ASHEVILLE - Things can get pretty heated if you ask someone where to find the best biscuit sandwich in Asheville.
Lower your dukes. There's enough biscuit love to go around town.
Why settle for one morsel when you can have the whole biscuit?
"We should be eating more biscuits. It's hard to find anything that's as deeply satisfying as a biscuit from the carbohydrate perspective," said Jacob Sessoms, owner of All Day Darling. "They're fatty, rich, soft, delicate ― it really is the best bread as far as a quick bread, like almost a shortcake, with a more traditional bread. Please feed me more biscuits."
Asheville's biscuit boom has brought us more to love, as newcomers and established restaurants elevate the Southern classic, making it their own and serving
biscuit sandwiches with local flair.
Chain restaurants, like Bojangles and Chick-fil-A, may be leading the mainstream biscuit game. But independent Asheville eateries can whip up fresh, original, scratch-made creations with ingredients from local farms and purveyors, switching up the menu with the changing seasons.
"In Asheville, there's kind of this biscuit renaissance going on, and it's great," said Carter James, co-owner of Flour. "Breakfast is something that's usually overlooked in a food city, especially. Asheville has such great nighttime cuisine that having breakfast showcased is cool."
Begin your Asheville biscuit sandwich tour with these bite-worthy beauties at local eateries.
Flour
40 Wall St., downtown; @flouravl
In 2024, Flour opened with a split focus on biscuits and focaccia sandwiches for breakfast and lunch, but biscuits quickly and unexpectedly took off, becoming what Flour is known for and the business's moneymaker.
Flour's buttermilk biscuit uses butter instead of lard to capture the dairy's richness. The simple recipe calls for butter, buttermilk, flour, baking powder and salt to allow the flavors of the topping added to the sandwiches to shine.
Carter James said a good biscuit sandwich needs structural integrity. Finding the harmonious balance of ingredients is important to avoid it being too dry or so buttery that it falls apart.
"It's a great biscuit, but if you take one bite and it falls apart, it's a completely different thing now," James said. "It's these little tiny things that can make a biscuit go from just a Pillsbury Doughboy biscuit to handcrafted by a chef. It's more of a technique thing than having this magic recipe."
The batter is hand-mixed and patted down in a rectangular pan, then baked. Instead of using a biscuit cutter to make traditional circles, Flour hand-cuts squares to prevent food waste and overworking the dough, thus improving the quality.
The Bacon, Egg and Cheese Biscuit Sandwich has been the bestseller since day one and remains the top item even after the restaurant moved from The S&W Market food hall to a dedicated brick-and-mortar location where the menu has changed and expanded.
The bacon comes from Goodnight Brother in Boone, a nod to Flour's three co-owners, who attended Appalachian State University together and have fond memories of chowing down on slices. James said diners notice and appreciate the signature smoky flavor.
Eat the biscuit sandwich plain or top it off with Flour's in-house strawberry jam.
"There's a lot of really good chefs out there doing biscuits, and it's pretty cool to see because everyone has their own take on biscuits and they're all really good," James said. "It gives people the choice of, 'What kind of biscuit do you like?' and there's going to be a place out there for you."
Biscuit Head
Multiple locations in Asheville and Greenville, South Carolina; biscuitheads.com; @biscuitheadavl
In 2013, Biscuit Head broke into the breakfast scene with its first location on Haywood Road. Carolyn Roy, co-owner and operator, said she imagined a fun, family-friendly breakfast concept that paid homage to the Southern classic.
Biscuits' versatility shaped the menu into signature sweet and savory creations, with The Filthy Animal currently the customer favorite.
"You have this nice, buttery, pillowy little base to play with," Roy said.
The Filthy Animal begins with the cathead-style buttermilk biscuit, then is topped with fried chicken, in-house pimento cheese, bacon, and scrambled eggs, and then smothered in gravy.
"You want a mixture of textures and flavors. We like to do a sweet-and-salty combo with a lot of things. You want some kind of sauciness to soak into it, like a gravy, cheese or hollandaise," Roy said.
The drop-style cathead biscuit is made with a wet dough that the bakers measure out with an ice cream scoop. A gluten-free version is available.
Biscuit Head also sells its regular buttermilk and gluten-free biscuit mix retail for home bakers.
Inspired by salsa bars at Mexican restaurants, Biscuit Head offers a bar featuring unique and traditional in-house-made jams, hot sauces and other condiments. Roy's favorite is the sour cherry jam. Other flavors include mango chili, berry bomb, peach rosemary, strawberry, amaretto and sweet potato chai.
"We have so many biscuit places now, and they're great. One of the things that's special about Asheville is the community feeling," Roy said. "People want other people to do well and want to help each other. We love seeing all the other places pop up. The more great food, great biscuits and places that we have just bring more people who want to try everything."
ButterPunk
372 Depot St., River Arts District; butterpunkavl.com; @butterpunkavl
ButterPunk opened in 2025, but chef and co-owner Beth Kellerhals was hosting biscuit sandwich pop-ups well before the brick-and-mortar opened.
