Editor’s Note: Fork & Dagger is 828newsNOW’s anonymous restaurant review series, written by our independent Grub Scout—no freebies, no press perks, no agenda. Grub Scout pays full price, visits unannounced, and takes notes on food, service, atmosphere, and value. Each review reflects a recent, honest experience rated on our 1‑to‑5 fork scale. We aim to help you discover standout dining spots—from casual diners to white‑tablecloth affairs—one bite at a time.
I’ve been a regular at Luella’s North Asheville location since it opened in 2009. For the first decade, it was one of my favorite barbecue spots in town. This is a divisive topic, but I must stress that my barbecue opinions are solely based on beef brisket. Sure, I like other meats and sides, but sometimes I realize I’d have been happier had I just ordered a half pound of brisket and called it a day.
Because of this, I must say that, over the post-pandemic years, Luella’s Bar-B-Que had fallen off. I was so consistently disappointed in how dry the brisket was that I stopped visiting. To be quite honest, I noticed they were offering an Asheville Restaurant Week special, so I randomly decided to give them a shot again.
The special she chose was a pulled pork sandwich with a side of fries, hush puppies, Brunswick stew and the traditional dessert of banana pudding.
The pork was moist, and the bun was ideal. She’s an Eastern Carolina vinegar sauce kind of girl and really enjoyed it.
The Brunswick stew was outstanding. The underrated star of the show here. I highly recommend it.
The fries were great, and the hush puppies were so-so. Some of you may note that I’ve not been pleased with the hush puppies in town lately. Some may also note that my last cole slaw experience was atrocious. Well, this time was a respite. The spicy vinegar slaw here was nice, offering a sweet apple cider forward favor, which we both truly enjoyed.
The banana pudding was delicious, but, hey, how hard would one have to try to mess that one up?
On to the main event: The brisket…
I was quite pleased! It was very moist and well-smoked. I think I was relieved more than anything, as I really wanted this time to be a return to form, and they did not let me down.
The fried okra was tasty, and it didn’t even taste like it came from a frozen plastic bag off the Sysco truck. And, even if it did, kudos to them for cooking it right.
In an era where increasing food costs result in ever-decreasing portion sizes, I must say that Luella’s has figured out how to sacrifice in some way to keep from doing that. The portions were great and the prices were reasonable for 2026.
Luella’s is back, baby!
