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    Family BBQ Hickry Pit

    3.3 (310 reviews)
    Open 7:00 am - 8:00 pm

    Order Family BBQ Hickry Pit Takeout or Delivery

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    Business Info

    FAMILY BBQ HICKRY PIT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Dogs allowed
    Good for groups

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    Lisa C.

    Food:***** Service: **** Ambiance: ***** Finally made it to new place. Big difference. New place is clean and bright. No dead flies like old place. Service was slow. Not very busy either. Food is really good. Bbq ribs are delicious and so tender. We will be back again.

    Jeff W.

    I heard good things about this restaurant when it was in the old location near the bingo hall, so we decided to try it. Upon walking in, I was expecting more of an outdoorsy or western feeling, but this place feels like any other diner. No character. All of the staff were warm and friendly. Got seated quickly and had our orders taken within minutes. No beer on tap - only bottles. Food came out warm. Not hot - just warm. Plate wasn't even hot. Made me wonder if it was sitting out under the air conditioning. I had the meat slice combo. While it was an ok size, it was just "meh". It certainly didn't taste like it was from a bbq place. My plate actually tasted like it was meat slices from Costco. and the texture of it was too smooth and too evenly cut like it was taken out of a package. The bbq sauce on the side is so tiny too. Other dishes ordered were also "meh". This is a "one and done" visit for my family. Also bring cash or use your debit card. They charge the 4% credit card service fee to the customer. This is ridiculously high.

    Salad was decent
    Nicole A.

    I really don't like posting so so reviews on local places but this place just does not meet any sort of expectation that we had for a barbecue pit. The inside of the restaurant has a very very 50s diner field/cafeteria. It's just not welcoming or barbecue-ish ,if that makes sense. All the workers are super friendly and very attentive. The service did not lack at all, but the food did. It took a really long time to get our food. We all ordered meat platters, and when the meat finally did come out, it was cold. It didn't even feel like it was fresh off the grill or had been barbecued for hours or slow roasted the way that it proclaimed. It was really disappointing ,and for sure would not go back there which is unfortunate because I just don't want this place to struggle because the workers were great, but it's just not good.

    Mary C.

    I highly recommend Emil Villa's Hickory Pit on Portola Ave in Livermore for private party room events. We used the space recently to host a Friendsgiving event for 45 friends. The room is spacious and has large windows providing lots of natural lighting. Inocencio, the owner/manager was super easy to work with to create a buffet menu that was delicious, plentiful, and fairly priced. He allowed access to the room ahead of time for set up and decoration. His staff were attentive and super helpful. At times, it can be difficult to find a spacious, private room for hosting parties and now that Hickory Pit is in their new location, there is a wonderful new option in Livermore. Check it out next time you are in need of a private party room.

    Interior Back Seating Area
    Kristina M.

    What a marvelous remodel they did to brighten up and modernize this new location! The booths are comfortable and spacious. The prices increased from the previous location. There is also a 4% surcharge on any credit card purchases, so bring cash. The food is decent, nothing special. The service was adequate. This will be a restaurant I occasionally visit not frequent.

    St. Louis style dry rub ribs so so good.
    Mike O.

    The last good Emil Villas in the bay St Louis Restaurant ribs were hella good not overcooked

    Lillith G.

    Went last night for dinner and the food was fantastic, very friendly and attentive service, and huge portions of quality food. My husband and son ordered these huge platters (I think around $35 each) and it was a huge platter of delicious meats. When a Carl's Jr meal is close to $20, this felt like such a deal considering my husband and son each took home enough leftovers for 2 more meals.

    $5 Happy Hour Mango Margarita
    Alex E.

    I love the new location of Hickory Pitts aka Emil Villa's. The servers are so sweet and kind and the restaurant is clean and updated. Jose is AMAZING! My favorite is their Happy Hour before 5:30pm, you can't beat a $5 Margarita and $22 NY Steak with a fully loaded baked potato, pre-meal Fresh salad, sautéed veggies and ice cream dessert. Did I forget to mention kids eat free on Thursdays ? This is a fun family restaurant outside of DT Livermore.

    Back seating area.
    Frank D.

    Brand new location is now open. Lots of windows keep it well lighted with nice views of the outside. The food is still very good and the meals are still enough to easily fill you up.

    Spinach, avocado, sausage omelet with potatoes

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    6 months ago

    The new location is very wonderful. Great service, friendly, and good food! Great takeout too. Love the staff and owner.

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    10 months ago

    The ribs were good, we had Emil ribs next time we will try the St. Louis ribs. Service was very good.

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    9 months ago

    I had the best French Dip with roast beef. The service was good but this was the best sandwich I've eaten in years.

