Richard’s Hawgwild BBQ

3 ½ Stars — Fun. divey throwback (both in décor & service) to the days of the diner in TV’s ALICE & Flo’s «Kiss My Grits!!!» Case in point: Check out the 45s nailed along the walls doing their darnedest to pass as installation art. But you didn’t come to a museum now, did you?
First time here? Order the Buffet ($ 8.99 weekday, $ 11.99 weekend) which consists of most every meat on their exhaustive menu, except ribs and SLICED brisket. Full salad bar, nacho bar, homemade cake, potato bar, gravy, bbq sauce, corn, plain & bbq baked beans, bbq chicken, pulled pork served both naked & with sauce, and chopped beef brisket in sauce with buns rounds out this Midwestern chow trough! Loosen your belt and walk the myriad of flea markets around the historic square for immediate food coma relief before you hit the Drive-​In Movie up the road! Ah, Americana!!!

I’m giving this place one star because the quality of part of our meal was ok. I had the pulled brisket and it was edible– although you’d be better off getting the precooked chopped BBQ beef in the refrigerated section at Wal-​Mart and just microwaving it yourself.
Other people we were with had ribs, he couldn’t even cut them with a knife. Tough, chewy and just gross. The sides are all bad except the baked beans, which are ok. Just ok. The Mac and cheese has got to be easy Mac that you microwave, and the fries are season less, baked and are tasteless. We ordered the brisket nachos as an appetizer, the cheese wasn’t melted, and the stale chips were soaked in BBQ sauce.
I’d say anyone could get a bad meal at even the best restaurant, but out of 6 of us dining here, everyone’s dinner was just nasty. Not worth it.

The price combined with the quality make this a 5 star joint. Don’t let the sun porch fool you, the AC makes this a nice cool spot out of the sun on the way back from the lake.
The buffet allows you to try a bit of everything, including homemade cake. However, for a smaller appetite the dry (as opposed to soaked) pulled pork is excellent.
The baked beans has to be your choice of side your first time here. The staff couldn’t be friendlier. A great family restaurant.

I was in the area visiting my dad and he kindly took me to Hawg Wild. I love traveling the country in search of the best bbq. I still think Rudy’s (Texas and elsewhere) is hard to beat for a best. I’m always amazed at the consistency of my experience at Rudy’s regardless of where it is, and Rudy’s sauce is the BEST. Of course, Austin also has Smokie Moe’s which ranks high on the list, as well as Salt Lick.
Now to Richard’s Hawg Wild… loved it. My speciality is brisket, and believe me, Hawg Wild’s is among the best I’ve had anywhere. Probably better still at Hawg Wild is the pulled beef soaked in HW’s sauce. Our server, I think Risbie was her name, was the best. Since it was our first time, she brought out samples of many of the favorites. As well, my sister ordered the buffet, so we were able to taste test many items.
All in all, a great experience. Good prices. Good service! And great food. When I’m back in the area, I will want to go back. Some of the best bbq I’ve had anywhere!

I came into this place with high expectations. So my review may be a little jaded.
My very first experience with their BBQ was at Wingapalooza in Springfield a few years back. Their wings were outstanding! With that in mind, my buddies and I made it a point to plan a golf outing in Aurora so that we could come here.
I’ll start with the service. I can’t remember the name of the lady who served us, but she was great. She clearly had been there for a while, because I enquired about the wings and she said that they haven’t had them for some time because they did not sell well. She was prompt, kept our drinks full, and we all really enjoyed her company. For this, they get one extra star, and I will probably be back to give the bbq another shot.
One of my companions and I both went with the burnt ends. I chose the potato salad and baked beans for sides. He went with cole slaw instead of the potato salad. The other two went with the buffet.
The burnt ends really disappointed me. They came out covered in sauce and still ended up being pretty dry. If I had known they were served with sauce, I would have passed, or just asked to get them dry.
The potato salad is made in house and is clearly mayo based. I like mayo, but they took it to the next level. It was still pretty good, but just looking at my cup of mayo with pieces of potato made me feel guilty, so I couldn’t finish it.
The baked beans are really pretty fantastic. They had a great spicy tangy flavor. I’m a fan and I reco