Wanted to like it because a) it's bbq and b) it's local...But it wasn't the best. We got the whole hog buddy pak to go (but didn't get any utensils, napkins, or plates with our order). The actual restaurant was cute, boasting accolades from past wins in BBQ championships and a lot of Missouri pride. The meats: beef & pulled pork The sides: potato salad, baked beans, coleslaw, and cheesy corn So the food- the meat was dry. You needed to put the bbq sauce on it to make it edible. The sides were plentiful but not really all that great. The only saving grace- the baked beans. It wasn't a bad deal, but the food just wasn't very good. Sorry Whole Hog but I've had better BBQ. read more

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Casual, affordable, welcoming. The brisket was okay (I usually like it sliced thicker) but the barbecue sauces were to die for. There's a selection of six on each table and I had a great time trying them all. read more

The baby back ribs are amazing, tender, and saucy. My family also loves the rolls and the bbq sauce options. We usually choose one of the meat platters and share it so everyone can have their favorite meat. You can't really go wrong, everything is great! read more

Super laid back relaxed not over done... the first indication you have though that you are fixin'to experience something that is far beyond what meets the eye is the trophies lined up everywhere! The food is phenomenal! The kids loved it! Hubs n I loved it! We will be back. I will have to say that we all concur, this is our absolute favorite family BBQ restaurant ever read more

I've had takeout three times from The Whole hog cafe and it was exceptional. The ribs were so tender they were falling off the bone. The pulled pork had so much flavor and also was tender. I've also had the beef brisket and it's the best I've ever had. For the sides I've tried the baked beans and potato salad and they were both good but the potato salad was amazing. I highly recommend this place for bbq. read more

Excellent! The cashier at the drive-thru was very helpful with suggestions on our first time visit. My wife and I were very impressed. Best potato salad at a BBQ restaurant we've had! Beans were excellent. Chicken, pork, and brisket were excellent as well. Definitely visiting again! read more

Yes! Go here!!!! A friend of mine took me here and he was right, they are the best! Got the pulled pork, which had a very pleasant smoked flavor and pink ring. The sides were standard sizes but excelled in flavor (smoked beans, corn, and potato salad). The price reflected the quantity appropriately $8.40. Overall I love this place and they are ARGUABLY the best in Springfield for bbq! Yes, go here! Try the pulled pork! read more

Wonderful ribs! Love the choices of the different sauces and the cheesy corn is delicious!

Used to love eating here but won't be returning after tonight. Ordered the pulled chicken plate and got it pretty quickly. The chicken was slimy and nasty; not to mention cold. For the price of their meals, you would think a warm, very well cooked chicken would be on the plate. Pretty disappointed because it was one of the few BBQ places I liked. read more

Okay. We've been here twice now and while they have relatively tasty food, I really don't get what all the fuss is about. There are trophies EVERYWHERE, but I get the feeling their namesake is what they're best at and it's conspicuously missing from the menu. It's obvious their pork is simply a shredded roast and while it's not bad, it's a LONG way from what you get in a whole pit-roasted pig. Ordering is done at a counter and they call a number for you to come pick up your food. This wouldn't be a bad thing if the dining room didn't have such a sit-down feel. It's almost as though they don't know what sort of restaurant to be and just feels off somehow. On to the food...This time I ordered the burnt ends and they had a GREAT flavor, but bordered VERY close on being too dry. The portion was tiny. For $9 I got a single layer of meat that covered less than 1/4 of a 10 inch divided cafetera plate (barely a handful), a brown & serve dinner roll, about a 1/4 cup of ho-hum-nothing-special baked beans and the same amount of frozen corn in a cheesy sauce. The "burnt end cheesy corn" had TINY, nearly imperceptible, flakes of mystery meat in it. It had a really good flavor, but the frozen texture kind of turned me off. Both the people I was with got the $6 daily special pulled pork sandwich with potato salad. (ALL of Whole Hog's sandwiches come with coleslaw on them. Not really a midwest norm, so be forewarned.) There was less meat on their sandwiches than my plate. It had a good flavor, but it too bordered on being too dry. Their potato salad was a decent attempt at a german variant. That said, it was basically potatoes, onions bacon and ranch dressing. At the table there are 6 different sauces to choose from. Again; kind of confusing; can they not decide what BBQ style they want their food to be? Everything was certainly edible, but for the price (nearly $30 with drinks) I expect much better as well as larger portions. I left still hungry. Something I believe should NEVER happen at a BBQ joint. read more

