You're flying out of Asheville Airport, you have 90 minutes to kill, and you'd like to do better than a Pret. Good news: airport drinking has improved more in the last five years than the previous fifty. Pre-flight drinks at Asheville Airport range from chain reliability to surprisingly polished hotel-style bars in the airport hotels. This is barsforKings's editor-curated guide to drinking better at Asheville's airports.
We don't pretend airport bars compete with what you'll find in Asheville proper. The list below is honest about the trade-offs. We highlight terminals where the rooms actually try, the chains that are reliably better, and the precise terminal location for each pick. Save this before your next flight.
Want a real drink before flying? The fastest play is to get to airport hotels next door — most run polished bars that beat anything post-security. We list them at the bottom. If you've got 60 spare minutes pre-airport, see our shortlist of bars in Asheville proper at the end.
By terminal, ranked
Plays for Asheville Airport: post-security, pre-security, lounges, and the airport-hotel cheat code.
Better drinking in Asheville proper
Skip the airport entirely. These rooms are worth the cab, even with luggage.
The Friday Pour
Pre-flight drinks, hotel-bar reviews, and the openings we're watching across 200+ cities. Friday mornings, no filler.