Best Cocktail Bars in Asheville
Asheville, North Carolina — updated August 24, 2026
Asheville's drinks scene is dominated by breweries, so we pulled out the downtown and East Asheville rooms where the cocktail list is the reason to go, ranked by how settled their ratings are.
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Asheville's drinking reputation was built on beer, and the biggest review counts in town still belong to taprooms like Burial's South Slope location, with more than 2,100 reviews. That makes the cocktail rooms easier to miss, though several of them sit within a few blocks of each other downtown. These four are ranked by how well the bar itself is the point, with review volume used to judge how settled each rating is.
1. The Times Bar & Coffee Shop
A dedicated bar at 56 Patton Ave, downtown, and the highest-rated of the group with a sample size worth trusting: 4.8 across 579 reviews. The name covers both halves of the operation, coffee and bar, which makes it one of the few addresses here that works at opposite ends of the day. Its central Patton Avenue position puts it inside the downtown walking loop, so expect it to absorb spillover on weekend evenings when nearby restaurants are on a wait. Of everything on this list, it is the closest to a straightforward cocktail bar rather than a bar attached to a kitchen.
2. Luminosa
Ground-floor bar at 20 Battery Park Ave, holding a 4.8 rating from 520 reviews. That is a strong number, though on a slightly smaller sample than The Times, which is the only reason it sits second. The Battery Park address is a short walk from Pack Square and the Grove Arcade, so it fits naturally into a downtown evening either before or after dinner rather than as a destination on its own. Being on the first floor, it is more accessible than several of the upper-level rooms downtown that require a lift or a stair climb.
3. Cúrate Bar de Tapas
The most thoroughly reviewed bar on this list, with 4.7 from more than 1,100 reviews, which makes it the safest bet of the four. It sits at 13 Biltmore Ave, in the thick of downtown's restaurant row, and the bar de tapas format means drinks and small plates arrive on equal footing rather than the food being an afterthought. The volume of reviews behind that rating also means the experience is consistent, not a small crowd of enthusiasts inflating a score. Reservations are worth checking on the restaurant's site before turning up on a weekend.
4. Filo Pastries & Post 70 Indulgence Bar
The one entry outside downtown, at 1155 Tunnel Rd in East Asheville, and the only one with a hard window for cocktails: Post 70 runs Wednesday through Saturday, 5pm to 9pm, serving craft cocktails alongside savory small plates, flatbreads and desserts. Turn up on a Monday or Tuesday and you will find the Filo side only, open 7am to 4pm as a bakery and coffee shop. The 4.7 rating from 889 reviews covers both operations, so it reflects morning pastry as much as evening drinks. Worth the drive if you want a cocktail without the downtown parking problem.