The Sides Take Top Billing at Swallow at the Hollow

The Swallow at the Hollow in Roswell is everything a good barbecue place should be. Housed in a glorified wooden shack. Near "fall-off-the-bone" ribs. Packed house filling the picnic tables both inside and outside. And even live music on weekend nights featuring blues, folk, country and bluegrass after 10pm. It really resembles a slice of Americana that seems to have been lost, especially around Atlanta. But, unlike most barbecue places I have ever been to- the sides at Swallow are fantastic.

Aprt from the usual brunswick stew, fries and cole slaw that most cue joints offer, Swallow takes great pride in their regional southern ecoutrements. First, each dish is served with these awesome homemade bread and butter pickles. The Mac and Cheese is by far the class of the selection. When we went on Friday, Fried Green Tomaotoes were a special of the house and outstanding.

As for the main course, Lady Steakhead and I each had the baby back ribs. The meat was close enough to fall-off-the-bone to satisfy the cue lover in me. There are several different sauces that sit on the tables- a traditional thicker bbq sauce, a vinegar-based sauce, and a mustard-based sauce for the South Carolinians. Unfortunately, the ribs are not the best choice to sample the sauces, so next time, I'll go with the pulled pork.

The Swallow fills up early, as it is a big hit with families for dinner. We arrived at 6:45 on a Friday night and the gravel parking lot was filled to capacity. While we didn't stay for the music, it is a popular attraction, and I am sure people look to get there for dinner and stay for the show, so I wouldn't expect a lot of turnover after 9pm.

The Swallow at the Hollow is definitely worth the drive to Roswell. The barbecue is good, but it's the sides and atmosphere that take center stage here.

Steakhead Recommends: Yes
Cost: $