Fat Freddy’s Beach Bar & Diner

Fat Freddy’s Beach Bar & Diner has opened under the 5-star Avani apartment tower in Broadbeach.

Opened by the Good Time Group as part of their multi-venue precinct, Fat Freddy’s name is a giveaway for its intent. The venue, combining sports bar, diner and gaming in one, dubbed by owner Ben Walsh as ‘a clean cut dive bar’, is a take on all things American, a tongue-in-cheek backhander for the brash and the bountiful, the bold and the buxom.

The humour is most obvious in its ‘Wall of Infamy’, giving honour to some of America’s most infamous celebrities, including Charlie Sheen, Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky and Britney Spears. Some are pictured in their most inglorious moments; others make infamy seem as ordinary as everyday life.

The menu, too, has its own sense of fun. Featuring Street Eats, Beer Bites and More, its pages include many classic American favourites ‘pimped’ with chef additions and sometimes an Aussie twist, such as the Po’ Boy with Moreton Bay bug and lemon mayo, a New York hot dog with old school sausage and all the trimmings, and Four cheese Mac ’n’ cheese croquettes jazzed up with truffled mayo and parmesan. You won’t have had Mac ‘n’ cheese like this before!

“Fat Freddy’s is all about taking American classics and making them chef-driven, freshening them up and bringing back the ‘Wow!’ factor,” says Executive Chef Braden White who, after fronting five Bali restaurants Bikini, Sisterfields, BO$$ MAN, Sibling, Revolver Espresso Bali, following on from Stokehouse Brisbane, The Apo and Ricky’s Noosa, will be Executive Chef across all three venues in the precinct, including Miss Moneypenny’s and the private dining area, The Rimini Room.

From burgers to ribs and striploin to pizza, street food and diner food it is, but making as much as possible, the dedication of the chefs is evident in each dish.

“The hot dog sausages are made especially for us. It took us 2 ½ weeks to work on the bread, order 60kg of sausages at a time, make all the sauces and fresh salsas in house every morning rather than bringing in American product,” Braden says.

It’s punchy and flavoursome fare; perfect to launch us into another beer or cocktail at this upmarket sports bar. Chef’s favourite dish? Chicken ribs, hot spicy and sweet, the single bone sliding out at a mere touch.

From the bar, where the 16 seats will be named after local legends, sporting events are shown across multiple screens, the venue’s action spilling out onto Surf Parade with alfresco seating to attract patrons in the warmer months.

There’s an extensive range of American and Aussie beer on offer, a wall of top whiskeys and bourbon, as well as cocktails to match the Wall of Infamy. You may not take to the Monica Lewinsky, its Persian fairy floss draping lewdly down the glass, but the Miami-Vice Splice-Cream is a winner as is the decadent Pablo Escabar (espresso martini thickshake)!

Happy Hour from 3.30pm to 5pm on weekdays is a winner with $2.50 half pints of beer and $4 sparkling, a great after-work incentive to hang about with friends.

Best of all is the venue’s late-night persona, open until 11pm every night of the week, ideal for locals and tourists looking for a post-drink feed. Whether you settle in for a session watching world sport with your mates or stop by for late night snacks on the way to a show at The Pink Flamingo, Fat Freddy’s is a great addition to the Broadbeach dining scene.