Location: Smokey Barrels Bar and Grill, 1741 Coventry Road, Birmingham, B26 1DS
Opening Hours: 12pm – 11pm Monday to Sunday.
Parking: Large free car park
Additional Info: Babychanging Facilities.
When we were invited along to Smokey Barrels to check out the new restaurant, I have to admit, it felt a little bit like Christmas. As a family we absolutely love the whole American style restaurant theme and after having a quick peek online at the menu, I knew it was a must for us. Who better to review an American Style Bar and Grill, than a family who often frequent them.
As we followed the sat navs directions and pulled up at the restaurant, I spotted the Smokey Barrels sign and was a little underwhelmed. From the exterior, although tidy and clean, it looked like a pub you could expect people frequent just for drinks and food is an extra on the side. I got out of the car and took my exterior photos and we headed on inside.
Well, the saying ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’ is one to keep in mind here as the moment you open the front door and you walk into the restaurant, you are met with the WOW factor.
If you are a local or someone who has already been, you will be quick to agree with me. The inside of the restaurant demonstrates the time, effort and investment on this restaurant to transform it into what it looks like inside.
Easily seating 120 people, the restaurant has a variety of tables to sit at, all seemingly quite spaced out and private and all catering for different party sizes. The lighting reminded me of the fantastic work by The Workshop Below although I’m unsure if they did do this lighting.
The kitchen is open plan so you can see your food being cooked in the brand new twelve rack smoker where the woodchips get changed weekly to produce a different flavour to the meats. So each time you go back, you could have the same meal but with a different taste. How great is that!
And another extra during The World Cup is the addition of televisions to watch the matches so that you can still dine out without missing the games.
As soon as we entered the restaurant, Vijay greeted us and took us to a booth where we were handed menus and given a specials board to look at.
Jemima particularly enjoyed sitting in the booth as she could look at herself in the mirror above the table.
And Matilda was impressed with the big copper barrels behind our table.
We browsed the drinks menu before our order was taken.
I decided to try one of their American style milkshakes, the Nutty Monster (£4.25). A vanilla ice cream milkshake blended with a handful of M&Ms and a scoop of peanut butter. Topped with fresh cream and a dusting of chocolate it was absolutely delicious and very much enjoyed.
There was a decent selection of milkshakes to choose from, two other tempting ones for me were the Bubblebomb, a bubblegum flavoured ice cream with a popping candy surprise and an alcoholic cocktail called Bourbon Milk Punch, a thick vanilla ice cream shake with a single shot of the restaurants best Bourbon Whiskey. Topped with whipped cream.
My husband chose a pint of Coca Cola (£2.75) and Matilda and Jemima both had Fruit Shoots which came with their meals.
The drinks menu was fairly varied with drinks to suit every taste. Some examples including;
Hot Drinks – Tea and Coffees (£1.90), Herbal Teas, Cappuccino and Hot Chocolate (£1.95)
Alcoholic – Wine (from £3.75 a glass), Beers on tap (from £3.25 a pint), Craft Beers including Brew Dog (£4.35), Ciders (from £4.35), Spirits (from £3.85) and a selection of tasty sounding cocktails (varying in price from £5.95).
Non Alcoholic – Like the look of the cocktails but driving? Why not try one of the mocktails (from £5.95), a large soft drink (£2.75) or a small one (£1.90).
We browsed the food menu for quite a while looking at a variety of dishes, including a Spices section (for those who would rather a curry) before deciding on sticking with the American theme and trying The Barrels PitMaster Platter (£39.95). Advertised as a meal for two to share;
‘A meat feast of epic proportion! Texan, Tennessee and St Louis ribs, pulled pork, beef brisket, smoked pork cheddar and jalapeño sausage and chicken wings, served with house fries, slaw, corn and pickles’
And it was correct. Epic proportion indeed.
Our two favourites from the platter were the chicken wings which came with a slightly heated sauce on them.
Mr Trips thinks they were Buffalo Wings. The meat was succulent and by the time Mr Trips had finished with them, they were nothing more than a heap of bones. The St Louis ribs (my favourite) had a sweet flavour to them and the meat practically fell off the bone when eating it. Just writing this now is making me want to return for some more.
The platter was so big, we left at least a third of it and we decided it could easily be enough for 3-4 people. If your children are a bit older than ours, it would be a great family choice between you to share.
Our children were just a bit too young to enjoy munching down (safely) on ribs and wings, so instead they had the children’s meal deals. £6.95 each for a main, one side and a drink (or you can swap your drink for a dessert).
Matilda chose a 4oz Patty Burger on a brioche bun with a side of fries.
Jemima chose the Tomato Pasta with a side of corn on the cob.
For a childrens meal it would be nice to have the option of an additional side so they could have some veg without having to sacrifice the fries. But that’s just a small suggestion as a mum.
The girls both really enjoyed their meals and as they were quite good sized portions for their ages, they didn’t finish them all.
We unfortunately couldn’t review the desserts as I decided to pass on seeing the menu. We were all too full to even consider a pudding. Definitely a sign of a good meal out.
Overall we were incredibly impressed, even commenting on the toilets (I never review establishments toilets but this restaurant had toilets to mention). Just take a look at these…
The venue was very family friendly, the service was of a high standard, the interior was impressive and the food was great. Smokey Barrels can definitely stand up there (with their heads held high) with some of the top American Eateries currently on the scene.
Disclaimer: We were invited along to to have a family meal in return for an honest review. We have given that and highly recommend if you are looking for an American eatery that you come and try Smokey Barrels.
Hey, if you liked this review or maybe were inspired to try this out because of my post, you can always buy me or the kids a drink or a slice of cake on our next big trip! Just hit the button below, if you want to. 🙂
Buy me a coffee