Hog Heaven

I visited Hog Heaven for the first time today. People had raved about it on a number of occasions. I should say up front that I didn't order the items that Hog Heaven is best known for. However, I ordered down-the-middle standards that any BBQ joint should be able to knock out of the park: jumbo pulled pork sandwich, BBQ beans, and sweet tea. The employees seemed very likable, but everything else was a disappointment. The sandwich was average at best; the beans had way too much black pepper and could've been a fair bit sweeter; the tea was weak and nowhere near sweet enough for a real BBQ joint. That stuff's gotta be able to stand up against the sauce, you know? Bottom line, it wasn't bad, but I probably won't be back unless I'm spending time with friends who happen to already be heading that way...then again, I have a nagging feeling that I should've ordered a couple of those BBQ pickle spears...

Pros: Nice folks. Convenient location.

Cons: Well...everything else.

Posted 05/21/09

The meat was not terrible, but not great. The pulled beef brisk was dry, and I suppose if they had not cheaped out on the white sauce it probably would have not been noticeable. The pulled pork was good, but not outstanding. The side dishes were another story. Pathetic. That is the one word that describes them. The mashed potatoes were dry, and overseasoned, and cold. The baked beans were not sweet and lack a after taste. The blackeyed peas were decent. And last of the all of the potato salad. It looked like it had grits in it from the texture, but it did not and it was just strange tasting. Overall, the food was cold, and unmemoriable. I was so disappointed that I have been compelled to write my first review on citysearch.

Pros: Pulled Pork

Cons: Expensive for walk up service, cold food, and overseasoned

Posted 07/20/07

pretty good food, if you are in a fix for q then this would get you taken care of. there are a few better but there are a few that are far worse!

Posted 04/19/07

this is my favorite joint for BBQ downtown (see the east side for some great joints too). I used to love going here for lunch and sitting in the park. Also, if you talk with the staff, theyll give you the bones to give your dog(s). Your pet will love you forever.

Pros: best BBQ downtown, right on Centenial Park, great price

Posted 01/29/07

Reviewer from June 2005 states that they were expecting cornbread slices or more traditional cornbread for curmbling. The wWEb page clearly states cornbread patty. I had never heard of white bar b que sauce and was initially hesitant. However, I solicited Hog Heaven for catering a large group of sorority women in July 2004 for a hospitality suite. Believe me these women went "hog wild" over the pull pork, the ribs and the chicken with the white bar b que sauce. I also ordered blackberry cobbler for our director, she and her friends "ate the whole thing" The next day or two days later three of us went back and sat outside on the picnic bench and "pigged out". I even ordered a couple of slabs to take back with me. . I still think they are one of the best "little hog shack" in the area.

Pros: the sauce, the turkey, the cobblers

Cons: in consistency

Posted 06/05/06

I wouldn't give it a bad rating because of the heat of their food, but I love a sweet BBQ sauce and I don't tolerate spicy foods well, so I asked the counter guy and he assured me that their mild sauce was sweet. Well, um, no it wasn't sweet AT ALL and it if that was mild sauce (the container was marked with a "M" on the lid), then I'd probably keel over if I tasted their hot BBQ sauce. I ordered pulled pork on cornbread with a side of coleslaw. The pork came on cornbread pancakes and it was ok, but I was expecting a block of cornbread that crumbles to the touch and there was nothing special about the cornbread pancakes. The coleslaw had some heat to it as well and I wasn't able to enjoy much of it on top of the meat.

Pros: Fast&friendly service, Decent location, Inexpensive

Cons: Mild sauce TOO hot!, Heat in the coleslaw!

Posted 06/02/05

Hog Heaven has, in my opinion, the best BBQ in Nashville. While the surroundings aren't really all that, the food more than compensates for the lack in scenery. Highly recommended are the pulled turkey and pork, and the white beans remind me of my grandmother's - a very high compliment from this reviewer.

Pros: inexpensive, good food, fast service

Posted 09/28/04

I got a pork sandwich with two sides and a drink, and it cost nearly $9. That's a bit much for me from a take-out stand. The pork itself was very fresh and tasty. It was the sauce on the pork that ruined it for me. I've never tasted anything like it and I hope I never do again. The mashed potatoes were tasty and the beans were only so-so. Unless their prices go down, I won't be back.

Pros: tasty meat, good mashed potatoes, friendly staff

Cons: , overpriced, little parking

Posted 08/23/04

I have judged BBQ Cook-Off contests for almost 25 years. I am a certified judge for Memphis in May, American Royal Barbecue Invitational, Jack Daniels World Championship and all KCBS, MIM, CTBA, IBCA, WBQA Sanctioned Barbeque Contests. I have tasted BBQ from the best teams in the BBQ Cook-Off world.

Hog Heaven creates BBQ that surpasses any Restaurant or Team I have ever tried before.

I now live in Nashville, since retiring from the contest circuit, and have tried every BBQ place in and around town, Hermitage, Franklin, Brentwood, Goodlettsville, Donelson, Smyrna and all Middle Tennessee Counties. I have eaten at every fancy place and every hole in the wall and not one compares with the BBQ at Hog Heaven.

Tell them the Pit Lord sent you!

Pros: Ribs, Pork, Ckicken, Turkey, Beef, Veggies, Dessert

Cons: Only 2 Locations, Large Servings

Posted 05/16/04

Great little BBQ place that's pretty easy to order to go.

Posted 01/31/03

Yummmm....enough said!

Beans are indeed the magical fruit and the ones from Hog heaven are a cross between a fire juggler and the Boston pops. Gotta love it!

Posted 11/19/02

Hog Heaven has the tastiest pulled pork and chicken
in the Nashville area. Stores are like early 40s shops and a bit forbidding but food is worth the step inside.
Hog heaven meat have a great smoke flavor missing in others. Meat is good without sauce - stands alone.
Sauces are fantastic also, especially the white sauce but the flavor of the meat is the difference.

Pros: taste, friendly service

Cons: expensive

Posted 11/13/02

The bbq chicken is excellent. Top it off with white sauce and you have yourself a meal fit for a Nashvillian. Add on their cornbread and white beans then their peach or blackberry cobbler to make it all come together.

Pros: location, staff, taste

Cons: one is apt to overeat

Posted 08/30/02

Lip smackin' meaty, smoky and finally hot'n'spicy(with the hot hot sauce) juicy ribs in a plate with the best turnip greens in town at a reasonable price. And the white beans have been good too.

Pros: food qualty, price, service

Posted 08/28/02

Since I am a yankee I've never experienced food like this. It was pretty good, but I didn't expect it to be so spicey. Next time I may try the white sauce with the chicken or turkey. A nice perk was the picnic tables at Centenial Park.

Pros: Spicy, Close to the park, Inexpensive

Cons: Spicy, Needed my antacids

Posted 08/21/02

the barbecue is excellent. Moist, smoked and chopped to tender, tasty bites. The turkey is some of the greatest eating around...and the sauce is out of this world. The homecooked turnip greens, white beans, are worth the trip and soooo good for you. Desserts,,,to die for!

Pros: reasonable price, delicious food

Cons: small, parking

Posted 08/21/02

I love their pulled beef with white sauce. I also like their potatoe salad and slaw. And they give you a cornbread pancake with your dinner and you can walk over to the Parthenon to enjoy your lunch. Just ignore the bums hanging around.

Pros: cheap, park in front

Cons: bums hanging around

Posted 07/18/02