Top Hog BBQ — Restaurant in Gallatin

Cash or check only! Well worth it though.

Pulled pork - great. Hoe cakes - great. Catfish - very good. Baked beans - good. Slaw - good (and I don’t like slaw). Deviled eggs - not bad. Turnip greens - not nearly as good as I’m used to my Mississippi-native wife cooking them.

Hot BBQ sauce - good. Tartar sauce - good. Sweet tea - Southern (that is to say, excellent and properly sweetened).

Staff - wonderful. Service - very fast and attentive.

I sat at the bar. I ordered the BBQ plate with pulled pork, baked beans, and deviled eggs. I casually mentioned to the owner’s son Gabe it was my first time there. Shortly after my order arrived, Gabe surprised me with a plate of fried catfish, tartar sauce, and an order of coleslaw since it was my first time in. Very kind.

Once I’d finished everything but the hoe cakes (I was getting around to them), Gabe asked me if I liked turnip greens. I told him I married a woman from the delta down in Mississippi, and she makes great greens, so of course. He accepted the challenge and brought me out a bowl of greens. Again, very kind of him. They didn’t quite meet the bar for me. I then doctored them with some pepper sauce, and salt, and they were better, but still not quite there. I DID like that they were spicy. I will give them that. And in their defense…my wife’s greens are legendary.

The owner Ms. Patty was a sweetheart as well. I see where Gabe gets it from. Everybody working there seemed to be on first name basis with all the patrons. It warmed my heart to come across a true beacon of Southern hospitality and spirit.

Overall - 9.5/10

Keep some cash in your car in case you ever find yourself nearby....

Oh my gosh where do I even begin? First of all I'm from Louisville Kentucky. The saw is quite nervous to roll up on this wood building seemingly in the middle of nowhere. The small parking lot was packed and people were going in and out. We walked in and immediately notice the most hard-working waitstaff I've ever seen. It was like a well-oiled machine. But forget all of that, we'll talk about the food. I literally felt like I was 12 again and my dad have been on the grill all day and my mom cooking in the kitchen. The baked beans were the best I've ever had. The mac and cheese was that creamy American cheese that I remember as kid. And oh my goodness the smoked juiciest ribs that was so tender and soft.

So everything was perfect and then I asked about desserts. The way just told me that they had banana pudding. So I asked if real meringue was involved , if it was an actual custard and not the jello mess. And the waitress reassured me feel like the third time that day but everything they made was homemade. This banana pudding....sigh. so then the iced tea for the complete southern experience. The team which was serving and a double size mason jar took me back to my granny's front porch aside her glass jar of sun tea. Look if that's not enough, the prices are reasonable the food is ginormous and the people were so friendly. So much so that I only have a debit card on me and you must pay with cash. The waitress told me that I could go ahead and eat and then go and get the money from an ATM and bring it back. Like I'm trying to figure out when my next trip will take me within 60 miles...

It was alright. Nothing to write home about. The pulled pork is as good as Whitts, or Shanes in Hendersonville. So, it's good, but not mind-blowing. Maybe the ribs are good enough for the 40 minute drive from Nashville, but I wasn't impressed. Inside was slammed, so we ate outside, and my gracious: the flies. I can't remember ever dealing with so many flies when I've eaten outside anywhere. Perhaps when I've gone camping I've battled with them a bit, but this was an impressive amount of flies. There was also a gentleman standing outside, watching everyone eat. No shame; just staring at everyone. I guess the restaurant knows him enough to allow him there. He had been sitting at a table but was asked to move. He shifted to the patio railing and stayed there. He wasn't saying anything, but I didn't like being openly watched while I ate. Also, a family on the patio said they waited almost an hour for their burger. A woman came out and I guess tried to say they're hand-packed patties. Well, that still shouldn't take more than 20 minutes, even if short staffed. The woman trying to justify the wait didn't seem at all apologetic, either. I have heard of waits for burgers for the same reason, but 50 minutes is a bit much. Even 30 minutes. I know I wouldn't wait for it unless it was a wagyu patty or something crazy. Overall, service was nice, but just too much of a chaotic feel to come back. Just wasn't...