12 out of 10 food, people and services. Pancakes best in town!! Only wish they were open weekends! read more

Love this place! They have the best brown gravy around. Service is always great and always greeted with a smile.

After following Facebook and Tik-tok and yelp and other recommendation We went with what has never let us down...: if you want the best food ask the old people in town. So we asked some old timers who grew up in Asheville. The recommendations were 828, Vinnie's, hungry bear and one other place I don't remember because we didn't go because they said they were great but expensive. It was Sunday 828 was was closed had Vinnie's for dinners and it was great. Monday we went to hungry bear. If you want good food that tastes like home made food this is it. Came out super fast, piping hot, service with a smile and we both ate a full meal for under 35.00. Highly recommend. Will always stick to the tried and true when we are out of town.:::: If you want good food ask the old people that grew up there. read more

This is probably our favorite mom and pops place yo eat. The staff is alway friendly and there is nothing on the menu that we haven't tried and is all been great. Great service, lighting as you would expect for a cafe. We've been there slot and will return a lot more. read more

Food was ok. Definitely a small diner. It was busy. Food was just not what I liked. Others may love it.

A real gem; locally owned, great food, friendly owners and staff, nice cozy atmosphere as well as an outside dining area. Bring a big appetite for the pulled pork sandwich. read more

Service was very friendly! Sadly, the menu is in desperate need of an update. As I recall, ALL the "Breakfast Platters" came with meat. REALLY?? Throw in a platter with hash browns, eggs, and readily available meatless sausage substitute and BAM - you exit the Stone Age and embrace the modern customer. See you again after the update! read more

The Hungry Bear Cafe - French Toast - American Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

When we arrived we were told they had about a 20 minute wait. We had a seat outside on the awesome handmade benches and had a cup of coffee while we waited. We ordered a sausage, egg and cheese biscuit to share. I don't really love sausage but this sausage was not greasy and it had great flavor! And the biscuit was so light and delicious! I ordered a BLT. It was pretty good, the bacon was cooked just right, but only had 1 slice of tomato! Also for some reason an egg was on the BLT.... I had to take the egg off! Cute little place and overall a good meal for a great price! read more

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I too stopped in because of the stupid Susan review below... seemed very unkind, let people live lady. Place is very small but filled with unique pictures and fun stuff to look at. Menu is quiet large with many choices. We did breakfast mostly and the Texas philly sandwich, that my wife LOVED!! Doesn't look like much in the picture but the taste was awesome. Breakfast was good as well, no issues. Service was fast and very friendly. We recommend trying it for sure!! read more

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What a gem on the open road. The decor was American 50's retro. The menu predicted what I wanted before I even knew. The eggs didn't let me down like every other diner in North Carolina. Ask about the secret menu. read more

It looks a little dumpy but the food was really good, and reasonably priced. I would rec this for a quick breakfast. Nice service and food was actually really good. read more

Our family enjoyed our meal here. Staff is friendly and attentive. The patty melts & fries were delicious. Kids loved their pancakes & bacon & biscuits & gravy. We would stop by again! read more

Great food and service. Always filling and tasty. The staff is kind and fast. I love their breakfast and lunch. I am glad that they are close to our business and plan to continue to support them. read more

This is a step above Waffle House, but cheaper! I ordered hash browns and asked for onions in them. They were very good. My omelette was good, but paying extra for mushrooms coming from a can was disappointing. We had two servers one was very nice and the other didn't listen to me. I told her twice that I wanted a biscuit, and she said " but you are ordering hash browns!" I said I didn't care you can charge me for a biscuit. When my food came out I didn't have a biscuit. The server that brought the food was nice enough to get me one . We were on our way out of town, and I didn't feel like going back downtown. I would recommend this for a fast and affordable breakfast! read more

Was a busy little place with good service. Typical breakfast stuff. Nothing over the top but a good price, big enough portions to fill you up. Biscuits and eggs and sausage bowl with brown gravy did the trick for some energy for hiking in the cold and a little ghost hunting in the area. read more

The Hungry Bear Cafe - Outside with the locals...lol - American Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

We chose this place based on the STUPID review from the person (SUSAN) who left a bad review because of the "non mask wearing"... because WE are smart and know that masks are a JOKE THANK YOU for posting that bad review because this is one of the BEST local places ever! NEVER been here before and will be back! FOOD is amazing! Service is great!! This is a MUST try if you like GREAT FOOD read more

The staff very nice but eggs were not cooked as requested...the potatoes cold. Okay but I won't return

Delicious food at a good price !! I've only had their breakfast so far but their lunch looks like it would be great too.

