Bone Heads BBQ in Saline, 1333 East Michigan Avenue, offers homey service, great grub, and fun decor. Their slogan set the tone for the experience: “We’ve got a bone to pick!”
It is located in the same complex as Emagine, so when we arrived, the parking lot was full of crowds seeing the Barbie movie. However, we were able find a spot behind the complex.
We did not need the reservations we had made because when we arrived Bone Heads was rather empty. However, as the evening progressed, it quickly began to fill up with families, workers and those waiting for takeout.
The atmosphere was enhanced with skeletons and dinosaur bones placed about. Wood-paneled planks adorned the sides, small round tables are created atop barrels, and there are cute signs and bric-a-brac around, in addition to funky lighting.
Our waitress made us feel like she was genuinely glad to see us all. She told us that their Willis location has been open since 2010 and the Saline location since 2020. They are family owned.
We decided to order the Bone Heads family platter. The waitress told us we would have more than enough for everyone in our family and would also be able to try every single meat that the establishment prepared.
The platter came with a full rack of ribs, whole smoked chicken, 1/2 pound of smoked brisket or pulled pork. However, the waitress said one of her favorite things on the menu was the pulled pork and we also wanted to try the brisket so she arranged to have a bit of both.
She was extremely accommodating with the sides as well. The menu indicated that the platter came with baked beans, creamy coleslaw, mashed potatoes and cornbread muffins. But the waitress said the sweet potato mash was one of her favorites, so she added some of the sweet potato mash as well. We also ordered a side of mac and cheese, which was delectably delicate and really creamy.
The waitress was correct about the best items: pulled pork and sweet potato mash, although everything was good.
The ribs had an amazing texture, a thick sauce and spice mixture with a high-impact bark around the meat. The chicken was extremely moist and juicy. The beans were also very complex in their flavor, somewhat smoky but also with a tangy sauce.
Additional barbecue sauces are available on the table for other flavors: Carolina, Hot, Old No. 7, and Honey.
We had plenty of leftovers for lunch for the week.
We will be back again and maybe next time check out Emagine Theatre after dinner. We might also check out their restaurant in Willis someday, which they claim is an official haunted establishment. But that is another story.
