The unmistakable sounds of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix bellow out from the open windows as a candle atop a Jack Daniel’s bottle flickers underneath a portrait of the late, great Ian Fraser Kilmister, aka Lemmy, setting the scene for the Gold Coast’s newest dive bar, Eddie’s Grub House. The American-style venue pays homage to blues and booze and is the work of four local lads, Samuel Diklich, Elliott Bulk, Samuel Cleary and Zachary Manoel, who have been mates since high school. There is no ostentation here, just authentic southern-style comfort food that will take you to a happy place and a bar stocked to the brim with whisky and other such niceties. Eddie’s offers a simple menu with just four burgers, devilishly crispy southern-style fried chicken and a couple of classic sides including poutine and jalapeño-infused hushpuppies, which are basically cornbread batter balls dunked into the fryer and drizzled with chipotle mayo. The burgers are about as simple and pure as a burger can be to let the true flavours shine through and rather than running the expected brioche bun, the burgers are built upon a Japanese milk bun that offers the slightest hint of sweetness to balance the taste of the meat (or the shitake mushroom if you opt for The Whole Shitake burg’). If you find yourself with a hankering for a little something something after 8:30 pm, you’re in luck because the kitchen at Eddie’s is open until 11:30 pm.

Similarly to the food menu, the drinks list doesn’t ramble over multiple pages, rather the gents have personally curated a succinct selection of swill that showcases some unexpected varietals including Laphroaig scotch whisky and mason jars filled with Ole Smoky Moonshine all the way from Tennessee. When it comes to cocktails, all you really need to know is the venue’s specialty, which is a bacon and maple Manhattan topped with an actual streak of crispy bacon, because everything is better with bacon. Recycled timber tables line the exposed brick walls, a nod to the original character of the old building in which it resides while legends from past and present are honoured on the gallery wall. If blues, burgers and booze are among your favourite things, you’ll love the cut of Eddie’s Grub House’s jib.

For opening hours and contact details, see our Stumble Guide.