Old Disappointment.
Brisket plate with mac and cheese and onion rings.
It was really cool to see where others have visited from!
outside
My three meat combo: mutton, brisket, and pork ribs. I liked the mutton and ribs the best.
sushi and sashimi
Indoor Seating
Combination plate and brisket plate.
Steam Table and the area where you order and pay
The Sauce Bomb! This is an amazing sauce and I strongly recommend you grab a jar.
Sliced Mutton Sandwich with pickles and onion. Much less meat than the Sliced Pork Sandwich.
Rib plate with potato salad and fries
Sliced Pork Sandwich with onions and pickles. Flavorful meat and even better with Sweet Heat Sauce!
First page of menu
Outdoor Sign
From Top: Chopped Mutton, Whole Chickens, Baked Beans, & Pork Ribs.
Rib plate with bbq beans
Chopped Mutton Sandwich with onion and pickles. Great taste and texture.
Outside view
Front of the menu
1/4 dark chicken, bbq pork ribs, potato salad, Mac n cheese.
Rib plate with bread, pickles, and onions
Three meat plate
sandwiches, food
Joshua H.
Oct 14, 2024
This is the place to try Owensboro style BBQ. I wouldn't necessarily say KY style, as I've yet to find another joint outside Owensboro that cooks up mutton as a staple option. Maybe it's a western KY thing, but passing though Louisville, mutton was nowhere to be found.Anyway here at Old Hickory you can find it sliced, chopped, as ribs, in a stew (burgoo) as well as the typical brisket, chicken and pork options.but owensboro style is all about the mutton, and for me, that's the chopped mutton on the white bun. Vinegary and delicious, mutton's a different bbq ball-game. the sheep oil or lanolin, adds a unique flavor that can seem strong to the uninitiated. However, I find that if you go for the experience, you will easily acclimate.The cornbread was more of a cornmeal pancake, not the typical yellow cake-looking type.The baked beans are good, but very sweet. Same with the coleslaw. The green beans are heavily cooked, so are very soft and on the darker side. I think it's a regional preparation.The catfish was nice, more crust than fish, and wasn't really served with anything like a tartar sauce or remoulade.Good for groups, friendly service and top notch bbq, make this casual eatery our regular stop every time we're in town. Come with an appetite, but I recommend fibering up before hand.I also recommend eating there (unless you're a regular). Delivered BBQ just seems different, even though it should be the same.
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Shane F.
Feb 25, 2025
This place was great! I have noticed that if you compare reviews on Yelp to any other platform, Yelp is always the worse. I own a company, and only Yelp has bad reviews. In all honesty, if Yelp has a low rating on something you can rest assure the place is great. Yelp truly sucks!
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Jeff T.
Apr 2, 2024
Come here for "Down Home Kentucky Barbecue!" A 106 year old barbecue institution and one of the few places where you can enjoy barbecue mutton. And yes, you definitely want to try it!We ordered takeout today and took it to a local park to eat. But, there is plenty of seating inside the restaurant. You order your food at a counter right next to the covered steam table holding chopped mutton, barbecue chickens, baked beans, and barbecue pork ribs. All of those looked really good. We ordered several sandwiches (all with onions and pickles) and a few sides today. My favorite sandwiches, in order, were:1. Sliced Pork (flavorful and a large portion)2. Chopped Mutton (good texture and flavor)3. BBQ Bologna (flavorful and moist)4. Sliced Mutton (tasty, but much less meat than the pork sandwich)The chopped mutton is mixed with sauce and it works well on a sandwich. I can't see it working well on a plate with 2 sides. That's a better role for the sliced mutton. I bought a jar of "John's Sweet Heat Bar-B-Q Sauce" and it was delicious! The flavors were fantastic, with just a bit of heat, and it worked well on all of the sandwiches. The Sweet Heat Sauce is a must when you are here. The Cole slaw and the potato salad were both good, but not great. Sandwich sizes and individual sides are smaller than you'd expect, but the prices are fair. Staff are friendly and very helpful. I definitely recommend Old Hickory Bar-B-Q!
