Barbecue That’s Worth the Wait - Asheville, NC
A few days ago, I was grabbing lunch at one of my favorite spots around Asheville. When I arrived, the line was wrapping around the side of the building, and people were circling like sharks for a parking spot. That would normally make me turn right around. But once I have it in my mind to get 12 Bones, I’m getting some 12 Bones.
As I stood in line and waited, someone got in line behind me. She said she just moved here from Atlanta, and knew any place with this kind of line just had to be good.
She’s right. Locals love barbecue, and locals love 12 Bones Smokehouse, which is right outside of downtown but just enough off the beaten path that non-locals don’t always notice it. Situated in the River Arts District, there is also nothing fancy about the joint to lure in casual passers by. It’s in a nondescript building, and inside the decor is humble: cement floors, bumper stickers on the walls, grub served up on simple aluminum plates.
It’s the food that makes this place shine. The daily specials are the real treats, from brown sugar or chipotle blueberry ribs to jalapeno cheese grits and mashed sweet “taters.”
The soda is served up in enormous plastic cups, and you can choose from rarely-seen (at least, outside North Carolina) soda classics like Cheerwine, Cheerwine Light, Dad’s Root Beer and RC Cola.
The pulled pork barbecue is divine, and it’s smoked for hours to deliver an amazing taste and tender texture. You can choose from a dispenser with several styles of barbecue sauce.
12 Bones Smokehouse
5 Riverside Drive
Asheville, NC 28801
828.253.4499
Photos of 12 Bones Smokehouse, © Asheville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.
