Asheville Restaurants, Coffee Shops, Breweries Open After Hurricane Helene
This list shares restaurants, coffee shops and breweries in Asheville that have reopened after Hurricane Helene. We will continue to update it as news comes in.
Restaurants, coffee shops and breweries are beginning to reopen in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. For now, the majority are located in South Asheville because power and water have returned to this area. Many other restaurants remain closed until utilities return.
Below is a roundup of eateries that we have confirmed are OPEN after Hurricane Helene, along with any details that have been passed along.
Asheville Coffee Shops Open After Hurricane Helene
Rowan Coffee is an absolute dream of a coffee shop! It’s in downtown Asheville and is perfectly moody, with excellent music and coffee. Don’t miss their pour-overs or seasonal specials. They have pastries from The Rhu and Back Porch Baking Co.
Summit Coffee is an excellent coffee shop in downtown Asheville. They have outdoor seating, tons of plants, absolutely delicious specialty drinks and really good whole bean coffee for purchase. They are a roaster, after all! I’m typically a plain iced latte person but absolutely love trying out their seasonal creations. Get the strawberry matcha lemonade if it’s available!
190 Broadway Street | Five Points/UNCA
High Five Coffee is a great local coffee shop in Asheville with three locations. They exclusively brew Counter Culture (a Durham-based roaster.) Their Five Points location is the perfect place to walk or bike to if you live close by. They have a parking garage out back with 6 or so spaces and a gravel lot down the road. It’s a fun spot to work outside during warmer months.
Dripolator South is an excellent coffee shop in South Asheville near Arden. It’s just next to the Publix shopping center and feels right at home. We love their selection of pastries and any of the coffee drinks.
Farewell is a coffee shop in Asheville’s South Slope neighborhood. It’s an excellent place to catch up on work while also being surrounded by beautiful plants from Rosarina Plant Shop, minimalist decor and large open windows to let the natural air and light in.
Cooperative Coffee Shop is a coffee shop in Asheville by locally-loved Cooperative Coffee Roasters. It’s located in West Asheville near Hole Donuts, Taco Billy and Short Street Cakes.
Ultra Coffeebar is a great coffee shop in the River Arts District with excellent food. You’ll find North Carolina favorite Counter Culture brewing and a cafe section on the menu with breakfast and lunch served all day.
Retro Coffee is a great addition to the South Asheville coffee scene. They brew Counter Culture coffee and have a creative seasonal latte menu, like the Peep latte for spring and the pistachio mocha.
Hurricane Update: The Bridge & Tunnel coffee truck will be located at Cecilia’s Kitchen (870 Merrimon) from 8:00am to 1:00pm Monday through Friday. Free drinks for first responders drink.
Asheville Coffee Shops Open After Hurricane Helene
One of Asheville’s favorite BBQ joints, 12 Bones Smokehouse is located in Arden, NC (South Asheville.) They have some of the best BBQ ribs we’ve ever eaten and can highly recommend their corn pudding as a side. It also makes for a great takeout option!
Our recommendation for dining at Gan Shan West is to plan to eat family-style. Order a few different appetizers and entrees and split them with a group. We love their pork & chive dumplings, wings, gai lon, General Tso’s Chicken and Japanese fries. If you can only order one thing, though, definitely get the GSW Rice Bowl. It comes with sweet soy, mayo, chili oil, peanut, roasted eggplant (so good!!!), house pickles and kimchi, and then you can add a protein and additional toppings if desired. One other fun option for enjoying Gan Shan West is to order it from your table at Archetype Brewing next door. The brewery doesn’t have a kitchen on-site, so they rely on the nearby restaurants to kee
Leo’s House of Thirst is a casual wine bar and eatery in West Asheville. Their menu includes everything from steak tartare to a roasted half chicken, but the real star of the show is their grilled cheese. It’s a masterpiece of a grilled cheese, with Beemster Gouda, Looking Glass Ridgeline and Aged Tillamook Cheddar.
The Admiral is a charming restaurant in West Asheville. It’s in a modest cinder block building with booths and low-lighting. Outside you’ll find a patio with picnic tables and bistro lights.
You’ll find Sand Hill Kitchen tucked away in a corner gas station near West Asheville. And wow, will you be delighted once you try their food.
Vinnie’s Neighborhood Italian in North Asheville is a local restaurant with delicious Italian food. We especially love their chicken parmigiana, pasta al funghi and spaghetti with their signature Sunday Gravy. Their chicken marsala and twice-baked meat lasagna are also crowd favorites.
