The Pit

Really cool barbecue spot in Merrion. Had the beef brisket sandwich on brioche with a side of baked beans. The meal was great, brisket was damn near perfect. Everything else on the menu looks delicious, and fairly priced. 2 for 1 burgers on Monday makes for even better value. Also pool and table tennis if that’s your thing.
Downside…the sandwich was a bit small, which is strange for a barbecue place. Would have liked some real volume to the meat.

Went here for a burger and a drink on a Friday night. Food was gorgeous, everyone at the table enjoyed their food.

Been here a few times and love it.
It’s burgers and BBQ foods and had my Christmas do here, making cocktails. The cocktail making was fun with much needed finger food at half way point.
There’s also a ping pong table and the atmosphere is relaxed and friendly but as its in the basement it is a tad dark, hence 4 stars but they’ve recently added tables and chairs outside on the street, which is closed.
It is also a bit out of the way so is a bit of a trip to get there but I think it’s worth it.

Effing horrible.
It’s got some nice décor ‘elements’, and the staff were absolutely lovely (surprisingly), but the drinks were student town drinks, and the food was some of the worst ‘bbq’ fare I’ve had in a while (also, if you’re a vegetarian who doesn’t eat mushrooms you’re pretty much stuck with chips).
I’m sure if you’re the demographic that the place is aiming for then it’s everything you want in the world, but as someone a little older who likes food that is good, who likes drinks that are top shelf, who likes not to be surrounded by fake tanned wags and bristly loud mouth lads, then I found it to be a little effing horrible.
Hated the toilets too.

Time to get my Wu-​Tang Clan on and twerk it frontwise down the steps into The Pit. We popped in here for lunch about a month ago after getting more than a little fed up with the idiosyncratic system at Reds (only managed to eat there once in 8 months… having tried now 4 times).
Take a cowboy stroll around the side of Handpicked Hall and there, where once you could stumble downstairs into a dingy old nightclub heaving en masse with sweaty bro-​skis («But the dank Moe! The dankl!») you can now trip the light fantastic into a rustic style rib shack, the air around you alive with the delicious scent of roasted and bbq meat.
It’s a large eating area with an extensive bar and booths or long tables depending on the size of your party. Warm wooden furnishings and bare red brick with soft lighting make for a comforting and casual eating experience.
I of course had some ribs, being as I am so enamoured with the yummy sides of a pig, and Adrian had a black and blue burger. Both were cooked perfectly and hellish moorish. The provided sauces were rich and smokey without being excessively sweet and the chips with exactly the kind of crisp/​fluffy ideal that you should want and expect.
Prices were moderate and fitting for the portion size and quality of the food but The Pit does lose a star for being stingey with the drinks. A schooner (²⁄₃ pint) of Brooklyn for nigh on a fiver is outrageous, to serve a very strong beer in a small glass a la Brew Dog/​North Bar is one thing but a simple lager? Tut tut. Especially with several places in Leeds now having Brooklyn on tap, a pint coming in at around £4 absolute max.
So disappointed at being forced to drink less and pay more and wouldn’t come here with plans for drinking on that principle more than anything else but overall a great place to chomp through excellent food in a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.

This review is all about the food, baby! Sadly I can’t review the delicious looking beverages that were on show, as I was the designated driver on both visits to The Pit. We had gone mainly for food though, and I do look forward to going back for drinkies.
We tried The Pit after some pretty bad service on a visit to that other well known barbecue place not too long before, we fancied some meaty delights (oo-​er missus!) and The Pit had not long since opened, makes sense right?
The whole layout and feel of the place is fab, you have little booths, open tables, and huuuuge amounts of space. AND a mother-​flipping ping pong area! How cool is that!?!
Anyway, to the food. My first visit had me wolfing down some delicious meaty nachos (one portion to share was enough for us after we’d seen the size of other peoples’ mains), with just the right amount of spicyness balanced with guacamole and sour cream. Then I gave the Pit Master burger a go — a beef burger topped with pulled pork, topped with chicken, topped with cheese. With a side of sweet potato fries and corn on the cob I must add. Safe to say I didnt manage to finish the whole of it, and I have quite a hearty appetite! It was perfectly juicy, and cooked to perfection, and the sweet potato fries were to die for.
My second visit saw me sharing the meaty nachos again (they’re THAT good), followed by the half free-​range chicken. This was probably some of the best chicken I’ve ever had! The salty yet sweet lemony barbecue glaze was just gorgeous, and the chicken was so juicy and tender it was almost melt in the mouth.
Will definitely be visiting again, and I’d recommend you do too!

Thought I’d give ‘the pit’ a try on the basis of Mojo’s being right opposite, and I could fall in there afterwards and listen to some Jackie Wilson.
It was so good that I’ve been twice in two weeks…
The first few minutes are strange, because you just keep saying out loud «Jesus, this used to be Rio’s… how have they got rid of all the dank?!» So grab a beer (excellent choice of beer but incredibly expensive drinks), and let the smell of meat do its work on you. My mouth was soon ‘dripping like a bust fridge’.
The staff are great, they fit us in really quickly on a busy night, the music is excellent (they played foreigner AND the doobie bros.) and the atmosphere is great. Now, the food… I’m struggling for an adjective here, but if I was a teenage girl, I’d say the food was «totes amazeballs». It is so tasty… melt in your mouth, meaty goodness (I had the pit burger).
Go. Have a couple of pints before, and it is like tasting food for the first time. Cocktails are also excellent.
It’s a record… Twelve and three-​quarter thumbs up.
Neil.

