Hickory Ridge Grill

In one of those many strip malls in Columbia that looks exactly like the rest of Howard County, there’s Hickory Ridge Grill. The restaurant specializes in American food, with a Mediterranean twist which is perfect because my friends and I were craving hummus — typical.
When we were seated, we placed an order of Mediterranean Dips which was hummus and garlicky Tzaziki served with pita wedges. The pita was served warm and the dips were flavorful and creamy. My heart still belongs to the hummus at Baba’s, but the hummus here was still pretty great.
Next, my friends and I shared the Paidakia which was three baby lamb chops over a bed of fries. The fries were great, they were super thin how I like them — but the lamb chops were kind of meh. For $ 17 (fun fact, the price is listed incorrectly online) the lamb chops were very skimpy. I don’t normally complain about portion sizes or prices, but I’ve paid less for better lamb chops.
One of my friends went with her favorite Mediterranean dish, a Chicken Kabob. The dish was medallions of chicken skewered with green peppers, onions, mushroom and cherry tomatoes. Served on a bed of rice. The chicken was cooked well, however my friend didn’t love the rice with red sauce.
My other friend ordered the Yeeroe Platter which was a sliced beef and lamb combo, open-​faced on pita bread topped with tomatoes, onions and feta cheese. Then served with french fries, greek salad and a side of tzaziki. My friend really enjoyed this platter for dinner, and then again for lunch leftovers because it was massive!
I ordered the Spanakopita which was another massive dish! Fortunately, it wasn’t as thick as it was long. Inside the filo dough there was spinach and feta cheese. There wasn’t as much feta cheese as I would have liked, but when I spread the tzaziki sauce on it, the spanakopita was delicious.
The prices were a little steep, so I’m not sure how soon I would return to Hickory Ridge Grill. But overall, we enjoyed most of what we ordered.

Staff was great– service was fast. Calamari salad and Steak Salad looked great and my family loved them. The mega burger was nothing special.

We went for brunch on a week end. Got couple of pasta dishes. They were good but not extraordinary. I wish the quantity was more as it will not be enough if you are really hungry. Also most of the staff were not polite and kind of rude. I am not sure whether they call it as casual but I did not like it.

«Upset a vegan, Eat a burger» was written on the back of the shirts of several workers. So I got the impression that I should order a burger. I asked the waitress, which burger she would recommend and she said the Cowboy Burger. I am glad to say that it was amazing. The burger patty was juicy & flavorful, the onion rings in the burger went well with it, & the bacon made it even better. Also, the BBQ sauce that was in the burger was the «cherry on top» to make the burger the best burger that I have eaten in Columbia, MD so far. The side of fries was like any ordinary fries but it’s okay tasting. The interior of restaurant was clean and well decorated with Christmas decorations, which made the experience that much better. It is safe to say that I will be back to try other options on their menu.

Greek American fusion… Hell yeah!
Sorry for the outburst, but I really like this place.
Margaret had the Greek burger. I had the breakfast burger. Think about this: 8oz beef patty, with a fried egg, bacon, cheddar cheese, ketchup, tomato lettuce, and onion straws. I needed two hands to compress the burger together into a sandwich, as it was served like an open sandwich. My mouth got a cramp trying to eat the whole thing.
Shoestring fries came along with it for a ride.
Come on, mates, giver her s go, eh?
Stay hungry, my friends!

Great experience. Food was prepared to order and will return! Owner and waitress was very attentive and answered any questions asked.

WARNING! STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE. Honestly, there were just too many problems. Overpriced, mediocre food & service. SERIOUSLY, HORRIBLY BAD. The hair in the Philly Cheese Steak said it all. Do yourself a favor –DON’T EAT HERE.

Menu was a challenge to read. Gyro was ordered but was nothing special and extra tazeeki was 1.75 for just a tablespoon not great either. 2.95 for a Coke come on now it cost 0.05 come on now. Place needs hair nets finding things in food enough said. Clean up your act… Floor is dangerously greasy so avoid heading to rest room or when there hang on… feet will slide. Sorry it’s the truth enough said just avoid this place

A great place for lunch and dinner. The owner George is always there to welcome diners and insure satisfaction for all. Great family restaurant n

This is one of my favorite places. The owner is so friendly and kind and always remembers us. You see many familiar faces here each week because everyone loves this place!
You can’t go wrong with the gyro. I also love their BLT and the Kicken Chicken. All the sandwiches are big enough to share the skinny fries are great too.
Go for brunch on Sunday’s; they have great omlettes and pancakes.
A neighborhood gem!

I live around the corner from this little family restaurant. We go there quite often. My kids love their gyros, and everything else on the menu.
Food is always fresh and tasty! would highly recommend to anyone.

I came here after seeing the other Unilocal reviews. 4 stars out of so many reviews is pretty good!
The servers forgot to bring us menus in the beginning, which was a little annoying. The food was okay. My french toast was a little burned and didn’t have the extra filling it was supposed to have (been some time now, think it was strawberry?). Coffee left something to desire. Everyone else’s food was pretty good, though. And the prices were reasonable.
Bottom line, you get what you pay for. Given that, I would be willing to come back.

We value the service, atmosphere, cleanliness, and variety of offerings but they fall short of a higher rating because of the food. The food is OK just short of very good. We find several dishes too oily and others dishes uninspiring. As an example the egg platter has very good bacon cooked nicely, standard bread toasted properly, very tasty potatoes, and consistent mediocre eggs (supposed to be the star of the dish) that are routinely overcooked with visible browning. Our experience with dinner meals is similar. We will continue to eat here when walking in the neighborhood.

