Needless to say, in true BerkandBite style I made it my business to find out what it was called and what it was they served. Bluegrass BBQ Smokehouse does American-style low-‘n’-slow BBQ; think pulled pork, brisket, chicken wings, pancakes - the works. It’s on a slightly lower level than the rest of the buildings, so you have to go down some steps to get to the entrance, and it isn’t too obviously a food venue from afar. You have to get quite close and kind of lean a little to peer in. It looked cute, so I popped it on the list of places I fancied trying while living here.
It has taken me until summer 2019 to get around to going, but I finally made it with one of my friends last week (June 2019, a mere 8 months after arriving in Reading) after giving her my list of want-to-try food venues to choose from that night. As soon as I mentioned Bluegrass she said yes – she’d been there before apparently and it had been awesome. Enough said.
Despite the building looking quite small from the outside, I was still surprised to see how small the place was inside. I had thought maybe it was deceiving but it isn’t. It’s got a cosy feel, and we were immediately seen to at the door and seated at the front of the restaurant, in a corner with two other tables. The gentleman explained that we could order at the bar but there would be a 20 minute wait on food as the kitchen was ‘manic’. There were only 3 tables in so I was a bit confused but we agreed we could wait and sat down.
I was a bit surprised that there wasn’t table service, as having a host to sit you down gave it a more formal vibe. However, the tables were laid with menus, cans of cutlery, a roll of kitchen roll and four different BBQ sauces for you to choose from. It was pretty laid back and cool.
There was plenty of choice on the menu from all kinds of burgers, classic BBQ dishes, mac and cheese, chicken wings and even salads. They have deals on Monday – Thursday to encourage week day dining – the Thursday deal was a basket of BBQ’d meat with fries and a beer for £10! That is a steal down south where I find that food and drink is pretty inflated everywhere. Unfortunately, we were after wine so I didn’t end up getting this deal but I certainly would if I was drinking beer. The menu is well priced overall, and there seems to be something for all wallet sizes. Claire decided on the Hickory chicken wings (described as sweet rather than hot by our server) and the chilli cheese fries. She went for the side portion of wings (6) as opposed to the full sized portion of 12. I couldn’t decide, which is nothing new, and I do love to ask for recommendations so I asked the guy if he would recommend the Mac Daddy (mac and cheese topped with pulled pork and pickles) or the Tennessee BBQ bun (pulled pork in a bun with an onion ring, cheese, lettuce and tomato – fries were extra). He recommended the Mac Daddy immediately but then when I said I’d have it, he seemed to be confused about whether I was having this dish or the mac and cheese burger. I discovered he wasn’t that familiar with the menu and decided on the Tenessee BBQ bun instead, which was then mistaken for the Tennessee Blue Burger. Thankfully, I pay attention or I think I would have had the wrong meal, and I don’t know if this is due to him being new or the menu having too many items of a similar name? Anyway, it didn’t really matter.
We sat and chatted while the country music played in the background and our food was with us before the predicted 20 minutes, which was great, and we both got the right meal - phew. The pulled pork was fantastic and the BBQ sauce was sweet and tangy. I dipped the skin on fries into a BBQ sauce from the selection of them, one of which was a BBQ mustard sauce. I didn’t notice the onion ring if I’m honest. I forgot it was there as there was so much going on with the pulled pork and cheese, but it didn’t matter as I was enjoying my meal so much. Claire enjoyed her wings and chilli cheese fries but could have done with a little water bowl to wash her hands in. The portions were definitely generous enough for us girls – too generous for Claire on the chicken wing front, which I think is certainly a tick in the positive box.
The table next to us had a sharing platter selection which included (from what I could hear) brisket, pulled pork, chicken, fries and corn (there may have been other things too) which looked great too – perfect for those who like to share and can’t decide from all of the great sounding options.
My plate was clean. I forgot to take a picture until I was already digging in – need I say any more? I was more than satisfied.
I didn’t get dessert, but they’re not short of some tempting treats. There are sundaes, brownies and cheesecakes. Everything you’d expect from a place mimicking the Deep South. The peanut butter cheesecake sounded amazing, as did the brownies and ice cream, but we decided to go for cocktails elsewhere instead of having dessert.
Bluegrass are open from 8am-late in three venues including Reading, Windsor and High Wycombe serving award winning breakfast, lunch and dinner (mornin’, noon and night as they say). I’m certainly keen to try some of the other things on the menu, and would come in for breakfast with friends. I can imagine it being the perfect Sunday hangover cure!
They’re certainly as good as other, small chain BBQ restaurants I’ve been to in the north of England, namely Red’s True BBQ or the recently demised Rub Smokehouse which was famed for its viral man v food dishes and all-you-can-eat chicken nugget nights which shut it’s two branches suddenly in early 2019. I’d even go as far to say that the food was as delicious as the meal I had at independent and newly famous and award winning Hang Fire in Barry, Wales too – although the edge is gained by Hang Fire in that they make every single thing on the menu, including the sauces/anything at all that they serve, and the cocktails and table service is absolutely wonderful and next level. Getting a table is a challenge though, as it has a 3 month waiting list and will require you to travel to Wales. It's worth it, but Bluegrass can certainly cure your BBQ cravings closer to home and on the day.I really liked Bluegrass and I can definitely see myself coming back. My tastebuds were delighted, my stomach was full and I was left wanting more. The breakfast, mac and cheese, as well as the cheesecakes are definitely in my sights!
Have you ever been to Bluegrass? Or is it now on your list? Let me know in the comments!
Laura x
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