Upon entering, my wife and I were hopeful that it would be a good place to eat. However, that was not the case at all. The only redeeming qualities of this place are the atmosphere and the beer selection. The food was terrible. In fact it was so terrible that I am writing this review from the bathroom, as that is where I have spent most of my time today! Yes, eating at Firetap gave me food poisoning! Upon my ranting about my experience I have learned that this place has failed several health inspections. Shocker! Needless to say we will not be going back, and I hope this review saves some of you from an aweful experience!
Review Source:came here for lunch, always wanted to try because ive had mixed reviews. Wasn't busy and we got seated right away. Our server wasn't very personable. Â Our food was okay, came out with cold fries but they got some more for us. Â Got a pretzel sandwich which I expected more on. It was good, but bread was kind of hard and cold, i thought it would be softer bread and warm. Â Should have asked if it was a cold or warm sandwich i guess. Â They look like they have a good amount of beers to choose from.
Review Source:I always want them to be good Bc I really like the bar and the drink selection and I atmosphere, not to mention its one of the only chill nice places on the south side. The food just sucks and they're probably one of the most allergy UNfriendly places in Anchorage. Good bar, good atmosphere, good location, sucky sucky food.
Review Source:I should rate a ZERO as the appetizer was chips and fresh pico de gallo and the chips loked like the bottom of a bag and the guac was ICE COLD and the pico from a can.
Then the Thai Chicken pizza came and it was suppose to be thin and crispy and it was raw and cold. Â No thai sauce and when I asked for more sauce they sent out a container with sauce with ice crystals in it and no taste!! Â So dissappointed! Â Will not be back when week old take out from my own fridge would be 100% better than anything here.
I guess "Yay! I'm a fan" is appropriate for my thoughts on Firetap. There were aspects I loved, aspects I thought were meh, but ultimately, I enjoyed it enough to eat here on two consecutive days.
For starters, the beer selection is awesome. They also have an impressive liquor selection. I sat at the bar on both of my visits and have nothing but positive things to say about the bartenders. They made recommendations on what drinks would go well with what food. Best of all, they have this awesome selection of locally distilled flavored vodka. These vodkas are pretty unique.... smoked salmon, rhubarb, birch syrup.... crazy flavors I was eager to try! The bartender recommended I try the smoked salmon vodka in a bloody mary... and wow! It was quite an interesting bloody mary. Her recommendation was spot on, so I decided to follow her advice and try the birch syrup vodka shaken over ice and served as a shot, and had the rhubarb vodka in a cosmo (thankfully she served it on the rocks.... which made it a little less girly hahaha).
While the drinks and service were quite impressive, I thought the food was only okay. I ordered a pulled pork sandwich one day, and a pesto pizza the next. I will say the pizza was properly cooked; however, the cheese tasted funny, like it was highly processed. The pulled pork sandwich was pretty meh. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't good. The one item that was exceptional was the pretzel my cousin ordered. It was fluffy, golden brown, salty, and was served with mustard and a cheese sauce. I had a few beers out in Seattle last night and kept thinking how one of the pretzels from here would improve the experience. The pretzels are so delicious! Get them.
I'm a little shocked Firetap has such awful reviews. Like I mentioned, it has flaws, but with amazing drinks and service I'm willing to look past mediocre food. I view this as a great place to grab some appetizers and drinks before going elsewhere for dinner or if you're just going to watch a game.
Definitely won't be going back. I don't live in Anchorage anymore, but the times I have been back on vacation and tried to go to Firetap with the hopes that they have improved I have ultimately been really really disappointed.
This time around I tried: Blackened Chicken Wrap -
Blackened chicken, black bean salsa, roasted onions & peppers, cheddar & mozzarella cheese and spicy ancho chili sauce in a warm flour tortilla.
This is definitely not a wrap - it is a burrito. It would be in your best interest to change the menu to correctly explain that this is a burrito. I often choose to order a wrap because they tend to be healthier than a full blown sandwich and this was probably way worse for me than a sandwich. It reminded me of a burrito stuffed with chili (I know it says ancho chili sauce, but imagine eating home made chili and mounds of cheese).
