Most barbecue chains treat sides as ballast. Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q does not, and it is the clearest evidence of what its from-scratch model actually buys you: every side is made in the restaurant rather than shipped in from a commissary, and it shows on the plate. Then there are the cheese biscuits, which are free, and which are the reason most people can name this chain at all.
Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q prices at a glance
The prices referenced on this page, collected up front. They vary by location and change without notice.
| Side | Price | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Creamed Corn | $4.00 | Order this one |
| Mac and Cheese | $3.99 | The safe crowd choice |
| Baked Beans | $4.00 | Solid, smoky, unremarkable |
| Sweet Potato Casserole | $3.99 | Closer to dessert than a side |
| Coleslaw | $3.50 | Better on the sandwich than beside it |
| Green Beans | $3.50 | The light option, ~90 calories |
The cheese biscuits
Start where everyone else does. Small from-scratch cheese biscuits arrive at every table with table service, and an add-on order is $2.00 — the cheapest item on the menu and, per dollar, the best thing on it. No other national barbecue chain has an equivalent; the closest comparison is the biscuits at Lucille's, and they are not the same conversation.
Order the extra. It is two dollars, and they are the item most likely to be the thing you remember about the meal. Two warnings, though. They are roughly 140 calories each and they keep coming, so four of them is a side dish's worth of bread before your food arrives — the calorie breakdown covers what that does to a tray. And they are wheat-and-dairy by definition, which matters if anyone at the table is avoiding either.
Every side, ranked
Creamed corn ($4.00)
The one to order, and it is not close. It is made in house, it is the second-most-mentioned item on the whole menu after the biscuits, and it is closer to a side dish than to a vegetable — sweet, rich and thick enough to eat with a fork. If you only order one side, order this.
Mac and cheese ($3.99)
Made in the restaurant like everything else, and the side that will keep a table of children quiet. It is good rather than exceptional, and it competes directly with the creamed corn for the same slot on your plate. If you are ordering two sides for yourself, take the corn and something green rather than two rich ones.
Baked beans ($4.00)
The tied-most-expensive side at $4.00 and the most conventional thing on this list. Smoky, sweet, exactly what you expect. Nothing wrong with it; nothing about it justifies choosing it over the corn.
Sweet potato casserole ($3.99)
Sweet enough to be a dessert, and worth knowing that before it lands next to your pulled pork. It is a genuinely Southern plate item rather than a chain invention, and it works far better alongside smoked turkey or chicken than beside ribs and a sweet sauce.
Coleslaw ($3.50)
Tied for cheapest, and more useful as a component than a side. The kitchen already knows this: the Pork and Slaw Sandwich ($11.03) is Carolina-style with the slaw on the bun, and that is the best version of this ingredient on the menu.
Green beans ($3.50)
The lightest side by a distance at roughly 90 calories, against about 260 for the creamed corn. Southern green beans are usually cooked with pork, so ask if that matters to you.
What sides cost here versus elsewhere
Sides run $3.50 to $4.00, a narrow band. That is a shade above the $3.49 flat rate at Sonny's, and it looks expensive next to Lucille's, where sides are included with the plate. The counter-argument is the one that runs through this entire chain: these are cooked in the building, that morning, by someone who had to be trained to do it.
You are paying roughly 50 cents a side over the category for that. On the creamed corn it is obviously worth it. On the baked beans it is a matter of taste.
How to build the plate
- One rich, one green. Creamed corn plus green beans is the balanced pairing for $7.50.
- With ribs, avoid the sweet sides. Sweet potato casserole against a sweet-sauced rack is too much of one idea.
- For a group, over-order sides. At $3.50 to $4.00 they are the cheapest way to make a spread look generous — more on that in the catering guide.
- Always add the $2.00 biscuits. Every time.
Full current pricing for sides, plates and everything else is on the Jim 'N Nick's menu page.