Hannah's BBQ South

Veteran-owned & operated

Locally owned & operated

We recently stopped here on our way from NC to VA, and we think this will be part of our travel…read morerotation. We look for highly rated restaurants, close to the interstate and which have outdoor seating because we have dogs. Bringing water for our dogs and cups to take our sweet tea with us, our server, Kiersten, was the epitome of friendly southern hospitality. The barbecue was delicious. You could see the smoker on the property. What set this apart was the choice of sides. There were several sides such as green bean casserole and creamed corn that you don't see at other barbecue joints. We will definitely be back on our next trip to NC.

I wish I took more pictures! We stopped by on our way home from the mountains and had such a…read morepleasant experience. The smoker in the parking lot is how you know you're gonna eat some amazing bbq. We got the cheese curds as our app and they were the best I've ever had like absolutely insanely delicious. It was hard to choose what to get cause everything looked so great. We all really enjoyed our plates. The meat was juicy and flavorful and all the sides were yummy except the cornbread which was really dry. The creamed corn was my favorite! The sauces were right on the table and they had great options. Plenty of seating and a nice ambiance. We were all stuffed and had leftovers to take home. Our server was so kind and very attentive and if we are ever driving through again we would 100% come back. Very impressed!

Inside counter

Side salad

See all

Inside bar area

BBQ Pit

4.4(14 reviews)

3.7 mi

Bbq and slaw are exceptional and the slaw too. I get their…read morebbq at least a couple of times a month. I will be using their bbq this weekend for a graduation party!

Have enjoyed the BBQ, Slaw and vinegar based sauce produced there for 78 + years. The "take out…read moreonly" food provided there at very reasonable prices cannot be found elsewhere..................

Cranford Brothers BBQ

3.6(36 reviews)

4.1 mi

Friendly service in a nice big room. Awful food. Texas…read moretwinkies(bacon wrapped stuffed jalapenos) were poorly under cooked - rubbery bacon and hard nearly raw jalapenos drenched in sweet sauce. Brisket perhaps the driest I've had. To be that dry at 11:45 in the am makes me wonder if it was leftover? who knows? Ribs overcooked to mush Deviled eggs bland, under seasoned. It was so bad, I asked the waitress if it was a chain. Massive waste of money.

This is probably the worst place for pulled pork barbecue in Hickory. They need to trim the fat…read morefrom the pork. Side dishes are mediocre and most of the staff acts like the customers are an inconvenience to them. My wife hosted a work event in the taproom and they ran out of the food selected for the event very early in the evening.

Nice clean open atmosphere

Sliced Turkey Sandwich & Chopped Brisket Sandwich

See all

Open kitchen

JDs Smokehouse

4.7(341 reviews)

9.5 mi

Great place to eat everybody's friendly staff are super nice great place to eat food is super goodread more

JD's is always consistent... quality, taste, & service always at the highest level. This BBQ…read morerestaurant is the best in Burke county.

Inside

Pulled Pork with sweet potatoes and fries

See all

The interior

Charlie Graingers

4.5(87 reviews)

6.1 mi

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!

Tea and condiment station

Banana pudding

See all

Recent Menu

Olde Hickory Tap Room

4.0(415 reviews)

3.9 mi

Stopped here for lunch after great experience a few years ago. Crab cakes sandwich and potato…read moresalad was outstanding. Husband's corned beef sandwich special also excellent. Location is fun; selection of beers is hearty.

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.

Shem crab cake sandwich

See all

Beer and beer

Dickey's Barbecue Pit

3.1(66 reviews)

4.1 mi

Jumped into the car with my friend and didn't know where to go eat. We literally drove for 10…read moreminutes, trying to decide where we should eat. We were on LR Blvd and I realized we haven't eaten at Dickey's BBQ Pit in a very long time. Suddenly, I was craving BBQ. We walked inside the small restaurant and were greeted by a very cheerful man. I walked to the ordering window and I ordered the 1 meat plate (pulled pork). The cheerful man immediately asked if I wanted hushpuppies and I said yes. I mean, who can ever pass up hushpuppies? My two sides that came with the meat plate was macaroni and cheese and the potato salad. I went to the next window to pay for my meal. It was about $13 altogether. It was slightly expensive for a lunch, in all honesty. I grabbed the sauce that Dickey's provides with the BBQ and went to go sit at a table. Many of the tables were not clean so we ended up sitting at a small table near the bathroom. The seating could be a lot better, but it's a fairly small place. I should've taken a picture, but I was really hungry. The pulled pork was great with the sauce. It was very juicy even without the sauce, which is a plus. The hushpuppies were delish. The macaroni and cheese was the bomb. The potato salad was not something I enjoyed particularly eating. It didn't really have a great taste. The free ice cream was a nice touch. Overall, it was great food. It just needs clean-up and better seating. :-) ...I just want macaroni and cheese now.

