Best BBQ ever.... The"ORIGINAL" LOG. NOT AN IMITATION.... What you eat today.....was cooked today. Began eating with John in 1976.

This is some of the best food we've had since coming to Missouri. Great flavors and good service. They need to come to Cape Girardeau and show 'em how it's done. Worth the drive. read more

We had higher expectations. The food was bland. Ribs had no flavor. There onion rings were the best part and they weren't great. The wine and cheese dipping/dressing didn't taste like wine or cheese. The butter wasn't even butter. Would not recommend to others. It's says it's famous, but that was a different time. It's not now. Service was okay. The dining room needs an update. read more

Amazing food with good service. They have an amazing wine and cheese salad and great ribs. I've been twice when visiting and always look forward to coming back! read more

Hickory Log - Five rib dinner - Barbeque Near Me - Dexter, Missouri

The food was delicious and the service was great. The ribs were meaty and smoked beautifully.

What a surprise!! Hidden gem!! I had the fish basket; great portion and I loved the corn batter. Hubby got ribs (their specialty). He said they were the best he's ever had. That is saying something!!! Pop in....you'll be glad you did. read more

Ordered takeout bbq sandwiches only. Not very good at all. Highly disappointed in a place that I held in high esteem. It's like they forgot how to make a bbq. Maybe their ribs are still good??? read more

Love the ambiance! Christmas decorations are always immaculate. And staff is always accommodating and friendly.

Some of the food is a little plain Jane and simple, but they have the best RIBS in town hands down. I've always had super friendly service! The restaurant looks a little old school, but always super clean! They decorate for Christmas, and it always looks homey! read more

Hickory Log has the best martini in southeast Missouri. Sit on the bar side, ask for it dirty. If you get the spot by the fireplace, you're VIP. read more

This is a locale country type restaurant . Every one is friendly and the food is editable. The place seems to be clean, but it is fairly dark so it is hard to tell. However we didn't much care for it. The meat is smoky sweet. The BBQ sauce and slaw was very tart with vinegar. read more

The food was amazing! I ordered a side of ribs and those ribs were outstanding! I ordered several side dishes including a deep tied onion which was awesome! I ordered baked beans, baked potatoes and cheese sticks! I have no complaints about the food as it is all amazing. The service was a bit slow getting our order to us but the quality taste of the food made up for it! read more

This is an annual tradition for my family since I was a kid. This year our ribs were heavy on rub, which turned off my daughter, but wasn't a problem for the rest of us. The ribs were very tender this year. The macaroni and cheese is not good. Do not get it unless you have a kid that won't eat anything else. The fried broccoli is always a delight as are the fried mushrooms. I don't know why the broccoli comes with sweet and sour sauce. I mixed it up this year and got a loaded baked potato. Not worth the 1.30 they charge you for a sprinkle of cheese and a couple bacon bits and pre-packaged hot sour cream. My seasonal vegetables were the usual, under seasoned, but nothing a little salt and pepper doesn't help. We were disappointed in the underwhelming amount of Christmas decorations this year. Certainly no childhood wonder ignited this year. read more

Ate here twice last week while in Dexter and really enjoyed it. The ribs are not greasy and fatty like so many -- and as long as they cut right, a good amount of flavorful meat. Sirloin was great as was hangar steak and baked potatoes. Salads were basic iceberg but fine. Onion rings too greasy but cauliflower hood! Great service. read more

Hardly ANY meat on the ribs and, the meat was dry and flavorless. I used to eat here in the 70's and 80's and remember it being so much better. On a good note, the onion rings were AMAZING! read more

I've been eating here since I was a kid. My review is more than likely skewed by my sentiment for this place. I love the ribs and the atmosphere. It's like going back to a happy place of innocence in my childhood spending summers with my grandparents. It hasn't changed much since the 1980's and I like the fact that it hasn't. You can smell the smoker before you see the restaurant...warms my heart each time I'm in Dexter. read more

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Once a year my husband and I drive from Palm Beach Florida to Springfield Missouri. We time our departure from Atlanta to make sure that we will arrive in Dexter for an early dinner at Hickory Log. We have twice taken our dog Rosie and she eats her portion of the most amazing ribs on earth. She eats them in our van with us. We get them right from the smoke house kitchen in the back. On the way back from Springfield we always stop at Hickory Log for another round of ribs. To paraphrase a friend of mine, if Hickory Log does not have a smoke house in Heaven, I do not want to go there. Allan Reyes/Interiors Palm Beach read more

The food was not very good. Very normal bland food. The Christmas decorating is cool and that's why I went but I won't be back because of high prices and low quality food. read more

Hickory Log is such a Dexter staple! If it ever closed it would be like a piece of my childhood dying because I've been eating here since I was a kid. If I've eaten at Hickory Log once, I've eaten there 100 times. I don't remember ever getting bad service, the food always comes out quickly, and they are always fast to fix anything. They've gotten a lot of flak about their quality since Dexter BBQ opened across the street. The ribs have seemed to decline a bit in quality and my guess would be because of the decrease in foot traffic. IMO, they're still quite good. I'm from Memphis so it's funny when people act like they can only eat at one BBQ place in town. Long story short -- go for the brisket or ribs. That's what this place's legacy is built on and that's what is best. No, the beans and slaw are nothing special, but enjoy the decor, the history, and be sure to take a huge bottle of the vinegar sauce home. I do every time I visit. Hickory Log is special. Dexter certainly wouldn't be the same without it. read more

Love Hickory Log! Family owned, family operated. Great food, friendly service! You can have ribs but the grilled chicken is always amazing as well! read more

We always get a bag of rib tips. A big bag is like $7 and we can eat on it for days. Their sauce is amazing!