Still on the search for the best pancake in town and this place is pretty good. We got pancakes for my boys and I got a chicken biscuit with a side of pancake. The boys easily finished their pancakes and my biscuit was so so good. I was able to keep my littlest man quiet with pieces of pancake. I wasn't able to finish my pancakes - next time, only the biscuit it was so filling. Though, I do have to say it sat very heavy for me afterwards. But it was just SO GOOD. I'd have to really weigh the pros and cons if I were to get it again. So good but man it hurt... Pancakes and eggs for both boys, chicken biscuit and side of pancakes with iced tea - $20 total. read more

The Hungry Bear Cafe - What a brilliant thing to have on the tables - American Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

This place looks very unassuming from the road. It's a very small place. It looks like it needs to be painted on the outside. If you didn't know it was here you'd probably drive past it. This place is seat yourself. The booths look to be in desperate need of repairs. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. The locals hang out here. Now on to the food: The "Papa Bear" offers the most food. In my opinion the most bang for your buck. I had 3 eggs over medium. Cooked correctly. Nice runny yolks. Home fries. Nice and crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The country ham was incredibly salty. Some of the southern folks love it. I'm still not there yet. The bacon was overcooked. Sad. The biscuits and gravy are pretty good. Kinda bland. The biscuits were good. My son had the "Sweet Bear". He really enjoyed the pancakes. He said he would give it a 7.5 out of 10. With him that may be a 10. Haha. Overall I would recommend this place. I do hope that they can fix the tired booths. read more

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Their breakfast was excellent and reasonably priced, and I personally enjoyed the fact that they used crushed ice for their water/drinks. Nice little place, would return! read more

Absolutely great southern food. Service is wonderful. Turkey and dressing is delicious and the sides are home cooked. It is a local favorite and packed every time I've been here. Don't miss this place if you are in the Area read more

The Hungry Bear Cafe - Any Place with John Wayne on the wall has GOT to be good!!! - American Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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Finally got to try The Hungry Bear Cafe, and I was not disappointed. The staff was super friendly and helpful, and the food was terrific. I had the hungry bear bowl which consists of a biscuit and gravy (two options, brown or white - I had the brown) with sausage and scrambled eggs. Eggs were cooked perfectly, light and fluffy, and the biscuit and gravy were outstanding. I'm something of a B&G aficionado having grown up in a southern home where my mom baked a fresh pan of biscuits nearly every morning of my childhood - she's made countless thousands. She was also a gravy master. Many people can make a pretty good biscuit, but far fewer can get the gravy right - The Hungry Bear gets it right. I also want to say how much I appreciate the owners for maintaining reasonable prices. Every restaurant is facing rising costs during these perilous, inflationary times so price increases are to be expected; however, The Hungry Bear has resisted the price gouging that is so prevalent at other local restaurants. If you're looking for great country cooking served by really nice people at a good price, this is your spot. If you're looking for something trendy or touristy, please go elsewhere. There are countless trendy/touristy variants in downtown or West Asheville that will happily charge two or three times as much as the HB and serve you alien concoctions like "meatless gravy" and other non-sequiturs :) read more

Had to make a pit stop before heading to Biltmore Estates. We ordered a BLT and Texas Philly sandwich, which were really good. Would come back again! read more

Best country fried steak and eggs in the county! The biscuits with brown gravy are awesome as well. The building is old and to non-locals May seem run down but that's what gives it charm in my opinion. The place is clean with no visible damage, the decor is just old and I love it! It's nostalgic. read more

Cute locals cafe with old memorabilia and the smell of good food. Had coffee on the porch during my short wait for a table. BLT was fresh, but average- bacon on it was cooked perfectly. Had a side of tasty grits, (salt yourself), and the absolute BEST sausage biscuit I've ever eaten (shared). The biscuit obviously homemade, light and fluffy, and sausage was delicious-not greasy at all!! I would recommend for sure, and the food that went by us looked and smelled amazing. read more

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Tried for months to stop by, finally made it in. Friendly, local diner. Locals frequent and now we know why. None of the Asheville BS, just great food. Great pancakes, crispy and light hash browns, bottomless ice tea. I had the Country Fried Steak.... tender and just right. Did I say friendly, locally owned with a wonderful staff? We've found our Asheville breakfast dive, and that's a major compliment! read more

The Hungry Bear Cafe - American Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

