The Happy Hawg BBQ

Best bbq I’ve ever had. We stumbled upon this place on a visit to lake Chatuge. Little hole in the wall that is a treasure!!!

Awesome small town BBQ place! Food was great, sweet tea was on point, and the employees are really friendly. My girlfriend and I left happy and stuffed. I would definitely go back again!

Outstanding! The food here is fantastic! We stopped through here while visiting the area for some hiking. This place definitely hit the spot after a day on the mountain.
We had a little bit of everything and it was all great!

While staying in the Georgia mountains for the weekend, we happened up this place while out for a drive and starting to get hungry. The seating inside is very limited, which during the warm season, would be no biggie. We did sit outside even though it was chilly. Nice view of a lake. Food was served quickly and was good. We both had chopped pork sandwiches=yummy. I had mac and cheese=yummy and bbq beans=average, as my sides. My husband had apple sauce=very yummy, and something else that I can’t remember. We definitely would stop here again if we’re ever in the area.

Great barbecue place in a place where there are seemingly not a lot of restaurants. My boyfriend and I split the ribs/​pork combo, A giant baked potato stuffed with more pork and cheese, bbq beans and mac & cheese. Sadly they were out of Brunswick Stew :(.
Ribs were super meaty and smoky. Pork (which was chopped, not pulled, like some others have pointed out) was also great. The meats come simply smoked — you need to add sauce to them.
These sauces were on point though. We are huge fans of carolina-​style sauces and they had Carolina mustard AND Carolina Vinegar. Pro tip: mix them together on your meat. The spicy sauce is also great and a bit vinegary. They have your typical sweet sauce as well. When the man brought the potato he told me to mix the ranch (that comes with the potato) with the sweet sauce and put it on the potato. Definitely a good tip! Added some spicy to that one too though.
I rarely eat beans like this, but these beans were really tasty and almost like candy. The mac & cheese was pretty regular, but still good.
People working there were really nice and we left super satisfied. Would definitely recommend and come back if we’re in the area again!

Service was great, and the food was good. We had pulled pork sandwiches. They were smaller than expected but sufficient. Inside was a little stuffy so we ate on side porch. It was rather toasty too since ac near it, but the lake view was great. Glad to see good reviews, that’s what brought us here. It’s nice to find something local and budget friendly on vacation.

Nice local place. Chopped pork plate very good. Fried corn yummy, baked beans okay. Service very prompt and helpful. Food came out quick and warm.

Came to Happy Hawg on a rainy Sunday for take out.
Note that currently (11÷23÷14) their Winter hours are in effect:
M-​W: Closed
TH-​SAT: 11 – 7
SUN: 11 – 3
As I walked in from car saw smoker going out back, which got me excited to try some new BBQ!
Was impressed, first, by the crowd. I figured there’d be a large church crowd if the place had a good reputation (I walked in at 12:30pm), and Happy Hawg had me excited when I saw every table full with 3 – 4 people, with reservations expected for the next one that opened. I opted for take out.
The atmosphere was upbeat, lively, and clean. People seemed to be getting their food quickly, as meat was being brought out from the smoker. There were a lot of people there. It looks small from the outside but their had to be a good 2 dozen or more diners.
The prices were all reasonable. I went with the ½ rack of ribs, bbq pulled pork sandwich, Mac and cheese (x2), cole slaw and bbq baked beans. All of that was $ 23.
Pulled pork was excellent. Meat had lots of flavor and a sweetness to it before it touched sauce. The amount of sauce on the sandwich was perfect. Not too much but enough for a nice punch of additional flavor. Good portion on the meat and sides.
The Mac and cheese was okay, but nothing too special. The baked beans were good, sweet.
Of the three sides I found the cole slaw the least impressive. Too minced and too sweet, and not a lot of other flavor. Could have used other veggies like carrots to make it a bit richer.
The ribs were the star of the show by far. A lot of flavor smoked in, and again sauce adds to it, but is not overbearing. The flavor you are left with is the smoked meat. Again good portion, even with the ½ rack.
I would not come here again and miss these ribs. They are the reason to come, and they are a damn good reason.
Service was friendly and fast.
This is well worth a drive from neighboring towns/​counties in GA and NC. Just make sure they are open as the schedule changes seasonally.

This was recommended by a couple of locals at a nearby gas station. We stopped in at 3 on a Friday after leaving Brasstown Bald.
There is a small seating area inside, but outside there are 2 different sections, one has a great view of the lake. The other is in front of the main restaurant entrance.
The smoked chicken sandwich was good, with ample amounts of chicken. I liked the «hawg» bbq sauce the best, followed by the «tangy». Wasn’t a fan of the «sassy» sauce.
For sides, I had bbq beans and fried corn. I liked the beans, but the corn was basically drenched in butter.
The staff was friendly and prices very reasonable.

The ribs were pale and bland. The sides were not very good. Service was very friendly and attentive. Wanted to sit outside, but it is right by the highway so it is noisy and fume-​laden. Will not be back. Sorry.