The décor is snazzy - walls covered with framed pictures and guitars, while the lighting creates a deliberate and cosy effect of clutter, but the food is hearty and downright amazing despite being unfussy. At KC's Rib Shack and Barbeque in Manchester, the emphasis is clearly on good food cooked well and with simple methods to ensure maximum flavor. Meats are rubbed with spices a day before they are slow cooked in hickory smoke at low temperatures for that succulent taste.

Appetizers that set the meal in motion could include smoked sausage chunks with mustard dip or Bubba's Firehouse chili with cheese. Sandwiches and salads with pulled pork, chicken breast or bacon are also popular options but a visit to the Rib Shack without sampling their famed basted porch ribs would be impossible. A range of combo offers brings together chicken, ribs and sausages in tantalizing ways leaving you with the satisfying thought that you have tried a little something of everything even if standing up takes its toll.