Cookout Asheville NC

What to Order – Menu & Pricing

Cook Out’s menu is built around customization and value two qualities that stand out in a city where dining options range from nationally acclaimed farm to table restaurants to busy tourist facing spots with elevated prices. The Cook Out Tray is the anchor of the experience: a complete meal combining your choice of protein, two sides, and a large drink or milkshake for around $7.99. In Asheville, where restaurant prices downtown can run significantly higher than the state average, the Tray format gives local workers, students at Asheville Buncombe Technical Community College, and budget conscious visitors a genuinely affordable full meal without sacrificing variety or quality.

The burgers are fresh and char grilled over an open flame producing a smokier, more satisfying flavor than standard fast food. Customization options include chili, slaw, cheese, mustard, mayo, pickles, onions, and tomato. The Cook Out Style burger topped with chili, slaw, onions, and mustard is the most recommended combination among regulars. The “Out West Style” build BBQ sauce, bacon, and onions is a popular off-menu order at both Asheville locations. Beyond burgers, the menu covers fried chicken sandwiches, pulled pork BBQ sandwiches, hot dogs, corn dogs, and quesadillas.

Sides & Additional Items

Cook Out’s sides menu offers more genuine variety than most quick-service options in Asheville. Hushpuppies are one of the most consistently popular choices lightly fried golden cornmeal rounds that feel at home in an Appalachian food culture with deep roots in Southern cooking traditions. They pair especially well with a BBQ sandwich or a chili burger and are a side you won’t find at most fast food chains along the Patton Avenue or Tunnel Road corridors. Cajun fries add a seasoned kick to the standard fry experience and are a popular upgrade for regulars at both Asheville locations.

The full sides list includes regular fries, cajun fries, hushpuppies, coleslaw, corn dog, onion rings, and quesadillas. A grilled cheese is also available as a vegetarian option one of the few vegetarian friendly items alongside fries, hushpuppies, and cheese quesadillas. For vegetarians passing through Asheville, a grilled cheese and hushpuppies tray with a milkshake is one of the more filling non-meat combinations at any quick service chain in the region. All sides can be ordered individually.

Cook Out Milkshakes – Asheville’s Late Night Sweet Spot

Cook Out milkshakes have built a devoted following at both Asheville locations, and the rotating selection of over 40 flavors is the central reason why. In a city celebrated for its independent food culture, the milkshake lineup stands out for its variety and consistency. Asheville customers regularly return for flavors like banana pudding, Oreo mint, strawberry cheesecake, blueberry cheesecake, caramel fudge, peach cobbler, pineapple, chocolate malt, and cookie dough with seasonal rotations keeping the menu fresh year-round. Custom milkshake blends mixing two flavors together are a popular specialty at both Asheville locations.

The milkshakes are thick and hand spun, making them satisfying after a long day hiking the Blue Ridge, paddling the French Broad River, or walking the River Arts District galleries. A milkshake can replace the large drink in a Cook Out Tray at no additional charge a detail that consistently surprises first time visitors and makes the $7.99 Tray feel like even better value. Standalone milkshakes are around $3.99. Because the flavor menu rotates, always ask the drive-thru staff what’s currently available when you visit.

Hours & Availability

Cook Out’s late hours give it a practical advantage in Asheville that is particularly valuable in a tourism driven mountain city. The Patton Ave location opens at 10:30 AM and closes at 3:00 AM Sunday through Thursday and 4:00 AM on Fridays and Saturdays. The Tunnel Road location maintains similar hours. In a city where outdoor activity, live music, and craft beverage venues keep people active well into the night year round, Cook Out fills the gap left by restaurants that close at 10 or 11 PM which in Asheville is most of them, even on weekends.

For Mission Hospital employees HCA Healthcare’s flagship hospital in Western North Carolina and one of Asheville’s largest employers the late hours are a consistent practical benefit. Nurses, surgical staff, and hospital support workers finishing overnight shifts have very few full meal options in Asheville between 2 and 4 AM, and Cook Out on Patton Avenue is among the most accessible. Asheville’s large service industry workforce bartenders, kitchen staff, and event workers finishing late shifts at the city’s restaurants, breweries, and hotels  represents another major late night customer base at both locations.

