Tried Hugh Q's BBQ and honestly... pretty mixed experience…read more The cheese curds were hands down the highlight -- uniquely made, you could tell they were fresh, and they came out crispy and full of flavor. Easily the best thing on the table and definitely worth trying. Unfortunately, everything else just didn't live up to it. The BBQ and brisket were a letdown -- lacking flavor, not as tender as expected, and just didn't have that true smoked BBQ quality you look for, especially in a place like Hickory where the standard is high. Service and atmosphere were fine, nothing bad there, but when the main focus is the food, it just didn't deliver the way I hoped it would. Left feeling disappointed and honestly wishing I had gone somewhere else. Might give it another shot down the road, but based on this visit, it didn't live up to the hype for me.

The food was phenomenal! The brisket is so juicy, flavored well and exceptionally tasty! The…read moreservice was great, quick and made sure we had everything we needed.

We tried to like it and we really wanted to like it but NO! It was TERRIBLE. Won't that mistake…read moreagain. My husband got the special and I got broccoli salad and collards. Both were perfectly aweful.

Good chopped pork. Heated up on stove with a little bit of water. The bbq sauce is very good!read more

Wow did this place impress me?! Such good quality food, tasty & fresh & service was great!!…read moreIf you are in the area, it's a must try! They even make their own beer & spirits! Great family business!

Got the cheesy bread app, pulled pork sandwich and potato salad. The cheesy bread and sandwich were…read moregreat as always. Get the corn casserole (it's better than the potato salad). I really wish they had some dessert options. We always sit at the bar and the bartender was friendly and got our food quickly.

The food is fantastic, the employees have a smile that greets you from beginning to end! Great food…read moreand great service!

We searched the area for the best rated BBQ and JD's smokehouse is what we found. We found the…read moreplace to be a nice and local restaurant (early what we wanted to since we don't like the typical big chains when we travel). The layout was spacious. You order at the counter and then they seat you. The young ladies were patient with us since it took us a while to decide. We went with the traditional dishes. The food came out quickly and the young lady who was waiting our area was always checking our drinks. Honestly the food was so so and we weren't too impressed. I'm glad we shared our meal and didn't go all out. Overall we felt it was so so. I did get a souvenir t-shirt. Wish I had a better review to post. Overall it's an okay spot and hope it was just an isolated incident.

I always make a special stop at Charlie Graingers anytime I'm in the area. They are an excellent…read morechoice for allergies with gluten, dairy, or soy. They have so many options for food that are normally not available for people with allergies. I couldn't decide on one thing so I ordered several things. For starters, the chicken sandwich was huge. It was perfectly fried and very crispy. The bun held together and didn't fall apart. If you are gluten free, you know this is hard to find. I would say I only ate about 1/3 of the sandwich, it was so large. I also ordered the fried okra which were very crispy and the coating was light and flavorful. It's one on my favorite things to order here and a can't miss if you love fried okra. The next favorite was hush puppies. They reminded me of the hush puppies I used to eat growing up and have missed dearly. The prefect combination of sweet and crunchy. And i couldn't leave without trying the fried pickles. The owner, Lisa, and I were speaking about all the options and I told her how much I love having all these options. She included a small side of spicy pickles for me to try and they were even better than the regular. Not overly spicy and a great combination with breading and ranch dressing. I can't wait to return to try the fried jalapeños and the brisket. The staff is very knowledgeable and helpful. The prices are amazing. I ordered all of the food (6 different things) and a drink for $26. It was way more than I could eat but I wanted to try it all. The atmosphere is casual and the booths are cafeteria style for a very comfortable, southern experience.

Don't judge a book by its cover - you roll in wondering where this place is and yes it's the old…read moreHardee's or some fast food place! Order at the counter, they are very helpful answering questions - so many things I wanted to try! Service was very quick from ordering to receiving the delicious food! The vibe it's just a mom/pop - totally fits it and so worth it!

Solid bar with solid food. Nothing crazy but nothing bad either. Prices are good and you won't be…read moredisappointed. Inside is pretty cramped but the service is good. The chicken tenders were a little tough but you could tell it was real chicken. Overall a great spot if you just want some easy bar food.

This was a place that was on a number of YouTube videos for Hickory so we decided to get a beer…read morehere. It was VERY busy, but we got a table in the bar. We ordered a beer each but honestly they were a bit flat. We didn't send them back, but also didn't want to complain or order another so a beer each and out. It was okay, nothing special.

Great southern vibe. The Angus Burger Jerry's way is to die for. Get this! The sweet tea is…read moreperfect. Recommend!!

