A FORMER pub is undergoing a major £600,000 renovation to transform it into an authentic American-themed BBQ restaurant and bar.

The Assembly, in Windsor Road, Slough, is set to be re-opened as The Blues Smokehouse in late April, providing a restaurant experience like no other in Slough.

It will open once a renovation by Star Pubs and Bars and PS The Pub Company has been completed after the original site closed in 2004.

The large 140 seat bar and restaurant will be the third Blues Smokehouse in the UK, providing the look and feel of the American deep south.

It will also provide 50 full and part time jobs in the town in its new form.

It will open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks and will also include a coffee and bakery bar with an ice cream bar serving milk shakes, smoothies and sundaes, along with hot waffles.

The menu has been created by executive chef Jackie Weight, who is the only Brit – as well as the only woman – to have won the Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue.

She promises to provide a mouthwatering selection of grilled meats, super food salads and an array of sauces and rubs.

The Blues Smokehouse is the brainchild of Carlos Maidana, director of PS The Pub Company.

He said: “The location in the heart of Slough is ideal for a Blues Smokehouse and marks the start of the £1 billion regeneration of the town.

“Unlike our other sites where we were restricted by the buildings, we’ve started with a blank canvas at The Assembly, which is enabling us to create a real wow factor.

“Other outlets are doing BBQ and smoking meat as part of an extended menu, we, however, are all about genuine and authentic BBQ, it’s our raison d’etre.”

Originally from Argentina, Mr Maidana is passionate about authentic BBQ and was doing it long before it became popular in the UK.

He added: “Our rubs and sauces have proved so popular in fact that we are now producing them to sell direct to customers and we will be launching a retail brand.”