Double D's Honky Tonk and Smokehouse Is Bringing Southern BBQ and Line Dancing to Downtown Willoughby

Dustin Dykstra has been thinking about this restaurant since before he could build it. Years of ideas — the barbecue concept, the upstairs party space, the stage — have been living in his head, waiting for the right moment. That moment arrived last August when his mother suggested he take a look at what was happening in downtown Willoughby. "I had the barbecue end of this idea I had in 2000... the upstairs party part I had in 2006," Dykstra said. "I'm kind of putting it all together in this 8,000-square-foot building." The result is Double D's Honky Tonk and Smokehouse, set to open at 3941 Erie St. in downtown Willoughby, the address longtime locals will recognize as the former home of Hola Tacos and Brim Kitchen, both of which closed abruptly in February. Before those concepts, the space housed Ola and Baroco. Dykstra said he had dined in the building under its previous tenants, visited the vacant space on a whim, and immediately saw what it could become. "I sent my mom a text and said, 'I think I've got an idea,'" he recalled. The name is personal: Dykstra's last name, his son Dylan's first name, and his mom and sister all share "Double D" initials, making the brand something of a family stamp. The space is being transformed with reclaimed barn wood, corrugated metal, whiskey barrels, vintage milk cans, and hay bales to create what Dykstra describes as a feel that's old and rustic but not commercialized. The centerpiece of the design might stop you cold: a platform built over a staircase overlooking the dance floor that will house a semi truck converted into a DJ booth. "If you walk in and don't go, 'Holy s—, this place is crazy,' then I didn't hit the mark," Dykstra said. ## Food Built From Scratch The menu reflects years of personal testing. Dykstra made 47 versions of his cornbread before landing on the one that will be served. He worked through more than two dozen barbecue sauce recipes. The result is a menu anchored by a wood fired smoker turning out Texas style beef brisket, pork belly, pulled pork, pulled chicken, and smoked sausage, served on large platters with pickles, onions, and bread. His personal favorite is the pork belly burnt ends appetizer — braised, fried, and roasted with the skin on rind that bubbles into cracklings, served dry with sauce on the side. "It's a little bit fatty, a little bit unctuous, a little bit of sweet heat from the sauce if you choose to use it," he said. "It's unfairly good." For those not in the barbecue mood, the menu includes deviled eggs, fried pickles, a BLT with house smoked bacon, fried chicken, and a double smash cheeseburger that Dykstra openly acknowledges as a nod to his years at Shake Shack, complete with the wax bag presentation. His dad's rib recipe gets a two hour smoke treatment before hitting the grill. "There will be enough things on the menu that if you didn't want barbecue or a smoked item, you can come in and have dinner and be really happy," Dykstra said. ## A Night Out, Not Just a Meal Downstairs seats approximately 175. The second floor, which features a patio overlooking the Chagrin River, will be reserved for private events and overflow rather than regular dining service. Dykstra made that call deliberately, citing both guest experience and respect for his staff. "I would rather frustrate them briefly than burn out my team every minute of every day," he said of skipping upstairs food service. Thursdays will feature line dancing lessons, with line dancing continuing on weekends. Reservations will be accepted, likely for parties of six or more, with roughly half the capacity held for walk-ins. ## The Team Behind the Table Dykstra is hiring, but not the way most restaurants do. He is bypassing a general manager and executive chef to start, instead bringing on an assistant general manager and a chef de cuisine — positions he wants to grow into leadership roles. His goal is to eventually offer those key employees equity in the restaurant. "I want the GM and the eventual executive chef to be partners in the restaurant quickly," he said. "There's a lot of equity that I can give out over the future for the right individuals." Double D's Honky Tonk and Smokehouse plans to open before May 15. More information is available at https://ddhonkytonk.com.