Overall a good experience. Open late when most other places are closed in Hickory and compared to the national chain restaurant across the way this is leaps and bounds better. Good selection of typical bar foods, with decent sized portions and multiple TV's going so you can keep up on whatever event you may need to. Service might have been a little slow, but the place was very busy being one of the few open, so I give the staff a pass, as they were running around trying to keep up. If you need a late night snack this is the best place in Hickory, if other places are open and you have choices, this would still be a good stop to check out, read more

Went in for the Tuesday burger special. It had been years since we were in and thought why not. First thing in the door Shane, one of the managers greeted us and seated us. Our waitress, Elaina came by and got our drink order. She returned promptly with drinks and we ordered. When the food was ready, Shane actually delivered the food. I asked him a question that he left to find out. Shortly he sent another person with the answer because he had gotten pulled away - wow, nice. Elaina then also came by and checked on us as well. Seemed everyone was working together to offer great service - don't see that too much anymore. read more

My wife and I went here this past Wednesday (08/1226) between the time of 9-10 PM. Very few customers at this time. As a matter of fact, in the section we were sitting there was one booth behind us (if you're looking towards the kitchen) that was occupied before we arrived. It took about 10 minutes before the server (long blonde curley haired, dark skinned with piercings girl) even came by the table. She took the start of our order which was a sweet tea, fried pickles and a Dr. Pepper WITH NO ICE. She repeated it and got my drink wrong. She got our entree order which, but we waited 30-40 minutes for: 1 grilled chicken Caesar salad and 1- 12 oz ribeye (med rare) with fries. My wife said her salad tasted like the lettuce wasn't washed and still had dirt on it. Even though my steak was medium rare it shouldn't have been cold for a steak. The fries were awful, soggy, and burnt. Since the moment we had been served, we hadn't seen height nor hair of this long blonde hair server for almost 30-40 minutes, even though I had been watching her for about 20 minutes "bee-bopping" between a booth and the server's station nearest the front door. The closest she came to checking on my wife and I was when she came from the booth she had been at, and from a distant looked at our table. This server had better be glad that my wife was paying or she wouldn't have gotten anything in the form of a tip except a complaint to the manager. This is the worst experience that my wife and I have had at Kick Back Jacks since we started coming here. My suggestion is that if you come to Kick Back Jacks on Lenoir Rhyne Blve in Hickory, NC, then make sure that this long haired, dark skinned, pierced faced server is not your server. She is the worst and would be enough of a reason to not come back. The manager(s) at this facility had better remember, they aren't to only "bar/grill/steakhouse" in this area- the is also Long Horns and Texas Roadhouse. read more

Food was very good however when managers stretch the wait staff and ask them to wait in an area that isn't close to their assigned area- only bad service prevails. You lost a great server when Allie graduated and left town. Will be sure I ask not to be seated in those areas if we return. read more

Great blue cheese: service excellent as always. Place was clean. Bathrooms clean also.

The food was really good, we sat outside which was nice. Our server was very snarky and didn't really engage with us did the bare minimum to get by. That made it kinda awkward. She started being very defensive with the people next to us I was trying not pay attention to their interactions but it was a major turn off. Because of that we decided that's not the atmosphere we want when we spend money so we probably won't be back. read more

See all

Great stop for lunch, food was great and so was the service. Love the sports bar feel too. No wonder the FD crew comes here.

Off the jump, it is LOUD in here. Seems to be a popular spot for the extroverted and outgoing. Came here on a triple-date, which was already a venture in and of itself. We were surprised to have been seated immediately, considering our party size, but by the volume of our fellow patrons, I'd guess they're keen to serve as many people as they can fit in the building. Our waitress was nice and attentive; constant refills yet mostly silent -- polite and uninterrupting. I did ask if they would serve us all at once, so as to not make anyone wait to eat. I was told that they serve as the kitchen pushes it out, so there was no guarantee of that; it's just the way things were ran there. I appreciated the honesty and underselling of that expectation. Our food was in fact served simultaneously or trailing, which was a nice surprise. However, the kitchen did mess up my fiancée's order twice, to which she just decided she would eat something later. They took her meal off our ticket without a hassle. Overall, a nice place to drop in with casual company, but it wouldn't be my first choice. read more

Kickback Jack's - Sports Bars Near Me - Hickory, North Carolina

Great food! Great Service! Great Atmosphere! I haven't tried anything there that wasn't good!