This place is great! I spend a lot of time in Kansas City so I wasn't expecting this place to be as good or better! Ribs were too notch! Service is great, and prices are very reasonable! read more

Whole Hog Cafe - Ribs with the cheesy corn and cole slaw - Barbeque Near Me - Springfield, Missouri

This place is pretty good. I feel like it's lost it's focus on the core value tho : the food. It has many awards hanging up around the restaurant. You order at a window and your food takes a few minutes (maybe 10 at the most) to be made. You can tell they have everything made and ready to go in the back to dip up when ordered. Due to this it isn't the freshest. Last time we ate there their burnt ends were hard and so salty I almost got sick. read more

The heavens opened up at the end of Day 1 of our road trip...literally and figuratively. After a 11 hour drive that started in foggy, cold Northern Michigan, it only seemed right that the sun came out and we had our first stay-over in Springfield MO across the street from WHOLE HOG. Sunday night, what's open, where to go? WHOLE HOG FOR US. BEST DECISION EVER. I think it was the best BBQ joint I have ever tried. I may have been to a lot of BBQ places but I consider myself a great maker of pulled pork and a #1 pork lover. I had the 2 meat platter with Beef Brisket and Pulled Pork, corn and green bean sides. My son got the ribs. Everything from the sauces to the buns were amazing. I think I ate every morsel on my plate and I'm not a big girl. Moist, tender, delicious and tasty. It was the best holiday experience of the season so far because my tummy was happy and we had carolers serenade us from a local church. Sorry I don't have one at home but I'll find my way back one day. read more

Great sauce variety. The meat is tender and flavorful. The atmosphere is spacious. read more

I am a lover of good BBQ, and at first when we ate at Whole Hog Cafe (WHC) tonight, I had high hopes. I ordered their burnt ends dinner, which included 7 ounces of meat (according to their online menu), and 2 sides. I asked for and received a sample of their beans. Just like many other BBQ places in town, they include pulled pork and other off cuts of meat in their beans for flavor. I tasted no smokiness to them at all, so I'm sure they do not smoke their beans like Buckingham's. As I did find the beans tasty, I ordered those and what they referred to as "natural cut fries" as the other side. When we received them, they were weird looking. Most were small triangle shaped pieces, and they were coated in a seasoning that wasn't exactly what I would call tasty. To make matters worse, they were also out of ketchup. My wife and I both thought they tasted a bit like baby red potatoes, but they weren't. I asked one of the employees of the restaurant what kind of wood they used to smoke their meats. I was surprised to hear the response... pecan. I found it odd, because my wife works for a major market chain, and they smoke their own ribs in house, and the seasoning and flavor of my burnt ends tasted exactly the same as the ribs I could get for less than half of what I paid for a 7 ounce serving of burnt ends, and that would be a full rack of ribs. I will say this, their burnt ends were very, very tender. They weren't dried out or overly salty, and they almost literally melted on my tongue. My wife agreed. Also, the store has a multi-function soda fountain that allows for you to have over 100 different drink combinations, including my favorite... Mello Yello Zero. As a person who suffers from Juvenile Diabetes (Type 1), I usually will only drink diet soda, un-sweet tea, coffee or water. Unless I feel my blood sugar tanking, I don't do sugared drinks. I've had mixed reviews on WHC from different family members. One was very positive, and one was very negative. I'd put it right in between. The food was good (except for the potatoes), but the seasoning on their burnt ends tasting so much like what I could get for half the price (for ribs) at my wife's store makes me think I might give them a second chance to be sure before totally writing them off. On a scale of `1 to 10, with 1 being the lowest possible and 10 being the highest, here's how I would rate them: Price: A little high for the quality and quantity of the food. I'd give that a 6. Flavor: The meal was definitely edible, except for the potatoes. Based only on the beans and meat, I'd rate my food as a 7. Quality: Overall, I would give them a rating of 6.5. I would go higher, but the potatoes were horrible, and the meat was just not up to par with Buckingham's or Old City Butchers. There is no excuse for a restaurant to run out of condiments, especially ketchup. They could have sent an employee to a store nearby to purchase ketchup (eventually they did, but not until after we were finished eating. Without ketchup, whatever the flavoring was that coated their potatoes made them almost inedible. Overall score, definitely 2.5 out of 5 stars. I will give them another chance to see if they can impress me. Incidentally, with the exception of the fries, the rest of the meal was sufficiently seasoned I didn't need to use any of the 7 different BBQ sauces they had available. I don't know, maybe I'm being too harsh. The burnt ends did have good flavor despite it tasting like i came from my wife's store. They were still good, and they did practically melt in my mouth. The beans were not bad. The potatoes... not good at all. They should not call them "natural" if they are coated in any kind of seasoning. I find this to be the same problem with Wendy's fries. At first, Wendy's natural cut fries were awesome, then they did something to add a seasoning to coat them, and it changed the tasted and texture enough to make them horrid. I will write another review if we ever try them again. read more

