Hickory Tavern

Can I just tell you not many places can keep consistency especially in Hickory!
If you are in area just want good food this is place! Great friendly staff, good food.
Oysters are always good, not any choices just whatever they have and are fresh. Tried bucket of trash and was great! (bartender was super and gave us raw oysters instead of steamed bc they were not busy) crab legs steamed shrimp and oysters perfect for two people.
The atmosphere is much like an Ale house in any other city, lots of TVs and sports. Can accommodate large groups.
Their staff is what makes place.

Late night menu is limited but good. The hot wing were like a union corn riding a rainbow, in other words, awesome! Service was good especially with servers dealing with inebriates fools, like myself.
Would definite come back here had I the opportunity.

I wanted to let you know about my experience The Hickory Tavern yesterday at the Hickory location.
First, let me start by telling you that Hickory Tavern used to be my favorite place to eat. Wednesdays are the best nights to go because I love wings.
Over the last few months, I have noticed that the service has gotten really bad. The servers have no idea what they are doing and more often than not, I have to track them down to get a refill or even just place my order.
Tonight was mine and my friends date night and the experience broke my heart.
The server I had (Alyssa, a redhead young thing) was horrible. She took our beer order, brought our beer back and walked away without a word, and then finally, after 15 minutes of us waiting and her sitting at a table talking with some couple, decided to ask us if we were ready.
She never came back after that, She sat at that same table (one table away from us). I had to ask another server to get our food.
Once our food came out, my entire order was wrong, the server then sat there and argued with me about what ordered I placed. Does this generation have no concept of customer service? What kind of training do these servers get?
So I had to wait another 25 minutes to get the right order and after that came out, they shorted me wings!
The server (who overheard me telling another server that I was unhappy with my current server) then told me that she was sorry if I was upset because she was sitting at the table, as if it were my fault that she was not doing her job. At no point while I was talking to other servers trying to get my food did she ever budge from her conversation.
I was a server and a bartender for several years and would never have sat down on the job while I had tables, let alone in front of the table! This is bad service and I let her know. She was completely unaware of what she had done.
To make my experience even worse, there was not a manager on duty, no one offered us any kind of compensation (even though I would not have taken it) but it is the effort that counts here. This business at Hickory, does not try anymore and I wanted you to know tonight you lost a very loyal customers. I will now be going to The Old Tavern up the street they are new and not connected to the Tavern Chain at lease there I am sure I’m going to get good service. Hickory Tavern I Give you one star if it was available I would haven’t given you any.

I don’t even like sports bars as a general rule, but I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at Hickory Tavern. I’d describe it more as a good restaurant with a bit of a sports bar vibe because the stereotypical sports bar, in my experience, has subpar food and, in my opinion, that could not be further from the truth with regards to this place!
Seriously, I was impressed by the freshness and quality of the food. (I’m a burger fanatic and if I’m going to indulge, I want it to be worth the calories — this one definitely was.) Our waitress was fun, friendly, and very helpful with making sure the multiple food allergies of our party were accommodated. So much so that I made a point of asking the manager to come to our table at the end of the meal specifically to let her know.

We’ve been there a few times and it was great for all the tvs and the food we ordered was okay. Apparently, there are new owners, now. They need to take a course in customer service and also in how to keep the kitchen actually working properly. Their menu is a lot smaller now as are the portions. I ordered the health nut salad and it was the size of a half salad at Panera. No «pick 2;» just a half salad for $ 13. The kicker was that we waited an hour and a half for the food and none of us ordered anything special. The only person that did, got his steak 20 minutes before the rest of the table was served. Our 7 year old grandson ordered a hotdog and his took an hour and a half, as well. He fell asleep waiting and we had to wake him up to eat. The sign of a dysfunctional, disorganized, undisciplined kitchen is when people who came in long after you did have been served and are leaving and you are still sitting there waiting for food. Our waitress came about every 10 – 15 minutes to ask if we needed anything, (like alcohol) or advertised the drink and dessert specials, but turned and literally ran away before anybody could open their mouth. The hostess came and explained that they were very busy. DUH. Apologize over and over, but was there any comp offered for this disaster? Not on your bippy! Customer service dictates that if you screw up, you at least try to make up for it. Although even if they had given us a free dessert, we probably wouldn’t have taken them up on it for fear we’d be there another hour and a half. The last straw was when the hostess came to our table as we were getting ready to leave and asked us if we had fun, while she was already trying to clear the table for the next victims. We wondered how many stars SHE would give our experience if SHE had been the customer, but alas, we didn’t ask, because we needed to get our sleeping grandson home to his bed. All I can say about this restaurant is, Tvs = A+, food=B, customer service = YIKES!!!

Food is not worth the price. Service is very slow. When they see you starting to get angry, will come by your table and think that calling you «honey» and «sweetie» will make everything ok. Has happened to me at least twice which means I will never be going back.

They have really upped their game as of late. Their raw oysters and lobster rolls are the best things on the menu, and better than what you can get up at Blowing Rock. Service at bar is hit and miss though due to how busy things are. Best place to catch the NFL games.

