Hickory's Smokehouse, St Mellons, Cardiff restaurant review

Having mostly enjoyed the smoked meats at Cardiff City Centre’s Spitfire, next on the agenda was the other new addition to the city, Hickory’s Smokehouse in St Mellon’s.

With over 30 branches across the UK and hospitality giants Green King for owners, I had to admit that I was more than a little bit sceptical.

Located just off the A48, Hickory’s whopping building gives off major Texas Toby Carvery vibes. To be fair, they’ve done a good job with the refurb of the old Melrose Inn, with its assorted Americana, a cinema for the kids, and non-stop soundtrack of country classics. 

And, despite the colossal venue having what must be around 200 covers, it appeared to be a full house on the Friday night we visited. So much for January being a quiet month for hospitality.

This time around, two people who know far more about smoked meat than me were my wingmen - Alex the Smoked Meat Strumpet and Jon Bovi, the Wolf of Whitchurch Road.

As our 7pm table wasn’t quite ready when we arrived, we perched at the bar for 10 minutes and knocked back pints of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (£6.45) – this bitter and piney West Coast beer is a classic for a reason and I’m always glad to see it on tap.

A bag of complimentary sweet and salty popcorn kept us going whilst we we waited for our food too. 

Hickory’s Menu is a bit of a monster with options like steaks, burgers, fajitas and gumbo, all featuring. However, we were there for their barbecue, which is smoked in house daily. For a chain of this scale, it’s impressive that they’re not just bringing in vac-packed stuff on the back of a lorry.

Before the BBQ, we ordered a few appetisers and sides to share - these turned out to be my highlight of the meal.

I’d heard good things about Hickory’s giant pretzel bites (£8.75) and they certainly delivered. Warm, super soft and lightly chewy pretzel pieces were well soaked in garlic butter and served with a bowl of thick, beer-twanged cheese sauce.

 

Bourbon bacon bites (£9) were billed as an essential order by two members of the friendly front of house team – I can see why. Crisp and raggedy edged 8 hour smoked bacon pieces were coated in a compelling sticky bourbon glaze. A pot of pokey blue cheese dip on the side was decent but unnecessary.

 

The final starter was a textbook blooming onion (£7) with soft sweet flesh and a beautifully crisp yet grease free coating. A spice-twanged ranch dip hit the mark too.

Onto the headline act and we ordered the Smokehouse platter for two (£70) and a Smokehouse platter for one (£39.50) so that we could put all the classics through their paces. By the time all the gargantuan trays of food had been put down there was some serious table Tetris required.

Firstly, the biggest praise I can give Hickory’s is to say that all their smoked meats tasted fresh and properly smoked rather than simply wafted over a packet of wood chips. 

The Smokehouse platter for one

Highlights were the pulled pork topped with BBQ beans – the big crusty-barked nuggets of meat were excellent. Smoked chicken wings had lovely sticky and crispy edges whilst remaining tender.

Ribs retained just the right amount of bite rather than falling off the bone. But I thought their sweet barbecue sauce coating was one note. A jalapeno cheese sausage had good pops of melted cheese and pieces of poky pepper. However, I think Spitfire’s excellent version has the edge.

Brisket, the hardest cut to smoke well, hovered just on the right side of dryness. My smoked chicken breast had similar shortcomings, though my colleagues fared better with their thigh pieces. Pork belly had a lovely smoke and crusty edges, but one end was noticeably tough. In contrast, a fattier slice across the table was much juicier.

Crisp hot and salty fries were on the money. But coleslaw, which was drenched in a heavy creamy dressing, tasted exactly like the kind of thing you find at the supermarket. Thankfully, jalapeno flecked pickled onions provided some much-needed palate cleansing.

After all that meat, I was stuffed and had to doggy back some to take home for lunch the next day. Alex the Smoked Meat Strumpet, however, insisted on dessert and I’m very easily led when it comes to sugar.

