When Ramiro Nino opened the sports-themed restaurant he’d been dreaming about for years this February, he didn’t know what to expect.
But he says Bro Brgr Bar in downtown Yankton has received a lot of love from the community despite every obstacle he’d been running through his head.
“The support’s been amazing,” said Nino as he reflected on the few months the bar has been open. “Everyone I talk to has been here three, four, five times.”
Upon entering the building, guests are met with framed jerseys from various sports and time periods, a long bar, and other sports memorabilia speckled throughout the space.
Once they’ve been seated in the dimmed lighting, they can decide to go for any of three appetizers. But Nino says the most popular is a classic.
“In the Wisconsin Cheese Curds, we have three different flavors: original, garlic, and jalapeño,” said Nino, explaining that there’s something for everyone’s tastes.
For their main meal, guests get to pick and choose from 17 specially designed burgers, a handful of hot dogs, and a few salads.
“The main thing I didn’t want to do was have something that somebody else had,” said Nino about choosing the menu items. “My creative side came out a little more there.”
“It’s cool because it’s affordable. You can get a burger and a beer for like $10. It’s not easy to come by.” – Ramiro Nino
“The 605 Brgr is probably our most popular one,” said Nino. “It’s American Angus beef, smoked brisket that’s chopped and seasoned, fried onion, smoked gouda, and a sweet barbecue sauce.
Another fan favorite is the Ante Meridiem Brgr. This patty is paired with smashed tots, bacon, fried egg, maple aioli, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickles.
Though he says he likes them all, Nino prefers the Ghost Brgr with its combination of roasted red pepper, ghost pepper cheese, ghost pepper aioli, lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickles.
“I’d have to say I like spicy food, so I really like the Ghost Brgr,” explained Nino. “It has a lot of sting to it.”
Every burger is served on a brioche bun with a side of fries that can be upgraded to tater tots, fried pickles, or onion rings.
On The Menu
Starters
Wings
Boneless or traditional: Buffalo, Dixie, Thai peanut, mango habanero, lemon pepper, honey barbecue, chipotle lime.
Tater Tot Nachos
Tots, beef, Fat Tire beer cheese, tomato, onion, lettuce, jalapeños.
Brgrs
Jam Brgr
Bacon, jam, pepper jack, spicy bro sauce, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles.
Downtown Brgr
Chipotle cream cheese, bacon, American cheese, fried egg, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles.
Salad
Avocado Salad
Iceberg blend, grilled chicken breast, fire roasted corn, cucumber, avocado, cilantro-lime vinaigrette.
Dawgs
Bro Dawg
Relish, mustard, ketchup.
Chicago Dawg
Tomato, diced onion, pickle spear, mustard, sport pepper, celery salt.
Desserts
Fried Cheesecake
Raspberry cheesecake bites with whipped cream and caramel sauce.
No matter the burger, it automatically comes with one ¼ pound patty, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
“Depending on how hungry you are or how many beers you want, you can make it a single, double, or a triple,” said Nino.
Beef isn’t for everybody, so Nino made sure to offer a few chicken options as well as salads and hot dogs.
The Chipotle Chicken Brgr comes topped with provolone, avocado, bacon, chipotle aioli, lettuce, and tomato.
“The inspiration for the Cali Street Dog was just what the title says,” explained Nino. “California is famous for taco trucks and hot dogs.”
On the dog, guests will bite into a bacon-wrapped frank, sauteed onions and peppers, mayo, mustard, and ketchup.
Some people may defer to something with a little more green, such as the Wedge Salad.
The blend comes with iceberg lettuce, blue cheese dressing and crumbles, tomato, bacon, and scallions.
And if there’s still room for dessert, it can’t hurt to give the housemade, jumbo cookies a try.
Throughout every meal, Nino said he hopes people will just talk and spend time together.
“This had been a bar for a lot of years,” said Nino. “I didn’t want to take that out of it, but I also wanted it to be a place where a family could come in and lean more toward food rather than beer.”