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Andrew L.
Jun 4, 2024
Came here right around opening on a Tuesday (for breakfast I guess?) and as you'd imagine there was next to no one there. I had been excited to try Kentucky style bbq since finding out about it at the museum of southern food and beverage in New Orleans, and my experience absolutely lived up to the hype!The service was fast and very friendly, giving helpful recommendations, taking me through all the different bbq sauce options, and frequently checking if I needed anything I knew the mutton was the speciality, so I had the ribs and regular mutton in a combo platter, in addition to a quarter chicken, beans, and a cup of burgoo.Mutton was absolutely the start of the show, unbelievably rich and delicious. I didn't get any gaminess or weird taste, if you've had lamb before I'd best describe it as a noticeably fattier version. The region is known for its bbq sauce using Worcestershire sauce as a base, and the almost black color of their sauce along with the flavor leads me to believe they used it, though I didn't ask. It was a really nice middle ground between steak sauce and bbq sauce that I wish was more readily availableThe chicken was also very tasty, but nothing you can't find in other region's bbq. The burgoo came out first and I really liked it when it was the only food I had while incredibly hungry, but after comparing it to the main course I wasn't the biggest fan. I'll caveat that this was my first burgoo experience, so possible it just isn't my jam as a dish. The beans were also nothing special, could have easily been bbq beans from a can.I think if I were a local and desensitized to the novelty of mutton in bbq, I'd probably give this spot 4 stars (especially if the mutton quality is comparable at other spots). However the great mutton experience and friendly, welcoming environment is enough to overcome the somewhat uninspiring other parts of my meal. Overall I highly recommend the trek to this region for any bbq fanatic
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Danielle J.
Oct 27, 2024
Try the sliced mutton but do NOT miss out on the ribs. My friend is from Owensboro and this is her fam go-to & a must stop for me too when in town. I got ribs this time and the flavor is unmatched to any I have had before. Tender with a light sauce that is extremely savory. The sliced mutton sandwich is a great bite. Their potato salad is not to my liking with it being minced up, no mustard, and a bit bland. The mac and cheese was good and go for the burgoo if they aren't sold out!
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Lee G.
Dec 2, 2024
Always have the best barbecue...my favorite is mutton!... but the pork, beef and chicken, if that is your favorite. One can choose the buffet which is loaded with all your vegetables and salads. Just try and I'll guarantee you will want to return often.
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J Wes H.
Dec 26, 2024
I got seated immediately and the waitress came to the table almost immediately she's quite good at what she does I ordered the beef brisket sandwich side salad and baked beans they were all wonderful it's nice little place not very big but quite comfortable
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John-Mark H.
Jun 8, 2024
Relatively good barbecue in a casual, country cafe type environment. The brisket was tender and flavorful. Service was great, and the cole slaw is an all-time favorite.
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Laura K.
Jun 4, 2023
Visited family in Rockport, IN and we all decided we wanted some good BBQ. They had taken us to Moonlite before so they decided they wanted to show us another favorite spot - Old Hickory Bar-B-Que.I got the brisket with mac and cheese and onion rings. The brisket was really tasty. It had a more vinegar-heavy flavor than I'm used to but the smoke ring was beautiful and it was tender. The mac and cheese was creamy and the onion rings were crispy. I really enjoyed everything, and our server was on top of things the whole time.Would definitely recommend stopping by if you're in the area.
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Steve K.
Nov 4, 2024
Sunday afternoon November 3 at Old Hickory BBQ in Owensboro about 3:455 stars again because I can't do six. We both ordered the 3 meat combo meal with salads. I ordered onion rings and my wife ordered fries. Just like last time I don't know what they could have done to make it better. We both brought half our meals home. Salads were fresh and crisp. Meat was tender onion rings and fries were hot. Coors Light was ice cold. Brought home a gallon of Burgos. We sampled it when we got home. 5 stars for that also.
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