The service wasn't extraordinary, just adequate. They have great beer selection and I ordered an IPA. I assumed since they didn't ask what size I wanted that it would be the smaller, cheaper one but after getting the bill I realized they brought me the 16oz without even confirming that was what I actually wanted. That's a big no-no for me.
The total came to $37 for two beers, caprese appetizer, and a wrap. In my opinion it was extremely overpriced and not worth it. Luckily Yogurt Lounge is in the same little mall and it made me temporarily forget about the horrible lunch!
Worst Service and Management in Anchorage Alaska -
Just got back from lunch at the FireTap in Anchorage.
The waitress was the worst server I have come across in a long time.
Being allergic to Cheese I ordered a pizza with out cheese - Making it clear - Allergic to cheese - no cheese please - Pizza came with Cheese. Order another pizza - Now - after my lunch mates finished their meal - my pizza came back - they had scraped off the previous fixings and reloaded raw ingredients back onto the crust and served it back up to me... I told them I couldn't eat this one the waitress grabbed it from the table - took our plates from the table and we paid our bill. When we asked for the Manager they told us she was on the phone and couldn't see us for 10 minutes. You could make individuals seriously ill serving food they are allergic to. We have been to Firetap a handful of times with various issues but after this last time We will never go back - Firetap is managed poorly and its waitstaff represents it management.
Gave it a couple visits to see if it got better.
Two bad pizzas - the Thai pizza didnt have any Thai flavor. The other pizza was under cooked and bland. Tried the cajun chicken  and sausage pasta and the sauce was overspiced, the chicken was precooked, dry and just thrown in the sauce, the sausage was overcooked to the point of being grainy... I make better cajun pasta at home in 20 minutes...
Only the kids liked their food, service was ok. Last time we go here...
Firetap COULD BE a great restaurant. Â With all the beer and the wood stone oven, there is no reason this place shouldn't be slamming good. Â Here are a few of their current issues:
1) The oven isn't quite right. Â The several times I've been here, my pizza or calzone has always been cooked to perfection or so it would appear; that is until I bit into it and found whatever it was was undercooked. Â Some of the other dishes i had were just mediocore, i think menu and the food quality need a total revamp especially at their current price point.
2) Service is hit or miss. Â No real consistency here. Â Wait staff should anticipate what you need, if I need to chase staff down to get a napkin or silverware, that's a problem. Â I have had good nights there but more often than not there are some issues.
I want to like Firetap, I really do. Â I hope that the next time I go all of these things will be resolved. Â Also, with the wide open look of the place, like another reviewer wrote, it feels like a cafeteria. Â There is also very little art and the TV's are in odd places. Â It's in need of more identity instead of sterility.
Overall, Firetap is worth going for the adventurous but not for those that are expecting a hit and can't handle a miss.
Went a little after the lunch rush hour. Â There were plenty of empty tables, but the hostess told my friend and I that there was a bit of a wait. Â I was thinking, "are you serious?!" Â Once we got seated, our server came in a timely manner. Â Our server was nice enough, but I felt like she was annoyed or irritated with something. Â
Firetap didn't have the original beer I ordered... Â we ordered a pizza with split toppings. Â I appreciated the fact that we had the choice of a wheat crust. Â The main cheese of the pizza hardened pretty quick. Â This made me think that Firetap uses cheap cheese and should not be charging as much as they do. Â
The atmosphere and space were decent. Â
Overall, my experience was decent. Â I haven't tried it since it opened. Â I just won't be suggesting to come here again.
My experience here was nowhere near as bad as many of those who've posted previous. Â
Firetap is a large space, with a fair number of TV's and I could see coming here for football games, drinking a few pints and maybe eating a couple appetizers or a pizza.
Good beer selection. Â Pizzas are a couple steps below Moose Tooth. Â Other food is of "bar food" quality.
Our server was attentive and friendly. Â I suppose it all depends on who you get and the mood they are in. (Even though it should be consistently good regardless).
I won't ever go to Firetap for dinner, but I would stop in for a beer and Monday Night Football, if I'm in the area.
If I could give this place zero stars I would.......seriously the food sucks! The owner is making a killing from the great beer selection therefore is unwilling to upgrade the menu he is a cheap and greedy business person and I would highly suggest you go somewhere else! Â I gave it three chances and if it were not for the beer to wash down some of the food I would have sent it back it was horrible all three times!
