The Beer and Burger Bar, Richmond
The Overview…
Food: B.O.B., The Beast, TBBB Chilli Fries, Onion Rings,
The details…
The Beer and Burger Beer are perfecting everything you love about Swan Street’s inner city grunge – where there’s not bare brick walls, there’s graffiti, and where there’s not graffiti there’s wall to ceiling posters of bands, shows and events. Doing exactly what it says above the door – they do beers, they do burgers, and a few sides thrown in there for good measure.
Visiting on a Monday night, we expected it to be fairly quiet – but we were surprised to see it quickly fill up (had we arrived 30 minutes later, we’d have struggled to get a table). With some typical Manchester indie music playing in the background I felt right at home (literally) with its ultra casual vibe. Monday’s have a special offer where you get $10 burgers (bargain right?), although there are offers almost every day of the week which you can check out on their website (at the bottom of the page).
We wanted to sample quite a feast so we tried the B.O.B, the beast, some onion rings, TBBB chilli fries and the buffalo chicken blue cheese waffle fries from the special menu – all washed down with a couple of beers. It’s order at the bar – and while there was a little initial confusion about our visit – staff were lovely: keen to ensure we were happy and eager to help.
The burgers are pretty loaded and we struggled to finish both of ours. The Beast – with double of pretty much everything is – as its name suggests – a bit of a monster, but taste wise, it’s not overwhelming, it’s just loaded up with those classic burger ingredients: bacon, cheese, gherkins, a little salad and sauces. The B.O.B. with chicken and beef was my first foray into these two meats on a burger together, and I quite enjoyed it! While it wasn’t the easiest thing to eat (knife and fork right here please), I liked the juicy pineapple and the spicy undertones from the jalapenos and BBQ sauce.
Sides wise, the onion rings were a little dense but had a good crunch on the batter – nice, but fairly unremarkable. The chilli fries for us were far too overwhelming as a burger side. We enjoyed them, but after you’ve had a meat loaded burger, the last thing you want is fries loaded with more red meat. As a snack on their own, they are great and the tangy chilli con carne is the ideal beer accompaniment.
The buffalo chicken blue cheese waffle fries – sadly only a special – were the absolute highlight of the whole experience. The spicy kick of the chicken against the creamy cheese sauce was an ideal balance and they were an excellent contrast to the burgers. The Beer and Burger Bar should definitely consider putting these on the menu full time. Beer wise, they’ve got just about everything you could want: international beers, craft beers or ciders (and even wine if you want to be a rebel!); and for those competitive eaters out there, check out The Don challenge, featuring (amongst other things) 2 x 600g beef patties!
Everything else…
Website: http://tbbl.com.au/
Address: 112 Swan Street, Richmond
Opening Times:
Mon 11am to 10pm
Tue 11am to 10pm
Wed 11am to 10pm
Thu 11am to 10pm
Fri 11am to Late
Sat 11am to Late
Sun 11am to 10pm
Parking: There’s limited street parking on Swan Street (watch out for those pesky permit zones, loading zones etc.) but there’s a little more straightforward parking on nearby side streets. Still going to be a struggle at peak time though!
Getting here on PT: Situated roughly half way between Richmond and East Richmond Station and on the 70 tram route, The Beer and Burger Bar is an easy find on PT!
Disclaimer: We dined as guests of The Beer and Burger Bar, Richmond. Reviews are honest and based on our own personal experiences. We cannot guarantee things at a cafe won’t change including, but not limited to, menu items and opening hours, so please confirm any details with the venue before visiting.