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This little place is about as unlike anything else you find near Asheville. Nothing pretentious or trendy here. I don't think an avocado has ever been inside the kitchen here. No industrial lighting or stools. Little diner we discovered recently. Super cheap, not sure how they do it but everything we had was tasty, served up fresh and hot from an old school, southern waitress. Pancakes were spot on. Biscuits and gravy won my husband over and he's a B & A snob! read more

First clue of how the meal would be is that none of the staff were wearing masks. Hand sanitizer on every table, nice touch, but masks weren't encouraged by patrons. We ordered bacon cheeseburgers, hamburger tasted off, bacon only flavor noted and that taste wasn't the best. Frozen fries fried not too crisp. Have driven by numerous times and seen their menu on yelp and had high hopes of what awaited inside, which we had kept driving. read more

Hungry for a real Hamburger? Try the Big Boy and tater tots. Drinks come with old fashioned crushed ice. You wont leave hungry. Hard to find a better hamburger than the Hungry Bear. Friendly staff and good food. Most days the owner will fix you breakfast after 11 am. I love the place and eat there several times a week. read more

The Hungry Bear Cafe - Tuesday special $7.99 Hamburger Steak - American Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

A. FREAKING. PLUS. Came in for breakfast. Omelette, hash browns, egg and cheese sandwich, pancakes. Everything we ate knocked it out of the park. It was exactly what I hoped for when I walked in. A real diner with good, clean diner food and wonderful service. Go. Go to here. read more

The Hungry Bear Cafe - Sorry. All the food disappeared into our mouths before I could document much of it. - American Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

We choose this for breakfast before we went to the Biltmore. It is close enough that you don't have to worry about wait times and also price is great. We were not disappointed. Very clean local restaurant. The staff are very friendly and polite! The food was so good! Loved the biscuits and gravy and hash browns were wonderful! Gave big portions. So glad we chose The Hungry Bear Cafe. read more

Stopped for lunch. I had the Country Fried Steak. It was delicious. I got 2 nice size patties., mashed potatoes and green beans. My wife got the Country Fried Chicken with the same sides. Very delicious. Great service. read more

Cozy breakfast spot that I could generally share a quick delicious meal with my daughter and watch the news. The menu has a variety of items to split with someone without getting bord each time. We saw the same servers and didn't mind waiting for a table. It gets busy and is worth the wait. read more

Came here for lunch and it basically tasted like bad hospital food. The pictures of the burgers looked so nice and what we got was nothing like that. Not even the same burger. Different bread, basic kraftt single cheese. Just don't go here. You'd have better luck at McDonald's and at least be a expecting bad quality. read more

I'm addicted to small diners/cafes. This one fits the bill. the food was served quickly and arrived hot and tasty. The ice tea is perfect! I had a chicken/bacon/cheese sandwich...fabulous. µy wife had an excellent patty melt. This place is not on your diet, but it is great! read more

The Hungry Bear Cafe - American Near Me - Asheville, North Carolina

They were pretty good. Definitely better than fast food when your driving through. We had the Philly cheesesteak, chili cheese dogs, chicken salad sandwich, cole slaw, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Everything was good. It wasn't spectacular but it was definitely someplace we would go to again if we find ourselves needing to stop and eat while going through Asheville. read more

This is a small local diner that locals frequent. We go often to eat breakfast. The food is mostly fantastic, southern home cooking and some of the best biscuits around. The waitress lack in friendliness and eagerness to serve folks. They are usually quick to clean the tables, take your order for drinks and back to get your order, but don't expect any coffee refills or any asks as to how's your food or can I get you anything else. Also the rating is dropping, making it a place I don't want to visit as often. read more

Yelp led me estray with the positive reviews. I ordered the country fried chicken with mashed potatoes and french fries and my wife ordered the grilled chicken sandwich. My chicken appeared to be a prepackaged chicken parts patty that you would get at a warehouse club. It tasted like cafeteria food. The mashed potatoes and fries were fine - typical diner sides. My wife's chicken sandwich had little flavor although it was cooked properly. She had cole slaw and green beans. Her sides were average as well. This isn't a place you choose to go. This is a place you go to if you don't have any better options and just need substance. On the positive side, the server was friendly and it didn't take long for the food to arrive. read more

Made a quick stop in during a road trip and it was a nice, simple and yummy meal. The club sandwich was great, fries look typical, but were really tasty, and the bacon egg and cheese cheeseburger was greasy diner delicious! read more