Hickory Tavern

02/06/08

Too expensive for what you get.

by xj884x4 at Citysearch

Used to be a regular there for Thursday oysters -$.35 each and they were good sized, often huge and generally they gave you an extra one or two. Now they have the new guaranteed VIBRIO free oysters and are $.50 each on Thursday, and since the change the oysters have been consistently smaller, more slime and in my opinion less tasty.

Also - the blackened grouper sandwich was a fabulous menu item. Now they have down graded it to a "white-fish" and did not bother to change the price ($9 for white fish sandwich with fries...). Still tastes good but the price is discouraging.

Beer is also expensive - $4.00 for a new castle bottle and $3.00 for a bud light - seriously?

• Pros: Atmosphere is good
• Cons: Price is poor, sometimes slow service

02/06/08

Once-Awesome Oyster Night now terrible. Gold Band Oysters are disgusting, pre-frozen, processed.

by wolfpackjay at Citysearch

My friends and I have met at the Carmel Road Hickory Tavern almost every Thursday for a couple years now. We started going there because of the location and because of the delicious oysters that they had on special at the time. Even through the prices went up (to .45 at one point) the oysters were still worth it.

That is, until they brought in these new "Gold Band Oysters". If you are an oyster purist and enjoy the taste of a delicious oyster meat, these aren't the kind of oysters you want. A good analogy would be Gold Band Oysters are to real oysters what SPAM is to a sirloin. They're processed in some factory (the "Gold Band Oyster" website proudly claims that restaurant owners can keep these oysters in stock for 21 DAYS and they taste as good on the 7th or 8th day as the 3rd or 4th - sorry kids, that just isn't natural).

In addition to taking away a perfectly good product and replacing it with a terrible tasting oyster, they raised the price to .50 an oyster. This in itself is fine, still a good deal, I would have paid .50 for the old oysters, but not for these jokes.

My complaints to the manager didn't go over well. We went there twice after these new oysters appeared. The first time, the manager basically told me that I was wrong and that these oysters were, in fact, delicious. The second time, another manager said he would let his manager know about the complaint. Meanwhile, I couldn't even finish my oysters that night, a first.

So, if you're looking for a good place for Oysters, stay far away until those awful Gold Band Oysters disappear. Until then, we'll be elsewhere, looking for a place that serves real, natural oysters.

03/30/06

User review by stacymcc

by stacymcc at Citysearch

I loved the Hickory Tavern. The food was Fabulous! The server was attentive and friendly. I will be going back for more.

06/13/04

YOUR Neighborhood Bar

by greg1238 at Citysearch

Bars/restaurants like Alexander Michaels, Selwyn Tavern, and other older, established neighborhood local gathering spots have enjoyed success because they did what they did extremely well. They served good food, had good selections of beer and liquer, and most importantly gave the people in the neighborhood a comfortable place to hang out.

For those of us in the Carmel Rd corridor, our neighborhood bar/hangout has arrived! The food is terrific, the staff is friendly, and there are always other friendly patrons who range from factory workers to stock brokers who offer warm smiles to everyone who comes in.

• Pros: Great Food, Friendly Staff, Inviting Atmosphere