12 Bones Smokehouse

Bar, Eatery

5 Foundy St
Asheville, North Carolina, 28801
United States

(828) 253-4499 | map
12bones.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.19
Reviews:
14
Ratings:
30
pDev:
10.5%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by blackie:
Photo of blackie
Reviewed by blackie from Oregon

4.05/5  rDev -3.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
located in the River Arts District, 12 Bones makes an outstanding follow-up to the Wedge Brewpub, just around the corner

very unassuming from the street, the interior reminds me of an old diner - an ordering counter fronts the kitchen with booths and tables spotting the sunny interior, each adorned with a much-used roll of paper towels, decor is mostly stickers for various establishments/groups/bands that have been plastered over the white-paint walls, an outdoor patio appears to house bands at times, low-key with a relaxed bbq joint vibe

service requirements are minimal - order at the counter and wait for your food to arrive, dirty plates are quickly bussed away, friendly peeps working

7 taps on at the time of my visit, all WNC locals including an Asheville P&BC beer that I hadn't seen elsewhere, two serving sizes available

the food was outstanding, with a range of Texas style plates and sandwiches available, I went with the special - a smoked brisket philly cheese steak with two sides, the sandwich was a huge mess but delicious, many places neglect their sides but they get much respect here - the corn puddin', baked beans, smoked potato salad, and sweet vinegar slaw were all awesome

can't believe I've neglected this place for so long, it's a must stop for future visits
Dec 23, 2009
More User Ratings:
Photo of DoctorZombies
Reviewed by DoctorZombies from Florida

4.35/5  rDev +3.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4.75
Ample parking with a side dirt lot, so plenty of space for my camper van. First half of building is the tap room with plenty of seating and 15 taps. Order beer here, then go to restaurant side and stand in line to order delicious ribs! Go back to tap room and drink a beer and/or flight; in 10 minutes go back to restaurant side and get your food. Easy!

Spacious restaurant side if you want to sit and eat there. Be warned, the place is packed at lunch.

The beer is average plus or minus. All I’ve had were ok. Cooler with to go cans on taproom side; merch sold on restaurant side.

I’ll return…for the ribs and collards!
Jul 31, 2023
 
Rated: 4.5 by NV87 from Florida

May 30, 2020
 
Rated: 4.44 by NotAlcoholicJustAHobby from Vermont

Jun 14, 2018
 
Rated: 4.2 by KMitch from Alabama

Jun 28, 2016
 
Rated: 3.81 by Squire from Mississippi

Jun 27, 2016
 
Rated: 4.68 by MasterRigger from North Carolina

Apr 03, 2016
Photo of Gavage
Reviewed by Gavage from Nevada

4.1/5  rDev -2.1%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5
Visited the one located in River Arts area - an old storefront with a covered outdoor picnic dining area. Got there early enough so line was short. Inside is definitely a dive - stickers on walls, old tables, and some swag and BBQ sauces for sale. There were six beers on draft, all locals like Pisgah, Highland, French Broad, Asheville Brewing, Sierra Nevada, and Oskar Blues. I got the Pisgah Pale Ale, rack of ribs, some brisket, and mac & cheese. The ribs had a nice smokey and pork-forward flavor with a Blueberry-Chipotle BBQ sauce. Brisket was good, but I had better in Austin TX. The beer is classic Asheville favorite and was fresh and tasty with the BBQ. I enjoyed my trip more for the food than the beer, but the beer really complemented the meal.
Mar 30, 2016
 
Rated: 4.41 by redfish2942 from South Carolina

Mar 12, 2016
Photo of mlockman
Reviewed by mlockman from Indiana

2.16/5  rDev -48.4%
vibe: 2 | quality: 2 | service: 2 | selection: 2.25 | food: 3
If eating bland barbecue out of a tin pan, sitting next to a venus flytrap while flies dive bomb your food, inside of a dilapidated hovel where the most prominent decorations are stickers and writing on the wall is your cup of tea, then, by golly, this is the place for you. Sadly, even the beer selection was so meager and uninteresting that I couldn't dull my sense to adequately palate the environment. Food was okay, but the delivery and the atmosphere kind of ruined it for me.
Jul 09, 2015
 
