If you visit cities around the USA it can be difficult to find quality local food. Many of the reviews are from other tourists who don't know the best local spots. Some very mid places get good reviews as a result. I had some decent barbecue in the Nashville area, before heading east. On the way to the smokies we saw this spot south of Knoxville and decided to give it a shot. It was a good decision. Very good barbecue and sides at fair prices. I had the pulled pork, and got the sausage as one of my sides. Both were excellent, but the sausage was special. Good smoke flavor, very tender and juicy. The pork was great on its own, and I had half of it in a sandwich which was just as good. I barely touched the sauces here. The barbecue was great as is. My wife had the brisket salad and it was a meal. I'd make a point of going here if I was in the area again. Good folks making real bbq. Hard to beat that. read more

Hardwood BBQ - Combo plate - Barbeque Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Pros: The food is great! Brisket is tender and flavorful. 4 sauces, all are good. Generous portions. It is not a sit down restaurant. You order at the counter then sit down. Prices are really, really good. Picnic tables outside Cons: Parking is a problem. Kind of a long way to drive. All told, a really great place to eat. We shall return. Would be nice if it were a sit down restaurant but it is what it is. read more

Great bbq and great service in an old gas station makeover. Always a sucker for restaurant like this. Sliced brisket and jalapeño sausage plus green beans hit the spot. 4 sauces to choose from and the 3/3 spicy and 2/3 spicy were both good stuff. Recommend if nearby and hankering bbq. Food ready fats and very friendly. read more

Holy literal smokes! This place was delicious - I had the brisket my hubby had the ribs, both so dang good! And those sauces sheesh! I couldn't decide if I like the blonde sauce better or the apple one with a tiny bit of heat Our lunch was so good we made dinner easier on ourselves and got some smoke bologna to go for sandwiches later Go try this place out but please leave some for me!! read more

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Excellent BBQ and sides! The restaurant is a former convenience store and gas station that is clean and nice on the inside.

Absolutely excellent bbq and friendly owners Brandon and Kelly. I drove out her to get away from the touristy bbq joint in Pigeon Forge and let me tell you; Hardwood BBQ isa worth the drive from Pigeon Forge. They even allow you to customize your meal into pure protein platter. Very few places allow this. read more

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My friends and I dined in at hardwood bbq yesterday evening. We loved it! The staff was awesome and so kind. The owner even offered us a different cut of brisket to try. We had a great time and the food was great, large portions as well. Would definitely recommend! read more

Had friends fly in from Oregon and meet us in North Carolina, then we all are making are way to Nashville. We were looking for some good BBQ when we got to Knoxville and Hardwood BBQ had solid recommendations. It was a bit of drive from downtown...but flippin worth the drive!!! It is located in an old gas station, which gives it a cool vib from the outside. Once you get inside the decor is spot on, it's bright with barnwood accents. It is what you want in a small town BBQ joint, It is super clean with all kinds of photos from the area through time. The service was great, they helped us decide on what to go with and took care of us throughout the night. The food was dynamite! Each couple got Whole Lotta Meat sampler. All the meats were good with sausage and pulled pork outstanding!!! The sides were solid with green beans, bbq beans and corn awesome. They have 4 different sauces at the table, for whatever your preference, I mixed mine! If you are in the Knoxville area, Hardwood BBQ is must try and it is a nice drive!!! read more

Wonderful service and wonderful people It feels like a true bbq place should feel like Will most definitely be heading back that way Oh...the food was phenomenal read more

Hardwood BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Fantastic stop! Their pulled pork, Mississippi sausage & meatloaf were so good with a variety of tasty sauces! The side of potato salad had unique twist in flavor and the green beans, corn & baked beans were also good. Super friendly owners. read more

We just stopped by after passing by many times. What a treat, the food was outstanding! They treated everyone great, the ribs and potato salad was awesome. We will be back, we finally found our bbq spot! read more

