Fat Bob's Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Melbourne

Dry.

That word kept popping into my mind when I had the Firestone burger with one extra beef patty (two in total) and BBQ Carolina Reaper hot sauce that I added to my order via the QR code.

The word "dry" is integral to this review. Without it, you might not fully understand why I was disappointed with my experience at Fat Bob's.

I've ordered something similar before at Fat Bobs, and even back then it was a little dry. There we go—I’ve said it three times. It was essentially lacking moisture. And if there was any, it was minimal.

The thing is—it shouldn’t be. Starting with the sauce: there simply wasn’t enough of it. Just a thin, dry smear on the bun, even though I specifically added extra sauce to the order.

The Firestone burger is meant to be a spicy burger, with jalapeños (along with the usual suspects—bacon, cheese, etc.). The jalapeños added a nice vinegary-sweet tang, but there weren’t enough of them. And while the bacon was cooked to perfection, it lacked flavor. It was like eating cardboard.

You can see why the burger’s dryness became a bit of an issue. The potential was there, but it wasn’t realized in the final product. There was a semblance of taste, but you’d barely notice it.

Honestly, the biggest highlight was the iced coffee I ordered. It almost tasted the way coffee beans smell—if that makes any sense. Unsweetened, but not bitter either. Surprisingly good.

But in the end, the whole thing cost $35—with the extras. That $1 extra for sauce? Not worth it. They skimped on it, and I couldn’t detect any BBQ flavor. Maybe it wasn’t even there to begin with. Either way—disappointing.

The atmosphere? Bloody amazing. Just look at the photos everyone’s posting — it's simply unmatched.

Unfortunately, though, I find Fat Bob's to be a bit of a shell of its former self. I remember the burgers being significantly better — to the point where I came with a friend about 6–7 months ago, and it was amazing.

So…...

Oh my God wow I have had burgers before been to fish n chip shops for burgers and burgers chains for burgers you probably see a theme here well I can certainly tell you that fat bobs breaks all the moulds the onion rings large and hot with a Carolina BBQ sauce woww the flavours then there is the popcorn chicken nice crust and a creole sauce mmmm and it doesn't stop there with the starters the fries gee wizz crunchy right amount of salt and all the little scrap crunchy pieces make for a really great start to a meal so now the burger had the hummer burger juicy cooked to perfection and yet still pink on the inside some tomato cucumber lovely tasty sauce absolutely beautiful meal. Washed down with a great tasting cider from a local brewer. So now the restaurant wow you walk down a narrow corridor tables to one side fake grass old signage on the wallls enter the door and you have fantastic designed area more old signage seating a plenty and the staff well what can I say lovely attentive to your needs polite and efficient I suggest you try this burger place and in my opinion you will enjoy it as much as I did great job guys Allana hope I spelled her name correctly just a wonderful personality and person to have the pleasure of being helped by. So in short you have to go to this...

Fat Bob's is absolutely one of my most favourite places in the world. If you haven't been here yet, you are seriously missing out on some amazing food. We've gone during the quieter times during the week and by quiet I mean it's still packed but not bursting at the seams. We've also gone on Friday and Saturday night's and it's even more insane. Obviously during peak times there will be a wait for your burger. The longest I've waited was about 45 minutes but in all honesty I didn't care because the music and atmosphere, beer and memorabilia pass the time. Staff have always been super friendly, helpful and always up for a chat which is great. Whatever burger you order it's going to be Heaven but I will suggest you try the chicken bites as an entree. It's popcorn chicken taken to a whole new level. I could happily sit there and eat them all day. The overall atmosphere is incredible, it's like being on a movie set and so much fun. Don't forget to go upstairs and have a look around too, there is more memorabilia upstairs to check out. Every time I've been there staff have been more than happy for me to take photos, however..be respectful and always ask first. This place is...