Cúrate is an excellent Spanish tapas restaurant in downtown Asheville. They were the recipient of the 2022 James Beard Award for Best Hospitality, though they were a hometown (and tourist) favorite long before that.
Nine Mile is an excellent Caribbean-inspired restaurant with three locations in Asheville. This location is in Biltmore Park and is the newest of the three. They have a great outdoor seating option here!
Ukiah is an excellent spot for Japanese food in downtown Asheville. They have a fun menu with everything from duck hot pot to smoked pastrami short rib. You’ll even find a smoked Carolina pork shoulder with fire roasted kimchi on the menu!
Plant is an awesome vegan restaurant in Asheville with an all plant-based menu. Over 90% of Plant’s ingredients are organic, with a priority on local products.
Vinnie’s Neighborhood Italian in South Asheville is an Italian eatery in South Asheville with dim lighting, welcoming service and delicious Italian fare. Not only do we love dining in at this casual spot, but it’s one of our favorite places for takeout food in Asheville.
Rosetta’s Kitchen is the perfect destination in Asheville for vegan soul food.They offer vegan lunch and dinner options that feature vegan comfort food, such as mac and cheese, burgers, and fried chicken.
As per the name, the entire menu is served all day. All Day Darling is the perfect cute and casual spot to enjoy breakfast, lunch, or dinner in Montford. All Day Darling is a kid-friendly, counter-service spot with great indoor
Jettie Rae’s Oyster House is an upscale seafood restaurant in North Asheville. The menu features a variety of fish and shellfish dishes, along with a few meat and veggie options.
Rocky’s Hot Chicken Shack is a casual restaurant in Arden, NC that serves Nashville hot chicken, salads and southern sides. It’s a locally-owned restaurant and definitely considered an Asheville institution at this point.
Montford Deli is a great deli and sandwich shop in North Asheville. You’ll find all of the deli classics, like a BLT, a reuben and a divine Italian sub with tangy comeback sauce. We typically get at least one sandwich with each visit. Their daily menu also features things like burgers, chicken fingers, french fries and fried okra. All come recommended by us!
Asheville Sandwich Company (previously located in West Asheville) moved to South Asheville / Arden, NC in summer 2024. They offer online ordering and a killer Reuben. You’ll find vegan options on the menu (including a vegan Reuben!), french fries, cheesesteaks, burgers and more.
Thai Pearl is a great Thai restaurant in West Asheville. It’s relaxed and casual, with a hidden gem feel. We love their drunken noodles, various curries and Pad Thai.
As the name suggests, Rocky’s Hot Chicken Shack serves spicy fried chicken with mouthwatering sides. This casual Asheville eatery has been a fixture in the community since 2011. They offer 8 different spice levels ranging from plain to extra hot, so you will be sure to find something for every taste.
One of our all-around go-to restaurants not only for BBQ but in general is Luella’s Bar-B-Que. This iconic Asheville BBQ restaurant has a second location in Biltmore Park just of I-26 in South Asheville. We love taking friends and family here when they are visiting Asheville or ordering takeout for an easy night in!
Asheville Pizza South is a takeout and delivery pizza shop with a great menu and an excellent selection of to-go beer. They have several signature pizzas, including their crowd-favorite Shear Delight with portobello mushrooms, walnuts, and gorgonzola cheese.
Their brunch menu is available Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 3pm. Our pick is the chicken & waffle entree with Thai buffalo sauce and garam masala, though the chicken biscuit, avocado toast and brunch bu
Taco Boy is the newest addition to Biltmore Park’s dining scene. It’s a taco eatery originally out of Folly Beach, SC that has now expanded to a few other cities. The first Asheville location is in West Asheville in the former Zia Taqueria spot.
Del Vecchios in South Asheville is an authentic NY-style pizza joint with a great menu of Italian fare. This is their second location that opened in the summer 2023, with the original Del Vecchios in North Asheville.
White Duck Taco Shop in Arden isn’t your average taco joint. It’s a vibrant, creative and fun spot with a great menu of tacos inspired by global flavors. Think: Korean Bulgogi, lamb gyro and Thai peanut chicken tacos.
The South Asheville Japanese restaurant Murasaki is without a doubt one of our favorite restaurants in town. Their sushi is fresh, their hibachi is perfectly seasoned and their appetizers can’t be topped.
Mission Pizza is a pizza restaurant in Asheville. It’s located inside of Terra Nova Beer Co. in downtown Asheville’s South Slope District. They offer Neapolitan-inspired pizza, Italian small plates, and desserts.