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    1 year ago

    Just ok. No brisket., Clean nice place., Just no tap BEER or no local IPA. Food was just ok.

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    Family BBQ Hickry Pit Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Family BBQ Hickry Pit

    We keep passing by the Portola new location and it's closed. They were supposed to move last year and then this year . WHEN are they going to be open again? We went often and we could walk but now it's a drive. we need a firm date

    They opened yesterday, May 1st.

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    Posada Alta Cocina - Cauliflower - honestly ... THIS was the BEST dish of the night.

    Posada Alta Cocina

    4.5(1.4k reviews)
    1.2 mi
    $$

    Had the tuna tacos with watermelon salad; too hungry to photograph…read more Amazing! My server was exceptional . Classy decor and ambiance Good experience all around

    Five stars for overall experience. Our party of 6 shared the parm crusted tempura cauliflower,…read morePosada's Mixta Paella, and King Ranch Enchiladas and enjoyed the live music offered on "Paella Monday". As our organizer mentioned, they were fully booked that night so do reserve early. Warm earthy tones in the decor made for a comfortable, inviting atmosphere and the light jazz ensemble and lovely vocal performances elevated the evening's experience. The ambiance is a strong point. Being a paella newbie, I definitely looked forward to tasting a version especially after watching cooking shows over the years. The saffron broth rice nicely counterbalanced the seasoned shrimp, sausage and other ingredients. Thumbs up. I had several portions. The tempura cauliflower - good. KR Enchiladas were cheesey and rich, plumply filled, and the accompanied rice accented with corn. Since we shared the three enchiladas, my small piece was enough for me. Suggest passing on the sourdough side that came with the paella. The bread had melted, but cooled cheese on it and there was not much free broth in the paella to soak therewith anyway. With water being the group's primary beverage, perhaps request a carafe of water at the table to ease the thirstier folks (me). Our wait person gave helpful suggestions and efficient service. The rest of the staff had hustle. As normal with live music, be prepared to raise your voice and repeat yourself in conversations. Parking is ample, with a short walk, in this Nob Hill Foods shopping center.

    Photos
    Posada Alta Cocina - Private table for two in the wine room.

    Private table for two in the wine room.

    Posada Alta Cocina - Shrimp Fajitas

    Shrimp Fajitas

    Posada Alta Cocina - Corn rice accompaniment to the Blueberry Mole Shortribs

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    Corn rice accompaniment to the Blueberry Mole Shortribs

    Range Life - Hog island sweetwater oysters

    Range Life

    4.3(616 reviews)
    0.6 mi
    $$$

    hog island high water oysters (2), onion fritto and fonduta, radiatora, campanelle, buttermilk…read morepudding what a cute little date night spot! (or fancy little place for the girls!) i loved the decor, great historical building with a fresh clean interior. lots of candles and wooden accents. the staff was attentive but not intrusive. they made some suggestions since it was our first time here. loved their vibe and the way the restaurant was run. food was great! very fresh and enough for a single serving per person. i don't recommend sharing because i loved my food and didn't want to share! i would skip the fritto and try another appetizer. it was just ok. oysters were fresh and worth the price. the radiatori was surprisingly fresh and great for say a lunch. loved the combo of corn and ricotta! campanelle was heavier, good for dinner, had a few fat strings but i'm not complaining.

    We were really looking forward to trying Range Life, especially because getting a reservation was…read moresurprisingly difficult. Unfortunately, the experience did not live up to the hype. Even before our visit, the staff we spoke with on the phone came across as rude and unhelpful. Thankfully, once we were seated, our waitress was very nice, attentive, and probably the best part of the experience. The food, however, was very disappointing. My wife ordered the steak medium-well, but it came out medium-rare, which was frustrating because her requested temperature seemed to have been completely ignored. I ordered the Marin Coast Halibut. The fish lacked seasoning to the point that I had to ask for salt just to give it some flavor. The sauce was also completely cold, which made the dish even less enjoyable. For a restaurant at this price point, I expected much better execution. For dessert, we tried the Milk & Honey. It sounded interesting, but the honeycomb component basically tasted like hardened sugar and was overwhelmingly sweet rather than adding anything special to the dessert. The restaurant has a nice atmosphere and our waitress provided good service, but between the difficulty getting a reservation, the unpleasant phone interaction, improperly cooked steak, and disappointing food, I don't understand the high ratings. For the price and reputation, we expected a much better meal. Unfortunately, I don't think we would return.

