UK chain Costa Coffee shows up here at gate C1
AVL skips Starbucks and Dunkin’ and brings in Costa Coffee, the UK chain you usually only see in Europe, right by gate C1. It’s airside in Terminal 1, so you need a boarding pass in hand before you can grab a flat white or latte. The setup runs like a standard airport coffee bar: order at the counter, quick handoff, then straight back to the single concourse and your gate.
Concessions here open at least one hour before the first departing flight boards and stay running through the last departure’s boarding time, so you’re covered for the 6 a.m. rush and the 9–10 p.m. stragglers. That timing matters at AVL, since there’s not a second coffee option once security closes behind you. If you land early from, say, the morning ATL hop, you can usually grab coffee before your next leg starts boarding.
Pricing tracks with normal airport rates: expect espresso drinks and brewed coffee in the $4–$7 band depending on size and extras. Costa leans into milk drinks, so cappuccinos, flat whites, and flavored lattes are the safer bet than plain drip if you care about flavor per dollar. Pastries and grab-and-go snacks typically sit in the $3–$6 range and work as a quick breakfast before a United or Delta regional flight.
There aren’t many deep-dive reviews on this specific Costa, but the brand standard in other airports is consistent shots, quick service, and decent baked goods. At a small field like Asheville Regional Airport, with only one main concourse, that’s enough to make it the de facto coffee stop. Logistics tip: hit Costa right after clearing the single security checkpoint, then walk the 2–3 minute stretch to your gate instead of trying to squeeze in a stop once boarding starts.