Old Hickory House (Tucker, GA)

2202 Northlake Parkway
Tucker, GA 30084
770-939-8621
http://www.oldhickoryhouse.com/

Old Hickory House is no stranger to the Georgia BBQ landscape. Being part of Atlanta's BBQ scene for almost sixty years, it's become a favorite spot to many including 39th President of the United States, Jimmy Carter. Loving Old Hickory House so much, he had it flown to Washington D.C. during his term on at least one occasion. Places like these have history...they have regulars...but do they have above average food?

The GBH team (with the addition of Jamie's grandparents, Betty and Leland) headed over to the Old Hickory House in Tucker on a Tuesday night. They're currently under construction due to an errant car that managed to slam right through the front of the restaurant, but they're still open for business. The dim lit interior's got an old log cabin type feel (imagine that!). We did notice the hickory-fueled open pit at the entrance behind the counter. The gentleman working the counter assured me that all of the meat is cooked 100% on their open pit. I was quite impressed as I looked over the ribs, chicken, and pork butts. The typical crowd here was a little older, probably coming here for decades.

We sat at a large booth in the corner, looked over the old plastic covered menus, and finally ordered when our waitress came. They have a platter called the "People Pleaser" that included sliced pork, beef, and ribs. I'm a person...I like to be pleased. Easy decision. Jamie went with the chicken plate so we could get a good feel for everything they have to offer. There's no shortage of vegetable/side options here. I wouldn't ever recommend a BBQ place based solely on their sides, but I think it does say something great if you've got great meats AND sides.

After eating a lot of BBQ, you can usually make a pretty fair assessment of food as soon as you see it. The easiest to spot is, of course, how dry/moist it is. I was let down that the beef wasn't brisket, but instead a dry, tough, grey top round roast. The pork was also just as boring and dry. All meats had smoky flavor, but that just might be the only positive note. The ribs were also dried out and covered in a sweet glaze that didn't help out much. The chicken plate was not good...at all. Resembling more of a soup/stew, this chicken had no redeeming quality and was actually sent back and taken off of our bill. The Brunswick stew and pit beans kept our bellies full before we left, but are in no way alone worth the trip.

I appreciate the longevity of this BBQ joint and respect them cooking everything on an open pit.  We didn't have a great experience with the food though and don't plan on going back anytime soon with the amount of BBQ spots left to try...onward!