Smokehouse & Cellar tops the stack and serves the best burgers in town

The Dirty Double or the Miss Piggy? How about a Buffalo Soldier, a Pitmaster Stack or an Outlaw burger?

The mouthwatering menu is at Smokehouse & Cellar – Mid Cheshire’s Best for Burgers 2023.

Each week, we will be searching for the best Mid Cheshire has to offer in different categories and we’ve given out 19 awards for 2023.

The winners so far:

Best for Hair – Oliver Gibney Hairdressing

Best for Pies – Ka Pie

Best for Nails – Samantha Dean Nails and Makeup

Best for Roast Dinner – The Red Lion in Little Budworth

Best for Cocktails – Grape and Bean

Best for Breakfast – Kanya Bistro and Bar

Best for Fitness – Simon Daniels

Best for Fish and Chips – The Corner Fish and Chip Shop

Best for Tattoos – Ink FX Tattoo

Best for Pizza – Oakwood Smoke and Dough

Best for Pets – Willowsway Cat Rescue

Best Independent Shop or Business – The Style Hut

Best for Desserts – Layers Treats

Best for Kids – Popcat’s Music Time

Best Gym – Namix Performance Centre

Best Beer Garden – The Carriers Inn

Best for Afternoon Tea – Goostrey Home and Leisure

Voting for Mid Cheshire’s Best Café or Coffee Shop is currently taking place and we’re also looking for nominations in our latest search – Best for Curry.

Next on the menu was the search for Mid Cheshire’s Best for Burgers and Smokehouse & Cellar took the latest Best of 2023 title.

Smokehouse & Cellar opened on Regent Street in February

The business opened in Royal George Building on Regent Street in Knutsford just six months ago after moving from Manchester city centre and is owned by Sarah Johnson.

Smokehouse & Cellar was originally created around eight years ago in Manchester and was aimed at feeding people’s passion for BBQ food.

It also reached out to diners who were looking for good quality meat and fish dishes that were presented to a high standard and served on quality plates with high end service not as the usual BBQ food on paper plates and in plastic containers.

Sarah said: “We provide a table-based dining experience both inside and outside on our sun terrace - weather permitting - and we also provide event and party celebrations, where we can help with any particular requirements.

She added: “It was also important for Smokehouse & Cellar to be comprehensive with its drink selection hence the Cellar part of the brand.

“We wanted to give people a great wine, spirit and beer menu to choose from and as a unique offering to Knutsford we have our tank beer system with two copper tanks containing 880 pints each of Staropramen beer, which is brought over from Prague every three weeks and pumped direct into our tank system.

“The beer is unpasteurised for freshness and only lasts three weeks - luckily our customers make short work of this!”

The talented team at Smokehouse & Cellar

Opening her own business was always a dream of Sarah’s and at the Knutsford venue she’s enjoyed working with local people and meeting new customers.

Sarah, whose background is in hospitality, said: “Opening my own business was always something that I wanted to do and in Knutsford it has been a pleasure working with our staff, who are all local to the area.

“As a family-owned business, we also have members of our family working here.

“Knutsford is a great area for restaurants with some great operators but I think our food style sets us apart from everyone else.

“It puts us firmly on the locals’ lips as a good choice for them.”

So what makes Smokehouse & Cellar’s burgers so special? Why did customers want them to win our latest Best of 2023 award?

An award-winning burger

This American style BBQ restaurant is in the heart of Knutsford and has “the best burger menu”.

One happy customer said: “The burgers are off the charts.

“Any burger is amazing!”

Sarah says the burgers are carefully thought out and the particular mix for the burgers is crafted to their own specification.

Their sauces are made in house and their toppings - pulled pork, brisket and bacon - are all smoked in house in smoker ovens.

Local supplier Michael McDonald is responsible for the lettuce, tomato and onion.

The tank beer system in the middle of the restaurant holds 880 pints of beer, which is shipped from Prague every three weeks

Sarah said: “Popular burgers are the Dirty Double and Miss Piggy, the Buffalo Soldier and Pitmaster Stack and let’s not forget the Outlaw burger which is vegan.

“The best thing about my job is putting smiles on people’s faces and looking after people's night out – we need to make sure we do a good job every time.

“We were very honoured to have made the shortlist for the area’s best burger, especially given the high standard of the other entries.

“To win, after only being open for a short time, is a great achievement for us and shows that we are getting things right.

“We would like to thank all our customers who have voted for us in this competition and for their continued to support in choosing to come and eat with us, week in week out."

For more details go to facebook.com/KnutsfordSmokehouseandCellar