The team behind Fire Baby has opened Hicksville, a new low-and-slow smokehouse and cafe in Southport
The team behind Fire Baby has officially unveiled Hicksville, a new all-day hospitality destination that’s bringing proper American-style barbecue to Southport. Taking over a site on Hicks Street, the ambitious venue brings together four concepts under one roof, with the smokehouse and cafe now open, and a gelato nook and whiskey bar set to follow.
Anchoring the venue is the smokehouse and backyard bar, where meats spend hours cooking low and slow in an American-made Yoder smoker before making their way to the plate. The menu pays homage to classic Texas-style barbecue, with the likes of a 16-hour smoked brisket coated in Hicksville’s signature rub, Texas bourbon-glazed pork ribs, smoked chorizo and golden Southern fried chicken leading the charge.
If you’re struggling to choose just one, the Pitmaster’s Plate offers a greatest-hits approach, piling smoked brisket, pork ribs, smoked corn, trio coleslaw with signature piccalilli mayo, bread-and-butter pickles and house-made condiments onto one generous platter. There’s also a line-up of smokehouse sandwiches, including the Hicksville Brisket Bun layered with 16-hour brisket, pickled charred cabbage, smoked onion and mustard mayo, alongside a Southern Fried Chicken Bun and a chimichurri-laced choripan. On the side, chicken-salted waffle fries, parmesan-dusted polenta chips with truffle mayo and smoked corn with paprika butter round out the feast.
The drinks offering keeps things refreshingly uncomplicated, with Hicksville Lager pouring alongside Stone & Wood Pacific Ale, Balter XPA and a rotating Beer of the Month, while wines, classic spirits and cocktails cater to those settling in for a longer afternoon.
Sharing the space is Hicksy’s Cafe, which is already pouring specialty coffee alongside fresh sandwiches and house-baked goods, giving locals somewhere to grab a quick morning caffeine fix before the smokers really get to work. Still to come are Hicksy’s Gelato, serving house-made gelato crafted fresh in-house and rotated seasonally, and an intimate whiskey bar dedicated to premium spirits and expertly crafted cocktails.
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For owner Michael Read, Hicksville is a natural extension of what the Fire Baby team has already built just down the road.
“We built Fire Baby because we believed Southport deserved a world-class dining experience with a local soul,” Michael says. “Hicksville is that same philosophy, scaled across an entire day. We want guests arriving for their morning coffee and still be finding reasons to stay come evening.”
While each concept has its own identity, the vision is for Hicksville to become a genuine neighbourhood destination that evolves throughout the day. Grab a coffee on the way to work, come back for a tray of smoked meats at lunch, linger over beers in the backyard as the afternoon drifts into evening and, before long, finish the night with whiskey or a scoop of house-made gelato.
Hicksville, including Hicksy’s Cafe and the smokehouse, is now open on Hicks Street, Southport, with the gelato bar and whiskey bar to open soon.
Head to The Directory for opening times.
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