Hickory House — Restaurant in Parker

COVID has been hard on everyone this past year, especially our local restaurants and small businesses. My fiancée and I like to call in take-out orders periodically to help support our local Parker establishments. Even when the food hasn’t been great, we never cause a fuss because we know times have been hard. However, the food we just received from Hickory House Ribs was terrible. I don’t think it would be much of a stretch to call this one of the worst restaurants I’ve ever ordered from. You can look at my post history, I don’t ever write reviews for restaurants. We were so disappointed with Hickory House Ribs that I felt I needed to write something.

We ordered the Rib and Catfish Combo Platter along with an onion ring starter. The combo platter came with a piece of toasted garlic bread, coleslaw, beans, and sweet potato tots. The order was listed for a 6:30 pick-up time and we were there early. We live just off of Mainstreet and Pine which isn’t more than a 5-minute drive to the Hickory House.

Full Rack of Ribs: Bone-dry, burnt, overcooked, and looked more like a dry rub than wet. On top of that, they weren’t even lukewarm, they were cold. What little bit of flavor was left seemed to be okay at best. If I’m being completely honest, I’ve had fresher, tastier ribs from the supermarket deli counter. This was the worst part of the meal considering Hickory House claims to be, “THE BEST RIBS & STEAKS IN COLORADO”. They simply are not.

Catfish (3 Strips): Was at least warm. It looked okay but after taking a bite the breading was very spongy and the fish seemed almost rubbery. Overall it was very chewy and the flavor left something to be desired. I would not recommend it to a friend.

Housemade Onion Rings: Were advertised as freshly-made on their website but that is not at all what we received. The onion rings, like the ribs, were cold and dried out. They also seemed overly salty and had a bit of an after taste. Possibly old fryer oil? We ordered the “Momma” size which is advertised to serve 4 people. It looked more like an entrée side of onion rings but you can make your own opinions based on our photos. (Photo posted shows the full serving that we received)

Sweet Potato Tots: Surprisingly very good! They were hot, fresh, and had a very nice flavor. This was by far the best part of the meal!

Baked Beans: Average at best, about what you would expect from a deli counter. I’m not sure whether this establishment serves their baked beans hot or cold but ours were cold.

Cole Slaw: Also average. Nothing great but also nothing to complain about. On par with a deli.

Garlic Toast: What was even the point? It was a piece of thick, stale, white bread with a tiny square of butter slathered right in the center. One corner of the bread was rock hard, almost like it had been left out.

I understand that Colorado isn’t known for its BBQ but this place was terrible. Both Bonos and Dickies are better by a mile and I can't say that I’m a huge fan of either of those establishments. This was bad food no matter what you compare it with. I would recommend that people stay away. I have posted a photo of our food and receipt if you want to look for...

On September 19, 2025, I treated my husband for his birthday dinner at this establishment, having heard positive reviews and eagerly anticipating our dining experience.

Upon arrival approximately 45 minutes prior to closing, we found the restaurant experiencing a lull in business; it was slow, which we thought was a good thing. Our anticipation was high, but unfortunately, our experience was profoundly disappointing.

The service provided by our waiter, Cage L., was subpar. His demeanor suggested a lack of enthusiasm for his role. The quality of the food we received was also questionable. My husband holds a salaried position at a school district and, on the side, he is a seasoned server at a reputable steakhouse in Colorado. Consequently, we typically dine at establishments that meet our high expectations.

The ribs were partially over charred (burnt), the coleslaw was excessively drenched in dressing, and the overall taste of the food was lacking in quality. The baked beans just tasted old, like they were on their last limb.

While the ambiance was adequate, our disappointment was compounded by the subpar service and culinary offerings. The food tasted stale, as if it had been reheated from a low quality source.

As a talking point, I inquired with my husband about Gordon Ramsay’s assessment of the establishment, and I am confident that his critique would have been significantly harsher than mine. Despite my willingness to revisit this establishment, my current level of dissatisfaction is substantial.

As a customary tipper, I left Cage L. a modest tip of $9, including a $2 bill. I am aware that he relies on tips as a portion of his income, and I draw from my own experience as a server at the Black Forest Inn in Colorado Springs during my teenage years. I resided in Black Forest, Colorado.

In light of our recent negative experience, I would be receptive to a second opportunity to dine at this establishment if we were to receive some form of compensation, such as a gift card or credit, for the...

We were here last night and didn’t have the greatest experience. I normally order the ribs and sausage combo but I wanted to try their pulled pork. I should’ve kept to my original order.

The pulled pork was... bizarre. It was mushy, like meat gets when it’s boiled in water, but that wasn’t the issue for me. It was the taste; it was icky. I tried adding bbq sauce and my beans and coleslaw to cover the odd flavor, to no avail. It tasted like it was cooked with maybe some kind of Asian spice or something. I don’t know, I can’t really pinpoint the issue, but it just tasted very... wrong. It’s possible that it was spoiled, but I don’t know since it’s the first time I ordered it so I have no flavor comparison.

Last night was a good night for the ribs, but they were super tiny, about 3 inches in length! The size of the half rack I got was just sad, especially since I couldn’t eat the pulled pork. And since I had mixed my coleslaw and beans into the pork, I couldn’t eat those either.

All in all I left disappointed. Since this isn’t the norm, I still gave three stars, but this particular meal deserved only one.

We used to come here a lot but I guess COVID costs are affecting quality. Seems to be a theme with most of our favorite restaurants. Makes me sad.

P.S. If the owner reads these reviews, here’s a direct request: Please refinish the tabletops. The stickiness is gross and since every table we’ve ever sat at is sticky in the exact same way, I don’t think it’s bbq residue. I believe whatever varnish you have on them is...