This place is absolutely fantastic. Hands down the best bar in Brisbane I've been to in years. Greaser is bang on trend in the way that only a place opened once a trend has settled down can be.
Serves generally American food and drinks? Check. Craft beer? Check. Much edgier barstaff than you are? Check? Down an alley? Check. Johnny Cash on the stereo? Check and check.
I wanted to go because I wanted to try it but with some recent rock bottom experiences with other bars in this vein I kept expectations set to low.
There is nothing particularly original about Greasers. American food stopped being a revelation a while ago, and frankly is starting to grate a little. Bloody Marys and Picklebacks are having a real moment right now so people are slinging them at you anywhere you go.
And craft beer? You can now actually get it with breakfast some places.
The fact that these are everywhere does not in any way diminish their appeal. I like burgers, I love bloody marys, and I enjoy brine more than is entirely reasonable. And these offerings are made all the more appealing by Greaser.
The space itself is lovely with ample couch seating and booths, elegantly low lighting that isn't seedy and the mid-century music that is curated rather than cloying.
Special mention must be made of the staff. During our visit they were uniformly incredibly polite, attentive and very very pleasant to deal with.
Knowledgeable about the drinks behind them and able to mix an excellent cocktail. These are the sort of staff we should see more of and who should be clutched like rare diamonds by bar owners.
Special shout to the woman with the tattoos and undercut. She mixed what is easily the best bloody mary I've had in Brisbane. Served on bourbon with plenty of hot sauce, this was living and this was living well.
Greaser also has a top flight tequila selection which is really great to see. It's wonderful that more places are experimenting with tequila and incorporating it into more than shots, which is a really barbaric way to treat a drink of such complexity.
One of our group hailed from Mexico City so this was a blessed relief. My ex is Mexican and nothing says 'Australians are completely clueless about soft racism' than taking someone's national drink and letting bogans punch it until they fall over Here the reposada is served in appropriate glassware and all is good.
The troubles with on-trend establishments are just like the troubles of any other establishment, poor staff, wrong price point, sub-par offerings etc. The problem is when a venue is also tricked up there can be a gloss over it that keeps people coming back for no particularly great reason other than to be seen to enjoy themselves.
Greaser suffers for none of this.
This is a bar that is serious about being a bar. All venues need an edge. But as more and more venues in Brisbane slide from creative to kitsch it is deeply refreshing to see a venue like Greaser that maintains an interesting point but does it with a laser like focus on great service, great décor, great drinks and great food. It's a real credit to the group behind this venture.
I'll be back. A lot. read more