Whole Hog Cafe

Good BBQ is hard to find, especially if you work in the CBD and have only a 30 minute lunch. However, I am fortunate to work near the Entergy building, which was the home of Whole Hog Café for years.
Even at 6:00 AM, I could smell the smoker out back chugging its savory smoke into the CBD. I tried most items on the menu and was never disappointed with anything. The ribs were «fall off the bone» tender, the pulled chicken & ½ chicken were always juicy and never dry, the brisket was mediocre (but still tasty) and the pulled pork was always succulent.
Whole Hog had 6 BBQ sauces to choose from (not sure if I have the names exactly right):
1. Traditional
2. Tangy /​vinegar
3. Spicy (same as # 1, but hotter)
4. Sweet light molasses
5. Sweet heavy molasses (my favorite)
6. Southern mustard
They also had a loaded BBQ baked potato that was a huge hit with the CBD crowd, including me. The potato was probably a 2 pounder all by itself. Then you got to add your choice of BBQ meat along with the traditional stuffing of cheese, bacon bits and sour cream. This was a meal in itself.
The BBQ nachos were also a favorite. Imagine a huge plate of tasty nachos, but topped with your favorite BBQ meat (brisket was my favorite) and smothered in cheese, sour cream and jalapenos. This gargantuan took a serious effort to put down and could easily feed 2 normal people.
I was also a huge fan of their potato salad up until the Hyatt Regency bought them out and changed the recipe. The former recipe was similar to The Shed’s potato salad in that it used sour cream in place of mayonnaise. However, the new offering is chunkier and tangier like a German style potato salad.
On Friday’s, they even had a $ 6.95 lunch special that got you a BBQ meat sandwich, chips, side and a drink. This was one of the best deals going.
Alas, it is no more, as the Whole Hog has officially been renamed Q Smokery & Café and is managed by the Hyatt Regency. Hopefully they did not mess with the recipes too much, as the Whole Hog had a very good thing going.
I’ll be going there soon.

I came here for lunch with a co-​worker the other day. It didn’t look like much at first, but it was actually very good. I got the pulled pork and Mac n cheese. I think it was $ 9 a plate and with good portions. They have six different kinds of BBQ sauces on the table. I was told they take a dollar off on Fridays. Definitely would come back again.

So simple. So delicious. The pulled pork at Whole Hog is the best we’ve had that we can remember. It’s a good thing they aren’t open for dinner or we would have eaten there way too often!
The only reason it is not rated higher is it is cafeteria style. The staff is very friendly and the manager (owner?) came around to the tables asking how everything.

A very good lunch option of the surrounding offices.
I took the plate with:
* Pulled Chicken: juicy and delicious
* Baked Yam (no additions): fresh and well baked
* Potato Salad: too much mayo, but tasty nonetheless
* Cornbread: too dry
* BBQ Sauces: 6 types; they’re all very good (I liked #2 the most)
Nice servers and large portions.
I’ll go back there. You should too.

Great place for lunch as long as you don’t mind the afternoon food coma. I had the BBQ salad with brisket and the brisket had great flavor. Not much of a crust, but still very nice. I tried it with the mustard sauce and was in heaven.

Food was average, staff was friendly!!!

This place is weird, it’s located inside an office building. The line that forms here during lunch though attests to the quality of their food. Don’t let their location get to you, it’s definitely worth a try. It’s also fairly cheap. I had the ribs, and they were excellent. Had the spicy mustard BBQ sauce, which was also quite tasty.

Pulled pork perfection with a sweet BBQ sauce– we grabbed some Q to go before the Saints game and were happy as a pig in mud! Under $ 10 for a huge portion — meant to take a pic of it but it was gone before I knew it.

On a day when my lunch plans fell through, I was decided to search for a place I had never been. Thanks to Unilocal,I found the Whole Hog Café. Located in the lobby of the Entergy Building in the CBD, Whole Hog served up pretty good BBQ for a very reasonable price.
Ordering was similar to many of the BBQ joints I have tried in Texas. The cafeteria style serving line was very efficient, and allowed me to visually inspect the sides before deciding what I wanted. I ordered a two meat plate of brisket and pulled pork. It also come with two sides; I chose the mac n cheese and potato salad.
Service was fast, friendly and efficient.
I decided to take my food to-​go and I was treated to the wonderful smell of smoked meat the entire ten minute drive back to my office. The first bites of brisket and pork were wonderful. The meat had an incredible smoke flavor and was still somewhat moist. The problem was that the meat was not consistent. It was all smokey and tasted great, but some pieces were too dried out to enjoy without a massive amount of sauce. The sides were both very good.
This entire meal was under $ 10 and contained a massive amount of food. I need to go back and see if the next meal is a little more consistent, but I thoroughly enjoyed my meal.
If you’re craving BBQ in the CBD, check out the Whole Hog.

Good lunch, ok value.
Food was pretty good. Kind of a fast food line up type deal. Doing some work for Entergy so this could not be any more convenient. In fact the smell gets you as you are coming down the escalator. :)
Six different sauces to choose from, I tried three and they were all good. Meats are pretty good. Not awesome, but pretty good. Price wasn’t fast food cheap, but the food was slightly better than run of the mill fast food. A solid 3.5.

Whole-​ly cow (or pig) I’m a fan!
The smell itself will lure you in, if not the convenient location on the corner of Loyola and Girod. Great if you work in the CBD!
Whole Hog offers your typical BBQ fare: meats, corn, salads, baked potatoes (the size of your face), mac & cheese, baked beans, at least six bbq sauces, plenty of samples to ease your decision making, and some other delicious and decadent foods that have you leaving as guilty or proud of your diet as your willpower can handle!
I dont eat animals (because they’re cute) but found plenty of options for lunch and was able to top them with healthier options!
Whole Hog rises above nearby lunch spots because they offer adorable deserts (great little gifts for co-​workers), healthy options, great location, ample seating, friendly staff, and they are SO CLEAN! I couldnt help but notice that, at least one staff member is constantly making rounds cleaning! The cherry on top? They’re making a walk up window to serve beer on game days and they’re going to add tables and chairs to eat outside!
I was set on a solid four star rating, but as I write this, I really am impressed with the place! Woohoo! As good as it gets! However the fact that I adore pigs makes me wish there was a 4.5 star option!

Good lunch in the CBD. Everything is tasty but the sandwiches are a little dry. Great coleslaw and potato salad.

This is good barbecue (not excellent), about on par with Voodoo. It’s good for lunch in the CBD, as you can get slaw and a pulled pork sandwich with slaw for about $ 5. I’m not a big fan of the cole slaw, though (or slaw in general, frankly, so take that with a grain of salt). I also wish the beef brisket was sliced instead if chopped, but the quality is still good.

LEO discount, good food and cool service! Try the SOUR CREAMED potato salad!!! I had the lunch plate with brisket and pulled pork!!! PLUS! Fast, cheap and plenty of seating in the building. Try the BBQ with the #4 (or #5 sauce) the molasses sweet sauce! YUMMMMIE!