Move aside breakfast, brunch is now the most important meal of the day! It’s that glorious late morning, early afternoon time of day where you can kill two meals in one sitting. You're at peak hunger level before and maximum capacity full after. It’s the best bang for your buck, and Asheville really knows how to deliver the goods. Whether you’re craving a mimosa-fueled morning with your best friends, a romantic Asheville brunch, or a solo culinary journey, we've provided a list of where to find the best brunch in Asheville below.
Asheville Brunch All-Star
Sunny Point Cafe is literally on every "best of Asheville" list ever created, so it's no surprise it's first on our list of best brunch places in Asheville. Visiting this popular West Asheville eatery is a rite of passage for anyone who’s ever stepped foot in the 828. It’s quality, and you’ll never hear anyone say anything different. It’s the Field of Dreams of brunch spots—the people will come. Get up early, or plan to wait. Luckily, they have a nice outdoor space where you can sip on some coffee or a bacon Bloody Mary. You can also walk over to their sister spot, Rabbit Hole Bakery for a pastry to curb your hunger. When it's time for the main event, we recommend their Stuffed French Toast (aka battered and grilled sausage and cheese sandwich with maple syrup) or their Huevos Rancheros with eggs, black bean cakes, chorizo or tofu chorizo, feta, green salsa, spuds, and cilantro crema. You might also want to grab angel biscuits with housemade mixed berry jam (available for purchase) for the table.
Best Asheville Brunch Vibes
Looking for brunch downtown Asheville? From its historic College Street location to its old-school diner vibes,The Med is #brunchgoals. Let’s be honest, any spot that serves breakfast all day and has a dedicated cocktail menu is going to make our list. Serving breakfast and lunch in downtown Asheville for over 50 years, it's an iconic establishment with creative culinary takes, a cozy feel, and good old-fashioned home cooking. Always made fresh and from scratch in-house, The Med is definitely one of the coolest stops on our best brunch in Asheville NC list. We recommend starting with an Irish coffee or Manmosa (aka Miller High Life and OJ) and the Pisgah Bowl with pulled pork, onions, cheddar, BBQ, pico, and an over-easy egg or the West Fork Hash Bowl with potatoes, verde, cheddar, pepper, onions, arugula, cotija, two eggs, and pico. Trust us when we say you’ll be pleasantly surprised by this hidden gem and keep coming back whenever you're in town.
Asheville Brunch with a Brew-ery
Burial Beer's second Asheville location, Forestry Camp, opened in 2019 on the historic grounds of a former Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) property. The warm and woodsy atmosphere consists of communal beer hall seating, intimate nooks, and a covered outdoor garden. Their Weekend Brunch is served every Saturday and Sunday from 11 AM to 4 PM, and their food can be enjoyed alongside a killer cocktail list and 24 Burial taps. We recommend their Fried Chicken Biscuit, Steak & Eggs with Brasstown Denver steak, Espelette hollandaise, and a fried egg, or Shrimp & Grits with New Orleans BBQ sauce, fried NC white shrimp, and cheddar grits. The best thing about brunch at a brewery? By the time you're finished, it's time to enjoy an afternoon beer on the patio.
Green + Gluten-Free Asheville Brunch
Green Sage Cafe specializes in organic, vegan, and gluten-free ingredients, which makes it a staple in the world of Asheville brunch. The fact that it's healthy and sustainable just makes the food taste that much better. They pride themselves on a menu that is "nutrient-rich, chemical-free, and thoughtfully sourced" and food that "promotes good health and supports a vibrant community." In addition to serving breakfast all day, you'll also find a wide assortment of farm-to-cup coffee and espresso drinks, whole-leaf teas, raw house-made cold-pressed juices, whole-fruit smoothies, and scratch-made pastries and meals with vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-sensitive options. Begin your clean-eats culinary adventure with their Huckleberry Bowl with housemade coconut chia pudding topped with granola, bananas, and blueberries or an Avo Lox on ciabatta with cold smoked salmon, avocado, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and chimmi-mayo. We also can't get enough of their omelets, especially the Mediterranean with Vital Farm eggs, spinach, tomatoes, and cow feta. Take our sage advice and try this green cafe's pure food!
