Ah, the good old bar & grill

Sometimes, even if that “sometimes” is peak summer, you just get a craving for classic bar and grill – the deliberate duality of an establishment focused on serving alcohol (that’s the bar), with the satisfying offerings of comfort food (that’s the grill). Places that have Jameson-glazed burgers, Jack Daniels-sauced ribs, and beer-battered onion rings.

Enter Brothers Bar and Grill on Nicosia’s – dare I say – happening Larnaca Avenue in Aglandjia. In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve been here several years before and made use of the bar, but not the grill.

In the interim, the place has received a facelift. The décor is a bit more vibrant, a bit more cliché (not necessarily a bad thing). There are beer plaques on the walls, mounted and muted TVs playing a mix of MTV and sports channels.

My dining companion and I took advantage of the large parking lot – always a plus – and were greeted by a young waitress who asked if we had a reservation. We did not. It was an idle Tuesday in a sweltering Nicosia summer, and we decided not to play it safe.

This time, we were right. At 7pm, the place was nearly empty. We were shown to a table and told the menu is available via QR code.

As expected, all the favourites were there: mozzarella sticks, buffalo wings, ribs, pork chops and, of course, the king of the bar & grill – the beer and/or chicken burgers, done in some dozen different ways.

We decided to go a little overboard, comforted by the knowledge that asking for a takeaway box is practically a rite of passage at places like this.

So: two starters, two mains. Spicy buffalo wings and beer-battered onion rings to start. BBQ ribs for my faithful dining companion, and for me, the Jameson crispy chicken burger. And a round of beers, naturally – which arrived ice-cold. Definite plus.

The onion rings landed first, and they were scrumptious. Golden and crispy, with just the right balance of sweet onion and airy batter. The texture was so crunchy that, while waiting for the wings, we ended up in a minor debate over whether they’d been coated in panko breadcrumbs (I maintain no, for what it’s worth).

By the time the wings arrived, the onion rings were already history – not because the food was slow, but because the rings didn’t stand a chance.

The wings, to our delight, were just as good. Cooked-to-order, juicy and tender, but it was the sauce that stole the show – a tangy-spicy mix that stimulated the palate and taste buds without overwhelming them. A zesty, vinegar-forward Scoville hit that made me wish we’d ordered a dozen and called it a night.

Soon after, the mains arrived – or more accurately, made an entrance. For a table that held little more than two beers and an ashtray, the waitress had to do some minor choreography to fit the boards – these are served on wooden slabs, because of course they are.

The portions? Gargantuan.

The ribs, which promised to be “glazed,” were in fact smothered. Whether that’s delightful or tragic depends on your personal philosophy of sauce. I fall squarely into the first camp, so this was good news.

The meat had a pulled pork quality, falling away from the bone with minimal effort. Smoky, tender and sweet – with deep caramel notes from the sauce, a peppery warmth, and just enough char to cut through the richness.

The burger left me speechless, if only for a moment. How do they fit that many components between two buns? If I had to deconstruct it: easily a quarter of a chicken’s worth of crispy fried strips, caramelised onions, melted cheese, a strip of bacon, and tomato – all stacked into a towering bun.

The only way to tackle it was to cut it in half (sorry, burger purists), and even then it was a challenge.

Luckily, what it lacked in ergonomics, it made up for in flavour. The chicken was perfectly cooked – crunchy outside, juicy inside. The Jameson glaze coated everything with a boozy-sweet richness, while the onions added a subtle sweetness.

The tomato may have been superfluous, but it didn’t get in the way.

This isn’t fine dining, and it doesn’t pretend to be. There’s something refreshing in that honesty. Bar & grills know exactly what they are – loud, satisfying, sometimes over-the-top – and they don’t apologise for it.

Their lineage traces back to the rough-and-tumble saloons of the American West. And while today’s versions are far more polished – with QR codes, curated playlists, and craft beer options – the soul remains unchanged.

You’re not here for restraint. You’re here for cold drinks, comfort food and a good time.

VITAL STATISTICS

SPECIALTY Bar & grill

WHERE Brothers Bar and Grill, Larnaca avenue 121, Aglandjia, Nicosia

WHEN Daily 5pm – 1am

CONTACT 22 337023

HOW MUCH €7 – €15 for starters, €12 – €25 for mains