Love the Cajun Chicken Alfredo, and the spinach artichoke dip is phenomenal. Wait staff is average depending on the night and you'll always have a TV in view. read more

I was closing out on the check with the bartender since they were changing shifts. I bought another round with her so we could just close out with her and leave. She didn't serve the drinks since we were not finished with what we had. She informed the new bartender who obviously misunderstood. We were charged twice and when we spoke to the manager, she automatically said we owe without hearing an explanation. When we tried explaining, She said I was being loud and obnoxious and told me to leave after paying. Its unfortunate the Manager didn't listen and was very dismissive. Customer is not always right here. Its unfortunate because we really enjoyed the previous bartender which is why we wanted to ensure maximum tip for her. We wont be back due to the manager's attitude. read more

Friendly staff , wings were amazing and fish platter was excellent ! Will definitely make another road trip up that way !

Everything was clean. We were seated right away our waitress Carly was awesome come in and see her. Good came out quick and all was right. Can't wait to come back. Our food was good. read more

Kickback Jack's - Chicken tenders and Mac and cheese - Sports Bars Near Me - Hickory, North Carolina

See all

Went to eat there tonight was an amazing experience. We had this lovely server named Alyse. She was very attentive with a lovely personality. read more

It was a great experience it was fast and fun! I love the workers they were so nice! Would recommend! Coming back soon for sure!

Lots of TVs and nice atmosphere. The food is average, we had the Philly egg rolls and flatbread pizza which was nice but certainly nothing special. read more

There were four of us and our experience varied. The place was really busy on this visit. Service was ok and the food ranged from ok to good. read more

Our food has always been delicious and friendly staff..Wonderful for sports fan ..Definitely not for those who likes it quite. Perfect for the sports fan read more

Service was great and ambiance was very nice! As far as food everyone except for one got their food at same time. The food forgotten about took forever. Disappointed read more

NEVER EVER AGAIN! if you want to have more than one beer than don't even bother coming here.. I have had it with this place!!!!! i'm going to go higher than just this review but wanted to get this out there!!! I've been here multiple times throughout my life, and the last three times that I've been here, I have been cut off after one beer and told that they can't serve me. The most recent time I came was last night on april 9, 2025 and I'm going to give some background. One of my friends who was a younger female (mid 30s); got to the bar around 12:30 PM, and she stayed until 4 PM. she was sitting at the outside bar with two other men who were at the bar. Over the course of four hours, she had drank five Michelob ultras on draft. The bartenders switched off around that time, and I had arrived at 4 PM to meet her. After I got there, I had one beer and one shot of jameson. we left that place around 430 PM, had other things to do. well, we met up with our boyfriends and decided to come back for dinner around 9:30 PM. at this point, we were very sober, we also had our boyfriends driving us. AND 5 HOURS HAD PASSED. we go to sit down at an inside table and then realize that we want to move outside because the heaters are on. So we go move outside to sit down at a table. we are just having normal conversations with each other when a manager (wearing a green shirt, maybe slightly Indian); walks over to our table and instantly is very hostile, saying that the bartenders were not comfortable with us being here, they were not comfortable serving us, and that he cannot give us any service but food. mainly, he said that he could serve everyone else except for my friend since she had five beers literally 5 HOURS PRIOR! if you know the alcohol law, then you know that every hour that passes, a beer gets out of your system. Meaning all five of her beers would've been completely out of her system by the time that we arrived back for dinner. we understand that any establishment can refuse to serve people. However, we were wanting a reasonable explanation as to why we cannot be served. He basically kept saying that someone didn't feel comfortable, whatever whatever. he never was able to give us any form of reasonable excuse as to why we couldn't be served. There was no public intoxication, there were no signs that we were drunk (bc we werent lol) But basically it boils down to the fact that we were two females and it was a "jealousy" or "power trip" scene. because grown men come in there and slam 15- 20 beers with shots... and are allowed to walk out and get in their vehicle and drive away. but because we were two females, we were completely cut off and weren't served anything. One time when I was here a few months ago, there was a table beside me who had taken over 10 pickle back shots, each drank over 10 beers, and ordered no food. And the server kept serving them and let them leave. Meaning this is not a standard role across the board, they just get to pick and choose when they want to lose business and customers. The times that I've been cut off here before was literally having maybe two beers, and other petty situations. so needless to say, this place will never have my business ever again, this is a crazy way to run a business. And I'm pretty sure this doesn't follow any form of liquor or alcohol license laws. go back and look at my review because over three years ago, they cut me off after three beers saying that my cheeks were flushed. even though I have a medical condition of rosacea HAHHAH. read more

