Bare Grill on Bourke
425 Bourke St
Surry Hills, Sydney
Opening its Bourke Street doors mid-October 2016, Bare Grill’s burger bar definitely lived up to its reputation as an epic burger bar. With loads of great feedback from existing followers already firmly supporting its La Perouse joint (established in 2014), this was a review the Earl and I snapped up quickly!
Mid-week, we started our evening grabbing an after work drink in the avo sun at one of Surry Hill’s local bars before heading over the road to Bare Grill. Being early evening it was still a bit quiet but started filling up around 8pm. The Earl, a regular of Bare Grill, also noted it’s much livelier on a Friday and Saturday, oh, and a great stop for their $5 burgers every Tuesday. It’s unlicensed, but B.Y.O wine and beer, so make sure you come with a cold six pack. The menu doesn’t overcomplicate with too many choices so we were able to give most options a good crack. We started out with perfectly crisped fries and Epic mac and cheese. Epic was an understatement! Creamy mac and cheese with crispy, salty bacon bits, adorned with generous helpings of succulent pulled pork and topped in lashings of mustard, bbq and American cheese sauce. Holy macaroni! Yankee Doodle needs to try this Aussie twist on his beloved mac n cheese.
Moving right onto the star of the show, I opted for the “lighter” classic burger, The Bare. A juicy beef burger, perfectly cooked, and complimented beautifully by the slight char of the branded milk bun to give that lightly flame smoked taste. Accompanied by all the classic burger favourites, cheddar, caramelised onion, gherkin and mustard sauce to round out the sweet and tangy flavours.
The Earl had The Trip – a more indulgent beef burger covered in truffle mayo and complimented with bacon, crispy hash brown, and sweet, deep fried onion rings. This was not a burger for the faint hearted, and required several pauses to devour.
Before we had the chance to polish of our burgers, we were surprised by a plate of half rack of ribs delivered to our table. We made room to fit in a bite of these tender pork strips that fell away from the bone easily. Smothered in tasty bbq sauce we were pleasantly delighted in their deliciousness and would definitely recommend saving room to try them. Also available in a full rack, served with chips, we’d save the extra side of fries if opting for the ribs.
Bare Grill with its cool, raw, Aussie outback vibe is a must check out spot for a mid-week burger or a weekend starter spot. It’s perfect for big groups and has great summer outdoor dining options with high top outdoor tables, plus loads of indoor table seating, and bar seating overlooking the drinks kitchen.
The Countess and Earl were guests of Bare Grill. Thanks for the great service and ample atmosphere to Manuel and the team, and thanks for organising the visit Michael and Ompty. We’ll be back for our next burger fix for sure.
Bare Grill on Bourke are open Monday to Wednesday 11am – 8pm and Friday – Sunday 11am – 9pm. Closed Thursday.Check out the full menu on their website www.baregrillandcafe.com