The Old Restoration Smokehouse

The Old Restoration is Cheltenham’s oldest pub with the newest menu and it was re-branded into a Smokehouse at end of 2018 and began serving house-smoked BBQ. We were excited to hear of this refreshing addition to the town’s competitive food scene as American style BBQ food is rare in Cheltenham.

We dined on a wet and windy Friday night which caused the atmosphere inside the pub to disappear with the punters. We struggled to smell any evidence that we’d walked into a BBQ joint which we felt was a missed opportunity and the lack of smokey smells genuinely worried us.

After some muttering we sat down anyway and picked the sharing platter for £35 as we’re always looking for the option that gives us the most food for the best value! Furthermore, a meal for one is priced at £14.95 which consists of three meat options, chips, corn and slaw.

Our order arrived..

• 1 Short Rib
• 2 slices of Smoked Chicken breast
• 4 Ribs
• 2 Links (BBQ speak for sausages)
• 1 bowl of Pulled Pork
• 1 bowl of Burnt Ends
• 2 bowls of Seasoned Fries
• 2 Cobs of Corn
• Too much Slaw

We felt the portion size was perfectly adequate for two people, or a heck of a feast for one! Even with a generous portion size, it didn’t take us long to strip the Short Rib bone clean, inhale the Seasoned Fries and mop up the succulent sauce from the Burnt Ends bowl, although for some reason our food still seemed to lack something memorable. We’re always on the look out for quailty BBQ in The Cotswolds, for the reason that we absolutely love it, but it’s certainly hard to find. So far first place goes to Upton Smokery.

What was best about the meal?

• Good quality meat
• Cooked in-house
• Portion size got a thumbs up
• Rib meat fell away easily
• Short Ribs are rich and flavourful cuts of meat
• Seasoned fries were at no extra cost
• The Links had great flavour
• Burnt Ends were wonderfully rich and smokey
• Slaw was light on the mayo and wonderfully crunchy and fresh tasting
• Great selection of real ales
• Waiting staff we’re friendly and looked after us perfectly well.

A little constructive feedback

• The fries weren’t anything special and could be improved by making them more rustic.
• Straight after being served to us the food on the main platter was lukewarm.
• Introducing their own signature BBQ sauce would give an extra dimension.
• Zhuzh up the atmosphere to suit a BBQ joint.

Conclusion

In conclusion, The Old Restoration certainly blows Frankie & Benny’s and TGI Friday’s food off the BBQ any day of the week, but if you’re serious about BBQ and love Bodean’s in London, Red’s True BBQ in Manchester, or pretty much any BBQ joint in America, The Old Restoration’s offering will satisfy you, but probably won’t blow your mind.