Restaurant review: Bankers Tavern & Bistro

Bankers Tavern & Bistro
3 palms
Where: 114 Harrison St., Cocoa Village
Hours: Restaurant is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; bar is open to midnight Sunday through Thursday and until 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday nights.
Call: 321-633-0121
Other: Bankers has a full bar, Wi-fi, karaoke five nights a week and a Saturday night dance with hits from the '70s, '80s and '90s.

It's always good to see a historic building get a new life. The old bank on Harrison Street in Cocoa Village briefly had a rebirth as Bankers Bar and Grill; now it's open again as Bankers Tavern & Bistro. It still has the elegant, two-story space with its columns and balconies, along with limited outdoor seating for those of you who want fresh air or doggie dining.

The menu, if anything, isn't as upscale as the architecture. It falls somewhere between bar and carnival food, with lots of wings, burgers and sandwiches, a few salads and three "On the Light Side" selections, one of which is a Loaded BLT, "piled high with bacon." In other words, there aren't a lot of light dishes here.

Still, what we had was tasty. We started with fried pickles as an appetizer ($4.75), tangy breaded dill chips served with a side of ranch dressing. I opted to try the honey garlic wings, which were greasy, but not in a bad way, and nicely touched with honey. Ten wings are $7.75, and prices go up from there; they are breaded on request and can be made to your heat preference. Heat levels go from mild to medium to hot to super hot to "OMG!" Seriously. I went with mild, but it would be entertaining to watch someone eat "OMG!" wings.
Wing flavors also come in creamy garlic, Cajun, honey BBQ, lemon pepper, Caribbean jerk, ragin' ranch, Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ, Berries Inferno, honey mustard, Tijuana and lime pepper, so there's no lack of choices.

My companion got the Black & Blue Burger, a hearty, juicy classic whose toppings include bacon, fried onion strings and blue cheese sauce, though the blue cheese was subtle at best. The fries were thick and good.

Your choices for dessert are fried Oreos ($2.75) or fried brownie bites ($4.75), so we tried the Oreos; there were four to the plate. This is where the carnival aspect comes in. They taste like Oreos enveloped in funnel cake, warm and, yes, greasy, though somewhat addictive. If fair food isn't your thing, this might not be, either.

My only lament is the Bankers' menu doesn't have a few dinner entrées or upscale choices. But if you want reasonably priced bar food in an attractive setting, check it out.

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