12 Bones Smokehouse RIVER

THE place for BBQ in Asheville so we had to check it out. Brisket and pork were excellent as was the beer that was brewed there. You order at a window and the food is brought to your table. Pretty stark ambiance but we came for the food not the atmosphere. Recommend!

There’s gonna be a line because the food is fantastic. It’s worth the wait and doesn’t take that long. Good beer selection as well.

Visited 12 Bones as part of a work function, I opted for a half rack of ribs, with the brown sugar traditional dry rub, they were very flavorful and sticky from the brown sugar, additionally they had serve your own sauces including a lovely ketchup based bbq sauce that paired nicely with the dry rub. For sides, the options weren't the best for me admittedly, while I love Mac and Cheese which was why I got 2x of them, I do wish there was a more traditional choice for mashed potatoes as sweet potatoes have never been my thing (you can thank the NC school lunches for that.). Admittedly the corn pudding did look good as one of my coworkers got them. Drink choices were RC Cola brand which means Cheerwine all day every day.

As a side note, the interior walls are covered in drawings, quotes, and scribbles from folks throughout the years, while I didn't snap a picture of some of the more impressive drawings, I did get one of Hatsune Miku.

We had come here several years ago when it was at its old location. I couldn't wait to eat here today. The food is delicious! We really liked the blueberry Chipotle 💙 ribs!! I of course had to have the pulled pork. My daughters mac n cheese and smoked potatoes were great and would definitely get them again. The service was great!! The staff were all so kind and were good at keeping up with the crowd

Nestled in the graffiti section of the Ashville River walk section of town is a great meatery. We got a little sampler of the smoked meats and a brisket sandwich. Def would recommend the brisket sandwich w Mac n cheese, The cornbread was a little light for me. The chicken, turkey, pork, and ribs smoked meats platter was nice. I personally liked the chicken and brisket the most, then the ribs and the turkey were decent, turkey almost a sweet taste to it. But the smoked pork didn't seem to have too much flavor imo.

We love BBQ and trying new places is always on the to do, and this place is a must for anyone who loves BBQ and beer. You get online to order then a number to put on your table. There’s plenty of seating inside and out and the food comes quickly. We had the 1/2 rack with beans and mac’n cheese, a “taste” of pulled chicken & pulled pork, and a slab of corn bread. It was knock out! The ribs were melt in your mouth and the mac’n cheese so creamy, everything was delicious but those two really stood out. Only open limited hours and during the week so if you can put this on your must try lots of places.

Fascinating place with great food. Eclectic atmosphere with plenty of outdoor seating. We enjoyed the graffiti. Food was great. You will have to line up and place your order at the counter as you enter. It didn't take long and they brought our food out to our table. Plenty of beer options.

The best BBQ around! Not a single dish or meat we didn't like, loved it all! Ordered too much, but had amazing leftovers! Great friendly staff, fun environment and so many great food options!! We really enjoyed everything about our experience and will definitely be back and bring friends and family!

Easily the best BBQ I've had. Tried the ribs, sauces, corn pudding, pork sandwich and disco IPA. Every one of these were fantastic! A must stop for great BBQ.

Food was wonderful. Very flavorful, tender, all around delicious. The peanut butter pie was outstanding. We will definitely be back the next time we come to town.

All of us agreed that it was the best barbecued ribs we ever had. We got the brown sugar rub. The sauces were all great. A couple of us split the half rack of ribs. With that you get to pick two sides. Our absolute favorite side was the smoked potato salad which was outstanding! Also enjoyed the cucumber salad and the coleslaw.

This place is an Asheville classic and my husband and I finally tried it on our last visit.

We shared:
- 6 Bones (Strawberry Hopsour & Blueberry Chipotle) with Smoked Potato Salad and Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- 6 Bones (Brown Sugar & Blackberry) with Mac & Cheese and Damn Good Corn Puddin'
- Banana Pudding

The ribs were fantastic. I'm not a big rib person normally, but these were the best I've ever had. The blueberry chipotle was my favorite, but you really can't go wrong.

The sides were also very good. The only one I wouldn't get again is the mac & cheese. It was basically just noodles with a little Velveeta cheese I think (not the kind of mac and cheese I like).

Waited about 30 minutes in a line outside. I'd definitely do it again. Some of the best pulled pork I've ever had, even without sauce. Fiance loved the blueberry chipotle ribs. Corn pudding is also super good. We'll definitely be adding this place to our list of places to come back to.

No Bones about it, the BBQ was delicious! We split a few items and sides to sample a bit of everything. Had the ribs with blueberry Chipotle sauce and also the habanero pineapple sauce (with a bit of a kick) and yummy sides. This is worth a wait!

Best ribs I ever put in my mouth! Blueberry Chipotle FTW! The sauce bar has interesting selections too, like a spicy vinegar for the collard greens and a Jalapeño sauce

This place is not only in a cool part of town the BBQ ribs are fantastic! I got a 1/2 rack with vinegar slaw & Mac and cheese. Look no further this is a must do for any bbq lover! Be prepared to wait. There is usually a line out the door!

The ribs were delicious! Three of us split a full rack with dry rub and blueberry chipotle sauce on the side, with mashed sweet potatoes,coleslaw and smoked garlic mushrooms. We also split a pulled pork sandwich with chips. The ladies had water and I tried a Blueberry Hefeweizen beer. Get ya some...

The blueberry chipotle ribs were absolutely delicious, probably the best I’ve ever had. The corn pudding is fantastic as well. The service was super quick and the food is well priced. The beer selections is quite good.

I ordered ribs and pulled pork. I have to say this is the best ribs and pulled pork I’ve had. The staff was friendly and restrooms were clean. The food came out quick and hot. There was plenty of seating inside and all kinds of seating outside. A+ 12 Bones!!!

In 2021 I drove coast to coast and back and found this place on the way. This place ruined turkey for me in all the best ways. It was so damn good in 2021 I haven't even thought about eating turkey for years now, until today, when I knew I would be going through Asheville on another road trip. This place is special, magical, a true gem and one of a kind. It is well worth going way way out of your way if you're roadtripping!