Asheville Breakfast Restaurants
Liberty House Coffee and Café is an excellent brunch and lunch eatery in Asheville. It’s on our must-do list when we have out-of-town guests. Their garden is always filled to the brim with what’s in season and their daily specials reflect this. Everything on their menu is divine.
Grab breakfast or lunch at the well-loved Sunny Point Cafe. It’s a great garden-to-table spot and has some of the best breakfast dishes around.
OWL Bakery in North Asheville is one of our absolute favorite spots in town. Not only are their pastries absolutely amazing, but they have excellent coffee and a darling indoor seating area. There aren’t many tables, but it’s such a treat when you can snag one.
The Med is an excellent and iconic diner in downtown Asheville with excellent, upscale food. They are open for breakfast and lunch and, unless you go early, you can expect a wait.
Biscuit Head is an iconic southern biscuit café in South Asheville, NC. They also have locations in West Asheville, near downtown and even in Greenville, SC.
Abeja’s House Cafe is a breakfast and lunch spot in South Asheville with Latin American food. They have excellent chilaquiles and huevos rancheros. They even have a few vegan breakfast options, like a vegan breakfast burrito. Their food is fresh and everything is delicious. We love trying out their various daily specials.
258 Broadway Street | Five Points/UNCA
5 Points Restaurant is a great local diner in North Asheville serving up some classic comfort food for breakfast and lunch. We love their omelets, Belgian waffle and 2-egg special with sausage and hashbrowns.
Mosaic Café is a great local breakfast and lunch spot located in Biltmore Park. All of their ingredients are always fresh and they serve breakfast all day (which we love). Great lattes and breakfast sandwiches!
Asheville Dessert Shops Open After Hurricane
Baked Pie Company is a pie shop in South Asheville, NC. It’s a local favorite spot, known for its welcoming space, delicious pies and (our favorite part!) their pie flights. You can choose any three pie flavors and enjoy them with a scoop of ice cream.
Annie B’s is a local ice cream shop in Asheville, NC dedicated to serving excellent ice cream and providing opportunities to employees with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Asheville Breweries
Below you’ll find breweries in Asheville that reopened in the weeks following Hurricane Helene. Schedules are changing often, so be sure to check social media for the latest before visiting. We have provided links for each to help.
Sweeten Creek Brewing is a brewery in South Asheville with a great outdoor meadow and Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ on-site. It’s an excellent brewery in Asheville for kids and dogs.
Burial Beer Company’s taproom is a must-stop for beer lovers in Asheville. Their creative high-quality brews are available in a wide range of styles. You’ll find a ton of IPAs on tap as well as stouts, lagers, sours and everything in between.
Burial’s Forestry Camp is one of the most interesting breweries in town. It’s located in a former camp that housed Civilian Conservation Corps Workers. The setting and buildings, full of the warmth of old wood, bring a sense of nostalgia to your beer-drinking experience.
12 Old Charlotte Highway | East Asheville
Asheville’s oldest craft brewery! And a great place to spend an afternoon, especially with kids. Located in East Asheville, Highland Brewery’s campus has a fantastic indoor taproom and patio. They also have a large meadow that is perfect for kids to run around. Tons of shaded space with picnic tables and umbrellas.
Terra Nova Beer Co. is a brewery in Asheville with a taproom. It’s located in downtown Asheville’s South Slope District near The Orange Peel and Rabbit Rabbit (Terra Nova also operates a taproom in Swannanoa).
If the name sounds familiar, perhaps you are thinking of their sister restaurant: 12 Bones Smokehouse. They make some of the Best BBQ in Asheville. But let’s talk about the brewery! It’s just another example of an Asheville establishment contributing to what makes Asheville a beer destination.
Asheville’s Hi-wire Brewing takes the craft of brewing beer seriously and their South Slope location is where it all began.
Wedge Brewery’s downtown taproom is located in the northeast corner of Asheville’s iconic Grove Arcade.
With some of the best quality beer in Asheville, DSSOLVR is a must-stop for any beer enthusiast. Located on Lexington Avenue in downtown Asheville, this small brewery packs a punch.
Cellarest is a small-batch brewery in West Asheville specializing in wood barrel fermentation and lagering. Their craftsmanship produces high-quality beers in styles you won’t find elsewhere. You’ll find interesting wild ales, stouts, and lagers on the menu. They have a great taproom located in the heart of West Asheville, with great outdoor patio seating.
The Sierra Nevada Brewery located south of Asheville in Mills River is an impressive brewery by any standards. This kid-friendly brewery serves as their East Coast production facility and is the closest brewery to the Asheville airport. It’s situated on over 180 acres on the French Broad River.
