Reds True BBQ - Restaurant Review

I've never really considered myself a religious person, in my younger years I used to attend church most Sundays but it was never something I was really into. It was really more of an attempt by my mother to steer my down the right path which half worked out; I reckon I've turned out alright. Now at 21 years of age I have discovered a new place of worship. Carrying out my prayers requires me to commute around 30 minutes in either direction from where I am currently situated, yet I try to visit one of these churches as often as possible.

Meat is my religion and Reds is my church.

With the franchise recently expanding into Manchester and Headingly, I thought it fitting to share my thoughts before the chain secures national domination.

This review may already sound biased but just to let you know my relationship with Reds has not always been so full of love; in fact we got off to a pretty rocky start.  On a cold October night last year I made the pilgrimage to its doors, only to be turned away like when I was 10years old and wore a slayer shirt to church. Informed that I would be waiting for up to 4 hours I had to walk off back into the night a hungry defeated man, only to be taken advantage of by ‘Handmade Burger Co’ where my taste buds and bank account were well and truly violated. This night scared me for life, however I was determined to not let it get me down. I gathered my energy and after a few weeks put myself out there again and was thankfully greeted by Red’s warm embrace through it’s doors and have been welcomed back ever since.

It’s worth mentioning the no booking policy, which is the only complaint I repeatedly hear about the place. As I have experienced it’s rather frustrating turning up somewhere and being told you’ll have to wait for hours, that being said it makes getting in all the more satisfying. All you really need is some common sense and a bit of luck, if you turn up with 8 mates at 7PM on a Saturday night and find it outrageous that you’re not able to waltz in and sit down at a table, then you are genuinely quite stupid. The Leeds restaurant alone caters to nearly 20,000 diners a month so you've got to be tactical about getting in. My recommendation is to avoid weekends completely unless you’re Jay Z, go for lunch on a weekday or get there around 5 and you should manage it.   

The fact that it’s always so busy means there’s an incredible atmosphere every time you eat here. The amount of times I've sat down in a restaurant and there’s barely anyone else there, even if the food and service is good; it’s pretty awkward. You need not worry about this at Reds and I’m sure the same can be said for the Manchester branch, as I understand half the city is already converted into believers.  Another excellent feature is the encouragement regarding social media, among the soulful decor you’ll find web addresses for the reds Instagram page, encouraging you to hash tag at will. Wherever I go and no matter whom I am with, I always sweat a little when I take a picture of my food, despite never failing to make time to do so. I don’t know why, I see people instagramming their food all the time yet I never see people taking pictures in real actual human being life. Am I missing something? Is there a secret way of doing it? Regardless Reds essentially encourage it, that’s the king of supportive friend I need.

I've made my way through a decent amount of the Reds menu, so I’ll draw attention to a few of my favorites here.

The pit burger; my go to choice, optimizes man food. If you threw that thing into the middle of a farm I’m pretty sure the animals there would cry their eyes out upon seeing their friends and family sliced up and crammed in between two buns. It’s huge for starters and there’s so much meat on this thing it’s unreal. Two steak burgers, brisket, pulled pork and streaky bacon topped with cheese, dill pickle, tomato, lettuce, dirty sauce, American mustard and BBQ sauce between a brioche bun. It still remains as the best burger I’ve ever had, a title that still has few contenders. If you’re planning on eating this the come prepared, it’s not the easiest of tasks. My build is probably more Pete Docherty than Brock Lesnar but I am proud to say I have demolished quite a few of these bad boys in my time without leaving anything (excluding the sides).

Speaking of the sides you can’t really go wrong with any of them. You’re able to choose between humble and divine, humble sporting options such as skin on fries and grits and divine boasting sweet potato fries and pit beans. I pretty much go for the pit beans every time now, smoky bbq beans mixed with onions, pulled pork and burnt ends, they’re delicious and essentially a meal in themselves.

Other menu standouts include the pulled pork burger, pretty straightforward and something you’ll find pretty much anywhere these days; 2013/14 has to be the worst year to be a pig. Reds of course do it extremely well and I think you’ll struggle find a PP butty this good (and cheap) anywhere in the North.

The focal point of any BBQ place is without a doubt the ribs, and with Reds recently placing on the top 8 places to get ribs in the UK among a load of London hot shots; I doubt you’ll need my word to confirm that their ribs are pretty special.

Basically this place is excellent, I’m yet to find any real fault with it. Chances are if you live remotely near Leeds you will have already worshiped the meat at Reds; if you haven’t then you’re probably mental.

With regards to Manchester, yes there is a lot of choice in this culinary oasis but next time you’re choosing, choose reds and you’ll never look back.