Breakfast is often touted as the most important meal of the day, but it’s easy to make it the most delicious meal too. Asheville, North Carolina is home to numerous cafés and restaurants serving up bomb ass dishes before noon. The following 10 breakfasts under 15 dollars are sure to make your tummy and your bank account happy.
1. Avocado Toast from Sunny Point Café
Sunny Point Café does a homestyle take on the avocado toast trend, topping the main feature with bacon and onions and pairing it with potatoes or grits and your bread of choice. (I would definitely suggest the angel biscuit as a side.) For $12, this dish serves up flavor and richness for the trend-follower and the carb-lover.
2. French Toast Casserole from Well Bred
The French toast casserole from this award-winning bakery and café makes the drive to Biltmore Village worth the traffic. The swirls of cinnamon sugar between warm, fluffy layers of bread
upgrade the treat your mom used to make you on Saturday mornings. Coming in at $4.25, this casserole is a necessity for the student with a budget and a sweet tooth.
3. Asheville Benedict from Biscuit Head
This open-faced cat head biscuit with all the works of a classic eggs Benedict makes for a mouthwatering breakfast under 15 dollars. The scallion cream cheese adds richness while the house-made hollandaise adds a kick. This is a personal favorite of mine to get on Sunday mornings — the taste (and price of $9) makes waiting in line worth it.
4. Nutella Crêpe from Cecilia’s Kitchen
When you just can’t get over your childhood love of Nutella, visit Cecilia’s Kitchen to curb your craving. $6 gets you a huge crêpe that is not drizzled, but is filled with the infamous chocolate hazelnut spread. Just a bite of the powdered-sugar-covered beauty is enough to make you smile — but the under-$15 price tag will make your purse smile, too.
5. Migas Tacos from TacoBilly
Miss that spring break trip to Mexico because your budget told you “no?” Yeah? Me too. Fortunately, the Migas Tacos at TacoBilly make up for that lost vacation with their Latin flavor. Melted Colby-Jack cheese tops the egg scramble of tomatoes, peppers, and onions on a crisp tortilla. At $3.75 each, you can order four of these bad boys and still have money for that movie this weekend.
6. Chicken & Waffles from King Daddy’s
Crispy chicken on a perfectly-cooked Belgian waffle sounds like my kind of heaven. The Southern staple is cooked up daily at King Daddy’s Chicken and Waffle in West Asheville. The chicken is seasoned just right, and the waffle will melt in your mouth. Top the waffle with strawberries and whipped cream, and this $12.50 meal will make you wonder why you waited so long to try it.
7. Camp Eggs from Rise ‘N Shine Café
Bread isn’t only for holding soup at Panera. The hollowed-out bread at Rise ‘n Shine is filled with sunny-side-up eggs, reminiscent of that time your parents took you camping. An all-in one breakfast is only $6.75, and it comes with your choice of a side — I would suggest the grits with butter to round out the meal.
8. Steel Cut Oats from Another Broken Egg
Breakfast doesn’t always have to make you feel like you need to go lie on the couch from a food coma after eating. Steel cut oats from Another Broken Egg Café are a healthy option for those who are looking for some complex carbs and fiber to be a part of their breakfast. The dish is topped with berries and local honey and clocks in at only $4.99 — some would say this is a “steel.”
9. Strata from West End Bakery
Layers of veggies and cheese fill the strata from West End Bakery. The huge slice of eggy goodness is hot and steamy when it’s served to you (peep that white blur in the top center of the photo), and the cheese is melty and stringy in the best way. With a price of $4.00, go try this out in West Asheville the morning of your hangover, and then snag a cinnamon roll for later too.
10. Granola from Early Girl Eatery
I saved my favorite dish for last: the (vegan!) granola at Early Girl. I dream about this food while I’m getting ready in the morning, sitting in class, and before I go to sleep. It’s just that good. The huge bowl of nutty granola mingles with raisins and is topped with fresh strawberries and a banana, and then it all marries in sweet vanilla soy milk. It’s only $7.50 for a huge portion, and the fiber will keep you full for what seems like forever — in a good way.
If you made it this far, congratulations, and thanks for joining me on this adventure through some of the most tasty-yet-affordable morning digs in Asheville. I hope that I have inspired your next trip downtown or to the west side of the city for some breakfasts under 15 dollars — I’ll see you soon on Wall Street for that granola date.