Tell me if I’m beginning to sound like a old man, but 4 pound for a beer is a bit bloody steep for Leeds! Especially when realise the 4 pound pint of beer that you’ve just ordered isn’t even a pint! It’s two thirds of a pint, they call it a schooner. I’ve had schooners in overseas, they are nothing new, but at least in Australian bars they charge schooner prices! Oh it was a fiver for a medium glass of red. I’ll all for pubs and bars putting a few extra pennies on the price of drinks to keep the Yates Wine Lodge riff raff out, but The Pit are taking the mickey!
Sadly we didn’t order any food as we were in need a stiff drink after seeing the prices

I’m tempted to put down five stars for this joint already, on the basis of one visit, but I’ll hold back and try a second visit just to be sure. However, I was certainly won over on this initial experience.
The space is huge, and a far cry from the sticky floors of Rios, and Heaven and Hell before it. (I never went to H&H, but Rios was atrocious.) Now it gleams with fixtures anew, with a very keen eye for detail. I love that ‘The Pit’ is engraved (?!) into the floor in wooden letters. I love the long bar, with industrial feel piping for the lager taps. I love the wooden back bar, with more spirits than I think I’ve ever seen. And the range of craft beer, special lagers, and such is great. The dangled lighting, akin to that of Mook, is particularly attractive.
So, the big reason that I’m tempted to get carried away, and give out all the stars, is down to the bar staff. Not only were both chaps supremely friendly, but they were totally full of banter and knew their drinks. I mentioned I was a fan of whisky and rum cocktails, and they had no shortage of suggestions. I mentioned I loved an Old Fashioned, and we waxed lyrical about the ins and outs of making one just right — but they weren’t so bold as to ‘compete’ with the other bars I mentioned that make my favourite, which was a lovely touch. I’m not a fan of bar tenders assuming theirs is the best, so the respect for other local indies was evident. Props to that.
I tried two delicious cocktails, both of which I’ve forgotten the names of, so my apologies! The first was a peanut butter and bourbon mixture, which was ridiculously good. Sweet, peanutty delight. The next was in a tin can, and had passion fruit in, which was a nice change up from the previous drink. Perhaps the tiniest bit sweet for me, but even so, it went down well. It seems like this will be one to watch, and I can imagine many a fantastic night in here, and many more excellent cocktails to come.
P. s. One of the bar men has the most excellent set of chops I’ve ever seen. He is also the maestro that made the drinks. Top bloke.

I’m from the USA, land of the free and home of the BBQ. I’ve only found a handful of good bbq places in the UK and I’ve found even fewer with good burgers. However, in one fell swoop, The Pit has managed to win me over on both counts!
My wife and I had never been before and were a bit curious when we saw about 5 signs for «The Pit» on wallfronts before we finally reached the door. We descended the wooden steps into The Pit with just a hint of fear and trembling only to ascend back into the world victorious and stuffed full of meat an hour later!
The space is HUGE. I’ve been to Red’s and while I LOVE their food I don’t love the prices, queues, and cramped quarters that are complimentary side orders. The Pit, however, had none of those. The prices seemed pretty reasonable for what you got, there was no wait at all before we were seated, and we had vast fields of hardwood floors to enjoy as we feasted far from all neighbouring tables.
We dove right in with the Philly Fries which tasted amazing but were a bit small for the price. The wife went for a veggie burger and curly fries, which she thoroughly enjoyed. I opted for the double Black & Blue burger despite my many awful experiences with burgers in the UK. Lady luck smiled on me that night as I was not disappointed in the slightest!
The black and blue burger came spiced with cajun spices (a bit light on the spice for my taste), topped with brilliant brisket, and plenty of bleu cheese crammed in between the patties. I made short work of the tall burger and waddled away immensely satisfied.
Bottom line, if you want burgers and brisket without breaking the bank then The Pit is your best bet!

Agree with above– great use of this space (previously Heaven and Hell!)
Really good meat dishes– I had the Pit Master which was a really good juicy burger with chicken and pulled pork (probably to rival the equivalent in Red’s). My boyfriend had the ribs which were big with a tasty BBQ sauce (but not as meaty as Red’s). Philly fries indulgent but yummy. Good range of Kraft beers (in schooners so a bit pricey) but their own «canary» beer washed the meat down well.
The music was fun and varied– being on the same street as Mojos/​Reform you would have to expect that. Predictable indie to begin with and then some 80s/​90s anthems and a few other classics in the mix while we were playing ping-​pong in the Den. The staff were very helpful and table service is a good idea.
Some recognisable bits from the other Arc establishments but all quite different from each other due to the locations.
Want to head back to sample some of the cocktails!

Good food, good beer, good music. What more do you need on a Thursday afternoon when everyone else is in work?
The BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich went down a treat with a pint of Blue Moon, and according to two of my friends; the Philly Fries are amazing. The staff were friendly and efficient, and seemed to have a good knowledge about the draft beers on offer, which is definitely a good sign.
I’ll definitely be back — perhaps next time for a game of table tennis…