Always confirm the specific location’s current hours via Google Maps before a very late visit. Note that Asheville’s mountain geography can occasionally affect road conditions in winter. During significant snow or ice events, confirm both locations are open before making the drive late at night.

Asheville Cook Out Locations

Use Google Maps above to find the Cook Out location nearest your hotel, trailhead, or destination in Asheville. With 2 locations on opposite sides of the city along the primary east west travel corridors, most Asheville residents and visitors are within 10–15 minutes of a Cook Out. Click “Get Directions” on any location card below for exact driving time from your current location.

Cook Out Locations by Area

Asheville’s two Cook Out locations are positioned on opposite sides of the city along the primary east west travel routes. Here is a detailed breakdown of each location and the communities each one serves best.

Patton Avenue (West Asheville): The location at 1055 Patton Ave sits along US-19/23 in west Asheville, running through the vibrant West Asheville neighborhood and connecting downtown with the Haywood Road commercial district and the River Arts District. West Asheville has developed significantly as a neighborhood over the past decade, with independent restaurants, music venues, and breweries drawing residents and visitors. This location is convenient for downtown Asheville, Montford, Kenilworth, and River Arts District visitors. Health Score: 95.5/100. Phone: (866) 547-0011.

Tunnel Road (East Asheville): The location at 251 Tunnel Rd serves east Asheville along US-70 one of Asheville’s busiest commercial strips running past the Asheville Mall area and connecting to I-40 East toward Hickory and Charlotte. This location serves East Asheville residents, travelers arriving via I-40, and visitors staying at the many hotels along the Tunnel Road corridor, which is one of Asheville’s primary visitor accommodation zones. Phone: (866) 547-0011.

Both Cook Out Asheville Locations

Cook Out and Asheville’s Food Scene

Asheville has one of the most celebrated independent food scenes in the entire Southeast. The city consistently ranks among the top food destinations in the country its concentration of James Beard nominated chefs, nationally recognized restaurants, and thriving craft brewery and distillery scene per capita is remarkable for a city of its size. Restaurants like Chai Pani, Cúrate, The Market Place, and newer standouts like Good Hot Fish featured on the New York Times 2024 list of the 50 best restaurants in the United States have brought sustained national attention to Asheville’s culinary community.

But Asheville’s acclaimed dining scene creates a practical late night gap. Most of the city’s independent restaurants close between 9 and 11 PM, and even on busy weekend nights options for a full hot meal after midnight are limited. Cook Out fills that gap directly. After a late show at the Orange Peel on Biltmore Avenue one of the Southeast’s most respected independent music venues or after a late set at the Salvage Station along the French Broad River or a show at the Grey Eagle in West Asheville, Cook Out on Patton Ave is one of the very few full menu options still open. The same applies to late nights at the Rabbit Hole or along the Lexington Avenue arts corridor in North Asheville.

For outdoor visitors, Cook Out serves a distinct practical need. Asheville is the gateway to the Blue Ridge Parkway, Pisgah National Forest, the Appalachian Trail, and a dense network of hiking trails, waterfall destinations, and river access points throughout Buncombe, Haywood, and Henderson counties. Hikers, cyclists, rafters, and campers returning to Asheville after a full day or evening in the mountains frequently need a substantial, affordable meal before driving home or settling into accommodations. Cook Out’s generous portions, low prices, and extended hours make it a logical post adventure stop that many regular outdoor visitors to Western NC have built into their Asheville routine. Cook Out also serves the large Biltmore Estate visitor base Biltmore regularly draws well over a million visitors annually many of whom explore the Asheville area into the evening hours before needing a late meal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Cook Out in Nearby North Carolina Cities

Cook Out has a growing presence across Western North Carolina and throughout the state. There are locations in nearby Hendersonville and Waynesville just 25 and 30 miles from Asheville respectively making Cook Out accessible throughout the mountain region. Traveling east on I-40 toward Hickory and Charlotte, you’ll find Cook Out locations along the entire route.

Additional Resources