~disgusted foody
We went back since we were in the area just for appetizers and got the antipasto platter. Â I've had a LOT of antipasto platters and the salami is always sliced very thinly. Â These were huge chunks of salami, low grade salami at that. Â Gross.
I don't know why I keep trying this place. Â 4th time here and I always regret coming.
Gave it a try for the second time since they opened because I didn't want to judge the place during its opening days. Â Have to say it didn't get any better.
First, it has the atmosphere of an airport restaurant. When you walk in the hostess station is way off to the right, it's not the bar that really does looks like one right in front of you.
Then there are TV's all over the place and music you can hear just well enough to be irritating.
Finally, the food...oh the food. Menu read okay. I picked a turkey & pesto sandwich. It had the feel of another traveller favorite, the foil wrapped sandwich. You know, the one with all of the meat off to one side, soggy bread, and the pesto only dabbed on in the middle of the bread? Yeah, totally worth the $7 you paid for it but wait! This one is $14.
But the saving grace was the service was great. Helpful and smiley.
Definitely would not recommend this place to anyone, ever.
I've pretty much decided to resign Firetap to my "Never Go To Again" list. I've been there three or four times, and every time reiterates why I didn't like it before, then left me asking, "Why did I come here again?!"
The food is underwhelming. Misleading, in fact. The pizza is not baked in a true wood oven like is proclaimed. You can totally see the piping for the gas in there!
The menu is just so generic. There is nothing exciting or new or flavorful to consume. It's ridiculously overpriced for when you spend $11.50 on what was literally just cold, wet, noodles reheated with some cheese on top and called "crusty-roofed macaroni and cheese." Breadsticks that taste like they've been frozen, chili that had to have come from a can and deserts that I am suspiciously sure come from a box, are things I am not willing to pay restaurant-prices for.
One should really be wary of a place that has such an extensive menu, with multiple options, including a dozen under their "specialties." That's what you get, though, from a place that likely buys the majority of their product pre-made from SYSCO. It would be different if the food was good and priced reasonably (considering from what it's made from), but it's not. What a deceptive illusion that this place is worth the money one spends. I think Anchorage folk will soon come to realize that the Firetap flame will fizzle out, and they'll quickly pass it up for another local place that has authentic food, and beer that isn't a buck more than any other place in town.
I came here after passing it on the road for the last couple of years. The interior is filled with booths, tables, and a couple of bar tables. Lots of metal and windows, though it still felt like a cafeteria. I ordered a margarita and a friend ordered a G.B. blonde ale. For appetizer we ordered nachos and for dinner we ordered a large, 1/2 chipotle steak and 1/2 thai chicken, pizza.
The nachos were loaded with a bunch of white cheese jalapenos, black beans, sour cream and guac. The pizzas were unremarkable. The dough, cheese, pizza toppings didn't seem very fresh, and had the feeling they were Moose's Tooth copy cats. Oh well.
Service was good, and overall it was okay, but I think this place is one of those one time visits.
Downgrading a star, which is the average of two recent experiences. Â
First recent visit was o.k. Â It was fairly quiet, the sandwich was good, and the service was friendly. Â
Second visit, I was shocked by the price/food ratio. Â The kid's mac & cheese was $5 and the portion was so incredibly small, I am sure my mouth dropped open when I saw it. Â I resent paying $5 for it. Â It looked and tasted like Fred Meyer hot counter mac & cheese, too. Â For $5, I could've gotten a bucket at Fred's.
The salad I got was "Asian" chicken. Â It was a lettuce blend from a package, no doubt. Â Thrown on top were Craisins and a few dried chow mein noodles and a cold chicken breast. Â All for $12. Â Again, I resent wasting my dining dollar here.
The thing is, I don't mind spending money if something tastes good or if I can't replicate it at home. Â It's not always about value. Dining out is about the food and getting out of the house.
At this point, I regard Firetap as a bar with good bar food. Â If you want to get drunk and eat something other than the usual fried pub food, come here. Â If you're looking for a good, tasty meal, the local grocery store can do better.
Honestly, though, I have given Firetap enough money and chances to earn my loyalty. Â It has failed, and I'm not going back.
