Hickory & Oak

Hickory & Oak is Bowling Green's benchmark for a formal night out. Located at 705 State Street in the heart of downtown, Chef Joshua Poling's restaurant has built its reputation on wood-fired cuts, dry-aged steaks, fresh seafood, and a bourbon collection that runs to more than 125 selections — one of the more substantial lists you'll find anywhere in Kentucky outside Louisville.

The menu is rooted in modern Southern cooking with the kind of detail that earns repeat visits: gourmet shareable sides, inventive cocktails, and a kitchen that takes the sourcing and preparation of its proteins seriously. The setting matches the food — an elegant interior with a patio that looks out over Circus Square Park, which makes it one of the few restaurants in the city where the outdoor seating is a genuine draw rather than an afterthought. For groups with a specific occasion in mind, Hickory & Oak offers the only custom Chef's Table experience in Bowling Green: a fully tailored multi-course meal designed by Poling for parties of eight or more.

Poling grew up in Bowling Green and has been deliberate about rooting the restaurant in the community rather than just operating within it. When schools opened in fall of 2023, he invited every school employee in Warren County to come in for a free steak dinner — the restaurant gave away around 800 steaks over the course of the week, in part as a tribute to Poling's own mother, who worked as a Teacher's Aide at Cumberland Trace Elementary. It's the kind of gesture that gets remembered, and it reflects something about how Poling thinks about what a restaurant owes the place it operates in.

Learn more: hickoryandoakbg.com