Hanover Street, L1
Review by Hannah Fowler
‘Let there be meat’, reads the neon sign from the window of Red’s True Barbecue on Liverpool’s Hanover Street. The American-style smokehouse chain has opened its first restaurant in the city, promising to rid us of the plague of the ‘bad British barbecue’.
Inside, the restaurant is designed to look like an old school garage – think industrial décor, a clash of wood and metal, not to mention the giant truck suspended from the ceiling.
Split over three floors, the top level transports you to a retro-styled living room, complete with jarring prints and an aquarium. The restaurant also acts as a live music venue, bringing some local talent to the forefront.
While the religious language to describe the menu may be tongue-in-cheek, Red’s True Barbecue is very serious about its meat. The menu is full of weird and wonderful dishes to indulge in. Its donut burger has become somewhat famous and we’re told by our waitress that it is the perfect balance between sweet and savoury.
While we studied the menu, my friend and I ordered some housemade beef jerky (£4.50) to snack on and two bottles of Orchards cider. Just like the food menu, there is a wide selection of drinks on offer from cocktails, beer and spirits to boozy shakes.
L to R: Customise your own meat tray from a selection of ribs and cuts; The Licktators ice cream, including marshmallow flavour
After lots of help from our waitress, who was very knowledgeable about the different cuts of meat and what we should try, we decided on a custom-made meat tray to share. You can choose as many cuts of meat and sides as you like, as they are all priced individually.
For our meat tray, we ambitiously chose the St Louis ribs (£12.95, with no sauce, as suggested by our waitress), pulled pork (£4.95), Usda black angus beef brisket (£8.95) and baby back ribs (£7.50). For our sides, we went for skin-on fries (£1.95) and mac-n-cheese (£2.95).
The generous portions meant we were defeated from finishing the whole tray, but we gave it a good shot. All the meat was cooked to perfection and was packed full of flavour. The St Louis ribs were a particular highlight, as the pork was tender and fell off the bone. The baby back ribs, smothered in a tangy BBQ sauce, were succulent and tasty.
The benefit of choosing the meat tray is that you can create your own ‘pic-n-mix’ of meats and try dishes you wouldn’t ordinarily pick.
While I loved the rich flavour of the Usda black angus beef brisket, my friend wasn’t so keen, but with three other meats on the table, she wasn’t disappointed. The mac-n-cheese was delicious and creamy with cheese bubbling away on top and the crispy fries were a welcome addition to our meat offerings.
Never one to turn down a dessert, I finished the evening with a chocolate peanut butter cheesecake (£4.95) which was as indulgent as it sounds. My friend opted for two scoops of ice cream – marshmallow and vanilla custard (£4.00) by independent ice cream ‘revolutionaries’ The Licktators.
I would definitely head back to Red’s for a second visit. Unlike some chain restaurants, the experience felt authentic, on brand and the staff seemed genuinely interested in making sure you had a great visit. Amen to that.