Hardwood BBQ - Parked up front to what seems to have been an old gas station. - Barbeque Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Good variety - had the options with a few meats and sides - tried the jalapeño sausage, chicken, ribs and brisket - sides slaw, mac and potatoe salad- for price point every thing was pretty good. Good portion sizes - we had plenty of leftovers. The leftovers when reheated and cooked the next day - food tasted even better read more

Delicious food! We got the "whole lotta meat" sampler platter to share- the brisket was delicious, ribs were tender and fell off the bone. My husband loved the smoked sausage, and the pulled pork was divine! There are four different sauces you can try with each meat- our favorite was the "easy like Sunday morning". I also tried the smoked chicken quarter that my mom ordered. I think I'll get that next time- it was the most flavorful, tender, smoked chicken I've had in a long time! The owners were super friendly and we had a great conversation with them. We will be back, hopefully soon! read more

Hardwood BBQ - Barbeque Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

Dined with my husband and his family. The owners were incredibly friendly and gave those who ordered mac n cheese a free replaced one because the original one served looked dry. I ordered the sliced brisket with corn and coleslaw which tastes great. My husband ordered the chicken with mac n cheese and green beans. we both agreed the chicken was our favorite!! It was tender and juicy. They have 4 diff sauces and I enjoyed the "How About Them Apples". Highly recommend to check them out for some good bbq :) read more

Food, service, ambiance AND owner was absolutely wonderful! The ribs were so delicious!!! Will absolutely be back and highly recommending! read more

Hardwood BBQ - Ribs, coleslaw and potato salad - Barbeque Near Me - Knoxville, Tennessee

I'm so glad we have a great BBQ place is South Knox now. I really enjoy the food. I am super appreciative that they have a military and first responder discount. Please add burnt ends to the menu!! The people there are always nice. Good customer service! read more

This restaurant was a wonderful surprise. We just happened upon it, thought we would try it since it was new. The pulled pork was great and loved the bbq sauce. read more

Oh, boy. I wanted to like this. I really did. However, the brisket was chopped so finely that I almost needed a spoon to eat it, and it was rather dry. Brisket is just better when sliced with some of the fat still attached. It was also so smoky that I couldn't taste the meat very well. The green beans and slaw had no seasoning whatsoever. Not a grain of salt. The portions were reasonable, but that's all I can say. It's a darn shame. I gave them two stars to be kind. read more

Best BBQ we've ever had! And the new mac and cheese was super delicious. The meat is very fresh and smoked to perfection. We will be back & being company! Everyone needs to try this!!! We ate our food way too fast to snap a picture read more

This was our second trip to Hardwood and I can confidently say the first time wasn't a fluke. their food is PHENOMENAL. I did pulled pork sandwich plate with mac and cheese and potato salads. a perfect 10/10. the meat is juicy and flavorful but their four sauces (especially the dirty blonde) take it to another level. The potato salad is loaded and full of delicious texture. No pic but we also got 10 wings. they're so perfect you can shake them and all the meat falls off. Would absolutely recommend this to anyone. Service is fast and prices are great as well. Friday night has a 75 cent wing special! so amazing! read more

Nothing special! BBQ pork and brisket was mush no bark. Green beans were mush and too salty. Potato salad was hard cubes. It was terrible. read more

Love love this place. We really enjoy Hardwood BBQ and eat here often. Brandon knows what he is doing and makes some of the best BBQ around. Love that I can take my family her and not break the bank. Great food and great people!!! read more

Finally! Amazing bbq in south Knoxville. This is the best I've had in a long time and I'm officially requesting my husband bring it home once a week now. I've only tried the pork sandwich and it was phenomenal. I love their sauces and the sides were great! I'm going for the brisket next time, he said staff were super helpful and great people. We will definitely be regular customers. read more

The meats were smoked just right! Love the atmosphere - Blues music completes it. The service was exceptional! We will be back often read more

Amazing! The meats are smoked and seasoned just right that you don't even need to use sauce-that's the sign of great BBQ! The sides are so fresh- I'm picky about my coleslaw and theirs was sooo good! It will become one of our regular stops for a great meal!! read more