Hadn't been here in a few years. Initial service was pleasant, no complaints there. Food was served quickly. Although pricey, if you want flavor without adding sauce, get the ribs. Otherwise you're going to need to add any of the numerous sauces available on the table. You are sure to find one that you'll like. Whether you prefer more acidic like me, or something more on the sweet side. The potato salad is, as mentioned by other reviewers, excellent, perhaps the best flavor I've had in a long time for a potato salad. Nice and acidic, not sickeningly sweet. On the elongated chunky side in texture. Baked beans are ok, needed sauce added to kick flavor up. Pulled pork had moments of being very tender, however lacks flavor. Again, need to add sauce. Makes you wonder about the pork itself if it's missing flavor. Slightly on the dry side, warm, not hot. What was most bothersome were the dozen tables just walking down one side of the restaurant that needed to be bussed. At 4:30 on a Sunday afternoon with three people at the register... it's pretty clear the dirty tables had accumulated over time. Eventually, after someone said something, there was a muttering about a dishwasher guy not being there or something. The dirty plates and glasses were removed, but the tables didn't seem to be wiped down very well. But at least the meal remnants had been taken away. After deciding what of the seemingly unending soda choices from the digital soda machine they had (not very sanitary - a touch screen) I was ready to leave. Well, guess what was on the OTHER side of the restaurant? MORE dirty tables! It's not like the place was busy. Maybe three other tables of couples in the place. I have never seen a local restaurant with so many dirty tables and no excuse. Dishwasher guy or not, it is any worker's responsibility to have pride about what the place looks like and to take initiative to clean it up! The plates needed to be removed from the tables and hidden out of sight at the very least! It was completely unacceptable for any public restaurant. Hope someone in charge who can do something about it, reads this. Hence, one star. Food gets 3. If you're going to spend money on BBQ, this is NOT the best place in town. Go to City Butcher. It's a local place, quality cuisine, not a chain, and you definitely taste the love. read more

Whole Hog Cafe - Every table in the photo had been sitting there, dirty, for at least an hour. Completely unacceptable when there are plenty of workers. - Barbeque Near Me - Springfield, Missouri

Seriously the BEST pulled pork I've ever had! Although, I must note, that we went here two times in a week and one day it was super moist pork and the second time, it was much drier. They have 6 different BBQ sauces to try! That makes it fun! Their home fries, aka fried potato chunks are very good as are their rolls! You have your choice of beers and over 100 different soda flavors from their 'create your own' coke machine! That is fun, in itself! It is also fun to look at all their trophies from all the BBQ contests they have been in! I have to say, of all the places in town, this is definitely the best! read more

This is pretty damn good BBQ joint for being in Springfield, MO. I got the 3 meat plate and the brisket was not up to Texas quality in regard to the rub, but it was lean and juicy. The ribs were smoked really well and I enjoyed all the sauces available. The pulled pork was lean as well and not fatty like some other places I have been. Now to the sides, the burnt end cheese corn was phenomenal and the BBQ baked beans were good too. All in all this is a good BBQ spot and worthy of a visit. read more

Best BBQ in Springfield! The ribs, burnt ends, potato salad, and beans are out very favorite! Yum!