Service is terrible. Takes about 10 minutes to get your drink. Food is also sub par. Don't let the "we are the oldest place around here" thing fool you. It's not good. read more

I have always been a huge fan of the ribs at Hickory Log. It's been around 5 years since we had them when we decided to stop and pick up a couple sides. WTF has happened? Both sides were so tough. I had to cut the meat off and chop it up in order to eat it. We won't be back. One side being tough I can understand, but both sides...I don't think so. read more

This place had the worst ribs I have had. They were very tough and it took a knife to cut them off the bone. I went off their web site and thought this would be a good stop. They had awards on the wall and the place was empty at lunch on a week day. This was a big disappointment. I don't know if this was a bad day or what. Since 1953 hooked me and I was in the Dexter Mo area I thought this was going to be good. This was a year ago and I will be in the area this year again but I would not go back. read more

It has been years. but this place used to deliver to the airport as we did private pilot flight training there. many times, we would take 6 or 10 racks home to St Louis and enjoy! Their ribs are dry rubbed... so you MUST like salt and seasoning. They are also not super tender. They could use more time in the smoker to tenderize, but the smoke flavor itself is strong... and that is the most important thing. BBQ is smoking. Period. No smoke. No stars. read more

True Missouri Bar-B-Q. Grew up with their ribs and swing by every time I pass through for a taste trip down memory lane ... Always order ribs uncut! Keep up the good work Hickory Log and The Bankens read more

Great Bar-B-Que. Local family ran establishment that works hard to provide a great dining experience. Known across the state of Missouri and farther for it's BBQ ribs. Order the German potatoes with your meal, can't go wrong. Good food at a very fair price. A must stop at Christmas, they go all out decorating for the holidays. Don't leave without taking home a bag of rib ends. Great snack for later. read more

I am not sure what the unfortunate soul from WI had for an experience but all I can say is I have had ribs almost every place that serves them and these can hold up against any of them. Are they the best? That depends on what I am in the mood for. On certain days, I would pick another over them but that is why we all love variety. I would put them as tied, with many locations, for first. The other meats on the menu are good but the beans and other sides can leave a lot to be desired. It is like they do not even try on some of the sides. The fried appetizers are all pretty good, but then again, doesn't "pretty good" describe everything fried. It would show an amazing level of effort to mess up something fried (very American point of view - no apologies). If you are there in the early Saturday afternoon, ask if they have any cold ribs. They sometimes prepare more than they serve that week and the sell off some as cold. They split the rack in 1/2, stack and sack them and sell them for a ridiculous price (cheap). I was at this place two weeks ago and took home seven racks of cold ribs on my motorcycle! Those were some bulging bags on the ol' Victory. By the way, they are closed on Sundays. read more

It's just not what it once was!! Ribs chewy, Van Kamp pork n beans, no veggies, on The bright side, it's quick and they have a full bar, people are friendly but no comparison to Dexter Barb q or Smokehouse 61 read more

This place has the best ribs and the best BBQ on the planet, the servers are nice and figure out your name quickly the fill up you drinks many times and it takes very little time to get your food read more

Seriuosly the best ribs ever! Doesnt even compare to Dexter Bbq.... the dry rub and sauce make it like pork candy!!! Can't wait to go back!

Reading through the reviews, the rubes don't realize a properly smoked rib should not, " "fall off the bone", but it should have a snap to it. It should be like a properly prepared pork chop. As far as the ribs go they were excellent. They were properly smoked and had an excellent taste. read more

We eat bbq everywhere we go and this was one of the most unique bbq flavors I've ever had. Best carrot cake I've ever had too. Baked beans were very good. Appreciate such a different approach to ribs. Sooo good will definitely try again in the future. read more

The food was not good. If was dry chicken and it just wasn't worth the price. The service was great and the Christmas decor is amazing but the food is seriously lacking. 3 stars for the service when we found out that had something I was allergic to on the plate they quickly made me a new on. If it was based in food alone for the cost it would be 1 star sadly. read more

Famous BBQ Ribs of the Hickory Log are simply the best. The Banken Family have carried this tradition forward and offer incredible BBQ of all kinds. Be sure to try the BBQ sandwiches. The Rib Salad is excellent. You just can't get better. read more

Great spot for get-togethers! Good food and the staff was great.

Hickory Log is a staple of the community of Dexter. It is known around the country. I've personally flown the ribs down to some of my clients in southern Arkansas, and we eat here often. There is a wide range of food, and man is it tasty!!! read more

My family picked up ribs to go to our destination remembering how good they were. Greatly disappointed upon eating. Ribs were tough and we could not eat them. This is the second time it has happened. We were too far away to bring them back. Reluctant to try again. Ribs need longer cooking time. read more

Had lunch at the HL. In this small town, it is kind of like a landmark. It is not like having lunch at the Ritz Carlton but when in Dexter-this is the place you have to try at least once. I once heard the famous STL Cards announcer talk about the ribs from Hickory Log on a STL cards broadcast. So my recommendation is the ribs. The special was affordable and the special was 2 ribs and a baked potato. It filled my family up that ordered it. Be sure to check out the Tiki Bar where you will see great Dexter Bearcats hanging on the wall. The town's high school has small shrine there. Glory days indeed! read more

We were pleasantly surprised with the quality of the barbecue. My husband and I both opted for the loose rib meat sandwich. It was delicious. We had wished we had gone for a larger portion since this was so good. I had a side dish of fried potatoes and my husband had onion rings. The side dishes were great portions and we're freshly made. The prices are extremely reasonable. We will definitely stop here again while we are traveling. read more