Absolutely amazing bbq! The ribs were phenomenal, so flavorful and the meat fell off the bone. Exceptional service as well, can't wait to go back read more

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Best bbq around! The owners put their heart and soul into their food and it shows. Great service, great atmosphere, and great people. Hardwood BBQ is a gem in SoKno! read more

Everything is so good and well-prepared here. They really pay attention to detail with door prep, seasoning, and quality of product. The service is friendly and quick and the staff is so helpful in making recommendations. It's a fun atmosphere and laid back. The ribs, brisket, everything we had was delicious. Give this new place a chance! A+++ read more

Went back last Friday for wing night. Super tender and tasty smoked wings. The meat just falls off the bones. Awesome service again and a cute environment. What an amazing price for Friday night wings. You actually get to order the number of wings you want, not what they think you should have. Will be back again. Great service, amazing food, and a great staff. Cheers. read more

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Where I come from.... THIS is BBQ at it's best. Everyone is friendly, the food is exceptional and I cant wait to come back again. Y'all are doing it right! read more

Food is good, slaw was not my style but was ok. Service is good, order at counter and server brings order to the table. The restaurant is not fancy, ulta casual old style bbq seating. read more

Let me preface this review by stating that I am a 25 year member of KCBS and a native of Kansas City (GO CHIEFS!!!). I had the small pulled pork plate with baked beans and potato salad. The Que had a decent smoke flavor and I would like to try the brisket at another time. The sauce was a bit thin, the potato salad was as others described small hard chunks, the beans were a bit thin as well and needed a little heat to wake up the taste buds. As I stated, I have been cooking Que all my life and perhaps I am simply partial to my rubs and sauces. I will try the brisket next time around and that will be the true test. Pricing was reasonable, the atmosphere and staff were GREAT, and the blues playing was a nice touch. Give it a shot folks read more

South Knoxville needed a place like this. Great friendly staff and the food is exceptional! The pictures on the walls show the old and new south Knoxville community. The smoked bologna is great as well as the pulled pork and brisket. We will be back to support the local owner business. read more

Just got done eating at Hardwood BBQ; People of South Knoxville if you are Looking for Some Delicious Smoked Pork and Chicken BBQ Come and Try here at Hardwood; My Wife Brisket Sandwich; Corn; Baked Beans-Could not finish it all: I got a small pulled pork sandwich; baked beans and corn.All portions were huge for the price. The staff were very nice the place is very family friendly. They have a lot of room in doors and picnic table tables outside that are covered read more

Aroma of the BBQ made my mouth water when I pulled into the parking lot. Food was delicious even without adding sauce, service was great and staff was very friendly. read more

We liked it, just what South Knox needs. Liked everything we ordered except the potato salad. We will be back!

Great little barbecue place. Good location, easy in and out. I got the large platter that had five or six kinds of meats on it. it was enough to feed my wife and I with leftovers. We will be back. read more

Food was great. The brisket and sausage had a good smoke flavor to them. The only downside is the portion sizes are bit small.

We ordered the Big Meat Treat and it was all delicious! Enough for 4 people to eat. Definitely worth the stop! The owners were friendly and kind! read more

I was excited that a new bbq restaurant was handy to my location. I arrived at their location on John Sevier hwy in a former gas station. I went in with high expectations. I was pleased with their decor. I ordered two large pulled pork sandwiches with sides of cole slaw, baked beans, green beans and potato salad. They gave me about two tablespoons of sauce in a small container. I ask for additional sauce and they responded that would be additional $0.50 per container. That was not much but customers that chose to dine in could have as much as they wanted. I got home and my green beans had NO taste, cole slaw may have had a slight taste of maybe mayonnaise?, potato salad had no taste and baked beans had only sweet taste. The pulled pork bbq was dry and no taste of smoke with something of strings of bark thrown in. In my opinion it was an awful stop. In my opinion their food was tasteless. These folks have spent a bunch of bucks on equipment, improvements and investments but in my opinion unless they improve their recipes and bbq they will fail. read more