Went to the new Hickory River in West Champaign tonight for the first time. Honestly, I didn't even realize that they had built one out there. It was excellent food as always, and the atmosphere was also very well executed. Staff was friendly and helpful. Definitely returning, and if you're out and about, it's more than worth the visit.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$10–20
Recommended dishes
Chopped Beef Brisket
Fantastic food and really great side dishes. Always friendly service I have visited multiple times in just a few months. Good value for what you get. My only criticism is how they manage the bar it feels off since you order food at the counter and get a table but to get a alcoholic drink feels cumbersome and often the bar isn't staffed. Just feels like getting a drink is harder than it should be. But food and service are great.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Came here the first time! Their meat is definitely pit master level. I really liked the pork loin I got. However the sides were just okay. The sweet corn was quite bland, and the cornbread was on the dryer side.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$10–20
Food: 4
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 4
The food is great! I had the pulled pork sandwich, ranch beans and chili. The chili was good with just a little bit of spice, the ranch beans were tasty with a good barbecue flavor but most importantly, the pulled park sandwich I had was tender, smoky and juicy. They don't short you on the amount of meat you get on the sandwich either. If you've ever been to Paully's BBQ in Arthur, their barbeque is about the best around, but now they've got a serious competitor having Hickory River at the Fields now open!!
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$10–20
Pretty good, but you're going to pay for it. Place was very clean (it's brand new so it should be, right? ;) ) and easy to navigate. Floor, tables, servingware, bathrooms were all clean. No soap residue on the utensils. Here is what my wife and I ordered:
4 ribs
1/2lb of pulled pork (est)
Mac-n-cheese
Coleslaw
Loaded potato w/2oz pulled pork
2 waters
$48 for that which seems excessive to me when I had a comparable dinner in SC for $35 with 2 sweet teas. Anyway, service was good and friendly and the food was good, but not exciting. So much more is being done in the world of BBQ thats being overlooked here. Creating a better, more lively, atmosphere could make it more of an experience.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$30–50
Food: 3
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 3
I have pretty high expectations to this restaurant but it turns out just meet the average. The ribs are not juicy enough but a bit dry. The food is a bit pricy on the smokehouse combo, compared to the previous location or other stores in town. The sides are good tho.
The food was great! I had the sliced brisket (big portion) with honey mustard sauce, ranch beans (not sweet baked beans so if you don't like more tomato based, you won't like), cornbread and applesauce. The sides were smaller than maybe you would have got if you ate in (I went through the drive thru), but the food tasted excellent! They were fast too. I will definitely go back.
Service
Take out
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$20–30
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes
Cornbread
Where is the Smoke??
We got the family meal with Turkey and Brisket. The Only item that had a hint of Smoke taste was the gravy for the Mashed potatoes!
I would not consider this place as a BBQ
Service
Take out
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$30–50
Food: 1
Service: 3
Atmosphere: 3
First off, let me start this off by saying that I am from the south and have had some fantastic bbq over the years, and I was extremely disappointed. The staff was ok but the brisket was very dry, I wasn't asked if I wanted cinnamon and sugar on top of my sweet potato fires (which I didn't), the potato salad was flavorless, the sausages tasted as though you bought them from the grocery store. I usually don't leave bad reviews, but this is not anywhere near up to par of what bbq smokehouse should be. This was a huge disgrace to a southerner and what one of the many southern staples is all about.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$20–30
Food: 1
Service: 3
Atmosphere: 2