I have to honestly say that the service was excellent but the food was subpar in some points I expected certain things just like anyone else would it's not a fine dining but yet for the prices I guess some of us living on a budget would assume that prices would be more competitive if you get there before 6:00 you can benefit off of several choices for 999 or less which is an excellent deal me and my wife will probably end up going back again at least once a week especially for lunch if you're able to catch their lunch deals the food is good even though my wife didn't receive her cranberry sauce on her sandwich which was required cuz it's on the menu but I have to honestly say we will go back read more

Wanted to celebrate my nephews birthday today, he passed away 2 years ago and Kickbacks was his favorite restaurant. We waited an hour and was NEVER seated. Party of 16. When I asked the hostess how long the wait was she replied "we don't give wait times, you just have to wait for enough people to leave so we can sit you". Guess we won't visit this location anymore! Sucks cause it was his favorite place! read more

Ate there last night. We used a gift card and we were not sure how to do the tip. My husband wrote the tip on the receipt and then we decided to leave cash. He marked out the tip on the receipt and left cash. The waitress processed the tip on the gift card and kept the cash. Double tip, how dishonest. We have had issues with this place before. Won't be going back. read more

Came here from out of town at the recommendation of coworkers. Was confused by the two star reviews and good reviews from teammates. Then I had a Firehouse burger ordered medium rare and it's fries. The server Shantel checked on how my meal was before I had one French fry by the time she came back I decided not to wait and ate the medium (almost well done burger) I asked how I ordered and she confirmed medium rare. The fries where over salted. The menu has potential but the Tuesday night crew failed to execute. Rather for a simple apology as I had already paid the bill and wanted nothing. The manager, Patrick, simply thanked me for my feedback. I guess I sound like I am from Texas, I Chichester I am, so an apology for a disappointment is not in order. So before choosing this restaurant please, trust the 2 star average they have earned it. read more

Kickback Jack's - Firehouse Burger with over salted fries. - Sports Bars Near Me - Hickory, North Carolina

Had the Cajun pasta last night and it was very good. My server was very good. Always enjoy Kick Back Jacks.

Wings and chicken tenders were both awesome. Wait staff friendly. Very good experience!! We will be back. read more

Kickback Jack's - Sports Bars Near Me - Hickory, North Carolina

Went for the fish and chips and they were delicious. Definitely will be back. The fish was light and moist with a nice coating. Also really enjoyed their coleslaw. read more

Wings are ok, not great, they char wings all the same and put sauce on the side, when ordering wings and fries, the fries did not make it until we finished the wings, seem to be a complete disconnect from server to kitchen. Don't know but I do know they do not have it together at Kickback Jack's read more

