There are plenty of American style eateries popping up all over Belfast. This one happens to be on Botanic Avenue. You can tell that they are trying here at Ribs and Bibs as the décor looks good, it’s all rough wood panelling and cart wheels on the walls. It’s more of a barbeque feel than an American diner feel which is a good thing. The servers were pleasant enough, even though young and inexperienced, you got the feeling that they were trying which counts for a lot.
Cocktails were on offer at £3 which is hard to refuse on a night out. The frozen margarita seemed to be missing the kick you get with an alcoholic beverage especially a cocktail but the Mojito was punchy enough. Both were served in a tumbler, a far cry from the refinery of Madison’s but then what do you want for £3? The selection of items on the menu is just what you’d expect ribs, wings, burgers, hot dogs, pulled pork. All good stuff even if the design leaves a lot to be desired. Black type on a white laminate. Any care that was taken in creating an atmosphere with the decor was hampered by the unimaginative menu design and further undone by the wide screen TV on the wall loudly showing Saturday night telly. I’m not sure who it was for but none of the customers where watching it and I’m sure Shane Ritchie and the Chaser are not on the list of reasons people go out for a meal.
On to the good stuff then. The food. I had ordered the Cartel Chilli Burger (fries were separate). This was a burger with chilli, nachos, salad, jalapenos and chili sauce and cheese. Some burgers are big and beefy, they look all fat and meaty, sitting inches high on the bun. Then you bite into it and it’s all show no flavour. This was not one of those. The meat was well seasoned and all of the toppings worked well to creating a very tasty burger. My wife had The Hefty Hog which was pulled pork, beef patty, pickled cucumber and BBQ sauce. It was good too but not as good as mine. The fries were good (as they should be in any American dining establishment) and served in the traditional tiny bucket that is the fashion these days. We’d ordered some wings to share which were nice, had plenty of meat but were served tepid in another little bucket.
Ribs and Bibs has potential, I’ve seen it get mixed reviews elsewhere. The staff weren’t bad, the burgers were tasty and filling but the wings were cold and the atmosphere wasn’t quite right. Cheap cocktails are a plus and the food is medially priced. They could do with tightening things up a bit. Fixing the menu design to be more appealing and adding a side to their burgers would help make it feel like more of a meal. All in all it wasn’t bad for a newly started restaurant and I just might be back in a few months time to see if they’ve sorted things out and to actually order some of those ribs that are their namesake. They better give me a bib too.
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