The only good thing I can say about the Firetap is that their beer is cold, they have a good variety of beers on tap, and they serve a full glass.   Now for the reason we won't go back.   Last Saturday, we went there to celebrate a good friend's birthday and the service and server were horrible.  We had to flag down a server to get our order taken.  When she brought out the salads, she spilled a serious amout of salad dressing on one of our party and more or less blew it off.   The last straw  was that we made the mistake of lingering after we have paid the bill to catch up on everyone's lives. My daughter looked up to see waitress pointing to our party and  loudly saying that she couldn't belive we were not leaving and that she wished we'd just go.   As we left, we talked to the manager about our poor and rude service and basically got a "too bad, too sad" response.   There are just too many better places to have a cold draft micro brew and a meal in Anchorage for us to ever return to this business.
Review Source:being that i was having my first true meal for the day at dinner time (flew from AZ to AK and had nothing but a smoothie and peanuts) my opinion may have been slightly skewed...
as always when i am on vacation, i like to try foods unique from home. Â usually the signature items catch my eye immediately and the first was the "firetap wings" as an appetizer and "firetap french dip." Â the wings were a good start as the sauce was very unique and a little sweeter then your typical buffalo wing sauce (also not as much spice and kick). Â The Firetap French Dip dip was standard but what caught my eye and taste buds was the horseradish cheddar cheese which was a very good touch. i was satisfied with my meal but the opinions of others around me at the table were hit or miss. the dip came with alaskan chips which is pretty much just your typical home made potato chips.
The Alaskan Brew was Delicious...when in Rome do as the Romans right? Â
The ambiance in the restaurant was great. Â Artwork and setup of the tables and bar was very clean and comfortable. Â Although it would not be my first choice i wouldnt be opposed to eating at this place again...
Firetap could be a thing of greatness if they can manage to hit their stride. Â With all the beer and the fantastic oven they have (wood stone oven) there is no reason this place shouldn't be slamming good. Â But there are a couple of reasons:
1) The oven isn't quite right. Â The several times I've been here, my pizza or calzone has always been cooked to perfection or so it would appear; that is until I bit into it and found whatever it was was undercooked. Â There's not much worse than to see something that looks so good only to be disappointed in biting into it. Â Some of the other dishes don't fall into this but these are some of my favorite things and they could be so good.
2) Service is hit or miss. Â No real consistency here. Â If my glass is filled up only once during a meal, that's a big problem. Â Also, my waiting staff should anticipate what you need, if I need to chase staff down to get a napkin or silverware, that's a bigger problem. Â I have had good nights there but more often than not there are some issues.
I want to like Firetap, I really do. Â I hope that the next time I go all of these things will be resolved. Â Also, with the wide open look of the place, like another reviewer wrote, it feels like a cafeteria. Â There is also very little art and the TV's are in odd places. Â It's in need of more identity instead of sterility.
Overall, Firetap is worth going for the adventurous but not for those that are expecting a hit and can't handle a miss.
I like this place for atmosphere more than anything. Â The room is large and inviting, with art on walls, very clean, lots of windows -- go before sunset, it will feel great. It feels like being in a larger city, while the waiters are still Anchorage-friendly :) Â It's also close to the southern Alaska Club and is a good spot after a hike south of Anchorage -- you get off the highway at O'Malley and here you are, within a moment.
Eats and drinks are not too bad. I like the beer that they offer, but can't speak for it like an expert, since I am not a beer buff. Â The food is hit-or-miss--salads aren't bad but not outstanding, thin-crust pizza, satisfyingly crunchy and tasty with a hard apple ale; lasagna, however, was 80% cheese. But all in all, not expensive and fairly good for the price -- on the other hand, other places on the South Side, like Southside Bistro, can be expensive and the food can be not-so-great for what they charge.
I've been to Firetap twice, both times with my son. The place is larger than I thought it looked, but because there are no dividers, it is noisy and has the atmosphere of a cafeteria. They seem to have crowded more tables in, as they've realized how restaurant starved we are on the far southside. My son even mentioned how noisy the place was.
On the first occasion, not many weeks after they opened, I ordered Eggplant Parmesan, though they called it something different. The sauce was tasty, but the eggplant was not throughly cooked and was crunchy. My son ordered a calzone, that he said was OK, but the sauce on top made it  soggy. The service was good.
