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The smell of slow-cooked meat once again fills the air on 25th and Cherry, where new barbecue restaurant Frank's Smoked BBQ opened earlier this month. Frank's replaces Central District cult favorite The Barbeque Pit, a fixture in the building since 2010.
The Barbeque Pit closed in May, announcing via a sign that a Central District relocation is in the works, though it could be up to three years in the making.
The space on Cherry Street, though, has housed barbecue restaurants since the 1950s, so it wasn't destined to stay empty for long. After a brief period of construction, Frank's, which is owned by Albert "Frank" Franklin, was ready to start serving.
Frank's offers dinner plates and sandwiches with options of baby back ribs, chicken breast, brisket, pulled pork, and rib tips; sides of baked beans, potato salad, and coleslaw; plus occasional specials like hot links and mac and cheese. There are a few tables inside and on the sidewalk, but most of the business is grab-and-go.
The Central District will soon be home to another barbecue restaurant, too. This fall, look for the Wood Shop BBQ food truck to put down roots with a brick-and-mortar location on Jackson Street.
2509 E Cherry Street, (206) 485-7222, Facebook. Open Wednesday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday noon to 6 p.m.