Beyond appalled by the lack of service. Have been a loyal customer of this location for years and watched the service and management decrease to nothing.
We went to this location for Sunday lunch — a time in which a late crowd should be expected and prepared for. We watched another tables food sit under heat lamps for 30 minutes before it was taken to the table by a manager. After 45 minutes, we received or entrees and never saw a hint of receiving our salads which should have been brought before the meal. All 4 entrees — burgers, tacos, and wings — were cold sitting on warm plates; hence, the food had been sitting under heat lamps for some time. When we asked the server what was going on, she proceeded to give us her personal opinion of how poorly the kitchen was operating. The manager, who is new to this location and was brought in from the high volume, successful Steel Creek location to fix the issues, came over and expressed his apologies and as expected comped the bill. He continued to express that he hopes to have the location fixed and in better conditions within the next few months.
Very sad to see a location that previously HS been so successful and a go-​to location for locals in Hickory go down the drain by holding the service and food to such poor standard. Needless to say we will no longer be returning to this location.

I cannot wait to go back. The «build your own salad» is the best thing I’ve had in Hickory in a long, long time.
The youngest kiddo loved their macaroni and cheese and the broccoli.
The hubby had a burger and said that it was really good.
We can’t wait to go back when we are in the area.

I was a little hesitant after reading some of the reviews, but was very pleased with our service and food. It was a busy Sunday lunch with a big game on and I expected it to be slow, but it wasn’t. My shrimp po’boy was very good and my son loved his buffalo chicken sandwich.
My only concern was that another waitress dropped a ketchup cup and left it on the floor. There was an elderly lady sitting at that particular table and I was worried she would trip or slide in the mess. I was a little disappointed that the waitress left it there for 30 mins. We didn’t stay to see what happened.

Last two times we’ve been food and service was terrible… Out of baked potatoes… Walk next door to Lowes… Heard they were bought out by Ruth’s Chris… I will NEVER go back… used to love this place… unless something changes this will be a great spot for another restaurant soon !!!

Hickory Tavern is a step up from an Applebee’s or Chili’s — the food is decent and fairly priced. Most Hickory Tavern locations that I have been to are pretty big. They usually have a large bar, bar area with high top tables, and ample amount of dining room area with lower tables and booths. They are a decent sports bar with lots of tv’s around the restaurant for you to catch your favorite team’s game.

Wow, it’s amazing how this place has changed. There has been a management and complete staff change recently and it’s been for the worst. Service is slow, they are out of many basic alcohol choices, to go orders are inaccurate and the kitchen is slow. I would love to fault one thing but it rest solely on bad management. I recommend choosing one of the other fine establishments in the area.

Recent changes in management have vastly changed the experience of this establishment. It’s obvious that ownership has written this place off. McCroskey’s is much better, and close in proximity.

A great sport bar in Hickory, NC. A really large dining room and TONS of TV’s in varying sizes and locations. Really would be the greatest place to watch the Super Bowl or World Cup final. In fact, there is a plaque in the restaurant that says that they are Runner-​up for best Sports Bar in America. I really didn’t eat much this time just an app of a fish and shrimp taco. It was nicely prepared, if not a touch over cooked. Then again I feel most places tend to over-​cook fish.
We all shared pitchers of Blue Moons, that were cold, and the company was and conversation was great. Plus the prices were pretty reasonable, under $ 20 for the pitcher and my food. Can’t beat that.

We decided to stop here since we had driven by and always wondered about it. We ordered the deluxe nachos and a byo salad. The nachos were AMAZING and filled my husband and I up. The salad was ok, too much eggs, because that is all we could taste, but we believe that the nachos were so good, anything would have paled in comparison at that point. I highly recommend since they have a huge bar, with a large selection of beers and quite a few on tap. Go with the nachos and I guarantee you won’t be disappointed. We only wish we lived closer.

I found this place because I absolutely had to watch my Patriots, and this hotel has no NFL package. So glad I did! Great, attentive waitstaff! The crab dip appetizer was excellent, and my turkey club was fantastic! The bread was simply delicious. Thanks for letting us tee totalers watch the entire game!

The best part of the experience was the service from Liza S. She was very friendly and attentive. The quality of the food is decent, but the preparation is not to my taste. It is busy, this «Wing Wednesday» (60 cent wings). I was happy with my salad. Fresh ingredients is a must :-) I’m not a fan of Blue Cheese dressing that is a mayonnaise base with cheese stirred in. I prefer sour cream base. The hot wing sauce was heated with black pepper, which is just, well, pepper-​tasting. I would come back and try other dishes.

I was in Hickory today for a work event, and ended up at Hickory Tavern with three of my co-​workers. The service was fast and efficient. I ordered the salad with jerk chicken and it was good. My co-​workers all ordered tacos (fish, shrimp, and buffalo chicken respectively) with various sides, and all of their food looked good as well. Our server was very friendly and all of our orders came out just as we had specified. The Hickory Tavern offers a good variety of options at reasonable prices.

We sat at the bar, and the bartender suggested a few beers that were on special. She was friendly and attentive and helped me decide on what dessert to order. (Key Lime Cheesecake is great). My husband ordered a good burger and fries. The food is good, and the chicken wings and side salad are also a good value.
Additionally I have noticed that the female bartenders are more attentive. We like to sit at the bar and watch sports, and previously the guy bartenders would also watch sports, rather than take our order or make suggestions.