Editor’s Note (October 2024): We love and celebrate our mountain communities; however, following the devastation of Hurricane Helene, many areas remain inaccessible for travel. Please check DriveNC.gov’s travel map for the latest on traveling to these areas.

“I’ve probably eaten here 600 or 700 times over the years,” Russ Towers says as he waits for a friend at a picnic table outside 12 Bones Smokehouse. The smoky scent of barbecue welcomes the growing crowd — “suits to boots,” as Towers describes it, a mix of businesspeople and construction workers, along with locals and out-of-towners drawn to the offbeat vibe of Asheville’s River Arts District. A tannery back in the area’s industrial heyday, the brick building is now painted with colorful street art. Inside, the walls are covered in Sharpie-scrawled graffiti from fans who have visited the joint since it opened in this location seven years ago.

Towers has been ordering his favorite 12 Bones meal — the pulled pork plate with collards and mashed sweet potatoes — for much longer, though. He owns a nearby outdoor outfitters, Second Gear, and he’s been a regular since the restaurant first launched in a cinderblock shack down the road in 2005. “I have been meeting friends for lunch at 12 Bones almost once a week from the beginning,” Towers says. “The menu hasn’t changed much because, you know, why fix what isn’t broken?”

Owners Angela and Bryan King have embraced 12 Bones’ River Arts District home with murals covering the exterior, as well as stickers from local businesses decorating the interior. photograph by Tim Robison

Angela and Bryan King photograph by Tim Robison

Owners Angela and Bryan King couldn’t agree more. The couple took over the business from founders Tom Montgomery and Sabra Kelley in 2012, but you can still order the same blueberry chipotle ribs that won awards and fans like Barack Obama, who visited 12 Bones twice (and got takeout once) during his campaigns and presidency.

Beyond the ribs, which remain one of the most popular items, there’s pulled pork and brisket that you can douse with house sauces like molasses-sweetened tomato, hot jalapeño, spicy vinegar, and tangy mustard. You can fill your plate with sides like lush corn pudding and slaw from an early-1900s recipe from Kelley’s grandmother.

“Tom and Sabra taught us how to make everything, and they were glad that we came in without preconceived ideas,” says Angela, who met Bryan when they were both working in the Bay Area.

Bryan had grown up in western North Carolina, and barbecue was always a passion of his. When the couple had the chance to come home to the mountains and take over 12 Bones, they threw themselves into the business, tackling everything from dishwashing to accounting at both the original restaurant and a second location in a former gas station just south of Asheville.

Diners at 12 Bones Smokehouse enjoying delicious food at the Asheville location, which is decorated with customers’ musings. photograph by Tim Robison

Over the years, the Kings have had to move both restaurants because of construction projects driven by Asheville’s economic boom. That opened the door to a new ambition, though: Five years ago, when they found a sprawling 1940s warehouse to serve as the next home for their southern location in Arden, they launched 12 Bones Brewing in the extra space. Angela’s brother, Dominic, flew in from his brewery job in Colorado to help them get started crafting beers that pair well with barbecue.

Under the watchful eye of the late food celebrity Anthony Bourdain, who presides in a mural over the restaurant, you can wash down your smoked turkey and Brie sandwich with pours like the Country Casual, a dark lager made with local malt. The famous 12 Bones ribs are a natural complement to Mixtape Flashback, a German-style wheat beer flavored with 900 pounds of blueberries per batch.

Which 12 Bones brew goes best with your ’cue? Try the smoked turkey sandwich, cornbread, jalapeño cheese grits, and mashed sweet potatoes with 12 Bones Sweater Weather pumpkin ale (left), or ribs, collards, and corn pudding with the All Disco No Panic hazy IPA. photograph by Tim Robison

12 Bones beer even shows up on the food menu. “We encourage the chefs to experiment,” Bryan says. “We’ve had beer pickles, beer barbecue sauce, beer cupcakes. We’re an Asheville restaurant, and that kind of quirkiness makes sense.”

Angela’s Korean heritage has made it to the plate, too, in the form of a special pork sandwich topped with her mother’s homemade kimchi. It sold out fast. “We try something new, and sometimes it’s a huge hit like that,” Angela says. “And sometimes it doesn’t work out, but our regulars stick with us.” Their staff does, too, with several in the second decade of their 12 Bones careers.

As the restaurant approaches a milestone anniversary in 2025, the owners are starting to think about a celebration — but not about big changes. “12 Bones hasn’t made it 20 years for nothing,” Angela says. “We love it when people say that the food is as good as ever.”

12 Bones Smokehouse
5 Foundy Street, Suite 10
Asheville, NC 28801
(828) 253-4499
12bones.com