Tonight was a very disappointing experience and has left a bad taste in my mouth despite the fact that I couldn’t eat a damn thing on the menu.
Our waitress spoke no English which made ordering with food allergies essentially
Impossible.
The food I chose did not mention the correct ingredients on the menu which almost led to me injecting food I am allergic to.
They were out of all steak except rib eye at 7:30 on a Friday. What kind of restaurant doesn’t have ample food for Friday nights?
I then had to spend my dinner out watching my friend enjoy a full dinner while I nibbled on a side order of the vegetable of the day.
I have been here before and almost never had a problem but tonight’s experience left me hungry and disappointed. So thank you for that. I will be sure to spend my time and money at a better run establishment.

A favorite place of mine! Ate there last night after a long hiatus and it’s still excellent quality. My favorite dish there is the Chicken Souvlaki platter. It comes with a delicious Greek salad and great shoestring fries. The chicken is tender and flavorful from a tasty marinade. Have also had the moussaka previously and it is delicious! Good service and nice atmosphere! It’s one of my happy places. Excellent tsziki sauce too! I hope it’s around forever!

We were looking for someplace good near the nature center and this shopping center popped up. «Greek-​American fusion?» we pondered, but our curiosity proved to be worth it in the end. This place is among one of our favorite stops, and while not cheap the portions and the food are beyond compare.
Let’s start with your typical Greek food, such as the dolmadakia (with tzaziki) and souvlaki. WOW, that is all I can say, and I’m not the only one; my wife is a bit picky about her Greek and we even had a culinary student with us, and they both were amazed. They even said the tzaziki here was perfection!
Then you have some interesting other dishes, with my personal favorite the «Death By Burger». Get ready for a heart attack, because this is sandwich consists of two 4 oz. burgers, fried egg, toppings (including a basil-​parmesan mayo), except the buns are TWO bacon-​stuffed grilled cheese sandwiches. For extra excitement (and danger), try its bigger brother… the «Grim Reaper» which has two 8 oz. burgers!
Service here has always been top notch and we love it. Our first time our toddler was a bit cranky, and the chefs gave him a free plate of fries to keep him occupied! Prepare for a wait during busy times (and there’s no seating area while you do) and this is typical Columbia cost, but no matter how long you wait or how big your bill it is 100% worth it.
So, whether you’re looking for traditional Greek or something new in the area, I cannot recommend Hickory Ridge Grill more. Opa!

I love this place! It’s never a disappointment — well only when we have to wait for a table :) My husband and I are pretty much regulars because we haven’t found anywhere as good. We’d rather spend our money here! The food is always spot on and the customer service is awesome. They have such a wide variety from pastas to Greek food and everything is fresh and full of flavor. They do meat really well. I wouldn’t go anywhere else for a burger. I also don’t know anywhere else around here where you can get phenomenal Greek food.
They have brunch on Sunday’s and it’s also fantastic. The omelettes are huge and my dad couldn’t stop raving about the banana stuffed French toast. I’m pretty sure he will want to go back next time he visits!

Hickory Ridge Grill is located in a shopping plaza, so there’s plenty of parking! Plus, you can walk off all you ate afterwards! There is an OK amount of tables and booths. Luckily, it wasn’t busy when a group of 6 of us came in on a Sunday afternoon. They had two separate menus for breakfast and lunch. The breakfast menu consisted of your typical pancakes, french toast, and eggs. I don’t think they have waffles here. The lunch menu was more extensive with items ranging from appetizers to salads to burgers to sandwiches to entrée platters. We ordered fried calamari and garlic bread as appetizers. Both were OK, nothing special. I had to rely on Unilocal reviews to help me decide because everything sounded so delicious! I ended up choosing the pork souvlaki sandwich. Pork Souvlaki ($ 9) was served in pita bread. The sauce served with it was balsamic vinegar, which I wasn’t too thrilled about. I had to order tzatziki, which cost extra. All sandwiches listed on the lunch menu comes with a side (i.e., french fries, rice, mixed vegetables, or mashed potatoes). I opted for the mashed potatoes. Overall, the meal was delicious and the prices were very reasonable. Great spot to grab a bite! They also made splitting the bill very easy! Staff is friendly and accommodating!

Very nice place. Heavy greek influence on the menu and all of it is good.
A few of my favorites are the Firecracker Pork Penne; which is braised pork over nicely cooked penne with a habenaro pesto on the side. It is on the side because it is pretty hot and not everyone is up for it. It is soooooo addictive.
Thier burgers are really good and the meat is ground fresh daily so you can got med-​rare if you like. There are always cooked to temp and the topping (except the egg) are top notch. They fry that poor egg to death, so I don’t get it.
I have tried a least half of the menu and all of it is really good. So, why only 4 stars? Because the light are on the ceiling and they have ceiling fans moving which means there is a constant and noticable strobe effect going. Also, it is noisy as heck in there when busy.

I got a house salad with steak. It came with a pecan vinaigrette. It was pretty good. Steak was cooked medium just like I ordered.
Friends got the Philly Cheesesteak and the burger with pineapple and ham and they liked it.
Good casual restaurant. Their menu is HUGE, lots of choices!