You can do well here at times, and other nights you'll wonder how they stay open. The quality waver is a very serious problem. Anything having to do with fish, which granted is not their speciality is horrid, always. Having been several times I can tell you sometimes (if you stick to the BBQ) it was very good, but on other occasions the very same dish was terrible.
On one occasion they served the side order biscuits which clearly had an accidental overdose of baking soda in them and they could have made you spit up, no one was eating them past the first bite anywhere in the restuarant. Hello? You keep serving these? Another time we ordered the chicken nugget type meal for a child and the chicken was old and gamey, the owner summoned to the table stated the chicken was fresh. Asked him to taste it himself, he declined. Hmmmmm.
Overall despite the fact that sometimes it can be very good, it's a bout a 50/50 shot whether it would be good or not, so if you're in town for one night, skip it. If they can get their act together and be consistent it could be wonderful but the oversight by the management is abysmal.
Quite possibly the worst barbecue I have ever had. The food was so overcooked the ribs tasted like beef jerky, the Mac and cheese was so dry it was like eating 7 saltine crackers at once, the beans were so hot and over cooked it scalded me as the beans disintegrated in my mouth. Tasted scaly.
Biscuits, cornbread and staff were amazing.
Try a new cook or fresher ingredients.
The best barbecue I've ever had was in a little dive in Austin, TX that I never would've found if not for a hotel concierge. The only place that's ever come close to that authentic full-bore Texas barbecue is Hickory Smokehouse.
If you've never had -real- Texas smoked barbecue, you might not be expecting what you get. The meat is served without sauce. It's smoked, not grilled. Hickory provides an assortment of homemade sauces at the table, so you can add sauce if you like, as much as you like, and in whatever heat you like. The chef trained at the Culinary Institute of America, and the food is of commensurate caliber.
The ambiance is a mix of Adirondack lodge and southwest roadhouse; wood paneling and soft lighting. It's somewhat upscale dining in a casual environment. You won't be looked at too askance in casual clothing or moderately dressy. Don't expect "elegant", but it's not really a dive, either. If you're looking for nicer dining, sit in the dining room; there are booths in the bar, but it tends to be louder.
The only real criticism I have is that the place isn't terribly well insulated. If you're visiting in winter, well, the place is high on a hillside in the Catskills. It gets cold, and if you're in a window booth, it gets drafty, so bring a sweater just in case.
Oh, and a hazard of the mountain location: Cell coverage can be spotty, especially for Sprint/Virgin Mobile customers, so if you're expecting an important call, Hickory may not be your best choice. It's not the restaurant's fault; you'd think the cell companies would have better coverage on one of the main routes into ski country...
Hickory is a cozy spot with amazing food and friendly service. Â After visiting the place a couple of times, we decided that they should cater our wedding. Â After all, my husband told the waiter that their mashed potatoes "could stop wars." Â Steve, who runs the joint, was extremely helpful and knowledgeable in helping us create a fabulous menu for our guests that would also be affordable. Â People were RAVING about the food. Â When does that happen at a wedding? Â What's more? Â His staff that worked our wedding were so personable, so fun, so helpful and efficient. Â They were just great! Â We even went back after the wedding so we can tell Steve personally how wonderful everything was......and also to get more macaroni salad. Â There may be dishes that you love more than others and the ones you love, you will be blown away by. Â Thanks to Steve and his staff for being the best!
Rachel A.
I've been to this place a couple of times now on the way back from hikes in the Catskills and Adirondacks, and I wish to god I didn't have to make a trip out of the city to get to this place. It's by far the best BBQ I've ever had outside of the South, and I'd go so far as to say that you could drop this place in the Carolinas and people'd swear by it.
First off, their meat is smoked perfectly. But that doesn't really get them 5 stars. I'm usually more surprised when I get BBQ that ISN'T smoked right because it's so damn easy. Bad BBQ is just lazy, hurried BBQ. Hickory's pit guys leave it in there and don't rush it.
What gets these guys 5 stars is their sauces. Every time I really have a gripe with a Northeastern BBQ joint it's because they just can't figure out how to do regional sauces. Hickory's are spot on. Like Eastern Carolina mustard sauce? It's spot-on. Like your sauce KC-style and sweet and tomatoey? Hickory's is mouth-watering.
These guys took their time and actually got every aspect of their craft done right. I'll go back here every time I'm anywhere near it.
P.S.- I could seriously make a meal of just the hush puppies and maple butter.
Hickory catered our wedding last month and I can't even count how many of our guests came up to us at the wedding, emailed us afterwards or made it a point to tell us in person that it was "the best wedding food they've ever had." Â It really was! Â It was perfect for our outdoor wedding in the Hudson Valley and I can't recommend working with them enough. Â My husband and I went to the restaurant about 1 month before our wedding to taste some of the food we'd have catered and we were blown away! Â The service at the restaurant itself is excellent and their smoked turkey is the best we've ever had. Â We actually ended up doing a vegetarian/fish wedding to accommodate a lot of Kosher guests and it was perfect. Â The food is extremely flavorful, perfectly cooked, and seasonal. Their desserts are wonderful too!
