Looking for a tasty, local lunch spot that doesn’t break the bank? We’re here for you, Asheville. Check out this list of 25+ places where a lunch for one costs $10 or less.
We know proximity is key when it comes to a midday meal, so we’ve broken up these spots into their respective sides of town: Downtown, West Asheville, South Asheville, East Asheville, and North Asheville.
Unable to leave your office or house today? You can also take advantage of many of these deals with Kickback AVL, our one and only locally-owned food delivery service.
Downtown
Loretta’s Café, 114 Lexington Ave | Choose any half-sized cold sandwich, plus a fountain drink, for $9. We recommend the chicken salad — or the cashew and green olive, if you want a vegan option.
Soda Fountain at Woolworth Walk, 25 Haywood St. | Miraculously, nearly every item at this old-school eatery is under $10, including classic sandwiches like the BLT, reuben, chicken salad, black bean burger, and “Big Ass Fried Bologna.”
Mamacita’s Taqueria, 77 Biltmore Ave. | Two words: Taco Tuesday. Get two for $7 on this special day of the week, with the choice of chicken, pork, ground beef, or rice and bean fillings and three additional toppings. Plus, most burritos are under $10 every day of the week.
Baba Nahm, 1 Page Ave. | This chic Middle Eastern eatery serves street food classics like falafel, Tabrizi meatballs, the hummus bowl, and a Lebanese platter of turmeric rice, lentil salad, hummus, pita, dolma, tomato-cucumber, and sumac onions, all for under $10 apiece.
Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ, 135 Coxe Ave. | The aptly named “Bear’s Attacks Inflation’’ special offers a sandwich or garden salad (with chicken or pork), a side, and fountain drink for $8. Our wallet thanks you, Bear’s.
West Asheville
Pupuseria Patty, 1563 Patton Ave. | It’s all about the pupusas here, baby. For $8, you can get four pork or cheese pupusas served with a salad and red sauce. Trust us, four is plenty to fill your stomach for hours.
Silverball Subs, 347 N. Leicester Hwy. | Build your own half-sub for $8.45, or choose from options like the Italian, Cuban-style “Privateer,” or vegetarian “Earl Half,” with hummus, provolone, olives, and assorted veggies.
Tastee Diner, 575 Haywood Rd. | Prices have increased since this iconic diner changed hands and remodeled last year, but you can still find all-day breakfast sandwiches with protein options like brisket, bologna, and livermush for $10.
Taqueria Munoz, 1438 Patton Ave. | Get three Mexican-style tacos, garnished simply with cilantro and minced onion, for $6.75. Not feeling tacos? You’ve still got plenty of options, including the $7 torta, $6.50 quesadilla, and $6 burrito. Psst, Taqueria Munoz also has a permanent food truck at Zilicoah Brewing Co.
Taste of El Salvador, 1565 Patton Ave. | Chicken and pork tamales are $1.50 each, and pupusas go for ~$2.25 at this unfussy El Salvadorian spot.
Tiger Bay Cafe, 373 Haywood Rd. | The vegan burrito, which comes with rice, beans, diced onion, tomato, jalapeños, and sliced avocado, is $10. You can also get a hearty bowl of vegan chili with tortilla chips for $9.
Doc Brown’s BBQ, 1320 Smokey Park Hwy., Candler | The brown bag special offers a BBQ pork sandwich with a dab of coleslaw, chips, and a drink for $9.
The West End, 757 Haywood Rd. | On Wednesdays, stop by this West Asheville staple for an $8 soup and salad combo. There’s also a $10 adult grilled cheese on the menu daily.
North Asheville, Woodfin, and beyond
Montford Deli, 1461 Merrimon Ave. | Get a bangin’ BLT for $8 or grab a patty melt, hamburger, or croissant club for under $10.
Zen Sushi, 640 Merrimon Ave. | From 11 a.m.-3:15 p.m., you can get two sushi rolls of your choice with a side of either miso soup or salad for $9.
HomeGrown, 371 Merrimon Ave. | There are several sandwiches for $10 or less, including the iconic buttermilk fried chicken sandwich and vegetarian-friendly falentil wrap
Siam Thai, 100 Stone Ridge Blvd. | This Thai spot dishes out an amazing lunch special with generous servings of chicken, tofu, or vegetable stir fry or fried rice — all for $9. Bonus: It comes with a spring roll.
City Bakery, 88 Charlotte St. and 60 Biltmore Ave. | Enjoy refreshing sandwiches such as the cranberry almond chicken salad, “Avogoddess,” and pastrami reuben for under $10.
5 Points Restaurant, 258 Broadway St. | There’s plenty of beautifully (and speedily) executed meals to be had at this iconic diner, including an $8 lamb gyro sandwich, a $10 chicken gyro sandwich with french fries, and an array of sandwiches, melts, and types of cheeseburgers.
South Asheville
Papas & Beer, 1000 Brevard Rd. | Nearly everything on this Mexican restaurant’s lunch menu is under $10. We recommend the enchiladas.
La Rumba Restaurant Latino, 105 River Hills Rd. | There’s a full $10 menu between 10 a.m-2 p.m. — plus, an order of complimentary elote to kick off the meal.
Fahrenheit Pizza & Brew, 17 Lee St. | Get two slices of nationally-renowned pizza, plus a drink, for $6.
Celebrity’s Hot Dog, 1409 Brevard Rd. | Possibly the best lunch deal in Asheville. Get a hot dog, chips, and a 12 oz. drink for $4.
Mosaic Cafe, 1 Town Square Blvd. | The tuna melt, hummus wrap, and quesadilla bean burger are a few of the lunch options that cost under $10.
Thai Chili Asian Bistro, 1550 Hendersonville Rd. | This Thai restaurant will leave you absolutely spoiled for choice with 20 different lunch specials under $10, including everything from massaman curry and lo mein to pad ka-pow.
East Asheville, Fairview, and Black Mountain
Papas & Beer, 17 Tunnel Rd. | Nearly everything on this Mexican restaurant’s lunch menu is under $10. We recommend the enchiladas.
Mr. Kabab Grill, 801 Fairview Rd. | Get a steak, lamb, chicken, shrimp, or kofta kaba — served with rice, veggies, and salad — for under $10. Nearly every sandwich is $7 or less, including falafel, beef shawarma, and chicken shawarma.
Red Star Kitchen, 1397 Charlotte Hwy. | Bring the whole squad to this spot, because everything on the menu is $10 or less, including sandwiches like the Italian, Cuban, and Reuben. There are also several salads on offer. We’ve got our eyes on the “turn a sandwich into a salad” option.
Appalachian Chick, 195 Charlotte Hwy. | This Veteran-owned express deli is tucked away in Fairview’s Kounty Line Shell Station. It serves well-executed, Southern-leaning breakfast and lunch specials, like biscuits and gravy, fried bologna sandwiches, and even a livermush biscuit. Nearly every menu item comes in under $10.
The Local Joint, 1185B Charlotte Hwy. | Barbecue pork sliders, the chicken salad sandwich, and the black bean patty sandwich all come in around the $10 mark at this laid-back Fairview gem.
Cousins Cuban Cafe, 108 Broadway Ave. | Nosh on a Havana Wrap, which comes with black beans, white rice, plantains, avocado mash, and cilantro aioli, for $9. Also under $10: the shredded mojo pork or garlic lime chicken sandwich, pressed on Cuban bread.
Now... what did we miss?
We know, we know — we couldn’t possibly include them all. Did we miss your favorite lunch special? Shoot us a note, and we’ll add to our list to keep this guide updated regularly.