Sweet Lucy's Smokehouse

While visiting Asheville, NC, I was searching for the best BBQ places to eat. While on my Internet hunt, I kept turning up results for Sweet Lucy's, which was in my hometown on Philadelphia. I didn't help me at the moment, but it instantly made it onto my must-try list.

I made the way out to the Northeast for dinner with Jonny and Kristen with out love our barbecue ready to be satiated. Sadly, we went on Monday night, which only offers a $20 all you can eat buffet. We were able to order take out though, so the night was salvaged. Peering into the dining room, I saw that we wouldn't be missing much in the way of atmosphere. The buffet was small but seemed to include most of sides and all of the meats. I can't and don't want to eat $20 worth of food, so the take out menu was a good alternative.

There are a lot of good options on the take out menu, and there are different meals to feed any number of people. For the three of us to split we ordered a pound of four different meats, a half rack of ribs, four different sides, and cornbread. We ordered and only had to wait a short time to get our food.

Back at my house, we divided up all of the food onto our plates. The first thing I had was the baked beans, and it was basically love at first taste. The baked beans, like nearly everything I ate from Sweet Lucy's, had such a good flavor. The blend of spices on the sides, meat, and sauce was perfectly blended. The mashed sweet potatoes were also a delicious side dish, and I would say those two are must-trys. I was less than impressed, however, with the creamed spinach.

For the meats, we got to try five different things. We had smoked kielbasa, which was good if you're a fan of the meat, but didn't lend itself well to the BBQ style. We also ordered the beef brisket, pulled pork, and pulled chicken. All of these were tasty, with the pork being my favorite. I was impressed with all of them. Still, because the same sauce and general cooking method is used with the aforementioned three, the only real difference lies in the texture of the meats. Stick with the one you like the best for your preferred Lucy's experience.

The ribs were very good, but not as tender as I like. The taste and blend on the meat was awesome, but the cooking could use some work. They were still excellent. The cornbread was a perfect accompaniment, tasty and moist. At the end of the evening, we all had enough to eat at about half the cost of the buffet. I can't really see any benefits to eating in at Lucy's, but it's nice that it's BYOB.

Bottom Line: I'm holding Lucy's to a very high standard. And despite that, they still pass in my book. I love barbecue and there's so many good options at Lucy's. I like this place a lot and plan to eat here again, annoying Northeast visit and all.

Essentials:

7500 State Road

215-331-3312

Hours: 11am-9pm daily

Avg Ent: 10-20

Cash Only: No

Reservations: No

BYOB: Yes