Weeks later we decided to give Firetap another shot. This time we both ordered a calzone with the sauce on the side. I ordered my vegetable calzone without tomatoes. The waitress told me that she'd write that down, but the cooks didn't like to make changes. Call me silly, but I assumed she'd let me know if I needed to order something different. My calzone came full of tomatoes, that when I removed them, left me with an onion calzone with a few green peppers and black olives. My sons said that his calzone was "just OK" Â The service this time was iffy at best.
The beer I had both times was great, as was my sons Rootbeer.
It takes me 20-25 min to get to Firetap, for an extra few minutes I can be in a number of places, and from now on, that's where I'll go-unless all I want is a drink.
Was there for the 2nd time last night. Â So nice to have have another south-side option, wish it was bit better.
Wait staff are present, nice. Â We were seated quickly. Â The Firetap salad was very surprising, the small is $7.50, about 1/2 a cup, very tiny and poor value.
Pizza is good, beers are one of the best things about of this restaurant.  Others have commented on the noise.  This is an intentional  "feature",like the Glacier Brewhouse, to BE loud, some sort of new resturant design idea to, in theory increase business.
Sigh...I wish I could say something better than the other recent reviews but my experience was much the same. While our waitress was quick, attentive, and pleasant, I cant say as much for the food. The large ginger salad was a pile of Costco spinach leaves with a few mandarin wedges and a drop of vinaigrette, not worth $11.50. Especially since the small salad is essentially the same size. I had the veggie calzone which was kinda small and not too interesting. The "veggies" consisted of slices of tomato and maybe a few bell pepper slices. Others at our table had similar experiences. The spaghetti plate was huge but bland and uninteresting. The one bright spot were the libations. The beer was excellent and fresh and the wine was a good suggestion. A big negative are the acoustics. This place is loud like a school cafeteria. I hate having to scream a conversation over dinner. To sum up, someone obviously dumped a ton of money into this place. The modern design and clean lines are a nice features but without good food...who cares? It just feels kind of soulless, like a new Chiles.
Review Source:My boyfriend and I went here on Wednesday the 12th for our first time. We were seated right away. As we were looking at the drink menu's we noticed that some of the beer was way over priced like the Stone Arrogant Bastard it was $10 for a 22oz. I know they aren't sold to them at that high of a price. So my boyfriend ordered a beer (Deschutes Black Butte) and I ordered a frozen Margarita. The drinks were great!! To start off we ordered the chicken wings (I'm a huge fan of chicken wings and if a place has them I order them) and the Brat & Kraut appetizers. When we received the dishes I was very skeptical to even try the wings. There were about 8 pieces or so and it was topped off with sauteed green & red peppers and onions (never seen anything like it) and the sauce it was sitting was pure grease!! I tried them anyway. They weren't too bad but nothing stuck out about them. They were literally bland and very greasy! We had one or two each and didn't finish them. The Brat & Kraut was very good. You can't really go wrong with that. Although it didn't look like a Brat, just looked like a sausage that had a little taste of a Brat. But it was good.
We ordered the ranch chicken pizza for dinner. When it came to our table it looked and smelt good. We had a few slices and decided that while it was good it lacked something. We couldn't quite figure it out but besides the flavor of the ranch dressing it was pretty bland all around. I ordered another Margarita and my boyfriend another beer (MGD in the bottle). We were talking and I happened to look into my drink and noticed a short black hair in it!! I showed my boyfriend and he looked at it then took it out and I sent the drink aside. I went to grab for it again and mixed it up with my straw and saw another one!!! So my boyfriend took it to the waitress and she ordered me another one. I couldn't drink the other one really at all so for the most part it just sat there and melted.
The restaurant looked very clean and very open. It was a little crowded on one side (by the bar) and very open on the other side. It almost looked as if there should have been a buffet line where were sitting and the seating area were it was more open. When we first got there I kind of got the feeling like they were trying to go for a California Pizza Kitchen modernized style or something. But sitting there I came to the conclusion that there should be a buffet line.
The staff and our waitress were great, making sure to grab the dishes when we were finished. Although some of the employees looked as if they were upset or stressed out.
Our overall visit of that place wasn't that great of an experience. The food was very bland and hair in drinks. We won't be going back!!!
