This review has been a very long time coming. A very long time indeed. I've lost count of the times that I've eaten at Red's True Barbecue in Leeds since it opened its doors in September 2012 - I can't believe that it's been here for that long! It's easily one of my favourite restaurants in the city centre, and for good reason. The food is always fantastic, the atmosphere is great, and it's reasonably priced, especially considering the location. Red's is always extremely busy, especially on a weekend, which is its only downside. More often than not, when arriving at the restaurant there is at least an hours wait before you can be seated; not ideal for a spontaneous meal out, but with a bit of planning it's always worth the wait. But, instead of being forced to stay in the restaurant, racking up the spending at the bar or queuing outside, a server takes your name and number and gives you a ring when a table is free. This means you can go do what you want in that time, which is much more preferable. Me and Martin visited last weekend and had a waiting time of about 45 minutes, which was actually less than we were expecting.




The primary reason for our visit this time around was to try out some of the new items on the menu - and we were truly spoilt for choice. Like most restaurants, Red's chop and change their menu every once in a while to keep things fresh and exciting, and we couldn't wait to sink our teeth into some of their new offerings! As a starter, we shared some Mac-N-Cheese Balls - deep fried, with a nacho crumb and served with a Pickleback BBQ Sauce to dip them in. It might sound disgusting to some, but let me tell you - don't knock them until you've tried them. They are outstanding. Satisfyingly crunchy on the outside, soft and gooey with melted cheese and pasta on the inside, and when dipped into the sauce, it really takes them to another level. The sauce was as tangy and as unusual as you might expect, being made from pickle juice, and was so good that we saved what we had left to have with our mains! My only criticism is that there was an odd number of them - three - meaning that we had to cut one in half so we could have an equal share. But then, I'm not sure whether this is meant to be enjoyed as a starter on it's own or shared, so there might be a good reason for that. They were so good that I wanted them all to myself! To wash them (and the rest of the meal) down, I opted for a Homemade Sweet Iced Tea, which was light and refreshing, with a zesty twist - a great accompaniment to such a rich and filling meal.




Next up were our mains, and we both ended up going for the same thing, which is rare for us! We usually like to order something different so we can try each others, but this looked and sounded so good that we couldn't resist it. The main in question was The Pitmaster Sandwich; brisket, cheese & jalapeño sausage, pulled pork, slaw, barbecue sauce, sliced jalapeños, topped off with a fried pickle and served in a brioche bun. Phew! As you can tell from the picture, it was a ridiculous amount of food and I knew it was going to be worth the food baby that I would inevitably end up with. For my side, I chose the Frickles (fried pickles), and Martin had Skin-On Fries and Cornbread. With so much packed inbetween two pieces of bread, you'd think that the flavours would cancel each other out, but I was surprised to find that this wasn't the case. Maybe it's because I had to deconstruct my sandwich to actually eat it! The cheese and jalapeño sausage was my favourite part, with its deep, smoky flavour and pleasant kick from the pepper. The brisket was juicy and very tender, and along with the pulled pork, the texture contrasted very nicely with the crunchy slaw. There was even some burnt bits that ended up in the filling, which only added to the overall enjoyment of the sandwich. The fried pickles were exactly as I like them; nice crispy batter - extremely important, as there's nothing worse than soft batter - and made with fresh pickles. Martin always enjoys their cornbread, which is why he picks it as a side nearly every time. Made with sweet potato, it was almost as sweet as it was savoury, especially when topped with their maple butter.




Usually, we cannot squeeze in a dessert of any description after their generously-sized mains, but somehow this time we did. That, and I'd already been eyeing up a few of the shakes that I wanted to try! After a little deliberation, I decided to go for the Mississippi Mud Brownie Malt - a combination of brownie, chocolate syrup, vanilla ice cream and extra malt. As for Martin... well, if you thought mine was extravagant, his was truly decadent! He chose the Bourbon Bacon Blitz; Wild Turkey bourbon, blended with smoked bacon and chocolate ice cream, topped with whipped cream, bacon bits and maple sauce. My shake was nothing like I expected it to be, as it arrived in a bottle, but well and truly satisfied my sweet tooth. Chunks of brownie kept making an appearance throughout - it's a good job that it came with a wide straw, otherwise I would have struggled to drink it! Martin was disappointed to find that there was no maple sauce on his shake, but he soon forgot about it when he tasted how strong it was. I wouldn't have been able to finish it, and I think Martin struggled as well! I don't know how many shots they'd put in there, but it was overwhelming - to the point where it was a struggle to taste the rest of the flavours. Toning the alcohol down a bit would definitely help in this case. The whipped cream was practically a meal in itself, it was so thick, and the bacon on top was ridiculous but very much enjoyed.



Red's True Barbecue is one of those restaurants that I will go to time and time again - and like I mentioned at the beginning of this post, it's one that I've visited multiple times in the past. This is because I know that they do excellent food, with generous portions which offers great value for money. You'd struggle to find anything as good quality as this for cheaper, especially in a city centre. There are many restaurants that offer barbecue food and so often it struggles to live up to my expectations, but Red's True Barbecue gets it right every single time. Even if I find something on the menu that I end up disliking, I can still see that they create every dish with passion, and the flavours speak for themselves in the end. Even though it does take a while to be seated, once you are the service is quick, with friendly servers and we are always happy to leave a tip at the end of the meal. Our meal, including the drinks, came to £47.40 which is very reasonable - especially due to the portion sizes. Red's True Barbecue have actually been so popular in Leeds that they have opened up three more restaurants in Headingley, Manchester and Nottingham, and I'm sure that they'll make it further down south as well, should they so choose. So, if you're ever in any of these places, I would highly recommend that you plan your time accordingly and make it your mission to go - I guarantee that you won't be disappointed!