Restaurant Review: Southern 11 in Spinningfields

If you stopped by earlier you would have seen that I wrote about my meal out at Southern 11 last night. If you are based in Manchester (or are due to visit) this is one place you should head to if you like BBQ meat. Put it this way, it is the place I chose as our last proper meal out in the city before we move.

"Juicy, Smoky, Flavoursome Meat. For us BBQ is a way of life straight from the eleven Southern States of America or the barbecue belt as it's known. We smoke and cook dishes from scratch every day to produce the best good honest barbecue in Manchester with home-made sides straight from the heart." - Southern 11

We were served by Izzy who took a friendly, but not overbearing approach - perfect for a restaurant such as this. She showed us to our table which was located right at the back of the room; if you read my review about Dough you will already know that I prefer to be tucked away where people can't walk into your chair or table by accident.

The atmosphere in the restaurant is really relaxed, but the decoration is also really striking. There is glossy wood décor, and ambiance is created by spotlights and fairy lights. It is truly a place that appeals to the tastes of gluttonous "all you can eat BBQ" men, as well as the more petite female diner, or vice versa. (I have been known to go to a Chinese buffet and then stop off at McDonald's on the way home - don't judge me).

Anyway, you will want to know what I had to eat... I opted for the Southern Tasting Platter (£12. 95) as I simply couldn't settle on just one type of meat. It was made up of 18 hour smoked pulled pork, beef brisket, pork belly ribs, and skinny fries. Out of the items on the platter, my favourite had to be the pulled pork as it was very flavoursome and soft. Unfortunately the mood lighting in the restaurant wasn't highly conducive to phone photography so I haven't got a picture of it, but I guarantee you it looked (and tasted) delicious.

To accompany my main course I had a cheeky cocktail called Miss American Pie (£6. 50). It was from their 'signature cocktails' section of the menu, and they describe it as a "delightful mix of brandy, apple, cinnamon, nutmeg and a splash of half and half". I'm a huge fan of apple based cocktails (I once went to TGI Friday's in Manchester and the waiter whipped up a cocktail for me based on this fact alone - unfortunately it wasn't on the menu so I can't order it again! I can tell you it had a gummy worm in it though).

I loved the flavour and sweetness of the cocktail at Southern 11, so it was only natural that I would end up ordering a dessert after I had finished my main. I chose the New York Baked Vanilla Cheesecake £4. 95) which tasted exactly as cheesecake should, however I think the main strength of the menu definitely comes from the main courses and cocktails.

Overall, our bill came to £43. 55 as we had bought a drink, main course and dessert each. Under £50 is always something I like to see when it is a week night meal for two. However you can cut the costs by heading to the restaurant on a Tuesday night for their 'All You Can Eat BBQ & A Free Beer" offer for £14. 95 per person.

So would I recommend Southern 11? Of course I would! Unless you are going as a group of vegetarians. Although if you are, there are a few options on the menu if you are heading there with a group of meat eaters!

Have you been to Southern 11? What other BBQ places do you like to head to in the UK? Leave me a comment below :-)