This guide highlights where to get breakfast in downtown Asheville, including everything from a classic diner to upscale fare.
Downtown Asheville is the perfect destination for breakfast lovers. You’ll find a diverse range of culinary options there that cater to every palate. From classic Southern fare to innovative creations, the breakfast scene downtown is a true reflection of the city’s love for delicious and creative dishes.
This guide to downtown’s breakfast scene includes upscale options, spots for a great croissant, foodie places and everything in between. It’s a great list if you are staying in downtown Asheville and need a point in the right direction.
Hurricane Update: This list of where to get breakfast in downtown Asheville has been updated since Hurricane Helene. Several changes were made, including removing La Bodega, Mayfel’s and Cafe Bomba.
Breakfast In Downtown Asheville (Map)
Counter Service Breakfast in Downtown Asheville
The first part of this guide to breakfast downtown highlights restaurants where you order at the counter. These are great if you need something quick or perhaps you are visiting Asheville with kids and time is of the essence.
Early-morning scratch-made biscuits and coffee
Flour is a newer restaurant in Asheville, but it quickly became a favorite for locals and visitors alike. It’s located in the S&W Market just next to the Restoration Hotel.
Their menu includes a perfect bacon egg and cheese with local Hickory Nut Gap bacon, a ham & jam sandwich and a granola & yogurt bowl.
Flour is the only S&W food hall vendor to offer breakfast on weekdays (closed Tuesdays.)
Pastries, breakfast sandwiches and plenty of space
The Rhu has a hidden gem feel, perhaps due to it’s off-the-beaten-path location. They have an all-day breakfast menu with various sandwiches, bagels and biscuits.
You can get adventurous with it by choosing their Dirty South Biscuit (pulled pork, pimiento cheese, greens and pickles) or keep it easy with a vegetarian quiche or biscuit with jam.
Enjoy their cozy downstairs seating or the spacious upstairs area. With plenty of plugs and a calm atmosphere, The Rhu is a great place to work remotely in Asheville.
Cafe / coffee shop alongside a record factory
If you are looking to escape the hubbub of downtown Asheville, head to Session Cafe. It’s in the Citizen-Times building along with a record factory, a plant shop and even a print shop. It’s a very unique and relaxing environment.
Session is a cafe with a coffee shop vibe. They have a short but sweet menu Thursday through Sunday featuring breakfast hand pies, smoked tofu sandwich on an English muffin and a bacon egg and cheese with arugula and pickled tomato.
Pastries, quiche and great espresso drinks
Old Europe is the great destination for a quick breakfast pastry downtown. Grab your breakfast to go or stay a while in their location next to the AC Hotel. There are cafe tables and also a few stools by the window up front.
Choose from croissants, quiche (including vegetarian option) or something sweet like a chocolate peanut butter mousse cake.
Table Service Breakfast in Downtown Asheville
If you are looking to enjoy a slower breakfast, we’ve got you covered! Below you will find a few awesome options for a sit-down breakfast in downtown Asheville. It starts out with a locally loved diner, and includes a few southern brunch favorites and a few ‘fancier’ hotel restaurants.
Classic diner with booths, counter stools and upscale fare
The Med is a great place for breakfast in downtown Asheville if you want to feel like a local. It’s a diner but you shouldn’t expect average diner food.
Order anything! We absolutely love anything with their sausage and the breakfast potatoes. And the breakfast salad with arugula, house-pickled veggies, bacon, potatoes and eggs is as unique as it is delicious.
They serve breakfast and lunch and don’t take reservations. Go early if you don’t want to wait. You can watch them cook from the counter stools or get seated in a booth. It looks small at first but there are a ton of booths in the back, too.
Fam-to-table breakfast in downtown Asheville
With three locations around Asheville and more popping up around the state, you can count on Early Girl to deliver the breakfast goodness.
Their most popular breakfast dish is the Bow To The King which comes with chicken tenders atop cinnamon-battered buttermilk biscuits.
They also have a classic two-egg breakfast, as well as a few omelets and breakfast bowls.
As far as drinks go, they have a mimosa flight! It comes with four seasonal flavors. They also have a bloody mary, coffee, fruit juice, oat milk, tea and soda.
Daily Southern brunch and fun drink menu
Tupelo Honey opened its doors in downtown Asheville and now has locations in 13 states, including a second location in South Asheville.
They specialize in southern food with breakfast, lunch and dinner menus.
Choose from Southern classics like fried green tomatoes or shrimp and grits, or a more traditional breakfast like waffles, a breakfast bowl, or avocado toast.
Tupelo Honey has one of the best boozy breakfast drink menus in Asheville. They have six types of bloody marys and several mimosa flavors.
Upscale breakfast in downtown Asheville
Bargello, the Mediterranean and Italian restaurant at Kimpton Hotel Arras, offers a great breakfast in downtown Asheville. They have a daily breakfast and weekend brunch, featuring dishes like French toast with lemon curd and mixed berry compote.
For a savory option, the BECA Sandwich is a must-try, combining scrambled egg, smashed avocado, chive, Ashe County cheddar, smoked bacon, and sun-dried tomato aioli on a brioche bun with breakfast potatoes.
Rooftop breakfast with a great view
If you are looking to enjoy a rooftop breakfast, Hemingway’s Cuba is the spot! They have an amazing view with a Cuban-inspired breakfast menu.
We love their Bistec a Caballo— it’s a marinated flank steak with a sunny-side-up egg and breakfast potatoes. Their more traditional breakfast options like buttermilk pancakes and customizable omelets are also great.
Hemingway’s is at the top of the Cambria Hotel in downtown Asheville. They have a daily breakfast menu and a special menu for weekend brunch.