Best BBQ on Springfield! I have tried a few places and this one beats them hands down. We usually get the ribs or pulled pork special. Soooo good! All their sides are good, but the Potato salad is the best I have ever had. Plus they have a good BBQ sauce selection. Yum! read more

Whole Hog Cafe - BBQ sauce choices on the table - Barbeque Near Me - Springfield, Missouri

Food was ok. If you order online for carry-out you have to pay more. Staff doesn't wear masks. Won't be back soon.

The ribs have been extremely dry and unappetizing the last 2 times we've been to whole hog. We love the burnt ends cheesy corn, but will not be back. read more

Whole Hog Cafe - Super dry "dry rubbed" ribs - Barbeque Near Me - Springfield, Missouri

Stopped in for lunch while I was in Springfield recently. Had the Brisket plate with BB beans and potato salad. Is this really award winning BBQ? While the potato salad and beans were very good I found the meat to be rather bland and tasteless. Perhaps it was because it was sliced too thinly. Maybe if I piled all of it on some bread I might have tasted the meat but as it was I had to coat the meat with one of the 6 sauces they make available on the table in order to taste any sort of flavor. At $14 with a soda, I don't find this much of a deal. read more

Made a pit stop for lunch during a cross-country road trip. Best decision! The food was spectacular. We had the pulled pork sandwich, brisket sandwich, potato salad, fries with cheese, baked beans, and green beans. Everything was delicious! read more

Whole hog is one of if not the BEST BBQ joints in Springfield. The cheesy corn, and potato salad are to die for. Not to mention it's about the only place to get southern style sauce. The mustard sauce is amazing, and their prices are reasonable. read more

Had the Jumbo pulled pork and cheesy corn. Food tastes great, portions were good size. Highly recommend this place. read more

I drool over the brisket. OH.MY.GOSH. Superb!! Love the potato salad. Love the cheesy corn. Love the atmosphere. My husband loves the pulled pork, the ribs, and the pulled rib sandwich Friday special. Sauces are pretty good, but honestly, eating the meat alone is quite delicious! It's a dangerous thing living in walking distance to this place! I always leave feeling happy and full. Did I mention the quick service, too?? Great fast service! read more

One big disappointment. I visit bbq joints all over the country, and this one is just below average, at best. The ribs can be matched by going to Applebee's. Not that I like Applebee's so much, but I know what good bbq ribs are. Not these roasted, grilled and sauce-coated baby backs. Nope, I could do this at home without a smoker. And the brisket. This is not a good quality meat. And not smoked brisket. It was tight-grained, no smoke ring, and had to be served in a bowl with some kind of watery substance to keep it "moist". Serious bbq people- don't go. What real bbq joint needs to serve 6 different sauces? Great bbq doesn't even need ONE sauce. And I don't understand all the trophies. Where'd those come from? read more

Everybody has their story. Mine is very positive.$6.99 for the lunch special at 7:30 p.m. Such a deal.Excellent pulled pork with slaw and two sides (great beans and a side salad.) The pork was among the best I've eaten and for $6.99 there was nothing to complain about. The other prices are also reasonable (one half chicken with two sides for $7.99, for example.) Definitely a winner! read more

Came for lunch with a co-worker and had the Four Bone plate. Four rib bones, side of cole slaw, fried potato chunks, and a roll. I have to say I really liked the ribs. They were lightly sauced, almost fall of the bone but just a bit tug. Sweet, slightly spicy, and lots of good smokey bark. So on that part way to go. My buddy had the brisket and said he really liked it. The sides were a bit of a mixed bag. Cole slaw was basic and could have been a pre-made, the fried potatoes were just bits of potato tossed in the fryer so while not bad they don't make me crave them. The roll was just a basic out of a bag roll. Again nothing wrong with it but nothing you'd go back for. So really the BBQ was the star of the show witch is ok in my book. I'll be back to check up on those ribs. You know, to make sure the quality isn't slipping. read more

