This article shares our top picks for lunch in Brevard, NC. It includes casual spots for takeout sandwiches, a coffee shop with a small but mighty lunch menu and even a few nicer restaurants.
Below you’ll find our top picks for where to get lunch in Brevard, NC. We’ll start with a table of contents and a map to show you the lay of the land before we detail each. Make sure to check out our guide to the best restaurants in Brevard for more dining inspiration.
What You’ll Find In This Article
Where To Get Lunch In Brevard, NC
Here’s a map of the restaurants highlighted in our guide. As you’ll see, most of the restaurants are pretty close to one another. After all, Brevard is quite small!
Below you’ll find our top picks for lunch in Brevard. A few are quick sandwich spots, while others are great for nicer lunches out.
Sandwiches and wood-fired pizza in Brevard
Pisgah Bakehouse is newer to the scene and filled a need we didn’t know we had! It’s an all-day kind of place, starting with a full pastry case for breakfast before sandwiches and pizza for lunch. They also have dinner!
Everything is made from scratch at Pisgah Bakehouse, including the dough for the pizza. They have several salads on their lunch menu, including a beet salad on arugula. You can order a whole or half salad. They also have a few sandwiches, including a chicken salad one and an Italian hero. The star of the show is the wood-fired pizza, though!
You may already be familiar with their sister bakeshop Flat Rock Village Bakery. They have a second Village Bakery in Fletcher.
Charming restaurant in Brevard with outdoor seating
If you are looking for a nicer lunch in Brevard, head to The Square Root. It’s tucked away downtown off Main Street and has a casual upscale feel.
They serve the same menu from 11am to 9pm Tuesday-Saturday. While we love their NC Mountain Trout entree for dinner, we typically order a salad or sandwich for lunch. Their signature Square Root Salad is always a great choice. It comes with spiced pecans, cranberries and chevre cheese. You can add a protein to make it a complete meal.
We also really enjoy their fried green tomato BLT— it includes goat cheese! The boursin chicken sandwich is also a great option for lunch.
Square Root’s interior is charming, with brick walls and high ceilings. They also have covered outdoor seating along the side of the building.
New lunch place in downtown Brevard
We were so excited when Smokey Sunrise opened in March 2024! It’s in the former Mayberry’s location, which was previously our go-to for sandwiches in downtown Brevard.
Though Smokey Sunrise isn’t a counter service cafe like Mayberry’s, they do have a great lunch menu with a few specialty sandwiches.
Try the French Dip with horsey sauce and fries! Or the forest mushroom flatbread.
Smokey Sunrise also offers a breakfast/brunch menu. They are open Tuesday – Saturday from 8am to 3pm.
Picnic-ready sandwiches from a local market
Food Matters Market and Cafe is a grocery store and cafe in Brevard, NC. It’s a natural foods grocery store, so everything leans a bit healthier than a traditional grocery chain. They have a lot of local NC brands available, as well as organic products.
For the cafe part, you can order a sandwich off the menu or a build-your-own sandwich. We recommend their Reuben or the club sandwich! They also have breakfast biscuits and croissants available.
The cafe menu at Food Matters includes a soup of the day, smoothies and grab & go salads. You’ll find classic salads (Chicken Caesar, Greek, etc.) in a cooler by the sandwich area, and a refrigerated section nearby with ready-made items like pasta salad and potato salad.
There’s a great outdoor seating area if you want to dine there. We like to take it to go and enjoy a picnic at nearby Sycamore Flats when time allows. There are plenty of picnic tables and a ton of space to explore! If the weather isn’t nice, check out the upstairs seating at Food Matters. There are restrooms here as well.
Authentic Mexican food with an upscale feel
Quixote Fine Cuisine is a great spot if you want to linger over a delicious lunch in downtown Brevard. We love their outdoor seating area– it’s especially great for people-watching.
If you are looking to stay awhile, start with the guacamole or salsa appetizer. If dining with a group, try both!
As far as entrees go, we love the molcajete (served in a hot stone bowl), the carnitas and the chicken enchilada. They also have osso bucco on the menu.
If dining with younger ones, you’ll be happy to know that Quixote has a kids menu with everything from a quesadilla to a hamburger.
Hot dogs, burgers, milkshakes and more at this Brevard eatery
Corky’s Dawg House is so much more than a destination for hot dogs, but we’ll start there. We can’t get over the mega hot dog menu! There are over 15 varieties, from a classic Chicago Dog to a Carolina Dog.
If you aren’t feeling a hot dog, try a sandwich or even some BBQ. Their sandwich menu ranges from fried bologna to an Italian beef and everything between. It can get overwhelming!
And if that’s not enough, they also have over 10 options for burgers, as well as salads, fries, onion rings, tator tots, pretzels and even fried mac & cheese. Oh, and milkshakes!
Corky’s Dawg House is an order-at-the-counter restaurant with seating both inside and out. It’s an especially fun place to dine with kids in Brevard and we are certain there’s something on the menu for everyone.
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Thai restaurant in downtown Brevard with takeout
Love Eat Thai Kitchen is an excellent spot for Thai lunch in Brevard, NC. It’s located just a couple of blocks from the main shopping area, but it’s a quick and easy walk.