Rated: 4.41 by tazzman from Florida

May 20, 2015
 
Rated: 4.1 by Jzmhector from North Carolina

May 01, 2015
 
Rated: 4.04 by HookemHoos from Virginia

Mar 09, 2015
 
Rated: 4.34 by RochefortChris from North Carolina

Jan 30, 2015
 
Rated: 4.75 by JLSIV from Georgia

Aug 14, 2014
Photo of Jodi215
Reviewed by Jodi215 from Arizona

4.31/5  rDev +2.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.75 | food: 5
Had lunch here on a Friday afternoon. We had to stand in line for about 15 to 20 min to get in the door. Once in though you order your food, find a table and get served your food in short order. This place is down home casual, not fancy but very basic. makes it feel more real. We sat in the patio and you couldn't ask for a more pleasant place to eat. Quality overall is fantastic. Service is friendly but other than take your order and bring your food out there isn't much contact with the staff. Beer selection is a little above average and could use some work. The food is what you go here for and it doesn't disappoint. I had the ribs with the brown sugar dry rub and they were fantastic, best I've had on this trip. Two sides I had were the baked beans and collards. The collards were the best I've had on this trip and the beans were very good. The guys had a sandwich called a Hogzilla, brat, pulled pork and bacon. They loved it. My son also ordered a side of ribs with blueberry chipolte sauce and said they were really good. We would come back here again and again if we lived closer. I think this is the only place I've ever given a one $ sign.
Jun 20, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by midlifec from Michigan

Jun 10, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by REVZEB from Illinois

May 23, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by leftstagebrew from North Carolina

Jan 17, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by seanchai from Virginia

Dec 31, 2013
Photo of dbrauneis
Reviewed by dbrauneis from North Carolina

4.23/5  rDev +1%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.75
Located in the River Arts district, it is a little more off the beaten path than some of the other restaurants located in downtown Asheville. It has the good vibe of a BBQ restaurant - kind of dumpy looking building from the outside and a cinder parking lot. Indoor and outdoor seating are available and the place is busy (though it does not have the most convenient hours). Kind of country decor that is nothing fancy and a rather eclectic crowd (everything from hipsters to families).

Beers were served at a good temperature with proper head in appropriate glassware.

Service is friendly when you go up to the counter and order as well as the people that actually deliver the food. The person working the register (taking orders) maybe was not overly knowledgeable about beers but did make sure to let me know they had a bunch of local NC brews on tap as well as the bottled I could see.

While not a huge selection of beers (6 locals on tap), they did have a nice selection of styles available including stout, IPA, and pumpkin ales. There were a handful of bottles/cans but nothing really special available there.

The food was really good - I highly recommend the ribs (available with a number of different rubs/glazes). I had the rootbeer bbq glazed ribs and they were excellent served with sage cornbread, greens, and corn pudding. I would recommend this place to beer drinkers and others for the food alone.

Prices were quite reasonable and the food + beers were excellent.
Dec 06, 2013
 
Rated: 4.25 by Kegatron from Pennsylvania

Oct 22, 2013
Photo of metter98
Reviewed by metter98 from New York

4.05/5  rDev -3.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4.25 | selection: 3.75 | food: 4.75
Vibe: The smokehouse isn't located in the main part of downtown, but seems fit for a BBQ place as it is next to the river and railroad tracks in a somewhat industrial part of town. Both indoor and outdoor seating is available. Nothing's fancy about the decor but it seems like a typical roadside BBQ joint with lots of stickers and country paraphernalia hanging on the wall.

Quality: Beers were served in the proper glassware at the proper temperature.

Service: I went there in the late afternoon right before it closed so there was no line and the food came out very quickly. This is a place where you order at the counter and they give you a number to put on your table and then bring the food to you. They also have a separate line for beer and desserts.

Selection: They had six craft beers on-tap from local breweries, which is really good considering that this is more of a food destination compared to a place where people are coming for the beer.

Food: I really enjoyed the food and tried pulled pork, sliced brisket, baby back ribs and a couple of sides including baked beans, collard greens, jalpeno cheese grits, and mac 'n cheese. The plates also came with cornbread. All in all, the food was very good.

Value: Prices were very reasonable so you can fill yourself up without spending a lot.
May 29, 2013
Photo of LionsMane
Reviewed by LionsMane from Maine

4.5/5  rDev +7.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 3 | food: 5
Excellent BBQ, sides. The beers are usually locally sourced and cheap. Only open until 4 Mon-Friday, if you are in a hurry get the food to go, there is a short line to the left of the main counter so do not wait in line, just walk up to the togo counter grab a beer and your food.
Jan 12, 2013
Photo of Fulkrum78
Reviewed by Fulkrum78 from Tennessee

4.65/5  rDev +11%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
I hit this place up as soon as we got to town. Reviews on here and other sources had me curious as could be. When we arrived (around 2 on a Wednesday) there wasn't much of a line (no complaint there). I ordered a pulled pork sandwich, a brisket sandwich, 3 ribs, mac and chz, and baked beans. Green Man ESB to go with.

Food came out fast, and was delicious. Sides were tasty and inventive. My buddy Dave got the Hogzilla sandwich, and it looked like pork heaven. His cheese grits were fantastic. His wife got one of the smoked turkey sandwiches. A bite of that convinced me I should get one of those the next time I stop here.

