Chiswick, that lawless wild west of London, finally has its own barbecue restaurant. Sort of.

Certain restaurants are suited for certain occasions. It’s a rather obvious thing to point out – most people don’t wander into a fine dining restaurant to have a bellicose celebration, for example. And yet it’s a factor worth bearing in mind with L’il Nashville. With line dancing or live music (country or blues) on most nights, this Chiswick restaurant isn’t somewhere to go to for an intimate tête-à-tête.

But if you are in the mood for some American-themed cheesiness, then L’il Nashville can be a lot of fun, from its somewhat kitschy decor to its good-natured crowds. L’il Nashville’s barbecue is in a similar kind of conditional halfway house – it’s pretty good. It’s not great, especially if you’ve ever been to Texas Joe’s. But it’s certainly not terrible either – especially if you want some slightly hammy fun with your meal and also don’t want to leave suburban south west London. Although it is worth bearing in mind that their kitchen closes unusually early, several hours before they stop serving drinks. One can only speculate why – perhaps it’s the cirrhosis-riddled honky-tonk groin-gyrators that really pay the bills at this restaurant, rather than eaters of smoked meats.

L’il Nashville’s brisket, sliced relatively thick, came with a bark that was reasonably moreish, but not exceptionally so. There wasn’t enough connective tissue, but the rest of each slice was at least tender and reasonably moist.

Curiously, L’il Nashville no longer serves any type of pork rib, instead only offering beef short rib – a cut that is arguably much harder to smoke to an acceptably high standard. In any case, the short rib had a forgettable bark and didn’t have enough connective tissue. But, much like the brisket, it was at least reasonably moreish, tender and moist.

The kitchen clearly has some consistency issues with its pulled pork. One portion had noticeable amounts of sweetness and acidity in its tender, moist strands. Yet a second, while retaining those admirable textural traits, was far, far blander.

Although the promised jalapeno was missing in action, the cornbread was otherwise a triumph. Each and every mouthful was fluffy, moist, nutty and moreish with occasional hints of creamy cheesiness.

While I was primarily interested in L’il Nashville for its barbecue, I’ll spare a word for its ‘extra hot’ take on Nashville hot chicken. Five words, to be specific: not spicy hot. At all.

The Verdict

The barbecue at L’il Nashville wasn’t as bad as I had feared, but neither was it as superlative as I had dared to hope for. To be clear, it is better than the likes of Bodean’s and Big Easy, so that Chiswick-ites and other west Londoners don’t strictly need to head into zone 1 for a seat at Texas Joe’s anymore. But L’il Nashville’s atmosphere can only make up for its merely acceptable barbecue to an extent. To be truly, utterly, gutturally satisfied – to taste American-style barbecue at its best in London – there’s still no better choice than Texas Joe’s.

Name: L’il Nashville

Address: 11 Barley Mow Passage, Chiswick, London W4 4PH

Phone: 020 4619 8285

Web: https://www.lilnashville.co.uk/bar-kitchen

Opening Hours: Wednesday-Thursday 17.00-23.00 (kitchen closes 21.00); Friday 17.00-00.30 (kitchen closes 20.00); Saturday noon-00.30 (kitchen closes 20.00); Sunday 11.00-20.00 (kitchen closes 18.00). Closed Monday-Tuesday. 

Reservations: probably a good idea

Average cost for one person including soft drinks and service charge: £52-62 approx.

Rating: ★★★☆☆