24 Jun The B-East, Brunswick East

Not to be confused with the Carlton side of Lygon street, The B-East is to be found in Brunswick East (get it?). Far from being just a burger joint, it’s also a bar and live music venue, open until late every day. Offerings include burgers, sliders and subs, along with fries, American-style sides like hickory smoked corn, mac ‘n’ cheese bombs and corn bread, and salad to make us all feel better. Brioche is the bread of choice here, but rye and gluten free options are available too.

Red Eye Pulled Pork – 12hr Dry Rubbed Pulled Pork in Espresso and Dark Honey BBQ Sauce w. Smoked Jalapeno and Lime Slaw on Brioche Bun ($14)

Regulator – Slow-cooked Shredded Beef Short Rib, Carolina Style BBQ Sauce, Buttermilk Slaw, Brioche Bun ($14)

We chose a burger each and a few sides to share. Both the Red Eye Pulled Pork and the Regulator were filled with tender meat, but of the two, the pulled pork won me over. The menu description made it sound like it would be quite sweet, causing me to order the Regulator for myself, but the finished product was not as sweet as the menu made it out to be. The addition of a jalapeno element to the burger really made the Red Eye stand out.

M had the Filthy, containing mustard fried beef, jack cheddar, beast chilli paste, pickled red onion, tomato, cos and smoked jalapeno aioli ($12). Of the three burgers, the more humble beef patty filling in this one was the main favourite. With a neat spicy kick from both the chilli paste and smoked jalapeno aioli, and a subtle smoky flavour in the patty, this is one I’d come back to.

Southern Fried Chicken – Buttermilk w. House Ranch ($10)

Though unfortunately a little dry in parts, I enjoyed the flavours of both the ranch sauce and the coating of the Southern fried chicken.

Baja Crisps – Coriander, Chilli and Lime Spiced Fried Sweet Potato Crisps ($5)

We found sweet potato chips to be readily available and not too expensive while we were in Bali recently, so we (or rather I) had a great time snacking on them. Because of these fond memories, the Baja crisps immediately drew me in, and though the serve was a little small here, the flavours were great and their thin crispiness made them addictive.

I’d heard B-East served up some mean burgers and it did not disappoint. With a variety of events regularly held on-site, and special menus popping up every now and then, The B-East is a burger place with a point of difference.

Disclaimer: I was invited to dine at The B-East as a guest, however, opinions expressed here are purely my own and not influenced by them in any way.

The B-East
80 Lygon St
Brunswick East, VIC, 3057
(03) 9036 1456
theb-east.com