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Hill Country
30 W. 26th St., New York, NY, 10010
nr. Broadway
212-255-4544
| 4.8 | "Mixed Reviews" Average Reader Rating on a Scale of 10 |  |
great bbq for the big city
victoryrose from 11215 | Posted on 3/27/09
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i'm from oklahoma. i do know what bbq is supposed to taste like. sure this place is more expensive than in okalhoma, but if you haven't noticed EVERYTHING is more expensive here than in oklahoma. i thought the brisket was lovely. the ribs succulent. the sides are all pretty much great - even the mac & cheese, and i tend to be pretty critical there. the atmosphere is fun and laid back. it is great for groups. it is great to share - and sharing actually helps with the cost too. 2 of us had 2 beers each, brisket, ribs, bread, mac & cheese, greenbean cassarole and potato salad for less than $50. not bad at all...
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Best BBQ in NY!
idlewild from 10012 | Posted on 1/9/09
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The food here is simply fantastic. Anyone that appreciates *true* BBQ will love this place. Sure it's a bit pricey - particularly for lunch - but the pay per order is great, especially for large parties wanting casual dining. I have been to HC for both a birthday party dinner and several work lunches. It's fantastic.
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Anywhere but here for barbecue
FatBastard from 10019 | Posted on 10/1/08
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I'd wanted to try Hill Country for a while and was thoroughly disappointed when I finally did. Nothing to do with being a "prissy" New Yorker -- I'll happily get my street meat fix. Only positive is that the bar has several interesting bourbons. NOTE: It's not clear before going unless you read fine print that serving is done CAFETERIA-STYLE. You go through a litte gate, find your own table, then load a tray with food. They were out of the most interesting sausage, and the beef ribs had very little meat on enormous bones (you're charged by the pound). Insipid green bean casserole side dish, mac-and-cheese barely better, and a surprising $3.50 for cornbread (also bland). So for $80, I left feeling stuffed with a pound and a half of government quality meat and four beers. Bottom line, if you can't get into Blue Smoke and don't want to trek to Daisy May's let alone Dinosaur, you're better off ordering ribs at any neighborhood pub if you find yourself with the insatiable craving for barbecue sauce.
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waaaaay too pricey
chanex from 10011 | Posted on 8/15/08
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I'm from TX and love my barbecue, especially cafeteria style, but knowing that if you allow yourself to grab everything you want you'll be paying $40 for dinner takes all of the fun out of it...decent brisket and great dessert however.
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The Bellevue of barbeque joints
molly_caitlin from 10012 | Posted on 7/18/08
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Some coworkers and I went to Hill Country recently for a colleagueÂ’s birthday. Unimpressive. Our waitress seemed to be on some heavy sedatives-she was barely alive. She had two tables, however managed to forget our drink orders, then bring us the wrong bourbon, which she insisted was the right one. When we asked the manager to try it, he brought over the correct bottle, adamant that we were wrong, filled up a glass an inch, offered it to us to taste and compare, then ran away before we could tell him that it was completely different from what she had served us. Then he gossiped about us with our incoherent waitress at the bar (who just numbly nodded in response). In general, from the moment we arrived to when we left, we were met with some seriously miserable service people. I don't know if Hill Country treats their employees poorly or if they simply make a concerted effort to hire people with grave personality disorders. If you enjoy barbeque and abuse, I highly recommend it. Otherwise, there are other barbeque joints in the city that might not make it so torturous to get through your meal.
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BBQ Lunch
connect from 11237 | Posted on 5/16/08
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I work in the area, so I have ventured to Hill Country for lunch two times. I like the idea of the cafeteria style service, but it is definitely confusing on the first visit. Also, I was scolded (on both occasions) by the staff when I told them I needed my food to go. Since it is cafeteria style I found that some of the sides had been out for a long time so they were cold by the time they were served. The BBQ beef was delicious though!
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Even without comparing to great BBQ restaurants, this was a miserable meal.
Neil_Glassman from 10011 | Posted on 3/19/08
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Seated at a table with so much paraphernalia it was difficult to make space for the food and drink. Wait for beverage service interminable. Side dish portions small for price and cold. Moist brisket and pork ribs relatively tasteless and not enhanced by overly sweet BBQ sauce. Seated in basement, loud band made conversation impossible; would have appreciated being warned. Uncomfortable, overpriced, paucity of craft beer and undistinguished food. Is this really the best of New York?
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What a ripoff
billybobnyc from 10016 | Posted on 2/29/08
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I was very excited to find a BBQ place near work, as I am from NC. I stopped there for takeout. I have been in NYC long enough to know that you are going to pay more for stuff, but this place is absolutely ridiculous. I bought a (small) half chicken, an order of mac and cheese and cornbread. The total: $17.80. I felt totally taken. I would have enjoyed KFC better. The chicken was dry, the mac and cheese ok and the cornbread dry and crumbly. This is a perfect example of an NYC restaurant that takes advantage of the fact that it serves food that is "exotic" to New Yorkers. That is, southern food. The pork is horribly expensive - for God's sake, it is pig! I have lived here two years and have never written a review, but I feel so strongly against this place I had to write it. Places like this should be run out of business.
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HILLS of what COUNTRY?
pegaso from 10001 | Posted on 9/4/07
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As noted - BIG RED! LSB! Mac & cheese to rival Zabars! But for BBQ......no way, Willie! All of the side dishes were fantastic; the meat was not. The brisket had a lovely flavor, but was as dry as particle board. The ribs were RAW - having grown up in KCMO and TX, I can tell the difference between smoked and undercooked. The sauce was in a BOTTLE! (Sure, it's their "house brand", but Kraft puts out a better product.) What's with the "dim sum" ticket , with each item priced separately - even pickles and jalepenos! Where's the pulled pork? Hot links? A combo plate? (For that matter, a PLATE might be a nice addition to the restaurant. Sure, it's sorta like eating at a roadside joint, but that roadside joint costs 5 bucks, not 40 bucks.) And for my extra 2 cents - Blue Smoke is for people who don't know pork butt from a rib-tip, and Daisy Mae's is fer slickers who want cheese in their creamed corn. There's a reason I make the pilgrimage to Angelo's on White Settlement in Ft. Worth, or to "Dat's Good" in Lewisville.........MEAT!
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ERWOW, THE EARLIER NEW YORK REVIEWS ARE PRISSY BABYS...this place is great
texaschris from 11105 | Posted on 8/9/07
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Ok, you want to write a review about how there was no ribs when you got there...obviously that tells you that the ribs are great. You want to complain because you had to go through a line to get your servings..... you guys are babies. Please never come to texas if you didn't enjoy this restaurant. This place really reminded me of the texas meat markets back home. The brisket was juicy and the ribs where made with a great basic rub, not that b.s. bbq sauce that ny bbq joints seem to want to slather there meat in. The sides where all great...especially the mac and cheese..wow..who knew it could be soooo good..the peanut butter and jelly cupcakes where amazing as well. Ive been to tons of bbq places here in new york...and not one is as authentic as this place....LOVED IT.... and it was nice to have a big red and a lonestar while i was there, the only thing they are missing is shiner bock beer. But the owner told me they should be getting it in soon.
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