This Dickey's put together a great catering for me! They were on time, professional and the food…read morewas fantastic! Some of the best brisket I've had. Their pit crew is a great team and they're very welcoming in store. Definitely recommend using them for your next catering. Thanks y'all!

My pulled chicken and smoked sausage sandwich! It was the best sandwich I've had in years!

See all

Hannah's BBQ South

3.6(24 reviews)

6.0 mi

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.

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

Baja Bobby Burrito with nacho cheese...um...yummy!!!

These r so good here !!!

See all

New Location

Little Pigs Barbecue

4.0(42 reviews)

8.7 mi

My husband and I ate there two years ago for the first time ever after moving to the area and it…read morewas so good and the woman who runs the place was so nice.... BUT TODAY (8/27/26) my husband and I wanted to go there again for a lunch date and when we went there for lunch. We went inside to order and the sane woman was there but this time she seemed super unfriendly this go around. I ordered some fried corn nuggets and I reminded her that the last time we were there that she told me she liked eating the fried corn nuggets herself when a fresh batch was put it. Telling her that didn't jog her memory at all. We waited for our food and we were the only ones eating there and I glanced around... the tables and stools looked like they hadn't been wiped down in a while. We got our food and our bbq meat was not hot at all... barely warm! There was no smokey flavor to the meat and most of it was soaked in some type of vinegar sauce which was nasty tasting. Come to find out, it was their House Sauce. I was able to get some thicker bbq sauce only upon asking a man behind the counter, as there were no sauce bottles on the tables. While eating, I saw a large garbage can with an orange lid near the tables. It was so gross looking that I was definitely done trying to eat at that point. I felt that at some point they could have replaced that can with a nicer looking one. We spent $34 and it was not worth it. The customer service was zero, the meat was bland, and there was no atmosphere. We were not impressed and we will not be going back to this restaurant and it's under 2 miles from our house.

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!

Inside

Pulled pork, greens, hush puppies, and Lexington bbq sauce on the side

See all

Inside

John Boyz Cafe

5.0(3 reviews)

3.7 mi

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.

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

Why does Yelp recommend reviews?

Hundreds of millions of reviews are posted on Yelp, and our automated recommendation software works in the background to showcase the reviews that it …

6 reviews that are not currently recommended

The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.

Stacy T.

11 years ago

We love Hannah's and it is the ONLY BBQ place we eat. My son LOVES their sweet tea and drinks it by the gallon. No where else will do for him. When we go out to eat, this is our go to joint. Everything about it is wonderful, the food, the service...EVERYTHING. The variety on the menu is great, and I have never had anything that I wouldn't order again. You can tell they have a passion for what they do, and they do it very well. The waitresses are great and the service is beyond. I would highly recommend Hannah's BBQ South to anyone, without hesitation. read more

Dylan H.

3 years ago

Absolutely wonderful food! I certainly will be returning. The ribs, brisket, barbecue, and everything else I had was amazing!

Kandi H.

6 years ago

The restaurant was very clean the waitress was amazing anyone that loves barbecue will love this place

Emily K.

14 years ago

Order the green beans. They're flavorful and peppery. Yum!

Don R.

5 years ago

always good food eating there over 10 years

Ed L.

11 years ago

Best bar b q in the area

Hannah's BBQ South - bbq - Updated October 2026

Browse Nearby

BEST of Hickory, North Carolina Restaurants near Hannah's BBQ South

BEST of Hickory, North Carolina Things to Do near Hannah's BBQ South

BEST of Hickory, North Carolina Desserts near Hannah's BBQ South

BEST of Hickory, North Carolina Coffee near Hannah's BBQ South

BEST of Hickory, North Carolina Shopping near Hannah's BBQ South

BEST of Hickory, North Carolina Sushi near Hannah's BBQ South

BEST of Hickory, North Carolina Hot Pot near Hannah's BBQ South

BEST of Hickory, North Carolina Pizza near Hannah's BBQ South

BEST of Hickory, North Carolina Bowling near Hannah's BBQ South

Best of Hickory

Things to do in Hickory

Browse Brands

Brands by name

Browse Articles

Articles by date

People who viewed Hannah's BBQ South also viewed

Little Pigs Barbecue

4.0

(42 reviews)

Hannah's BBQ South

4.6

(14 reviews)

On a recent visit to the Hickory area, I was advised that Hannah's BBQ was the best BBQ restaurant…read morein the area. I decided to put that advice to the test and my friend and I stopped by for dinner before attending a concert. I had a really delicious plain chopped BBQ sandwich with an order of "frips," what I would call "hot chips." I added some of their homemade BBQ sauce to my sandwich and it was really good! I was told their sauce won an award at some point, which didn't surprise me. The restaurant is small and very homey, which was something I appreciated. Living in a larger city, I'm not used to this type of restaurant, but I liked this location. The service was good, we didn't have to request any refills or the check. I enjoyed my visit and would return for further BBQ when I'm back in this area of North Carolina!