I was looking for bbq, and after a long day didn't want to drive to far. Hannah's showed up on Yelp…read moreclose to where we were staying, so off we went. It's pretty easy to find. GPS took me right to it. It's on a main road with easy access in and out. The stand alone building has plenty of parking, although all spaces are away from the building. You need to cross the traffic lane to get to the building. This means corral the kids, and handicapped people need to walk further. It's just something to be aware of. Inside is large and clean. They have a combination of booths and tables. We sat at a booth. The cushions were well used with almost no padding, but everything was clean. I did notice they had a 99.5% health code rating, so good for them (and us!). The hostess gives the menus when you first sit down so you can start deciding what you want. It took a minute or two for the server to come by. She took our drink order and asked if we knew what we wanted to eat. My dining partner needed a few more minutes. The waitress came back in about a minute with drinks, so we didn't need to wait long for her return. I ordered the Beef brisket platter, with sides of bbq beans and fried okra. I also ordered their smoked wings with Buffalo sauce. My dining partner had the small pork ribs plate with the marinated (vinegar) slaw as the side. Our food came out in about 15 minutes. Not a bad wait, but two tables after us got their food before it's. I don't know if it was the wings which took longer to prepare or what. The ten wings were very good. They were not drenched in sauce. There was a lot of meat on them, and they were moist and tender. The sauce was one of the better Buffalo sauces I have had. The brisket was fine. It was served shredded with just a little sauce added. The meat itself was bland. I did get some smoke flavor, but it really needed sauce to make it interesting. The bbq beans were fine as well. There is some pork added along with a very little bbq sauce. The beans themselves were very soft. The fried okra was done well. Crispy without being overdone. The pork ribs were nice. I thought the meat was less tender, but my dining partner thought they were perfect. The meat slid off the bone, and there were crispy edges. The marinated slaw had more than enough sugar added to counteract the vinegar. We were hoping for a sour slaw, but this is not it. The other two slaw options are the typical mayonnaise based and a bbq sauce based. Both those are creamy style. Both plate came with hush puppies. They were dry, but not crumbly. So, this is a decent place, but not outstanding. They were busy enough, so they must have their niche. I will look for another bbq place the next time I'm in the area because there are many options, but Hannah's was fine.

In town for our daughter's wedding, she had previously been in town preparing. She & fiancé tried…read moreseveral restaurants and loved Little Pugs. So we ordered a lot of food for rehearsal dinner the day before. All the meat and sides were quickly packed up when we arrived. Smelling food on the way to dinner was difficult. The Pulled Pork was amazing. Beans were great. Collard Greens were amazing - I managed to get one serving before they were gone! Mac & Cheese and Hushpuppies were great. Coleslaw was creamy and delicious. Plenty of sauces were provided. Not much was left after dinner. The only disappointment was the hot sauce. The owner said they made their own Ghost Pepper sauce. Well, several of our family love really spicy food, like Thai. Their sauce had very little heat, almost none. Kick it up a bit then caution people and make it hot!

The bbq has always been great. However, the owner has really been screwing customers of late. Do…read morenot go by others posted online! They are nearly double!! A 12 pack is listed at $24. I just paid double that. Plus, he is only giving 8 buns instead of 12. He stated it was due to the size of the buns being larger. SMH

Fantastic food. Great burger. Perfect fries. Friendly courteous service. Nice quiet nostalgic…read moreatmosphere. Will definitely be back.

Nice spot for soul food locally owned, well known owner/operator!…read more You'll love the food and the casual atmosphere! Check out what John Boy can cook up for you and this local gem.

Wow!! This place is amazing! I was in town for the afternoon and wanted to try something local…read more Hatch's menu has a great variety of sandwiches and sides. I went with the smash burger and maple bacon brussel sprouts. Both were delicious!! Everyone was super friendly and the decor was trendy and fun! Highly recommend stopping into this adorable downtown spot!

Hatch Sandwich Bar is a casual, locally-owned sandwich shop nestled near the town square. They…read moreoffer various specials each day, along with a consistent menu, which is pretty neat to be able to have the energy and resources to have different sandwiches available. There is a decent amount of seating inside and outside. I also found the service to be warm and friendly with my food coming out promptly as it was made on the spot. I was raised in Hickory all my life, but never really ventured out to enjoy the local food scene. I am trying to do that a little bit more whenever I come back. I got the Turkey, Bacon, & Avocado sandwich without mixed greens. It was a really messy but a pretty good and filling meal. There was a bit too much avocado, but I liked the aioli as it added some flavor to the sandwich. Each sandwich also comes with a bag of chips! Overall, I would be interested in coming back and trying their other sandwiches... only if I had an out of town friend visiting. I think that the sandwiches are overpriced ($14 for a simple deli meat sandwich?). It also pains me to see their version of banh mi being priced that high as some of the best banh mi from Vietnamese-owned shops cost half that price. P.S. I see that Yelp has this spot listed as closed, but as of February 2026, it is definitely open!