    Photos
    Range Life - Restaurant interior

    Restaurant interior

    Range Life - MARINATED MOZZARELLA pesto 'rosso', preserved peppers & walnuts / 14

    MARINATED MOZZARELLA pesto 'rosso', preserved peppers & walnuts / 14

    Range Life - Campanelle

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    Campanelle

    Kamurocho - Hong Kong milk tea and Mango Matcha

    Kamurocho

    4.6(465 reviews)
    7.0 mi
    $$

    I love coming here for a kinako kakigori, both the food and the service is refreshing and calming…read more Kamurocho is a small shop and the ambiance reminds me of small town shops in Japan. Their coffee drinks are strong enough to wake up Snorlax! The cost is relative to its location, so be mindful that the South Bay and the peninsula may have more economic and competitive pricing.

    I've seen Kamurocho all over my feed and stopped by for a morning latte before running errands. We…read morehad to do a double take before walking in to ensure we were even at the right place, even though it's in a well known strip mall between a Denny's and Nations. So they could definitely can do a better job of decorating the interior to really look like a cafe instead of a vacant room. We tried their matcha roasted rice latte and Hojicha latte, both sweetened. The hojicha latte was AMAZING! 10/10, no notes. It reminded us of the hojicha we had in Japan. The matcha roasted rice was unfortunately way, way too sweet to tolerate and little matcha flavor and green color. I would be open to ordering this again with extra matcha and little to no sweetener. This would be a 5 star review if the ambiance was nicer and matcha wasn't so weak and sweet. I would definitely be interested in coming back and giving Kamurocho's matcha another try and exploring their other drinks.

    Photos
    Kamurocho - Matcha latte, yummm roasted rice flavor

    Matcha latte, yummm roasted rice flavor

    Kamurocho - Honeycomb Latte

    Honeycomb Latte

    Kamurocho - Matcha shaved ice

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    Matcha shaved ice

    Swirl On the Square - Secret Cake!

    Swirl On the Square

    4.0(250 reviews)
    0.7 mi
    $$

    Small but cozy wine bar. They share the space with a Slanging Dough Pizza which is VERY convenient…read moreand DELISH! Staff are all nice and super friendly. Only critique is that I wished they had a better wine selection or offered ciders - so many Livermore wineries close by.... I would probably hang out there more if the wines were better. ATTENTION: something to keep in mind.... there is a brewery next door that refuses to share patio space with the wine bar, so check with the wine bar to see where they divide the line. Would I go back? Yes....because I like the place, they have ok wine, and the staff are so nice.

    I've been here a few times and have yet to be really impressed by them. I was really disappointed…read morewhen asking for a cider they had and they served it in a can with a warm glass. Almost every time I've been to a beer or wine bar or even a cider house they always serve drinks in a chilled glass. This isn't the case with wine of course. So I was surprised an establishment in Livermore that serves many beers and ciders would do so. The atmosphere of the place was decent. The bar is in the back and you have to pass an area in the front to get to it. If you didn't know it was there or wasn't sufficiently curious you might turn around and leave without finding it. Overall if you're on the square and specifically wanting wine then this is the place to go. If you're looking for beer or cider and wanting it served correctly then you should look elsewhere.

    Photos
    Swirl On the Square - 9/14/23 FYI

    9/14/23 FYI

    Swirl On the Square - 9/14/23 Truffle popcorn $6.50

    9/14/23 Truffle popcorn $6.50

    Swirl On the Square

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    The Tikeasy at Rosetta

    The Tikeasy at Rosetta

    4.4(36 reviews)
    0.8 mi
    $$

    I had a mai tai the next time I came. I'm not a big drinker, but I do love the atmosphere here, so…read moredecided to try the Mai Tai since some Mai Tai blog said it was fantastic. I've never had one before, but it was really good. I like that their lime slice was really thick and I like the bundle of mint.

    I'm honestly so disappointed with my experience here. I wanted to have an enjoyable evening but I…read morecouldn't get past my initial impression. Yes, I got here on a Saturday with no reservations. I definitely understood having to wait under those circumstances and I was okay with that. I was told it would be 20 minutes. What I want to focus on is that we were the next group to be seated. There was only two of us. Another group with 4 people walked in about 15 min later after us with no reservations but they were seated almost immediately. The hostess did not acknowledge us nor said anything. Awhile after that I counted 3 different groups leaving - a tota of 8 people. We waited patiently and kept waiting thinking we would be seated. 20 minutes slowly pass by, then another 5, then another 5.. I looked over and saw two tables completely empty. I was literally outside the door after about 45inutes and my phone buzzed. Come to find out that they had 3 open tables available the entire time. The decor is tiki themed along with the drinks however the music playing in the background was jazz. Not sure how that fits the theme. Also, the drinks averaged about $20 and small bites and desserts ranged from $13-$20. I'm torn about wanting to return here.

    Photos
    The Tikeasy at Rosetta
    The Tikeasy at Rosetta
    The Tikeasy at Rosetta

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    Family BBQ Hickry Pit - bbq - Updated September 2026

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