Best Crowd Pleaser
Located just outside of downtown Asheville on Tunnel Road, Cornerstone is a great spot for large groups with lots of brunch demands. They have a large menu, including gluten-free options, a large dining space with a massive stone fireplace, and free parking. Family-owned and operated since 1997, Cornerstone gives off that old-school diner vibe in a mountain lodge setting. Their extensive menu includes an entire section of Southern-style Benedicts, aka the reason it made our best brunch Asheville list. From that menu, we recommend the Classic with smoked ham and hollandaise or the Creole Benedict with smoked pork belly topped with their housemade Carolina creole sauce. If you're looking for something else on the menu, try their epic Ribeye Steak & Eggs with a hand-cut 10 oz Black Angus ribeye or Monte Cristo Sandwich with smoked ham, turkey, and aged swiss on grilled brioche French Toast sprinkled with powdered sugar. These menu items are the cornerstone of a delicious brunch in Asheville, wouldn't you agree?
Best Brunch Bargain
Breakfast tacos from Taco Billy. You read that right, breakfast tacos. The cheap, late-night go-to food from your college days has infiltrated the brunch scene and has changed the brunch world as we know it. Offering two locations (one on Haywood Rd in West Asheville and one on Cherry Street in Black Mountain), their menu is relatively small, featuring six different breakfast taco selections, but visitors can build their own tacos with a variety of meats, cheeses, tortillas, and toppings. For breakfast, we recommend Mama's Favorite with sausage, eggs, spinach, sweet potato, and goat cheese on a plantain tortilla. If you like to sleep in, they start serving their lunch tacos at 11 AM.
For lunch, we always opt for the Santi with Chipotle-stewed chicken tinga or the Lunch Lady with shredded chicken bathed in traditional Mexican mole. Both will make you glad you hit the snooze button on the alarm. No matter the time of day, don't skip their chips and queso (with Valentina hot sauce on top, of course). Pair your meal with a crisp Topo Chico and admire the paintings on the wall that have a little orange “Taco Billy” goat superimposed on them. There is also a second location in Black Mountain with an amazing mural inside by Emma Rubens based on the oil painting "Resting" by Frédéric Soulacroix. Instagrammable brunch spot with addictive tacos? Check.
Craving a stay in the heart of downtown Black Mountain? Greybeard's Cherry Street Loft A and Cherry Street Loft B are on the top floor of the same building as Taco Billy! You're less than a 5-minute walk from favorites like Black Mountain Pizza & Ale House, Goldfinch Kitchen & Cocktails, The Hop Ice Cream, The Station Wine Bar, Black Mountain Brewing, and Foothills Grange!
Best Kept Secret: Black Mountain Brunch
Speaking of Black Mountain, this is where we recommend visiting to avoid some of the bigger Asheville crowds and embrace small-town charm. Seriously, someone should petition to have this quaint mountain town’s name changed to Brunch Town. Considering Black Mountain’s size, the availability of brunch options is impressive. From Dough House to Four Sisters Bakery to Open Oven Cafe to Recess Coffee and Baked Goods to Cousin's Cuban Cafe to Beradu, downtown Black Mountain is a great alternative location to the bustling Asheville brunch spots. The wait times may be a little shorter, but the food is equally satisfying.
Ask a local or a visitor and the one place they’ll likely always recommend is Louise’s Kitchen. Located inside a charming old house built in 1904, their open-air wraparound porch surrounded by towering trees is the stuff brunch dreams are made of. It’s not uncommon to find a line out the door and into the street—a surefire sign that the food here is worth the wait. Louise’s classic brunch fair, along with french toast and pancakes, truly excels with outside-the-box brunch options. Our recommendation: Grit Cakes with homemade black bean and corn grit cakes topped with house-made srirancho sauce, pico de gallo, and fresh local greens. They feature local coffee from Dynamite Roasting Company (in the most adorable thrifted mugs) and a cooler of bottled sodas (including the North Carolina specialty, Cheerwine), but let’s be real. No brunch is complete without a mimosa, so opt for their Megamosa in a mason jar for under $7.
Brunch With a Mountain View
4 Bed, 3 Bath The Overlook is the perfect place to make your Asheville brunch with a mountain view!
As you can see, there are endless options for the best brunch in Asheville NC. From savory to sweet to spicy, the dishes are all equally delicious and satisfying. If you're hoping to sleep in at your Asheville cabin and craft your own delicious brunch, Greybeard offers vacation rentals with gourmet kitchens that will make cooking a breeze. We also offer concierge services like grocery delivery so you can avoid stressful shopping on your Asheville vacation. Hoping for a secluded Asheville cabin with a hot tub or mountain view? We've got you covered there, too. Book your stay in Asheville directly with Greybeard Rentals today and get the best rate guaranteed!