Horrible service, food was cold when we got there and apparently my buddy's id is fake yet he's the oldest one at the table. Management said his ID was fake and wouldn't serve any of us alcohol which is just absolutely pathetic and honestly a spit in the face to all of us to say his ID was fake, yet he's the oldest at the table being 23. They're obviously idiots and don't know how to read ids and the manager just stood there in silence the whole time. Horrible restaurant, horrible service and even worse food, kickback you will never get our business again. read more

only had one bad experience, ribs were really dry. always fast and good service. Never had a bad experience with customer service other than the server tried to take the ribs off and the manager wouldn't let her. read more

Ever since I found this place, I've absolutely loved it. I always bring my friends to eat here when we're in hickory and will make the 30 minute drive there if i'm craving ribs The baked beans, ribs, chicken tenders, grilled chicken, shrimp and tons of others are ALWAYS amazing and the waitresses are super nice and constantly asking if you need anything else. They're quick to refill drinks, get napkins or boxes, and rush to bring you your food as soon as they can. I recently brought my dad here too and he loved it and has started taking all his friends here. If I could give more than 5 stars I would. read more

Kickback Jack's - BBQ Baby Back Ribs Combo - Sports Bars Near Me - Hickory, North Carolina

Thanks for keeping me on my diet and on the wagon. First ever visit. Ordered a beer to start. That's how restaurants hook you in and keep you happy. 20 minutes and NOTHING. There were 3-4 servers. No one is coming out. No food is coming out. No one is closing checks. NOTHING. I just left. Had I gotten my beer it may have been an hour to get food. Really a horrible experience. Came home and made my own lunch. I just read some reviews. Seems like others had the same experience. read more

My family eats here often. The food is awesome. We rarely have to wait long to be seated. We have issues with the high tables and they always do their best to find us a regular table or booth. Food is great!!! read more

I worked here for two months. I have so many stories. One time I walked by one of the managers, chelsey (or kelsey idk) and I heard her saying "servers are a dime a dozen, I can replace her by tomorrow." I hated the food. If you want to work for a place that treats you like a robot instead of a human work here! The managers are all misogynistic and it makes me happy to see all the bad reviews they get. Karma is sweet read more

I waited 30 minutes for ranch!!! and waitress did not bring me cheese dip even after being told multiple times!!!

Great food. Wings are the best! Also Bacon Cheese Fries! One of my husband's favorite places. read more

Kickback Jack's - Bacon Cheese Fries - Sports Bars Near Me - Hickory, North Carolina

The POS kitchen manager, Jeff Jose, told my waitress not to bring me a bowl or togo box so I could safely mix my daughter's grilled wings without contamination. You have no business being a kitchen manager, and you should lose your safe serve certification. I WILL be reporting you to corporate and to the health department. My daughter is allergic to shrimp, which is fried in the same fryer as the fried chicken wings, hence her ordering grilled wings. How difficult is it to mix her wings with the sauce in a clean container? It's not like I was asking for any unreasonable accomodations. Rest assured if I hadn't got my box to mix her wings myself because your stupid incompetent ass wouldn't, I would sue your ass off if we would have had to take her to the ER! I got my box and I won't be back. PSA: IF YOU HAVE SEAFOOD ALLERGIES DO NOT GO TO KICKBACK JACK'S IN HICKORY NC. YOU JUST MIGHT DIE!!! read more

Good food, nothing great. I had wings, ordered 10, but was told I good only get 1 flavor with 10. Had to order 20 to get 2 flavors Wings were really small and priced higher than other local restaurants. Wait staff was very good, quick, polite (best part of experience. Would I go back, yes, but not go out of my way to do so. It was just another sports bar with a lot of fried food read more

They have the most restrictive seating policy I have ever heard of. I should have taken a picture of the sign at the door. Basically if you have a group of more than 6... your too much trouble to seat or serve or they either don't have the staff or the patients. It will be a very long time if I ever go back there. Very rude. We went up the street to Texas Road House. Seated 9 no problemo. read more

The service absolutely SUCKS. I asked for straws and the waitress throws them on the table at us and walks away. She did other things that were extremely rude to. The manager didn't even care. Never coming back again. read more