Dickey's Barbecue Pit — Restaurant in Hawaii

We were skeptical of BBQ in HI that wasn't huli-huli style, but this place changed our minds. We're used to SE (read: wet) BBQ--Memphis, Nashville, Carolinas, AL, GA...so dry-rub TX BBQ was heresy. Ha--tried it here and we drive over 30 min to this joint at least weekly now.

TIPS: -Sliced brisket is amazing--find a way to add it to your sandwich (Sunday is a good day to order the brisket sandwich; Wednesdays are a good day to order the Westerner for a variety of meats) -ALWAYS ADD a rib if it's offered--sizing is inconsistent at times, but when it's this good, chance it. -Check your order before you leave (especially sides), because they are busy and on rare occasions, stuff gets forgotten. -Use the app or go online for easy ordering and nutrition info/calorie counts. -Join their rewards program--loyalty rewards are generous. It's surprising how quickly they add up. -Check their Daily Deals. Great value and a good way to add a little extra something to your regular order (or eat your way through the menu).

FOOD: -Choose your sauces; if you like that more vinegary Carolina style, you can get it here too. They serve it on the side, so sample away--no fear trying the hot or sweet sauce. -Fried okra side is popcorn-style and kids loooooove it. No sauce, but order the Caesar salad and dip it in the dressing cup. Yum! -Potato casserole side is surprisingly tasty and homey, like a crazy upscale meat-and-three option. -Caesar salad is a go-to side; many places no longer offer it so we were surprised they offer this--and it's fresh and good. -Green beans (flat, cut-style) were a little soft for us. Wish they served collards or greens, too. -Side beans were simple, clean, and a nice counterbalance to ribs. -Creamy spinach with Asiago cheese side is rich and more like a loose dip; good with chips or the kids' meal side roll. -Mac and cheese side is very good--more homemade style and much heartier than the usual box-o'-Kraft some other places serve (looking at YOU, Zippy's!) -Coleslaw side is good, not too loose or too sweet. Chopped (vs. shredded) style in a light mayo base. -Westerner sandwiches are on ciabatta, others on a soft, grilled bun--stands up to the meat, hearty with good proportions. -Pulled pork is very good; just enough smoke & juicy. But the sliced brisket...OMG GOOD. Rarely you'll get a not great/too small piece (out of 10 times, maybe just once), but most days, there ain't nothing better. -Maybe it wasn't the right day for it, but the chicken breast was a bit dry. If the other meats weren't so dang good, maybe we wouldn't have noticed, but it didn't stand up in comparison. Will try it again another day. -Sausage is in large slices, decently thick but not too much. A good second meat in a sandwich with the pulled pork or chopped brisket. -Kids' meals are well-proportioned. Slider meal or ribs meal (2 ribs) are their faves. All kids' meals come with a small squarish ciabatta roll. Save the side roll, save a bit of meat from another sandwich/plate, and make another slider. Magic! Your kid'll love it.

OTHER STUFF: -Customer service is great. Owner is sometimes there behind the counter, and is very very nice. Abby(?) is super sweet and will call you if they're out of something you've ordered online, so make sure you put a legit contact number. It's come up as a private number before, so check your voice-mail if you have that "no private number" setting. -Shop's been clean every time we've come in. -Parking is free & plentiful; shop is at the end of this complex, across from the Panda Express. -Delivery available through the usual suspects (DD, UEats, etc.). -Credit cards accepted. -Yes, everyone there wears a mask. In fact, they take it so seriously, the owner even made masks with the Dickey's logo on it--we saw the employees wearing it and were very impressed. -No drink refills right now because of COVID, but that's everywhere, no biggie.

Super great shop, excellent food at a VERY reasonable price for the quality of the cook and flavor. Really good BBQ. Don't tell anyone from Nashville or Memphis we...

The meat is always cold. If you order 2 or 3 meat plates, the portion is same amount of meat as the one meat platter, just divided into 2 or 3 choices. They're usually low or out of the bbq sauces, pickles & onions. Oh, & the rolls are not fresh - out of the package slathered with liquid butter and run through a toaster oven, but they too are still cold. Don't bother asking for hot food - they don't have any on hand. The sides are out of the package stuff you can but by the tub at foodland - and oh, they're cold too. I've given Dickey's three opportunities to wow me, but I won't be eating there again. 😕😕😕😕😕😕😕

Response to Owner's Response:

I honestly tried Dickey's BBQ in Kapolei with high & hopeful expectations on each visit. My wife convinced me on the 2nd and 3rd visit to "give it another chance". Much to my disappointment, the food was essentially the same on each visit ... cold or luke warm at best. The Jalapeno Cheese Sausage actually left an oily film on the roof of my mouth - much like eating a cold hot dog out of the refrigerator (twice). The portions are noticeably small as I described in my original post. I would expect to get 2 or 3 portions equal to 1 meat Plate portion for each additional item when purchasing a 2 meat or 3 meat plate, not one portion divided equally between 2 or 3 selections. The sides are obviously from "out of the can" (i.e. Reasers Potato Salad, or Stofer's packaged/re-heated Mac n Cheese) and the biscuits are from bulk sale packages with liquid butter slathered on before running them through a toaster oven. I can get the same BBQ and sides from the frozen section at the local Grocery Store, but at least the Entree's would be HOT after re-heating them in the microwave oven. Dickey's "High Priced Fast Food" BBQ Pit would be a more accurate name for...

My family decided to treat ourselves to Dickies during the Covid-19 “Stay at Home” order. We were really excited to eat food not cooked at home! Unfortunately, Dickies did not deliver. We ordered the “Classic Family Pack” for curbside online because the website advertised it for $34.99; but when we checked out we did not receive the discounted price (not a deal breaker as we really wanted some good BBQ!) I monitored the Order tracker and showed up at our estimated ready time provided by the website. My family sat in our car for 25 minutes while watching 3 employees through the window mostly talk and look at their phones. After the 25 minutes (with no communication or indication our order was ready) I went inside to check on our “curbside” order...only to find out that it was ready other than Dickies was out of green beans. Not a big deal about the green beans, we subbed for salad and left. I was really disappointed when we got home to find no dressing for the salad, butter for the rolls, pickles, and mostly importantly BBQ sauce for the meat! (Thank you Sweet Baby Ray’s for the rescue). The brisket and chicken tasted great, but the brisket was probably 60% fat. Overall the wait time, service, and value paid ($68 including tip)was just not worth what we received. We probably will not return and will defiantly try Bobs-Bar-B-Que for our next...