Ribs & Burgers

Confession time: I find butchers, butchers’ aprons, Berkel meat slicers and sharp knives rather exciting. However it was still disconcerting to find out my dining companion had a Hungarian butcher doppelganger – a brother-from-another-mother – whose image loomed over our table. Just in case the photos, wall of meat grinders, and jar-enclosed lights didn’t give it away, this is a light-hearted space that’s meant to summon butchers’ shops of old. While you won’t find sawdust on the floor (or get handed a stick of cabanossi), their open-style kitchen does dish up a mean burger and a great rack of ribs. Their signature Wagyu Burger ($18) comes piled high with onion rings, salad, dill pickles and both pink and BBQ sauces. With a James Squire The Chancer Golden Ale ($7) and some of their ‘famous’ Chips ($4/small) it’s all you really need for a fast casual bite. Pork Ribs ($29) are marinated then slow cooked for eight hours, coming with chips and coleslaw. They’re messy but compelling (the serve is slightly small) and a Kirin ($7) will cut against them nicely. Think of it not as fast food, but as good food served quickly, in a setting you won’t feel out of place – even wearing thongs on the way back from Balmoral Beach.

Ribs & Burgers
Shop 3, 19-25 Grosvenor Street, Neutral Bay
Ph: (02) 9904 5774 ribsandburgers.com.au
Modern Australian, Burgers $$-$$$