Yum yum yum yum YUM!!!! Best beef brisket I've ever experienced in my life. It literally melts in your mouth and there is not a bad sauce option although the evil twin is great if you love spicy sauce. I also got the potato salad, which was sooooo good, along with the burnt end cheesy corn, which was also surprisingly delicious. The only let down about the whole meal was the roll. It kind of just tasted store bought. But who cares about the roll anyway when everything else is so good!? My friend ordered the coleslaw with her meal and she loved it, just the right amount of fresh and crunchy ingredients. I'm so sad I don't live anywhere near the Midwest or I would come here at least once a week. read more

Whole Hog Cafe - Evil twin is great for spicy sauce lovers! - Barbeque Near Me - Springfield, Missouri

Had lunch here recently while on a business trip. I would've given them 4 stars on the smell from the parking lot. Impressive number of bbq competition trophies and awards crowd the front windows. I was anticipating some excellent q and I got it. Had a pulled pork sammie with slaw. It was excellent. Also had baked home fries (so-so) and a side salad (also so-so) The sauce selection on the table was great. The service was friendly and quick. Located on the corner of a strip mall, this an unusual setting for championship bbq. Nevertheless, well worth the visit. read more

The sauce, oh the sauce. The brisket was tasty and the sausage was flavorful but the best thing far and away was the variety of sauces they had. For those of us who like it tangy and spicy they have it covered with #3. For those of you out there who like it sweet and smooth the have the molasses sauce. The beans were ok but the cheesy corn....yes you read correctly, cheesy corn, was tasty as all get out. I will be going back here again. My only complaint was that they do not have a 2 meat or 3 meat combo for a single person. They only have larger portions for groups. read more

Food is great and they offer daily specials!! The spicy corn was awesome and it all came to a great price!

Admittedly, I'm not a big barbecue fan, but I was with three guys that really enjoyed it. They loved all of the sauces (my favorite is #5). My pulled pork sandwich (without coleslaw) was ok...but I tried the beef brisket and that was perfect. The building is clean and quiet. Good spot for a family lunch. read more

I got the pulled pork plate which comes with two sides (I chose the potato salad and the baked beans) and my boyfriend got the brisket (with burnt ends cheesy corn and baked beans.) Both meats were really good, our favorite being the pulled pork. Like some other reviews have mentioned, the brisket WAS really salty but after you add some sauce (6 options available at the table) then it wasnt so bad. The sides were actually the best part, IMO. The baked beans were your average, nothing special really but the cheesy corn w/ chunks of meat in it was oh so good and I loved the potato salad. It was more of a German style (sans the mustard) with sliced potatos. It wasn't a cheap lunch (over $20) but I would say that it was for sure worth it. We'll be back... read more

Above average BBQ, but not exceptional. Had the brisket salad and added rib bones. B-.

WORST BBQ PLACE IN SPRINGFIELD!! Sorry I didn't get a pic. Not enough food to capture on film. Ordered a brisket sandwich with cole slaw on the side, burnt end cheesy corn, and water. ELEVEN BUCKS! Sandwiches had 4 half strips of brisket. The cheesy corn was a skim layer in one of their little compartments on their cafeteria plates. NO MEAT IN THE CORN AT ALL!! Please be advised, 3 of us ordered the cheesy corn and none of us had a chunk of meat that you would expect in BURNT END CHEESY CORN. There are BBQ places in Springfield that are not my favorite but this place is a JOKE! Unless you eat just their potato salad, I'd go somewhere else. I meant to ask them on the way out who they had make all their trophies for them. That food certainly never won any awards. read more

We went in there out of convenience and had a great experience. The food was good and the price was fair. We got great customer service. We had never been there before so we were not sure what to expect. We got the special pork plates. We will go back. read more

I love Whole Hog Cafe. I'm from Arkansas and it is my go to place when at home. I've visited this location in the past and I've loved it, but tonight was a disappointment. First off, we had Ali in and the place is empty on a Friday night. Once we ordered ($23 for two people) we had trouble finding a seat without torn upholstery. The brisket was soggy and the bun was mush. The cole slaw was room temperature which concerned me a little. The chicken was dry according to the hubby. The baked beans were too spicy for me to eat. The only thing that was still good was the potato salad. Now we know why the place was a ghost town. read more