Beardy’s Bar and Kitchen’s burgers in statewide spotlight
The bearded little guy has outshone some big names in the burger business, taking out equal third place in a poll for Brisbane’s best burgers.
Moreton Life
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THE bearded little guy has outshone some big names in the burger business, taking out equal third place in a poll for Brisbane’s best burgers.
Beardy’s Bar and Kitchen owners Lee and Ross Willson are the bearded blokes behind the Kippa-Ring venue and they couldn’t be prouder. “I’m regularly told by customers that this is the best burger they’ve ever had,” Lee says. “We never get sick of hearing it.”
But they didn’t know they were in the race until one of their customers popped in to say they had voted in the poll run by The Courier-Mail and U on Sunday magazine.
Before too long, they were in the top 20. So, the brothers mobilised their customers on social media and were thrilled to learn they had tied with Betty’s Burgers at Chermside for third place.
“Here we are, the little guys in Brisbane taking out the big burger chains and the city places,” Lee says. “We held our own.”
With a background in hospitality, a love for burgers and frustration over not finding food they enjoyed when eating out, they opened Beardy’s in January 2017. They insist on fresh ingredients, make everything onsite, press their own meat and create their own sauces.
“We make everything from scratch. We make sure everything we serve is as fresh as it can be and it’s done by hand,” Lee says.
“Our chilli burger on the menu is ridiculously hot — vindaloo that’s been thrown in a volcano,” Ross says.
He says customers challenge their mates to eat it and it’s not for the faint-hearted. There’s chilli in the sauce and in the meat patty. “It’s chemical warfare in the kitchen,” he says laughing.
They have 11 burgers on the menu, and old and new customers have been pouring in since the poll.
Their most popular burgers are the beef burger, cheeseburger, cheese and bacon burger, and chicken with jalapeño apple slaw. But their Aussie burger is popular and has everything on it, including pineapple and beetroot.
Ross’s favourite is the lamb burger with tzatziki, roasted red capsicum, lettuce, tomato and red onion.
Lee loves the steak burger with rib fillet that melts in your mouth.
And they still enjoy burgers, even if they make them every day.
The pair has been working together since the 90s, even overseas, and say there are benefits to going into business with family.
“It’s good because you know each other is going to work and have your back and you can rely on each other,” Lee says.
Ross’s wife Ebony and daughter Indi work in the venue and the guys’ mother Brenda also helps out.
Beardy’s Bar and Kitchen
405 Elizabeth Ave, Kippa-Ring.
Phone: 0477 635 013.
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