All in all, a great bbq place. Oh, the blueberry chipotle ribs are excellent!
Aug 26, 2011
Photo of JebediahScooter
Reviewed by JebediahScooter from Vermont

4.43/5  rDev +5.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 5
I love some 12 Bones and stop in for lunch whenever I'm in town. There is usually a line, but it moves fairly quickly. They are great at getting food out quickly. I usually go for the basic ribs with some WNC style sauce, a pint of Pisgah, and the delicious corn pudding (one of my favorite BBQ joint sides anywhere). Beer selection is small and local, but some of my favorite beers are always on tap. I usually opt to sit out at the picnic tables on the patio, which is large and covered, because it gets cramped and noisy inside.

Do yourself a favor and get some ribs and a delightful local brew next time you visit AVL, and don't let the line scare you off!
Jul 31, 2011
Photo of slowbie
Reviewed by slowbie from North Carolina

4.13/5  rDev -1.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 5
THIS IS NOT A BEER BAR. I'm giving this place a good rating because it is a great place and I'll probably go every time I'm in Asheville, but if you're looking to try something really unique or rare or if you're hoping to find a huge tap list, this is NOT the place to go.

Walk in, order at the counter. Good luck choosing because they have great cheap barbecue plates or you can get one of their crazy rib options (blueberry chipotle was one when I was there). On top of that there are 7ish taps that are all local breweries. When I was there Pisgah Pale, French Broad Wee Heavy were both on tap, don't remember the others but it was mostly things in the pale/amber/blonde ale arena. The beer comes in 20 oz and 10 oz sizes at very reasonable prices.

Take a number and your beer and sit down, and the food comes pretty quickly. I would highly recommend getting a barbecue plates because between my wife and I we had 4 different sides and every one was incredible. The meat was really good too.

The plates get cleared away quickly and everyone seems really friendly.

Like I said, I'll definitely be back on any subsequent Asheville visits.
Mar 14, 2011
Photo of sholland119
Reviewed by sholland119 from Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev -1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
An enjoyable lunch stop whenever we are in Asheville. 12 Bones is located in a low slung cement block building in the Arts District, around the block from Wedge Brewing. The place is jumping from the open, the question is not whether you will wait to place your order but how long.

Once inside, there are about 15 tables in the main room, with a small room behind and a covered outdoor area with picnic tables. Nothing fancy to speak of, paper plates and plastic cutlery with a roll of paper towels on the table in place of napkins.

Food is good pork barbecue. Everything comes dry, with a variety of sauces so you can finish your plate in the eastern NC style (vinegar), western NC (sweet barbecue sauce) or SC style mustard sauce. I would much rather the pork sit a while in the sauce like we do at home, but it's still good. Sides are quite tasty especially the mac and cheese and collard greens.

Beer selection is all local and tasty. Nantahala IPA was my choice on the last visit, but Wedge, Pisgah and Green Man are usually represented as well.

Service is always pleasant and patient with first timers who forget to take the marker with their table number (like us on our first trip). I imagine there is better barbecue around here somewhere but this a great stop when you don't have the time to go exploring for it.

HV
Nov 22, 2010
Photo of mikesgroove
Reviewed by mikesgroove from South Carolina

4/5  rDev -4.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
This is probably one of the quickest, easiest places in all of asheville to grab a bite to eat. If you like BBQ you really cannot go wrong here. Walk up and order your plate and a pint of Pisgah and you are in business. No glitz, no flash, just good food and quick. If you are looking for a beer bar or some other expierence this is really not the place for it. They have limited tap room but devote it all to locals which is always a great, great thing to see. Everything is cheap and well done. Gotta love this place.
Jan 18, 2010
Photo of SaCkErZ9
Reviewed by SaCkErZ9 from South Carolina

3.93/5  rDev -6.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3 | food: 4.5
This 12 Bones is located right across the railroad tracks from Wedge Brewing in the Arts district of Asheville. At both 12 Bones, you order your food at the counter, then have a seat, and within about 5 minutes, your food is brought to you. Its kind of like fast food but certainly better. The pulled pork plate is very good as well as the jalapeno chesse grits. They also have a bbq sauce bar that allows patrons to perfectly portion the amount of sauce they desire.

This location has some outdoor seating that is shaded and a great place to hang out on a summer afternoon.

As far as selection, it is all local beers. They have 6 or 7 drafts and they are from local breweries such as Highland, Pisgah, Wedge. 10oz draft are only $2 and pints are $3.

If you like good bbq and good beer, this is the place to be. Highly recommended.
Aug 05, 2009
12 Bones Smokehouse in Asheville, NC
Place rating: 4.19 out of 5 with 30 ratings