Review Source:Steve and his team at Hickory BBQ catered our wedding at Mount Gulian Historic Site, and they were amazing! Everyone was extremely helpful - the team was organized and executed very well. The food was delicious too. We had the 48 hour smoked chicken and hanger steak with pasta salad, mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, and green beans served family style. We (including all of the guests) loved every bit of it. I would suggest Hickory BBQ to anyone who wants a delicious and cozy meal for their wedding (or family party or just to go to the restaurant in Kingston)!
Review Source:Went up to Kingston for the weekend and we tried Hickory on the recommendation from my sister in law who really likes this place. Â BBQ in the Catskills...I'm thinking it's gonna be reallhy good or really bad...
So I was wrong-some of the food was great and some just so-so. Â I ordered the pulled pork shoulder platter with two sides. Â The meat was tender, smokey, and well seasoned-I added my own dash of sauce and loved it...my sides-not so great, Â I really, really wanted to love the mac and cheese because it looked great, but needed salt and a little more creaminess/cheesiness. Â Baked beans...not good-in fact, they could have been the worst beans I've ever had at a restaurant, just no flavor...damn shame.
Group also had a pulled pork sandwich, shrimp in a basket, fried chicken (all the kids), ribs and chicken combo, half rack of ribs, and the beef brisket. Â As with my meal everyone loved their entrees, but the sides weren't really up to par. Â The ribs were actually done perfectly and were delicious. Â Cornbread and biscuits served before dinner came were ok, like the sides...nothing to write home about, but here's where they DO need mentioning. Â The one side that WAS great was the cole slaw.
Service was ok, they kept checking on us and no one really had any complaints...one of the best discoveries was that they had Keegan's Mother's Milk on tap...'nuff said. Â
Ok, that needs to be repeated-Mothers Milk on tap...'Nuff said.
Ok food, POOR service. We waited and waited and waited for our "waitress" and had to even go to the bartender for water--and they brought 1 glass for a table of 3. We waited 15 minutes after we finished eating before we had to ask someone to clear our table and find our waitress. I feel like a chump for even tipping at all.
Review Source:Eaten here a number of times now and have never been disappointed. We always have left over food. Although everything isn't perfect, the service is attentive and they take pride in their BBQ even if their style isn't for everyone. After trying a lot of the menu, I think the pulled pork and the brisket are most consistent.
Review Source:Everything here is ... good, but then why dont I love this place? Â Taken individually most dishes are really pretty well done. Â I think the sides are great. Â I think my real beef is with the meat! Â Ribs and Brisket taste good but are too WET. Â I guess I like dryer bar b q. Â Some of these meats hint at being steamed. Â Perhaps not when cooked, but then afterward to keep them warm and moist? Â They taste pretty good, but the texture and wetness say "steamed". Â Maybe some folks like it that way, but for me the meat was too WET. Â On the other hand if you are driving by and are hungry it is not a bad bet, just not the best.
Review Source:Me & two male friends finished Devil's Path, a brutal 26 mile hike in the Catskills, and came here for our victory dinner. It was a feast of BBQ. They both got some obscene pile of  3 types of meat: ribs, pulled pork, and chicken. Their plates came with 2 sides... the garlic mashed potatoes were really good, the mac & cheese looked dry.
My cup of chili and pulled pork sandwich were delicious!!
The regulars at the bar were quite an entertaining boisterous group. There is a family dining room, and a bar area with some booth seating and a couple tvs with sports on.
The 1 star is for the wings since they were really good. Everything else our party of 7 had was not very good. Chili had no taste and was cold. Pulled pork was fatty. Ribs were ok. Salmon not cooked right. Mac n cheese was dry. Turkey thigh and brisket were good. Baked beans didn't taste BBQed. Too much food and high price.
Review Source:Hickory is the best BBQ I've had in the north. Â As soon as me and my husband decided to get married up in this area, we started looking for good homey food for the wedding. Â We hit jackpot with this place. Â My husband and I still argue over whether the ribs or the chicken is tastier (the chicken is, btw.) Â We fed a huge group of people affordably, and people are still telling me how delicious it was. Â Plus! Â Working with Steve (the owner) was great. Â We'd occasionally stop by on our way to Albany from NYC unannounced and he would always recognize us and chat for a few minutes. Â
We love this place so much we brought our best friends there the night before the wedding to eat even though we'd be eating Hickory again the next day. Â It is just that good. Â
The guests especially loved the ribs and chicken, the cornbread, the cole slaw, and the strawberry shortcake (all desserts are homemade my Steve's parents!)
