Jesse Mulligan reviews Churly’s Brewpub kitchen, where every single dish makes sense

Manage your expectations on service, but the food is incredible and affordable.Somebody in the Churly’s Brewpub kitchen knows exactly what good food tastes like. It’s funny, you can have a fine dining restaurant where every dish is technically correct but nothing makes you overjoyed, or a simple menu Churly’s is a restaurant attached to a taproom attached to Behemoth brewery. It’s near almost nothing except a branch of Eden Noodles (to be fair, with the expansion of that empire, almost everywhere is now close to a branch of Eden Noodles), and from the outside looks like your standard industrial space taken over by a craft beer brand. But inside it is very welcoming - comfy chairs, gas heaters, convincing fake greenery gun-stapled to the walls and a singalong soundtrack occasionally punctuated by an ad to let everyone know the owner hasn’t sprung for Spotify premium. The interior of Churly's. Photo / Babiche MartensThe staff are bartenders rather than waiters, meaning they will bring your food over when it’s ready, but won’t come and take your order. They are very nice people but in fact even the “bring your food over” part was sometimes hit and miss - it took ages for the first round of food to arrive and the second sat at the pass for some time while various employees busied themselves doing other things. None of this is fatal to the experience, but do manage your expectations. Churly’s nearest equivalent is Brothers Beer, whose “Juke Joint” does really decent American BBQ food to match with their range of fresh beers. Churly’s has gone one better, securing the services of Hannah “The Lady Butcher” Miller, who curates their meat selection and brings credibility to that part of the menu. I’ve learnt to look out for Behemoth beer, a partially crowd-funded brand which has achieved decent market penetration without selling out to The Man. I smashed two big glasses of their IPA recently just down the road at Kiin and it has a fresh tropicality that I really love. It’s fun to taste how it changes with different food matches, and the Churly’s menu works particularly well in that the meaty fat softens the beer’s bitterness for a moment, making the fruitiness seem even brighter. The chicken wings with sweet chipotle BBQ sauce. Photo / Babiche MartensThe cheeseburger here is incredible. I couldn’t believe it was just $12 on the menu and, though it is more McDonald’s size than Burgerfuel, it still tasted like decent value. I’d ordered a bunch of things and had planned to nibble away at each of them but the burger was so good I pretty much wolfed the whole thing down. There’s this vaguely sweet aroma that hits as you lean in to take the bite, quickly followed by plenty of savoury action to balance it. I think it’s the smell of the brioche bun, a soft contrast to the crisp-edged smash patty. But the best stuff is the pickles and secret sauce which keeps you diving in again and again. Visit just for this burger. I’d fortuitously arrived on Chicken Wing Night, and at $2 they were a revelation too. Auckland has no shortage of crumbed wings but the generous spoonfuls of jammy sweet chipotle BBQ sauce on these ones are the most exciting part. You can slather that sauce all over the chicken and still have leftovers to spread around (in my case) a dish of macaroni, which was good enough (cheesy, chewy and slightly smoky) that it needed nothing, but the sauce really tarted it up. The cactus tacos. Photo / Babiche MartensI was already in love but then the tacos arrived - vegetarian, with nopal cactus, tomato-corn-onion salsa and a significant squadge of melted cheese between the vegetables and the tortilla that brought the taste of the grill to the whole production. My eyes were bigger than my stomach so I was starting to slow down before I even reached the Pearl Veal pear steak (look this producer up, they are brilliant) which was judiciously if not indulgently cooked and sliced, though in the process had cooled down too much to melt the disc of butter that sat atop it. Even with those qualifications I’m happy to report that there is good steak on offer here (including beef and pork options) if you’re in the mood for one. Catch up with a mate at Churly's. Photo / Babiche Martens“Quiz Night Tuesday”, “Happy Beer Week!”, “Be a good bugger, leave the stickers on the wall” … I could read the walls of a bar like this all night. This room feels like its own community HQ, where you can partake in activities, or keep to yourself, or stage your own party and everyone would just be happy you’d showed up. It’s the perfect place to catch up with a mate (particularly one that drinks beer and eats meat) and though things aren’t always seamless, I didn’t eat a mouthful of food I didn’t love. Churly’s Brewpub & Eatery Cuisine: Pub food Address: 1A Charles St, Mt Eden Contact: 09 218 3521, behemothhospitality.co.nz/brewpub, @churlys_domrd Hours: Tuesday–Thursday, 3pm–9pm; Friday–Saturday, 12pm–10pm; Sunday, 12pm–7pm; Monday, closed Drinks: Fully licensed; Behemoth beers brewed on site Reservations: Accepted From the menu: Churly’s cheeseburger $12; chicken wings (special) $2ea; nopales tacos $15.50; mac ’n’ cheese $14; Pearl Veal pear steak $32.50 Rating: 16/20 Score: 0-7 Steer clear. 8-12 Disappointing, give it a miss. 13-15 Good, give it a go. 16-18 Great, plan a visit. 19-20 Outstanding, don’t delay.More restaurant reviewsAccording to Dining Out editor Jesse Mulligan.