If you head south out of Portsmouth towards the coastal fringes of Southsea, you’ll find Meat and Barrell – a craft beer and burger kitchen that draws in crowds on any given evening. The interiors are suitably industrial with a dark wooden parquet floor, stripped back tables, metal chairs and grill shelving filling the dining room. Softening all of that is warm lighting and an array of potted plants hanging from the walls. The atmosphere is cosy and relaxed, so suits midweek meals as much as it does weekend feasting.
Most people come for the craft beer and the burgers, which are all squashed into soft, glazed brioche buns and served with skinny fries on the side for a complete meal. Classic beef burgers are made with thin, highly seasoned smash patties while there are plenty of chicken and vegan options too. Favourites include the Barrel which combines a double smashed patty with American cheese, bacon, onion rings, pickles, and the signature BBQ sauce which is made in-house. Elsewhere the Southern Stack brings together fried chicken, American cheese, bacon, hash browns and BBQ sauce. For plant-based eaters, popular serves include a vegan version of the Barrel and a Don’t Want No Beef which takes vegan fried ‘chicken’ and tops it with vegan cheese, hash browns, vegan ranch sauce, shredded lettuce, and vegan mayo.
It’s not all about the burgers through, there are also plenty of other combinations to choose from. Dirty fries are loaded up and come in all kinds of iterations, while there’s a full BBQ section that spans brisket and smoked wings through to ribs and pulled pork. Extras to add on the side include various forms of mac and cheese (with our favourite being the Deep South version thanks to a topping of pulled pork, Louisiana pepper sauce, grilled cheese and breadcrumbs) as well as buttermilk fried chicken tenders.