ASHEVILLE – A family-owned and operated barbecue joint has won over Western North Carolina customers with its tender brisket and ribs, smoked side dishes and cobblers since established a decade ago.
Haywood Smokehouse’s reputation has rippled across stateliness and continues to impress diners, which contributes to its ranking No. 11 on Yelp’s 2024 Top 100 U.S. Restaurants list.
“It’s absolutely amazing,” said Joe Beasley, who co-founded the restaurant with his wife Brenda in 2013. “Sitting back and reflecting on it, knowing there’s almost 750,000 restaurants in the United States, to make that list is an honor.”
Yelp, an online reviewer-based platform, stated that its data science team curated the top restaurant rankings list based on user submissions and analysis of ratings, number of reviews and volume of submissions. The final rankings were confirmed by its community managers.
Haywood Smokehouse’s beginnings
Beasley said his family has long had a passion for barbecue and started by entering their recipes into contests 20 to 30 years ago.