Smoke'N Ash BBQ

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Smoke'N Ash BBQ
Restaurant information
Established2018 (2018)
Owner(s)Patrick and Fasicka Hicks
Food typeEthiopian-Texas barbecue
Location5904 S. Cooper St., Arlington, Texas
Websitesmokenashbbq.net

Smoke'N Ash BBQ is a barbecue restaurant in Arlington, Texas.[1]

Description

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The restaurant serves Texas barbecue, Ethiopian cuisine and Tex-Ethiopian fusion cuisine. The 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]

Platter of Tex-Ethiopian food from Smoke'N Ash

History

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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 S. Cooper St. in 2023.[13] The new location also included a full bar.[14]

Reception

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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

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Smoke'N Ash BBQ – Arlington - a MICHELIN Guide Restaurant". MICHELIN Guide. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  2. ^ Le, Dang (2025-04-25). "Arlington family turns childhood memories into award-winning barbecue restaurant". The Shorthorn. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  3. ^ a b c d "The American Dream Story of Patrick & Fasicka Hicks - Smoke'N Ash BBQ". www.arlingtontx.gov. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  4. ^ Nishimura, Scott (2024-12-04). "South Arlington restaurant savors Michelin recognition, stokes Ethiopian-barbecue fusion". Arlington Report. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  5. ^ a b c d Vaughn, Daniel (2021-12-16). "An Arlington Family Has Created a New Must-Try Cuisine, Tex-Ethiopian Barbecue". Texas Monthly. Archived from the original on 2025-07-18. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  6. ^ a b "Smoke 'N Ash BBQ". Texas Monthly. Archived from the original on 2022-12-09. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  7. ^ "Immigrants are changing Central Texas barbecue for the better". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  8. ^ ""It's just about togetherness": Meet the couple behind the only Ethiopian-Texas barbecue restaurant in the world - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 2022-07-11. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  9. ^ a b "BBQ restaurant in Arlington makes Diners, Drive-ins & Dives - CultureMap Dallas". dallas.culturemap.com. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  10. ^ a b "Our 50 Favorite Restaurants of 2022". The New York Times. 2022-09-19. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  11. ^ Mayhew, Malcolm (2022-09-15). "A Different Kind of 'Cue". Fort Worth Magazine. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  12. ^ Barricks, Hannah (2022-10-21). "You Can Now Send Some Smoke'N Ash BBQ to Your Buddies in California". Fort Worth Magazine. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  13. ^ Nishimura, Scott (2024-12-04). "South Arlington restaurant savors Michelin recognition, stokes Ethiopian-barbecue fusion". Arlington Report. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  14. ^ "Smoke'N Ash BBQ Making a Move". 2023-03-28. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
  15. ^ Anderson, Brett; Krishnan, Priya. "The 20 Best Texas Barbecue Restaurants From the New Generation". The New York Times.
  16. ^ "James Beard Semifinalist Announced: RJ Yoakum, Smoke 'N Ash, Starship Make Cut". Dallas Observer. 2025-01-22. Retrieved 2025-09-30.