Hickory's Smokehouse

As soon as you walk in, you feel like you’ve stepped into a real Southern smokehouse. Cosy booths, warm lighting, and little touches everywhere that give it a proper homely, Americana feel. But let’s talk about the food—because we ate a lot, and every single bite was a winner.

We kicked things off with the giant garlic butter pretzel bites. They come with this warm beer cheese dip that’s so good it should be illegal. We also had the southern fried chicken with Nashville hot honey—crispy, juicy, sweet and spicy all at once. You get messy, and you won’t care one bit (they even give you bibs!).

Then came the main event: the Smokehouse Platter. This thing is massive. It’s piled high with Texas brisket that just melts in your mouth, sticky Memphis ribs that fall off the bone, pulled smoked pork, chicken wings, pit beans, cornbread, creamy slaw, crispy seasoned fries, and this rich Tennessee bourbon gravy that we could honestly drink on its own. Everything’s cooked fresh, nothing frozen—just straight out of the fridge and into the smoker, and you can absolutely taste the difference.

And yes—we still had dessert. There’s always room for dessert. The campfire s’mores were brilliant fun, especially toasting the marshmallows right at the table. It’s the kind of thing that just makes the whole experience feel extra special.

They’ve thought about everything, too—there’s a mini cinema playing Disney films to keep the kids happy, hand wipes between courses (which is such a little thing but so appreciated), and if you sit near the Chef’s Bar you can watch the kitchen team at work which is actually quite fun.

Hickory’s opens properly on April 15th 2025 and if our preview night is anything to go by, it’s going to be one of Milton Keynes’ hottest spots. We left full, happy, and already planning our next visit.

Check out the menu here: https://hickorys.co.uk/menus/