I've heard for years that Hannah's had great barbecue, but I'm not the biggest fan of barbecue, so…read moreit's taken me a while to put that theory to the test. I'm so glad I did. I applaud Hannah's for being open during the Stay at Home order. I called my order in and they said they'd have it ready in 5 minutes. The woman taking the order on the phone was kind and efficient. And they did indeed have my food ready in just 5 minutes! When I came to pick up my order, I noted how clean the establishment was. They have tape on the floor as well, spaced 6 feet apart to promote social distancing while picking up your order. The sandwich itself was delicious. The barbecue was flavorful and smoky, and topped with the creamy slaw and barbecue sauce, it was a perfect bite. The one thing I found needing improvement was the bread. The bun was cold and very bready and thick. That is a personal preference, however. Some may like a large roll. I ended up taking the top bun off and eating the bottom with a fork. Perfect! The fries were crispy and seasoned well and the tea was sweet and cold! A really yummy lunch. I'd definitely go back!

The New City BBQ

3.4

(28 reviews)

Service slow initially concerning drink order. Food not as…read morehot as it should be considering it's made right in front of you. Think it sat there for a while before being served. It wasn't busy at all so no excuse. The ambience is I'll get to you when I feel like it. With that being said, the food is really tasty.

The food is always amazing and the staff are always so nice. My husband and I go there a lot and…read morewe've never been handed anything we didn't order. I love the decorations in the restaurant also. It's a very family oriented place.

Hugh’s Q

4.6

(90 reviews)

JDs Smokehouse

4.7

(341 reviews)

Great place to eat everybody's friendly staff are super nice great place to eat food is super goodread more

JD's is always consistent... quality, taste, & service always at the highest level. This BBQ…read morerestaurant is the best in Burke county.

Hog Wild Bar-B-Q

4.1

(21 reviews)

The worst BBQ I've ever had anywhere in North Carolina in my 62 years. #BBQ #NorthCarolina #Food…read more#Disappointment

Great food and people! The staff is kind. Hillbilly fries with bbq, cheese and ranch are my…read morefavorite! They also have a variety of desserts!

Dawg Pound Hotdog

4.2

(23 reviews)

Service is extremely slow. Ordered two hotdogs and a side of brisket and it took over 30mins to get…read moreour food. Staff are nice, just very slow. Plenty of seating and parking out front. There was one guy ahead of us that ordered a single hot dog, he got his food fairly fast. A lady came in way after us and she got her food fairly fast as well. By the time we got our food we were the only ones in the place. Will not be coming back. We just happened to be in Hickory and wanted to try a local hotdog joint. Unless you've got plenty of time to kill, keep driving. When we got our food, the lady apologized for the wait and said she wasn't the regular cook. Hotdog was decent, the brisket was gross. Definitely was what we heard the microwave "ding" for. Won't be back.

The best hotdogs in the area!!! The spicy chili is amazing, not too hot if you have a lower…read moretolerance also. If you like it a little spicier you must get a bomber, I have one every visit. That paired with the best service you can imagine, makes this one of my favorite weekly spots.

Randy’s Barbecue

4.2

(85 reviews)

I stopped by for lunch on a Saturday & got their special of the day, Cheerwine baked chicken & WOW…read morewas it good!!! This place is a gem!!! The inside is filled with all sorts of cool signs & trinkets! Service was great too! Super friendly staff!

I was passing through Statesville around lunch and saw the mountain of reviews for Randy's BBQ, so…read moreI made a quick detour to see what the hype was about. I got the large BBQ tray with pulled pork, hushpuppies, and white slaw (because white slaw is obviously the correct choice) plus fried cream corn nuggets after my girlfriend recently turned me onto them. Randy's feels like it's been serving the same loyal customers longer than I've been alive. I actually did a double take when I saw a sign saying they accept personal checks. I'm sorry... what year is it? The pork was good though not life-changing, not something I'm asking Santa for at Christmas, but solid / familiar NC BBQ. The white slaw was damn near perfect: finely chopped, fresh, and just needed a little more sweetness and creaminess for me. The hushpuppies were fried balls of heaven, and the corn nuggets were awesome too. My only real complaint: $22 for lunch. Guys... come on. I understand BBQ takes time and effort, but pulled pork isn't gold. A few ounces of pork and a handful of hushpuppies shouldn't have me checking my credit score afterward. Overall, I liked Randy's... it was an old-school BBQ joint with excellent sides and clearly a loyal following. Would I stop again if I'm in Statesville? Absolutely. Would I drive out of my way for it? Probably not. Would I enjoy paying $22 again? Definitely not.

BBQ King

3.7

(118 reviews)