, Virginia. We support our community by participating in events like the Lewisburg Chocolate Festival every year, and we try to help support local organizations and ball teams. We love to do food drops for our local food banks, and this past winter we were a drop-off location for the Humane Society.”
While she can look back and enjoy the past 11 years of success now, the months leading up to their grand opening back in 2014 were admittedly a bit scary. And that’s actually how the restaurant got its name.
“We were driving down the road one day, and I thought I would likely end up in an asylum if we actually opened this place,” she recalls with a laugh. “And there are other meanings for asylum, too, like seeking refuge. So anybody who needs a drink or a bite to eat or just some refuge, we’re here for you!”
399 Randolph Street East, Lewisburg, lewisburgasylum.com, @asylumlewisburg on FB
READ MORE ARTICLES FROM WV LIVING’S FALL 2025 ISSUE
Leave a Reply