"It's an American Southern classic. Who doesn't like a biscuit sandwich? It's our universal love language here in the South," Kellerhals said.
The pastry chef takes a contemporary route, breaking from traditional styles, using a recipe she crafted while living in California to create a layered, buttery biscuit that's soft and fluffy inside and crispy on the outside. She said it's made to stay together and enhance the other flavors and textures going onto the sandwich.
"I wanted to a biscuit to add something so that the whole sandwich is complete," she said.
ButterPunk's bestseller is the OG Breakfast Sammie, made with a soufflé egg, Tillamook cheddar, and charred scallion mayo. A homemade sausage, veggie patty or candied bacon may be added. The sausage is prepared with a signature Asian-inspired spice blend, instead of a traditional sage-based breakfast sausage, which is a nod to Kellerhals and her business partner, Chef Dana Amromin's culinary travels.
The in-house jam flavors have included blueberry lavender, strawberry and tomato.
Kellerhals described breakfast sandwiches as "a lovely indulgence," and said her love for breakfast often sends her to other restaurants on her days off.
"I love to see all the biscuit sandwiches popping up," she said. "It's fun, and it's kind of my philosophy on life: 'With everything, there's a lid for every pot.' I think that about the biscuit being here, too. There's something for everyone."
All Day Darling
102 Montford Ave., alldaydarlingavl.com; @alldaydarlingasheville
Since 2018, All Day Darling has started customers' days off right with breakfast, following Tod's Tasties, which served an all-day breakfast menu at the same location for more than 20 years. All Day Darling, a fast-casual breakfast concept, is a cornerstone of the historic Montford neighborhood and keeps customers coming back for lunch and dinner.
Two signature breakfast sandwiches are the Fried Chicken Biscuit and The Standard.
The Fried Chicken Biscuit is a chicken breast cutlet with a gluten-free batter made with corn and an alternative starch base, and dressed with harissa aioli, honey and pickles.
Jacob Sessoms said the team spent a lot of time figuring out how to make a gluten-free fried boneless, skinless chicken breast that would still be flavorful, satisfying, lasting and crispy.
"The biscuit we use traditionally on the menu is a big, fatty cheddar and scallion cathead biscuit, but we also make it completely gluten-free if you need it," Sessoms said. "You could eat it all day long, and if I didn't tell you, you wouldn't know."
The Standard is a custom sandwich that gives the option of bacon, ham, sausage or avocado, topped with a fried egg, cheddar and herb mayo. Customers also have a choice between having a bagel, roll or biscuit as the base.
"The perfect biscuit to put on a plate and eat is not the perfect biscuit to put a sandwich on. If you're eating your grandma's biscuits, they need to be super soft and airy and flaky and almost fall apart," Sessoms said.
Yet, a biscuit sandwich needs enough structure to hold ingredients like a piece of fried chicken so the diner can pick it up and eat it, he said.
"That's why we do a larger square cheddar-infused biscuit so that the fat and stickiness of the cheese help hold that biscuit together," Sessoms said.
The Rhu and Rhubarb
10 S. Lexington Ave. and 7 SW Pack Square, downtown; the-rhu.com and rhubarbasheville.com; @therhuavl and @rhubarbavl
The Rhu, a cafe and bakery established in 2016, also offers freshly baked in-house biscuits that can stand alone or serve as vessels to boost a sandwich's deliciousness.
The signature Benton's Biscuit is the bestselling sandwich, made with a buttermilk biscuit base, shaved Benton's ham and a choice of Duke's mayo or berry jam from Imladris Farms. Add a scrambled egg for a heartier option.
However, you may swap any bread in The Rhu's breakfast or lunch sandwiches for a biscuit.
Executive Chef Mallory Foster said The Rhu, and its fine dining sister restaurant Rhubarb, which offers biscuits on its brunch menu, uses a recipe of flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, mixed with buttermilk.
"They're very soft, buttery, fluffy and they have some flake. I like a soft biscuit, so that's what I go for. It reminds me of KFC," Foster said.
Gluten-free biscuits may be substituted.
Foster said a successful biscuit sandwich can't be dry, and that goes for the biscuit and its toppings.
Rhubarb's biscuit sandwich features Duke's mayo, strawberry jelly and housemade sausage instead of Benton's ham. It's also where you can find another Southern staple: biscuits and chocolate gravy.
Foster said she enjoys biscuits for their simplicity and affordability, and is glad Asheville is having a "biscuit moment."
"It doesn't break the bank. I'm glad it's not a steak moment," she said. "Everyone can participate. Everyone can have a part in this moment."
Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Co., covering the food and beverage industry, including the James Beard Awards, Michelin Awards, restaurant openings, closings and other hospitality industry news and events. Tips, comments, questions? Email tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow @PrincessOfPage on Instagram. Sign up for AVL Bites and Brews, our weekly food and drink newsletter here.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Asheville having a 'biscuit renaissance.' Sandwiches you need to try