They have great local beers, a ridiculously delicious root beer on tap, and everything else you could ask for in terms of drinks with BBQ.
If you're anywhere near the Kingston area, this place is great! Â The portions are huge and incredibly tasty!
I had dinner here, and it was good. If I hadn't spent a lot of time in South Carolina recently I probably would have been more excited about this place. I had the rib tips (tasty), hush puppies (not bad, a little too dense), and the mac and cheese side (dry, and slightly scorched on top).
I loved the biscuits in the bread basket, but the cornbread was pretty average.
On our drive up, we spotted this BBQ smokehouse and had to try it. After we settled in at our campsite in Kenneth L Wilson campgrounds, we took the 15 minute drive to Hickory. We got there around 10 pm on a Friday night and the chef had left for the evening so they were not able to turn on the grill or deep fryer. That meant no ribs, french fries, buffalo wings, and a whole lot more. However, we were able to order items from the roaster and smoked meat.
I ordered the slow smoked beef brisket sandwich with BBQ onions and Pepper Jack cheese (you can also substitute the BBQ onions and Pepper Jack for slaw and Swiss) which is usually served with French fries ($10.95). Since the fryer was out, our waitress was nice enough to let us susbstitute the french fries with their famous Mac N Cheese. The Mac N Cheese had a nice brown crust on top with a nice soft and creamy texture underneath, just the way I like it. But it was pretty light on the cheesiness, and simple in flavor. I would have preferred either a deeper rich cheese or a sharp cheese, just another level of flavor. The sandwich had a healthy serving of thick-sliced beef that was falling out on all sides. The beef was slightly dry and chewy, though the BBQ onions and Pepper Jack did help a little. What really made the sandwich likable was squeezing in the different homemade BBQ sauces, ranging from Regular BBQ, Spicy BBQ, a mustard variation and one or two others. I really liked the Spicy BBQ which had just the right amount of tanginess and ever-so-subtle heat to make things a little more interesting.
I also tried Hickory's Barbecue Sandwich w/ pulled pork ($8.95), which was delicious. I'd definitely recommend this sandwich between the two as it was juicier and tastier than the brisket. Also served on the side, was a helping of Ma Hickory's Roasted Potatoes that were just amazing as well. Roasted just enough so that the potatoes mush in your mouth and just the right amount of seasonings made this one simple yet tasty side.
Service was very friendly and attentive. Our waitress was very accommodating and always checked up on us, good ol' Southern comfort style. You could tell this place was real local, when I believe the old lady in her ~80's who owned the restaurant was hanging out at the bar, and one of the chefs would come out from time to time to hang out and talk. There was a storm that evening, so the electricity would blink off and on, adding to ol' saloon ambiance. Things were running real slow here, but what would you expect for a restaurant in the middle of nowhere.
I've never ordered one of the "Main Courses" on the menu, but the Pulled Pork Sandwich and the Smoked Beef Brisket Sandwich  are so delicious!  I've always had a good experience at Hickory BBQ and often take out of town guests for dinner.  My in-laws from Texas loved their meals (and their BBQ standards are pretty high!)
Review Source:It has moments when it's good and then there are moments when it's bad. On my most previous visit, I ordered the chicken and ribs combo. Mac and cheese was good, but mashed potatoes looked like melted candle wax. Both of the meats were on the red side. Like I said in the beginning, at other times the food is not bad, but if you don't like playing restaurant roulette then this isn't a place for you. Avoid the water as it sometimes has a sulfur taste to it. Get bottled water and be safe.
Review Source:I went here on a Thurs for dinner with the family. We started with some BBQ rib tips - a bit fatty for my taste, but that's kinda what rib tips are. The sauce was sweet & yummy. The chili was amazing - I can see why they got an award for it - really! The basket of bread the give you has some mediocre corn bread and rolls. Â
 My brother had the shrimp po'boy - only 5 shrimp & all bun and lettuce, he was quite disappointed. The fries are not crispy, in fact some bend over when you pick them up. This could be bcuz they are homemade though.
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 My other brother had the Pulled Pork Shoulder Platter - there is enough meat on this for 2 or even 3 people! Its just what it says, pulled pork, no sauce or spices. They have sauces at the table that you can choose from. Some of them quite good - the jalapeno sauce had a nice kick & the mustard was sweet & spicy.
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 I had the catfish platter - this they did right my friends. Two good sized fillets with blacked seasonings that reminded me of my trip to Little Rock last summer. The slaw here is worth it. Not too drippy with a nice slaw flavor and goes well with the catfish.
The sweet potato fries were ok, again, not too crispy.
The veggie of the day, Green beans with garlic would make any Carnivore or Vegan proud. Nicely done - crisp & tasty.
I will be back for the catfish & chili here. Will let you know.
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