OWL Bakery

Perfect pastries! Seriously so good! But it sells out quickly so be sure to come early. We came around 10 on Sunday and almost everything was already sold out.

What a delight. Inviting space, with a small selection of different hand crafted breads, pastries, and coffee. Service was great and the flavour combination in the treats we had were devine. Get the chocolate torte, it's deifnitely a must have

WOW!!! Probably one of the best, if not THE best, bakery in the Asheville region. Local ingredients, thoughtful choices, mind-blowing pastries, and incredibly kind and thoughtful people who work here. Their coffee menu is fantastic, too! Worth the lines, every time.

OWL (Old World Levain) Bakery is always great, and sometimes, is exceptional. Side by side with pastries I've eaten on travels all over Europe and beyond, the offerings from OWL are a cut above (yes, even including those from France).

Susannah Gebhart & Nancy Hughes (and the rest of the OWL team) continue to deliver on beautifully nuanced, European inspired pastries.

My particular favorite is the Cardamom Bun ($5), with the slightly sticky and delectable texture of an enriched dough pull-apart or Kardemummabulle and the open crumb structure of a brioche. It is glazed with subtle and delicious fennel & orange, and topped with chunky (crunchy) sugar like brioche au sucre. This is all finished by a perfectly big punch of freshly ground cardamom.

The bake and finish on these can be a little inconsistent, unfortunately, but still worth the wait in line and price point. Such inconsistencies include: over caramelized (read burnt) bottoms, over sweet, inconsistent amounts of fennel and orange, or too tight a wrap which retards the rise and can leave the center under or gummy.

Still, that said, fantastic and landing a solid score of 7.8/10 on average, and 9.5/10 on the best of days!!

I'd be remiss to not mention how exceptional and complex the quiche always is with a perfect crumb (but Susannah, I miss the salad with pickled onions!).

OWL makes my top five bakery list world-wide and is the only bakery in the United States yet to do so.

You haven't done Asheville without a wait in line at OWL.

Review from @therouxreview - Instagram.

Came for the baguette because another professional baker said this place was the only place with a proper oven to bake real french bread. The cardamom bun.. cardamom perfection....just the right amount of cardamom. Ham & cheese croissant, layers & layers of crispy goodness with a gooey center. But the baguette...I was rooting for the baguette...but the crust nearly broke a tooth. Will be back for a second try.

Ok awesome coffee studded baked PERFECTLY. Beautiful interior and good coffee. Just wish it was local coffee not from SC. But I would go back and recommend it to anyone looking for stylish surrounding

If you're looking for croissants and laminations - go. These are your people. We know croissants pretty well, and these are legitimate. They also have some lovely seasonal ones that hit the spot!

Note that a seating is outdoor only.

Really great coffee and pastries with easy parking. Must go in Asheville if you like delicious things and a classy yet cozy vibe. 🥐☕

Excellent and very creative pastries n breads

Delicious pastries and coffee, outdoor seating could use some heat lamps for the chilly days with no indoor seating