For football fans hoping to catch the NFL playoffs in a laid-back, unpretentious atmosphere — with the added benefit of enjoying a stellar lineup of craft brews and an award-winning menu of juicy, flavorful all-natural burgers — Bareback Grill might just be the place for you to catch the games and unwind this weekend. The recipe for the beachy burger joint’s renowned burger — the unrivaled bread and butter of Bareback — has traveled more than 7,000 miles to land in the hands of Pacific Beach locals who ravenously savor every last bite of the sumptuous organic beef, fresh Australian lamb or all-natural chicken burgers oozing with sweet, spicy or savory homemade sauces. Bareback Grill owners Matt Baker and P.J. Lamont traveled to New Zealand eight years ago when they stumbled upon a back-alley burger pub holding a goldmine of the most juicy, flavorful burgers the duo had ever come across. “They [Baker and Lamont] were backpacking and they stopped by a place called Fergburger,” said general manager Kyle Anderson. “They ended up liking it so much that they worked there for a couple days. They pay them a due every year to use the recipes they learned and brought back in their backpack.” Some of the top burger sellers are the Bare Lil Lamb — a fresh 100 percent-natural ground Australian lamb burger topped with blue cheese crumbles, mint dressing, beetroot, aioli and the house-made BBQ sauce — and the Queenstown Fave — an organic grass-fed beef burger dressed with aioli, Edam cheese and the same famous BB! sauce, a sweet tomato chutney that far exceeds the comparatively ordinary flavor of plain old ketchup. “We’re definitely known for our organic beef,” said Anderson. “But because it’s a New Zealand-themed bar, we also get a lot of orders for lamb.” Both are topped with locally baked artisan buns and can be served alongside hot, crispy sweet-potato fries topped with blue cheese crumbles or Bareback’s signature shoestring fries seasoned uniquely with a sweet, slightly spicy flavor, and served alongside more house-made sauces, like the roasted red pepper and wasabi aiolis. To wash down the well-rounded game-day meal, take a peek behind the wooden bar top for a list of what is freshly on tap for the day, including craft cocktails, local draft brews and Australian and New Zealand-imported wines. “On game day, we run $10 pitchers of Bud Light and the house Bareback amber, our signature craft brew that Pyramid Brewing makes just for us,” said Anderson. For the more daring patron, try one of the “Serious Cocktails” on the menu, like the Dark ’n’ Stormy, a unique mix of Goslings black rum, ginger beer and lime, or the Bacon Bloody, a spicy Ballast Point Bloody Mary mix flavored with — you guessed it — a thick, juicy strip of bacon. For a playoff experience away from the “see-and-be-seen” sports hotspots, try the kiwi-inspired getaway at 4640 Mission Blvd. For more information, visit www.barebackgrill.com/pacificbeach or call (858) 247-7117.
