Following a recent refurb, Abbeydale Road cocktail bar Barrowboy have brought back their much-missed bao buns.
Barrowboy owner, Morgan Davies, recently joined forces with Andy Grice from Eccy Road favourite, The Dark Horse, to breathe fresh life into the venue. Andy’s first step has been to bring Slap and Pickle over to handle the food side of things.
Following the popularity of their smash burgers and loaded fries at The Dark Horse and elsewhere in the city, Slap & Pickle will launch a new brand in Barrowboy called BaoChickaWowWow, returning the bar to the days when Deckards could be found in their kitchen slinging bao.
Andy told Exposed: “I’m really excited to be given this opportunity to breathe some fresh energy into a very well established and much-loved neighbourhood bar by tying back into its foundations and bringing back the bao.”
Slap & Pickle UK Head of People and Business Development, Simon Barnes added: “Living just up the road at the time, I remember waiting with great excitement for Barrowboy to originally open. Now an established cornerstone of the independent bar scene, it’s a real honour to be a part of the relaunch and the perfect chance for our talented chefs to further showcase their skills under our new brand.”
The bar will remain as a cocktail bar predominantly, with the understanding that good beers are also important to guests and a range of premium lagers, IPA’s and ciders will still be available on tap to reflect this.
Andy said: “We want to take it back to what it was, while also bringing in premium products to pair with the food. It’s still a neighbourhood bar, offering cocktails seven days a week, but with some nice added extras.”
As well as extending the hours, they will also be opening in the daytime for coffees and for people to use the space for work and socialising. They also plan to host a music quiz on Sundays.
The bar itself has had a fresh lick of paint, new comfortable chairs have been added and a new window that completely opens the space up marks phase one of the bar’s renaissance, and Barrowboy’s new team has plans to keep moving.
Barrowboy founder, Mogan Davies said: “When Barrowboy began over six years ago, we were incredibly proud to bring a neighbourhood bar to Abbeydale Road, alongside the already-thriving PHS and Broadfield.
“We were equally thrilled to introduce Sheffield to Deckards and their bao! Since then, Abbeydale has gone from strength to strength, with top venues like the Dead Donkey joining the community and bringing their unique charm. It’s been a strange six years, including a global pandemic and we maybe felt as though we lost our way a little.
“Joining forces with Andy at Dark Horse, as well as Slap & Pickle under a new guise, bringing a fresh and exciting menu, has come at the best time. Our energy is renewed, the venue is revamped, and we’re unbelievably excited to bring something old and new to Abbeydale Road. We’re looking forward to welcoming everyone back home.”