The cookie creation (£8.25) comprised of a trio of freshly baked warm, crisp and soft chocolate chip cookies served with a toasty toffee sauce and assorted sweet bits. Whilst the biscuits were very tasty, they were no better than the ones you find in the supermarket bakery aisle (top tip – shove one in the air fryer for a few minutes and thank me later). The star of the show was a pot of frozen custard which had similar vibes to Shake Shack’s frozen custard with its super dense and creamy Mr Whippy like texture.

 

I’m surprised to say how much I enjoyed Hickory’s despite its flaws. Whilst it didn’t hit the highs of the best smokehouses I’ve visited (Hang Fire, Smokestak and Bab Haus), it mostly certainly scratched a BBQ itch. It’s not normally my style to recommend a chain but if you’re looking for a BBQ fix in Cardiff then it’s worth checking out.

The Details:

Address - Hickory's Smokehouse Cardiff, Pascal Close, St. Mellons, Cardiff CF3 2UZ

Web - https://hickorys.co.uk/venue/hickorys-smokehouse-cardiff/

Telephone - 029 2130 2074

Spitfire Barbecue, Cardiff city centre restaurant review

Since Hang Fire Southern Kitchen closed its doors in 2021, there's been a smoke ring shaped hole in south Wales’s barbecue scene.

So, despite 2025 being another shocker of a year for the hospitality industry, it was exciting to see two brand new barbecue restaurants arriving in Cardiff within a matter of weeks of each other.

Spitfire Barbecue was the first to open its doors in Cardiff city centre at the end of September. With a solitary sister restaurant in Bristol, Spitfire interestingly blends Texan style BBQ with South African braai influences.

The second new BBQ joint to open was Hickory’s Smokehouse in St Mellon's. Owned by Greene King and part of a nationwide chain of over 30 restaurants, their original independent roots date back to Chester back in 2010.

Despite one being an independent the other a chain, one thing that they both have in common is that a number of influencers lined up to praise both restaurants during their opening weeks… of course after having had free food.

With Mrs G away for work, it was an opportune time to guzzle some barbecue, and my friend Alex was my partner in crime. A self-confessed smoked meat strumpet, he’s even got a barbecue themed tattoo. 

On a Wednesday evening at 6.30pm, Spitfire was impressively busy both upstairs and downstairs. It certainly gave off the right smokehouse vibes with its painted brickwork, earthy tones, and wood panelling.

Spitfire’s menu comprises of starters like cornbread bites (£4.20) and pork belly rashers (£6.85) as well as things in bread such as pulled pork sandwiches (£9.95) and double cheeseburgers (£13.85). But the Texas pit barbecue section is where the most fun is to be had, allowing you to construct your own platter with items priced by weight or the slice.

On the drinks front, Spitfire’s house pale ale (£6.80), brewed by Bristol’s Arbor, very much hit the spot. Easy drinking at 4.2% ABV and with a good hit of citrusy hops, I could definitely have sunk a few pints of the stuff.

Onto the food and our barbecue tray was a handsome beast. There were some definite highs, some good and a couple of lows.

Starting with the best of the stuff, and Spitfire’s jalapeno cheese sausage (£6.95) was a thing of beauty. An absolute whopper, it was juicy and smoky with pops of spicy pepper and oozes of filthy cheese. If there was any doubting how juicy it was, a stray spurt splattered Alex’s white jumper whilst he was cutting into it.

Spitfire’s signature St. Louis rib (£23.95) was very good too. Straight out of the Flintstone’s in its proportions, the slab of bone in pork belly had a deep crusty bark, unmistakeable smoke ring, soft seam of fat and tender flesh. 

It was lovely paired with Spitfire’s house sauces, a smoky and not too sweet barbecue sauce and a well layered Louisiana hot sauce. 

Smoked chicken wings (£7.50) were delicious despite not being particularly smoky. Their commendably crisp skin, juicy flesh and a zingy Buffalo sauce coating were all plus points. 

