Taste of Manchester: Hilltop BBQ Downtown

As part of the Taste of Manchester 2014 Marketing Committee, Amy has volunteered to write short features on the participating restaurants and share them via our blog here.This year's Taste of Manchester will be held on Tuesday, May 13th from 5:30 to 9 p.m. See the TOM webpage, Facebook page, or Twitter @TastyTownCT (#TOMCT2014) for more information.

Relatively new to the Main Street, Manchester scene, and participating for the first time in the Taste of Manchester is Hilltop BBQ. This is the second location for Hilltop, the first being the wildly popular and award-winning Hilltop BBQ Steakhouse in Moodus. Owners Cindy and Ernie sure have awesome smokin' and grillin' skills. Whether you are looking for chicken, ribs (of many styles!), brisket, or pulled pork,  Hilltop is the place to be.

We had dinner here with some friends last Saturday on our way to an Irish pub night. Hilltop Downtown (as it is known) is a much smaller location than the one in Moodus, and there's no bar here. That said, you are welcome to BYOB which has its upside, and we took advantage of that by bringing in a couple of six packs of beer. There are plenty of soft drink choices available as well. The friendly server offered us a bottle opener and a bucket of ice once we settled in and delved into the menu. 

We started with an order of beer battered onion rings for the table. They were fluffy and crisp at the same time, as they should be. Our appetites whetted, each person made their dining choice. Bonus? All sandwiches and dinners come with a side dish, and there are 12 sides to choose from. There are also three different BBQ sauces along with all types of other condiments in a caddy on every table, so there is something for every taste at Hilltop Downtown. 

P was hungry and went for one of the combination choice platters, which feature any two meats served with cornbread and a side. He picked the Memphis ribs and brisket with collard greens, and said the greens were "killer!" C and C chose pulled pork sandwiches, L and D both noshed on perfectly charred rib ends, D also had some General Tsao wings, and A had rib ends with a lunch-sized mac-n-cheese side. Speaking of mac-n-cheese, Hilltop offers an entire Mac-n-Cheese menu with twelve varieties of the comfort food favorite, from original (with bacon) to truffle, to cheeseburger, and even a vegetarian style. Hollah!

If you love BBQ, wings (there are 17 flavors!) and/or mac-n-cheese, you have got to try Hilltop. They are open daily for lunch and dinner (hours vary slightly), and eat-in, take-out and catering are all available. More information can be found at their website or by calling them at 860-643-7427 (RIBS).