Phil's Bar-B-Que Pit — Restaurant in Black Mountain

Tonight was my second visit because I'm from Florida and it is near the venue of an annual conference we attend. Tonight we ordered the 3 meat plate and the chopped and sliced brisket was juicy and delicious. We really liked the sides- mac'n'cheese and bbq baked beans. The beans especially were a unique blend. I think they use a lot of onions that are not quite cooked through, which I love because I just love onions. The entree was recommended literally seconds after we walked in the door by our friends because of the value and the delicious brisket- it could feed my husband and I and we could still have leftovers (and we did). Took me minute to figure out the bbq sauces, but I found two I liked and thought it was a nicely rounded selection. The staff seemed friendly. For some reason bbq places in Florida rarely have hush puppies, which are a favorite food of mine, but I was delighted to remember they serve them as a standard accompaniment to your meal if you order a plate. Only two drawbacks I can think of really; 1- it's a busy place sometimes-the dinner rush means you'll stand in line to order, but there is no guidance/signage for where the line should go beyond the sign that says order here at the counter and if it's already packed inside I have no idea where you'll be (a big group came in behind us and for a minute it seemed like they might have to stand out in the cold, but we were able to squeeze in just inside the entrance; 2- the atmosphere is really kitschy and that is sort of to be expected for a bbq place, but for some reason in this case it also means having worn out chairs with holes in the seat. I think these are fairly simple to address and really ought to be taken care of by the staff, but they by no means interfered with the actual eating...

My girlfriend and I had a foodie road trip today, starting in Asheville and ending in Black Mountain. Phil's was our choice for dinner. *Sidenote: If you have the time when visiting Asheville, Take the extra 20 minutes drive to Black Mountain (recently voted one of the best small towns in the US) Back to Phil's... I ordered the 3-meat dinner. The ribs, Amazing! St Louis style, light sauce, dry rubbed, slow cooked to fall of the bone perfection. Smoked wings were definitely different from the greasy fried wings we're used to back in Pittsburgh, but a good different. Different texture without the crisp, but the flavor is was there. Chopped pork with any of their 5 house sauces. *Inside tip: Mix the Carolina vinegar, Mustard, and the Classic sauces. Cole slaw reminded me of my grandparents' slaw... Not too much vinegar..not too much Mayo.. dash of pepper. The little kid in me can never pass on Mac n cheese, so of course I had that as my 2nd side (Don't judge, but this was my 3rd Mac n cheese side in 3 days haha) Highlights of my girlfriend's meal: The collards were delicious! (Don't tell Tupelo Honey, but Phil has them beat) She also had the chopped chicken and could not put down the bottle of Alabama White Sauce (think the Mayo and Vinegar mix in coleslaw). I think they had to refill the bottle when we left haha And lastly, while I was filling our soda cups, I caught a glimpse of the BBQ...

Someone call Gordon Ramsey. STAT!

This place needs help.

I think this is only my second ever google review but I legit have no idea how this place has 4.4 stars…my husband and I stopped here based on reviews and were sorely disappointed by the quality of food.

I ordered the half rack of ribs and couldn’t even continue eating one rib after tasting it- it tastes like they boil the ribs with no seasoning and before serving throw it on the grill and slap some sauce on top. Mushy and flavorless. The food came out suspiciously fast (like under 5 minutes) which leads me to believe they just cook big batches of fried food and keep it warm way too long- nothing seemed freshly cooked.

Fries were way over cooked and not warm, hush puppies bland and lukewarm. Mac and cheese tasted like frozen stouffers.

The service was also incredibly lackluster with the cashier unable to answer as to whether or not their wings can be served with dry rub or not.

The restaurant was relatively empty btw, it’s not as though we were being those annoying customers who ask a million questions about the menu with a big line out the door behind us.

Maybe we have high standards for bbq…or maybe we just expect decent quality food.

Will not be back, would...