The Best Cheap Eats in Asheville

The Biltmore Estate is a tourist draw for people all over the U.S. When they visit, they can dine at the Village Social, another one of the best spots for the best cheap eats in Asheville. This café setting is casual and friendly, so bring the kids and don’t worry about a change of clothes before dining. The menu here is eclectic, featuring mostly breakfast-centric bites like biscuit sandwiches, yogurt and berries, and lox and bagel sandwiches. They also have cocktails for anyone who feels like having an adult beverage while they dine.

Red Ginger is one of the best Chinese restaurants in Asheville, and it is also a great spot for an affordable meal. As its name suggests, Red Ginger focuses on dim sum, so enjoy a variety of dumplings and small bites with locally sourced ingredients, all made in-house. At lunchtime, Red Ginger offers bento boxes, salads, and soups. The restaurant also has a vegetarian menu for non-eaters that are looking for a warm, comforting meal. Red Ginger is convenient in Asheville, just across from the Asheville Brewing Company in the heart of town.

At the Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville is Edison, a gastropub that features hearty fare and fresh crated brews. The vibe at Edison is like a sports bar, so come here to catch a game on one of the bar’s big screens. Because of the sports bar feel, Edison offers a lot of shareable plates, as well as mains, burgers, salads, and more. Choose a charcuterie or cheese board to share with friends, or order a start plate like pretzels with beer cheese, jumbo wings, or crisp oyster mushrooms.

Another restaurant at the Biltmore Estate that offers some of the best cheap eats in Asheville is Stable Café. This restaurant features a menu of Appalachian comfort food, so it’s a good spot to dine for an authentic taste of local cuisine. Some of the most popular items on the Stable Café’s menu include Chicken Cracklin and brussels sprouts salad, beef brisket, and the fried chicken sandwich with tangy BBQ slaw. The restaurant is bright and airy, and the atmosphere is bustling with guests, so come here for a vibrant, high energy dining experience.

Roux is at the Hilton Asheville, and because it is a hotel restaurant, it serves up some of the best cheap eats in Asheville all day long. The menu at Roux features a variety of American contemporary favorites, like a rocket salad with gorgonzola and apples, burgers (one with PB&J), and a Rueben dog served with swiss and sauerkraut. Roux is casual, so guests don’t need to wear a jacket or dress to dine here. The folks at Roux want everyone to feel at home while visiting.

Tupelo Honey is a popular chain restaurant across America for delicious Southern cuisine. The menu here features authentic Southern comfort bites, which is fitting for its location in the heart of Appalachia. Diners here can choose from a smattering of popular menu options like fried okra, southern tacos with pork. One great feature at Tupelo Honey is its weekday brunch. So diners don’t have to wait until the weekend to eat dishes like a Southwestern omelet, Smashed avocado breakfast sandwich, or a fried egg BLT.

One of the best spots for southern comfort food in downtown Asheville is Tupelo Honey, another outpost of the popular chain. This location does not disappoint with a large menu of popular southern delights, like fried chicken, biscuits, and more. Tupelo Honey has an airy and industrial feel with familiar country accents. You can choose from a variety of chicken options included honey dusted fried chicken, bleu buffalo fried chicken, and sweet tea roasted chicken. Don’t forget a cocktail when dining at Tupelo Honey, served in a Mason jar.

For Italian food that won’t break the bank in Asheville, diners should head to BRIO Tuscan Grille. Brio features salads, soups, pasta, chef specials, and a huge selection of flatbreads. BRIO has soaring ceilings an eye-catching chandeliers, so it is a good spot for a meal if ambiance matters as much as the menu. Brio is in the Cherokee Casino in town.

For visitors spending time on the historic stretch of downtown Asheville called “the Block,” there’s Benne on Eagle. Located on Eagle Street, Benne is a neighborhood joint that welcomes diners of all ages and from all over. The menu at Benne features a host of cheap eats, including cabbage pancakes, collard greens, roasted pork, onion-braised rabbit, and a whole lot of other comfort foods. Visitors who eat at Benne rave about its warm and cozy interior and its unforgettable handmade cocktails.

Haywood Common is in West Asheville, and it is one of the best spots for cheap eats in the area. The menu at Haywood Common is constantly changing since the chefs only include local, seasonal ingredients. Seasonal menu items include choices like Pork Belly Rice Bowl, which features seared HNG pork belly, coconut lime rice, sunny, side up egg, rainbow carrots + green onion, kimchi, sprouts, red curry sauce and Creamy Pesto Fettuccine, which is Handmade fettuccine, kale, local mushrooms, confit sun-dried tomatoes, creamy pesto. Protein add-on options under Salads. Haywood Commons’ menu is wide and varied so even the pickiest diners can find something to like here.

Looking for a warm and cozy pub to dine in Asheville? Look no further than Cedric’s Tavern. Aptly named, this bar that serves food has a distinctly British pub menu: fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, and great burgers. The restaurant has regular live music and a patio for dining, so visitors can eat outside when the weather is nice. Cedric’s Tavern is in the Biltmore’s Antler Hill Village.

Dine on the best Cuban food in the area at Hemingway’s Cuba, another restaurant for some of the best cheap eats in Asheville. The founders of the restaurant try to offer diners something unique: a Cuban experience that feels like the country and Cuban food that tastes like it’s cooked in a home kitchen. The menu has classics like paella, a Cubano sandwich, and medianoche, which is slow-roasted pork, sweet ham, swiss cheese, mustard, pickles, sweet roll Don’t forget a daiquiri when dining at Hemingway’s Cuba. According to the folks at the restaurant, their daiquiri was the very favorite of Hemingway himself.

For upscale and sophisticated food in Asheville that is also affordable, check out Vivian. This French restaurant serves up a host of French delights, including foie gras pate with pickled red onion, grilled figs, local lettuce, and toast, and panade, which is a French onion casserole that comes with local fall greens, gruyere and parmesan. Inside the restaurant, Vivian has a trendy chic vibe, so get ready for people watching while dining. Vivian is in Asheville’s new up and coming Riverside industrial River Arts district, so dining here gives visitors a chance to check out a new and burgeoning part of town.

Milton’s Black Mountain is one of the most popular Asheville restaurants for cocktails and fresh seasonal fare. Located just outside of Nashville in Black Mountain, NC, Milton’s bills itself as a “seed-to-fork” restaurant. They share the cuisine and local ingredients of Western North Carolina to locals and visitors alike. Milton’s menu rotates regularly, but diners can find options like sorghum glazed chicken breast, southern fried chicken, tempura fried catfish and dry-aged pork chop with fried cauliflower and grilled grapes. Milton's is airy and bright inside, and the staff offers plenty of southern hospitality! Guests will feel like they are dining at a friends home when they enjoy a meal here.

The Scarlett Bee is a casual Mediterranean eatery that serves up some of the best cheap eats in Asheville. The restaurant is distinctly casual inside, so come here after a long day of exploring the town for a cozy, no-frills meal. The menu at the Scarlett Bee features a variety of bites like chicken shawarma, fattoush, and kebobs. The Scarlett Bee also has live music, so diners who want some live entertainment while they dine can check out the restaurant’s website, which has a concert schedule. The Scarlett Bee is in the northern part of Asheville, close to Woodfin.