How often do you try new restaurants? I have to be honest and admit that I usually stick to my regular haunts and rarely change it up a little. But when you are invited to review a restaurant you have been meaning to visit for years now, it seems like the right time to try something new and different. Like heading to try out Hickory’s West Kirby which has been on my to visit list for far too long now!

Hickory’s Smokehouse in West Kirby.

Hickory’s Smokehouse has 9 UK restaurants serving authentic American food with good southern service with a little something extra. From popcorn when you arrive at your table to a cinema room with constant movies for the kids, young and old.

Hickory’s West Kirby has been open a good few years now in but for various reasons, I haven’t managed to visit. My youngest sister did visit not long after it opened and really enjoyed it. If I am honest, most people I know who have visited seem to really like it and go back again and again.

We arrived with plenty of time before our reservation and upon arriving we had a short wait of literally a couple of minutes between being greeted at the door and our table being ready for us to be seated. I was so pleased to see we had a window booth. I love sitting in booths when eating out, I don’t know why but I really prefer it. It also gave a great view of the rest of the restaurant, perfect for someone as nosey as I am!

With our water poured and popcorn on the table, I have to say it did take us a while to decide what we wanted from the extensive menu. There were so many options to choose from and our server was more than patient enough with us as we discussed what we wanted and tried to find a compromise for Olivia, who isn’t quite as adventurous with her meals as the rest of us.

The Drinks Menu at Hickory’s West Kirby

Aside from the bottle of water on our table, which Olivia decided was enough for her, we also ordered some of the delicious sounding sodas on the menu. I was the designated driver so, unfortunately, this time, I didn’t get to try any of the fabulous cocktails on offer (I was absolutely ready to try out a Raspberry Collins – next time!) We ordered some Cherry Cream Sodas, before trying a Raspberry and Mint lemonade and a Mango and Pineapple soda (all £2.95 each).

Starters

We decided on 3 starters between the four of us. The girls shared Southern Fried Chicken in a Basket (£5.95) whilst I ordered the same but with the hot and spicy Louisiana style sauce (£6.95) and my sister decided to try the American Pretzel (£4.00)

The pretzel was absolutely delicious and left me wondering if I should have tried it myself after my sister shared a piece with me. But the Southern Fried Chicken was cooked to perfection and as always, the spicier the better as I dipped the chicken in sauce. The girls both gave the chicken the thumbs up too.

Mains

My sister went with The Classic Dog Hot Dog (£8.50). My niece was sold on the Chicken Fried Waffle with bacon and maple syrup (£9.95) whilst Olivia went for the Southern Fried Chicken Burger (£11.95). Me? At first, I wanted to try the Texas Style Beef Brisket but after being advised it might be a little bit fatty depending on the which part my serving will be cut from, I decided to change my mind. My final choice was the Cajun Chicken Sizzling Fajita (£13.50) and the magic dusted fries (£4.00), after them being called magic, I couldn’t not try them really, could I?

Aside from them looking absolutely amazing when they arrived, they all tasted just as good. My chicken was served in a sizzling hot pan (do not touch the pan it is really hot! – I didn’t), it was that hot you could physically see the chicken moving with the heat as the onions and peppers sizzled beneath it. I love that fajita’s come out deconstructed so you can make it the way you like it. It didn’t disappoint and I was so pleased I changed my mind at the last minute, not that I think I would have been disappointed with the brisket, but the fajita was definitely my kind of meal. Absolutely perfect for me.

Personally, I don’t get the whole chicken and bacon on waffles thing, but my niece absolutely does and she loves this meal. We couldn’t really visit Hickory’s West Kirby without trying a famous American meal, could we? With a very generous bottle of syrup to drizzle over her meal, she was more than happy and polished it off pretty quickly.

(Stock Image of Chicken Burger as I didn’t manage to take the best image whilst eating!)

Olivia played it safe and ordered her burger without cheese and mayo so she could enjoy it her way. There were no complaints and she too thoroughly enjoyed her meal. There weren’t any issues with altering her meal so she would enjoy it and I think for her, this really helped her to enjoy her burger more as she wasn’t taking off things she didn’t like. So if you have a fussy eater too, don’t hesitate to ask for things to be left off for a fuss-free meal time.

My sister went with the classic hot dog. This surprised me as she usually goes for different foods. But I have to say it looked really impressive when it came out and there were no complaints from her either. She loved it all.

Desserts

(stock image as we lost the lighting when we got to desserts)

You would think after those meals we would be pretty full, wouldn’t you? But we couldn’t leave without trying desserts, it wouldn’t be a full and proper review if we did. We ordered 2 of the Hickory’s Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich (£5.25) for me and my sister and with Olivia choosing to go without a dessert, my niece went for the S’mores (£5.50). The S’mores are served like the fajita’s in a hot sizzling pan and yes, she touched the pan despite being warned not to! But the desserts were perfect to finish off our night and left us well and truly full before we headed home after a night of fun and really good food.

Our Thoughts.

From the impeccable service complete with attentive servers who helped us out with their recommendations and tips and suggestions and being really patient with us as we took our time to order, to the gorgeous food, we had a really good time at Hickory’s West Kirby and we will definitely be back to try out some of the new mid-week offers – Fajita Margherita Mondays anyone?

I was really impressed and I can’t wait to go back again. The girls loved the cinema room as did other kids who were in and out in between meals. If you are on the fence about visiting, jump off it and head down to your local Hickory’s Smokehouse to see if you too can find your new favourite restaurant. Like my niece who is totally on board with American style meals and will now want syrup on all of her food and chicken waffles for every meal!

*Disclaimer: We were invited to try out the menu at Hickory’s Smokehouse West Kirby and received a full complimentary service in exchange for our honest thoughts. I have to say that during our meal we didn’t have any issues at all and aside from receiving great customer service ourselves, we noticed that same level being extended to other guests dining there too*