My boyfriend and I tried the Firetap twice. Â Once on Tuesday and then again on Saturday with friends. Â Our first experience, our server was wonderful, drinks arrived on a timely manner, and so did the food. Â We both ordered pasta - I had the Italian Sausage Piccante and my boyfriend had the Penne Pesce.
Although I enjoyed the pieces of Italian sausage in my pasta, I thought the sauce was only "ok." Â It wasn't fabulous or stuck out in anyway. Â My boyfriend liked his Penne Pesce because of all the veggies in his pasta. Â He also had it for leftovers and said it was even better the next day. Â I took my leftovers and added my own tomato sauce, garlic, and basil. Â We were too full to try the desserts.
Saturday - We had to wait for seating but found a place at the bar - drinks came out in a timely manner but the friends we invited to join us found their 4-5 specialty beers to be over priced...usually $6.50 or so, they were charging between $10 and $11 so they stuck to the usual beers from Moose's Tooth and Sleeping Lady. Â I am not an expert on beer, but my friends felt that nothing stood out in their beer selection, meaning that because Firetap is an Alehouse, it should have a type of beer they are know for.
We were seated in a booth this time (first time was at the table) and had a different server who seemed a bit overwhelmed. Â We ordered our food - my boyfriend and I were sharing the Firetap Ultimate Calzone and share the Ratatouille with the table, and our friends ordered the Meatlovers Calzone, Caprese as a shared appetizer, and the Honey Ginger Chop small salad as a finish for the meal. Â My boyfriend and I took bets and sure enough, the server brought the salad while we ate the appetizer, and not at the end of the meal like our friends requested.
Appetizers came - Ratatouille arrived in a baked dish. Â It was a bunch of veggies (eggplant, fire roasted peppers, tomatoes) covered in cheese and served with pita bread. Â It was all right, mainly because of the cheese, but I am not a fan of eggplant. Â The Firetap Caprese - HIGHLY would NOT recommend. Â The caprese was arranged on a round plate alternating mozzarella and tomato and topped off with what looked like one basil leaf chopped and sprinkled over the whole plate and then served with a basket of pita bread. Â $10 and no flavor what so ever, and it's not like they needed to add balsamic vinegar - the basil would be sufficient enough to give it flavor if there was any! Â Very plain and tasteless.
The calzones were fabulous, full of flavor. Â They were big enough to share with someone. Â The Ultimate had onions, peppers, chorizo (which was spicy and delicious!), pepperoni, and cheese, and baked in the wood oven. Â The Meatlovers is straight forward - full of meat! Â We recommend the calzones, maybe because they came from the expensive fire wood oven they purchased!
The Honey Ginger Chop salad - when they mean small, they definitely mean small. Â When you eat a salad a Moose's Tooth, their small salad is enough to eat by itself or share with someone as a light salad before a meal. Â This $7 salad was enough salad to feed a child who hates eating salad. Â It wasn't much, Â Tossed with mandarin oranges, dressing, sesame seeds, and then topped off with 3 slices of avocado that tasted like lime according to our friends. Â Firetap must have precut the avocado and soaked them in lime juice to prevent it from turning brown. Â This measly salad was such a disappointment - not only was it small for $7, the flavor was lacking as well. Â Despite its small size, our friends didn't finish it. Â It was that bad.
Employees - for the most part, our server did his job but was a bit frazzled. Â I am not sure if one of the employees was a busser or server, but why are you wearing 80's sunglasses inside when the blinds are down? Â It does not fit in with the class that Firetap is trying to portray. Â The bussers also need to work on their communication with customers when they are removing plates. Â They were very rude.
We also decided to stay for the entertainment. A band was setting up to play and didn't even start until 11pm. Â Note to the Firetap and the band - bands start playing around 9 or 10pm, not 11. Â The band was nice minus the singer. Â As for my boyfriend and I, we might go to Firetap again for a calzone, but our friends were so disappointed that they are not sure if they would step foot again in that restaurant...who knows, maybe time will help make improvements.
P.S. Where are the comment cards at Firetap? Â It would seem crucial to a new restaurant to know what people think and give suggestions - instead we have to post on an online site for the WORLD to see how and where improvements need to be made.