They have all of the classic Thai dishes you’d expect, from curry dishes to pad thai. What’s interesting, though, is that they also have pho and even a few Japanese offerings like teriyaki chicken.
All of the curries at Love Eat Thai kitchen can be made vegan or vegetarian, so it’s a great place to go for vegan food in Brevard.
The chicken satay and pad thai are both delicious, as well as the massaman curry and green curry. You can pick your spice level when ordering– they have everything from mild to Thai hot. There’s a medium, hot and very hot between those two levels.
Love Eat Thai offers online ordering. What’s really nice is that you can order for ASAP pickup or schedule in advance. It’s our top pick for takeout in Brevard.
Great lunch eatery with outdoor seating
While Morning Social is known as an excellent destination for breakfast in Brevard, it’s equally great for lunch. What’s even better is that you can order from either menu.
Morning Social’s lunch menu includes a few burgers, a Reuben, grilled cheese and even salmon toast. They also have a kids menu, though it skews more breakfast than lunch (pancake, biscuit, etc.)
Morning Social has beer on tap (including a flight!) and a great list of breakfast cocktails (including a mimosa flight!)
You’ll find Morning Social in the Lumber District, which is a small part of town with a few shops, restaurants and a music venue. There’s a great antique/architectural salvage shop just around the corner from Morning Social. Getting breakfast and then perusing Underground Salvage Co is a great option if you are looking for something fun to do in Brevard.
Coffee shop with lunch in downtown Brevard
Cup & Saucer is a charming coffee shop in downtown Brevard, NC. They serve both breakfast and lunch Monday through Saturday.
The lunch menu at Cup & Saucer changes monthly, but you can find out what they are serving on Instagram. They typically have a few sandwich options and a soup.
You’ll find a separate mercantile shop located just behind the coffee shop. You can even bring your food and enjoy it there if the coffee shop is full.
International cuisine in a cute house on Main Street
The Bohemian Restaurant in downtown Brevard, NC is actually a pretty interesting spot for lunch! Their menu features dishes from around the world, so you’ll find everything from lasagna to chicken tikka masala.
What we love about The Bohemian is that their dishes are just the perfect amount of extra— for example, the fried green tomatoes is topped with bourbon grilled onions and goat cheese. It’s served with siracha creme fresh for an additional flavor-add.
The Bohemian Restaurant is newer to the Brevard dining scene, having opened in 2023. It’s in an old house on Main Street– if you’re familiar with the area, The Hobnob used to be located here.
Counter service American fare with excellent outdoor seating
Jordan Street Cafe is a counter service restaurant in Brevard with a diverse lunch menu. They have everything from pasta to burgers.
They have several seafood options on the menu, including blackened mahi, a tuna tower, a salmon wrap and even fish & chips.
You’ll love their patio in the back. It offers excellent outdoor dining complete with mountain views (and is totally unexpected when you enter the cafe!)
Cash-only drive-in with burgers, milkshakes and loads of nostalgia
Cardinal Drive-In in Brevard offers a step back in time as the area’s only 1950’s style drive-in. Their burgers are a crowd-favorite menu item. They also have hot dogs, chili dogs, fried chicken and even Texas toast sandwiches.
You’ll definitely want to order a milkshake or malt shake before you leave. We recommend getting it with your cheeseburger for the ultimate meal!
They have a dining room as well as places where you can order from your car. If you dine-in, you order using a phone at your table. It’s an especially fun experience for kids!
Cardinal Drive-In is cash-only, so come prepared!
Sub shop just near downtown Brevard
Creekside Subs is a sandwich and sub shop in Brevard. Their menu includes a roast beef sub, pastrami and even a cordon bleu.
They also have a full menu of baked potatoes, hot dogs, burgers and even a daily special like a sloppy joe.
Creekside Subs is close to downtown Brevard and Brevard College.
Counter-service eatery with sandwiches + salads
The Sunrise Cafe is a casual eatery with counter service in Brevard. Their lunch menu includes sandwiches, salads and sides. They also have several vegetarian and vegan options for lunch.
We can highly recommend their club bagel sandwich. You can also opt to build-your-own deli sandwich if you prefer. If you are looking for a vegan lunch in Brevard, try the spicy black bean veggie burger! As always, just make sure to confirm that it meets your dietary needs.
The trio salad plate is a great menu item if you aren’t feeling a sandwich. It comes with a scoop chicken salad served on a bed of lettuce alongside pasta salad and potato salad.
Sunrise Cafe also has a ton of daily specials, with everything from quiche to tacos, sandwiches and salads.
Local diner with a patty melt, club sandwich and breakfast all day
Brevard Diner is a classic old-school diner located near Brevard College. It’s a top pick of ours if you are looking for breakfast in Brevard because it’s served all day!
Their lunch and dinner includes everything you’d imagine a diner would have. A cheeseburger, country fried steak, a patty melt and a classic club sandwich.
The most noteworthy thing about Brevard Diner’s menu, though, is the Greek food! It’s just so unexpected! The moussaka and pastitsio are both great, as well as a classic lamb gyro.
Brevard Diner is a local go-to and the service is as friendly as you’d imagine.