Pulled pork (£4.65 per 100g) had good flavour and the meat was nice and tender. But I felt that it had been overly pulled in places, resulting in a slightly mushy texture. It would have nice to see a few bigger shreds and nuggets of meat. 

Brisket is the most unforgiving of meats to smoke and so unsurprisingly it’s here where the real disappointments lay. A pair of slices (£7.65 per slice) had a fairly tight texture, were lacking in smokiness and leant towards the dryer end of the spectrum. Whilst they were pleasant, they weren’t at the same level as the pork and chicken. 

Brisket burnt ends (£10.85) were even more of a let down. Whilst they had a bigger hit of smoke and more flavoursome bark than the brisket slices, they were dry instead of being the indulgently soft and mouth melting bits of meat that normally make this cut so compelling. 

Back onto the sides and I very much enjoyed Spitfire’s mac and cheese (£4.50). The pasta still had a good bite, and it was coated in a rich cheesy sauce with a caramelised crust.

Pit beans (£3.95), whilst a little too saucy, had a lovely soft texture and spicing to them and were nicely flecked with nuggets of bacon. 

Overall, I enjoyed dinner at Spitfire despite the couple of duff elements. Alex liked it too, even though Hickory’s slightly edged it for him. I guess I’ll have to go and find out for myself. 

Spitfire is a welcome addition to Cardiff city centre and if you’re looking for a barbecue fix then I think it’s well worth checking out. 

The details:

Address - Spitfire Barbecue Cardiff, 39-41 St Mary Street, Cardiff CF10 1AD
Web - https://www.spitfirebarbecue.com/
Telephone - 029 2297 0671

Smokestak, Shoreditch, London restaurant review

On the surface, Smokestak seems like the epitome of Shoreditch twittery. The restaurant’s name is barely visible above the door, the lighting is almost non-existent, tuuunes pump out on the stereo and the staff in their all black attire look almost to cool for skool.

But, looks are often deceiving.

Other than the phenomenal American style barbecue which we ate (Smokestak have been lauded members of London’s street food scene for a number of years), the serving team turned out to be the friendliest I’ve encountered in ages.  And, after a bit of acclimatisation, the music and lighting were tolerable.

Ice cold craft beers from The Kernel (£4.50) and Fuller's (£4.50) were served in glasses straight from the freezer. It's the little details that make the difference. 

We ordered a load of food to share and there wasn’t a single bum note. 

Brisket buns (£5 each) were a stellar start. The first rate toasted bun was filled with tender, smokey, fatty brisket balanced with fiery pickled red chillies. 

Crispy ox cheek cubes (£4.50) were unctuous wonders filled with shredded meat.

Pork tails (£4.50) were turbo-charged pork belly x scratching hybrids; crunchy, meaty, fatty and coated in a sweet and sticky glaze.

Pork ribs (£9) were top drawer. They were balanced by clean tasting pickled cucumbers. 

Smoked beef rib (£14.50) was another cracker. More of those pickled red chillies put in an appearance to counterbalance the dish’s richness. 

Sides of the best jacket potatoes (£5 each) would have been a meal themselves. The crisp skinned cocoons contained scooped out potato mixed with sour cream and chive topped with a load of oozy melted cheese. 

A whopper of a hot smoked salmon fillet (£13) flaked perfectly. Mild horseradish cream was the perfect foil. 

More of that killer brisket (£8) was served with a cracking barbecue sauce. 

Desserts were on the nail too.

A soft, molasses rich sticky toffee pudding (£6.50) was joined by smooth burnt butter ice cream. The delicate burnt taste of the ice cream intensified the flavour of the whole pud. 

Toasted oak ice cream (£4.50) was a bit weird but still a success. The aftertaste reminded me of the woody notes of a whisky.

Finally, plum crumble (£6.50) combined well textured fruit with a nut laced topping.

Smokestak serve serious barbecue. Go. 

The Details:

Address - Smokestak, 35 Sclater Street, London E1 6LB

Web - https://smokestak.co.uk/

Telephone - 020 3873 1733