SlowCountry BBQ — Restaurant in Hilton Head Island

I really wanted to like this place a lot. Although there are some good things about Forrest Fire BBQ, there are also a few misses that make me think twice before returning.

First, let's talk about the good. The atmosphere is great! It's my kind of place, with counter service, beverage bar, interesting decor, and ample seating. The people serving us were also friendly and helpful. Their unsweetened iced tea was brisk and fresh. And the meat selections we chose were good: brisket and chicken. They also do not scrimp on portions, which is a good thing, and gladly give out to-go containers if you can't finish your meal.

But besides the meat, I judge a barbecue place by the sides. On the positive side, Forrest Fire BBQ offers a nice variety of sides. Unfortunately, of the four sides we ordered, we really only liked two of them. The Po-Ta-Toe Salad and Crack-Mac were tasty, though the Po-Ta-Toe Salad was a touch on the salty side. The braised greens and baked beans seemed to be saturated with bourbon. To be fair, bourbon is not a taste I particularly enjoy, so if you are a bourbon fan you may have a completely different experience. But if the beans and greens had a touch of bourbon, I would not find them objectionable. But it just tasted like it had too much, which is a shame because my wife and I thought the beans and greens would be the star sides. After looking at Forrest Fire BBQ's website, I think I understand the bourbon obsession. The owner describes himself as a "Kentucky boy" and he's wearing a bourbon T-shirt. So as I mentioned earlier, if bourbon is in your collection of favorite tastes, this might really be your favorite restaurant on Hilton Head Island. If so, by all means, give it a try! I just wish they offered a de-bourbonized version of their sides. With that said, I wish all the best to Forrest Fire BBQ as they bring a Kentucky BBQ experience...

We ate at Forrest Fire BBQ for the first time on 8/17/23, and we really enjoyed it! We went for a late lunch and were a little concerned that we were the only people in the restaurant at that time, but our worries quickly vanished. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful with explaining the menu and confirming which items were gluten-free, a must for Celiac sufferers like myself and my daughter. I ordered "Bub's Pick" - a plate with two meats and two sides. I chose the pulled pork and the brisket, both of which were delicious. My wife got the chicken and loved it. The portion sizes are ridiculously generous - in hindsight, my wife and I could have shared the "Bub's Pick" plate and probably would still have had some food leftover, but that's OK - I enjoyed my leftovers for dinner the next day!

My only suggestion to the management would be to mark the entry doors a little more clearly about where/how to enter - when we first walked up to the exterior doors, we thought maybe the restaurant was closed because the doors appear to be set up as automatic sliders, but they did not open. Apparently they have to be slid open manually (at least for the time being), which was not obvious from the outside, and this might be accidentally turning some customers away by making them mistakenly think the restaurant is not open.

Overall, we had a great dining experience at Forest Fire BBQ and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys barbecue. The restaurant has a really cool atmosphere, and I liked that you order at the counter rather than having to be waited on. We will definitely be back during our next trip to...

I provide a lot of online reviews and I am sorry to provide such a low rating. We heard about this restaurant on the HH Coligny Plaza TV station and we were excited to try it. I had the brisket and my wife had the pulled pork. I thought the brisket for $26 for three slices was overpriced and it was 40% fat. The meat was very tender. My wife's pork was dry. We also had two sides each. The potato salad was good and had bacon in it. The BBQ pickles were also good along with the spicy coleslaw. The egg salad was frankly terrible as the egg was rubbery and the smoked flavor was honestly unappealing and each of us could only eat one bite. The meat sauces were in large glass bottles and they did not flow out very easily. The meats were served on a cafeteria style plastic tray with paper down and not even on a dish of some kind. The forks and knives were very small plastic type and just continued to disappoint the entire experience. I am sorry to say this restaurant was very disappointing and expensive on top of it. We are sorry to say we will not be returning but at...