The Whole Hog Cafe

This place was told to be Springfield’s 2^nd best bbq in town behind City Butcher who usually sells out right after lunch. The place was full of trophies but not with customers, not a good sign. We kept it simple and went with two pulled pork sandwiches. The order came up fast and we sat down for the first bite. I sampled the meat and soon realized why they needed 6 different sauces at each table. Dried out mildly warm meat piled on a value hamburger bun. Disappointing to say the least. Sad to see quality go down as the evening rolls around, zero pride for these owners it seems. I’ll stick to City Butcher or head out to St. Louis or KC.

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.

I am a lover of good BBQ, and at first when we ate at Whole Hog Café (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.

Have I had better BBQ? Yes. But, this is pretty good depending on what you order. I have never had a bad meal here, but it’s nothing to write home about. Their sauce selection is pretty good and as others have said, the cheesy corn is pretty good.

Being from Minnesota I expected a bit better out of a Missouri rib place with so many awards. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t anything to be excited about, a bit better than Famous Daves maybe.

Friends suggested BBQ. Cheesy corn was good. I had 3 meat dinner. Sausage was warm at best. Pork and beef were good. Potato salad was good too. Hubby had 3 meats with beef, sausage, & loin. Sausage was not hot. Beef and loin were good. He got potatoes with cheese sauce. Just okay. He liked cheesy corn. Will go again. Ribs looked good. Try them next time.

This is the best barbecue place in Springfield, by far. I don’t get some of the extremely negative reviews on here, because we’ve been here a hundred times and always had great food. The sides are EXCELLENT and add to the overall appeal of this place. Also, they have some unusual sauces, my favorite is the mustard-​y one. (#6?) We are very selective with where we go out to eat and this place definitely makes the cut.

Wish I could do 3.5 stars. It’s kind of hit or miss, which day you go. Burnt ends are always good. I got chicken last time was 85% fat but has been good before.

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.

After eating here I questioned all the trophies and awards for «award winning» bbq. It was just okay. Meat was a little dry, potatoe salad was decent, cheesy corn was okay, and the ribs were alright but nothing I’d give an award out for. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t bad… it just wasn’t great.

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.

Was not impressed with the BBQ at all! Meat was dry needing a lot of sauce. Potato salad was ok and also ordered the cheeses corn with burnt ends (nothing too spectacular) their baked beans was probably the best thing we ordered but even that was ok.

If you have read any of my other reviews, you should know that I have three big food loves — vietnamese, brewpubs, and barbecue.
I have visited barbecue restaurants all over the country. South Carolina, Georgia, Memphis, Kentucky, Houston, Dallas, St Louis and KC. I have given this place a couple tries now, and have to say, I am not impressed.
First off, there was a pretty long line when I got here. Now normally, this would be a good thing with a barbecue place. However, in this case, it was because most of the customers had apparently never seen the 100+ flavor Coke dispensing fountain before, and could not get the drinks they were trying to get out of it, resulting in a major backup in front of the ordering area. Normally, I wouldn’t hold that against the restaurant, but the staff made absolutely no attempt to help out and show people how to get their drinks. There were literally more than a dozen people standing there, watching one person after another failing to comprehend how to pick out a drink, and all ending up with the same grape Dasani water the last guy had got. Pretty sad.
It was rib night, so I went with the half rack of ribs dinner which comes with two sides and toast. The ribs were overcooked, really dry. So much so that if you tried to cut one rib off the rack, the meat from 2 — 3 ribs came off with it. The potato salad was a sour cream based type I haven’t really seen elsewhere. It was decent, but not really my cup of tea. The beans seemed to be just a can of Van de Camps with a couple strands of pork or brisket — not even big enough to determine which they were.
Maybe the one on the north side of town is better, but I will not be returning to this establishment.

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?

This place has the best beans I’ve ever had! The ribs are good, but the pulled pork and brisket were average. But for the price, I would say this place is great! I would come back just for the beans. No regrets about stopping her, that’s for sure!

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.

The brisket was moist and flavorful. The sauces are varied and tasty. The side dishes, however, are lack luster; ours were served lukewarm. By in large this place was a disappointment. Perhaps I’m spoiled by really good KC barbecue, but this missed the mark in many, many ways.

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!

I come to Springfield once a year on business. I thought I would repeat my dining experiences from last year and come back to The Whole Hog. This time I tried a regular brisket sandwich that came with cole slaw. I also ordered a side of the potato salad and burnt cheesy corn. With a drink and tax the bill came to $ 12.02.
I thought the brisket was very average. Nothing special that you can’t get almost anywhere else. I believe rating it a 3 is generous. The potato salad is as good as I have ever had and rate a 5. The burnt cheesy corn is something I could eat as a meal by itself. It is a 5 also (could be almost a 6).
I am lowering my overall score from a 4 to a 3. The sides here that I have had are fantastic. The meats are average at best. Last years chicken and this years brisket somewhat disappointed me. How can the sides be so great and the meats so average? I give an overall 3 because your meats have to be better to distinguish yourself from the competition. Oh, and they are still serving the food on those junior high school plates…:(

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!