Brisbane’s South Bank Parklands precinct, including Little Stanley St, Grey St, Fish Lane and GOMA, now has a mind-boggling 105 restaurants, bars, cafes and eateries.

From the high-class silver service of Stokehouse to the welcoming unpretentiousness of its tiny bars, South Bank has the right vibe.

Forgive me if I fail to mention other wonderful cuisines, including Portuguese and Argentinian to Cuban, Swiss, Malaysian and Greek.

All of a sudden, it is a culinary United Nations out there.

A newcomer called Tippler’s Tap flies the flag of Uncle Sam. More precisely, it was inspired by Chicago street food.

Tippler’s Tap has been reborn at Grey St after a successful run at trendy Teneriffe, where it was a magnet for the creative classes. I enjoyed the glorious informality of the place.

From memory, the South Bank menu seems to have not changed very much.

One Friday night was a cramped and raucous affair with pots of beer held high and rows of craft beer tasting “tulips” whizzing past.

Tippler’s Tap is essentially a bar with food added on. There are 13 “independent” beers on tap at any given time and a few wines by the glass. We visited twice and were reasonably happy with the spicy treats emerging from the small kitchen.

We ordered five different craft beers in small tasting posts ($4 each). My favourite was a ridiculously named Death from Above, which was heady and limey with a hint of mint. It was the creation of New Zealand brewer Garage Project. Another Kiwi import was a rather fruity brew called Whitewall White Pale.

To order, diners must jostle their way to the counter, pay upfront and take a number. That said, the staff at the counter were competent and agreeable. After ordering and getting our number, we sat in a tiny wooden booth I might best describe as exceedingly cosy.

When a table on the footpath became vacant we quickly grabbed it. It was a wooden slab mounted on old iron Singer sewing machine legs.

The ales were wonderful companions for our sliders – mini burgers that included corned beef and sauerkraut, a beef patty with American mustard, pickles and tomato sauce and a punchy pulled pork with star anise caramel, pickles, carrot and herbs.

We bypassed the Chicago hot dog ($14) and headed for the Tippler’s Wings ($12), which were spicy chicken pieces deep-fried. Delicious. The wings were served with a little pot of blue cheese dipping sauce.

My least favourite dish was the one my young companion liked best – chilli beef ($12) served with beans and thick, melted cheese and a huge dollop of sour cream. It was saved for me by the excellent rye bread.

My dining companion loved it all and vowed to return for the smoky barbecue ribs ($20) and a chilli dog, an all-beef frankfurt topped with grated cheese and chilli ($15).

Originally published on couriermail.com.au