**INITIAL REVIEW**
Though I am not born and bred in NYC, I do miss many things during my time there. Given this is Yelp, it will most-likely be evident I am going the direction of food. The kind of bagels and pizza you get only in NYC, fantastic and one-of-a-kind.
However, there is one NYC food I truly love that I miss, and if you hit up bodegas, you know I am talking about Chopped Cheese, a sandwich in which the base is usually ground beef with seasonings, preferably Adobo, American cheese melted through, all within a hero roll. Some versions have different seasonings and other ingredients, but the aforementioned is the base.
Ergo, Nephew's Grub Shack, a food truck located up in Cocoa, FL on Burnett St., holds a special place in my foodie heart as they serve a delicious Chopped Cheese. Oh... and their other menu items are excellent, too.
So when I found out the owners of Nephew's Grub Shack opened up a restaurant, I was more than enticed to check it out. Even better news, they decided to open up right near my neck of the woods. Now with the full force of an actual restaurant complete with a full-working kitchen at their disposal, Nephew's Grub Shack's restaurant, Nephew's Grub House, expands on what they served in their food truck.
Though an address is given, Nephew's Grub House is located in Turner Square, a small strip mall consisting of other businesses like Hungry Howie's and Spirits 2 U Liquor. Little known fact: this strip mall was also the second location for Get Your Fun On before they moved to the northeast corner of US-192 and Wickham Rd.
As of this review, Nephew's Grub House is kind of bare bones. There are plenty of signs signaling patrons of the new business but it is probable the owners of Nephew's Grub House are still learning how to utilize an actual restaurant space compared to a food truck. They don't have an official moniker for their restaurant, but currently have a vinyl banner. Upon entering their establishment, there are like four bare-bones tables with limited wall decor flanked by three televisions. As for the wall decor, many of them are collages of 80s, 90s, and 2000s pop culture, especially rap and hip-hop album covers.
Where Nephew's Grub House is starting to shine is the progression in their food. For those who don't know, their food truck had a limited menu compared to what they offer in their restaurant. This included a couple of burgers, walking tacos, Chopped Cheese, wing combos, and drinks. As mentioned earlier, they have a full-kitchen at their disposal so their menu has expanded. Some new items I noticed include street tacos, nacho salad, chicken tenders, and others. There was also a list of specials including a pork chop sandwich, $8 double burger on Thursdays, and a Friday and Saturday special starting at 3 p.m. consisting of eight wings, baked beans, and Mac n' cheese along with $5 sides.
I opted for my Chopped Cheese (spelled Chopp'd Cheese on the Nephew's Grub House menu) and a two tacos and eight wings lunch. Both came with fries. Chopped Cheese was delicious as always. If you never had one, try the one Nephew's Grub House (or Shack if you are up in Cocoa) makes. It is the base core of a Chopped Cheese but that is all you need at first before adding other ingredients... like lettuce and tomato. The tacos were very delicious. Not trad Mexican or anything like that, but cooked with a lot of love given the amount of grease that leaked from the tacos. Wings were good and I got my fav sauce, the Buffalo Garlic Parm. All were within the price range of $10 to $20 which is fair given what other restaurants charge these days.
Needless to say, but if you are needing to know nutrition information and macros for Nephew's Grub House's food, good luck with that. Just know a lot of the food is definitely rich and if you need to stay within some sort of strict diet, definitely work the rest of your day around them. I am sure their food is high in calories, fat, and the like. Good, but still.
Ultimately, I am going to give Nephew's Grub House four out of five stars. Fantastic food that the owner's put their soul into, all for a fair price. Only cons I can think of is 1.) the time it takes to make food. I think Nephew's Grub House still doesn't have down pat the scope of with their kitchen can do. And 2.) location. It must be stressed that the business space Nephew's Grub House occupies is not very successful. Since 2011, it has been numerous other businesses including Big Spoon Caribbean Cuisine, Ice Cream Junction, and Sazon Criollo. With online and mobile food ordering and delivery platforms, let's hope that Nephew's Grub House fairs better than their predecessors.
I will definitely return to try more of Nephew Grub House's other menu items. If their food is consistent and if they get into the groove of things and improve on their times, they'll definitely earn their fifth star. read more