Smoke'N Ash BBQ
| Smoke'N Ash BBQ | |
|---|---|
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 2018 |
| Owner(s) | Patrick and Fasicka Hicks |
| Food type | Ethiopian-Texas barbecue |
| Location | 5904 South Cooper Street, Arlington, Texas, US |
| Website | smokenashbbq |
Smoke'N Ash BBQ is a barbecue restaurant in Arlington, Texas.[1] It serves Texas barbecue, Ethiopian cuisine, and Tex-Ethiopian fusion cuisine.
About
The Smoke'N Ash BBQ restaurant uses Ethiopian condiments including awaze[1] and berbere, a traditional Ethiopian spice mixture. The spice mix is made by Fasicka's sister,[2] who ships it to the restaurant from Ethiopia.[3]
The restaurant is known for serving dishes like barbecue brisket, pork and lamb ribs,[3] sausage,[4] tibs, doro wat,[5] key siga wat, Ethiopian-inspired nachos, pulled pork,[6] and pulled lamb.[1] It also serves grilled and fried fish, including catfish, tilapia, and red snapper.[3] The restaurant serves side including injera,[7] Texas toast,[8] macaroni and cheese, potato salad, collard greens, fried okra, and lentil stew.[1] Its dessert menu includes items like peach cobbler and Texas sheet cake with berbere.[5]
History
The restaurant was founded by Patrick Hicks of Waco, Texas and his wife Fasicka, originally from Addis Ababa.[9] The couple met in Arlington in 1997, and later married and had two children.[5] They opened a food truck in 2012,[3] and operated pop-up food stands in Texas before opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Arlington in 2018.[9] The couple originally served Texas barbecue,[6] but Fasicka began adding Ethiopian dishes to the menu in 2019.[10] They began adding fusion dishes to the menu based on recommendations from their customers, who enjoyed both Ethiopian and barbecue food.[11]
In 2022, the restaurant partnered with Goldbelly and began shipping food to other states.[12]
The restaurant moved to a larger location at 5904 South Cooper Street in 2023.[13] The newer location also included a full bar.[14]
Reception
The restaurant was included on The New York Times list of the 50 best restaurants in 2022.[10] In 2023, the publication named it one of the 20 best Texas barbecue restaurants of the new generation.[15]
It was also recognized by the Michelin Guide.[1] Daniel Vaughn of Texas Monthly praised the restaurant's food and customer service.[5] In 2025, it was a semi-finalist for the James Beard Foundation Award.[16]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Smoke'N Ash BBQ – Arlington - a MICHELIN Guide Restaurant". MICHELIN Guide. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
- ^ Le, Dang (April 25, 2025). "Arlington family turns childhood memories into award-winning barbecue restaurant". The Shorthorn. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
- ^ a b c d "The American Dream Story of Patrick & Fasicka Hicks - Smoke'N Ash BBQ". www.arlingtontx.gov. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
- ^ Nishimura, Scott (December 4, 2024). "South Arlington restaurant savors Michelin recognition, stokes Ethiopian-barbecue fusion". Arlington Report. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Vaughn, Daniel (December 16, 2021). "An Arlington Family Has Created a New Must-Try Cuisine, Tex-Ethiopian Barbecue". Texas Monthly. Archived from the original on July 18, 2025. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
- ^ a b "Smoke 'N Ash BBQ". Texas Monthly. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
- ^ "Immigrants are changing Central Texas barbecue for the better". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
- ^ ""It's just about togetherness": Meet the couple behind the only Ethiopian-Texas barbecue restaurant in the world - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. July 11, 2022. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
- ^ a b "BBQ restaurant in Arlington makes Diners, Drive-ins & Dives - CultureMap Dallas". dallas.culturemap.com. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
- ^ a b "Our 50 Favorite Restaurants of 2022". The New York Times. September 19, 2022. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
- ^ Mayhew, Malcolm (September 15, 2022). "A Different Kind of 'Cue". Fort Worth Magazine. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
- ^ Barricks, Hannah (October 21, 2022). "You Can Now Send Some Smoke'N Ash BBQ to Your Buddies in California". Fort Worth Magazine. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
- ^ Nishimura, Scott (December 4, 2024). "South Arlington restaurant savors Michelin recognition, stokes Ethiopian-barbecue fusion". Arlington Report. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
- ^ "Smoke'N Ash BBQ Making a Move". March 28, 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
- ^ Anderson, Brett; Krishnan, Priya. "The 20 Best Texas Barbecue Restaurants From the New Generation". The New York Times.
- ^ "James Beard Semifinalist Announced: RJ Yoakum, Smoke 'N Ash, Starship Make Cut". Dallas Observer. January 22, 2025. Retrieved September 30, 2025.