The Glendale Tap

My boyfriend and I literally missed our flight to Honolulu because we were here with friends the night before... AND WE'RE NOT ONE BIT SORRY!  I'm not a beer drinker and this place totally changed me. Our friends prefer Golden Road and I say, 'Let 'em have it!' GT has pickles, perogies and a clipboard-book of beer options. I'll be sad when it's hard to get a high table or a booth around the pool tables... but believe me, I'll still be going.

"There's a lion and a giraffe. They're like hanging out. There friends."

This rather unconventionally structured joke was my first introduction to a rather great bar.  Probably should have led with the termite joke.  

A little bit of a hidden gem, The Glendale Tap is a great bar -- filled to the brim with tchotchkes, taps and pool tables, homey without feeling artificial.  The genuinely friendly (occasionally quirky) staff, almost driven to dirty dishes will let you try what seems like everything (and it is appreciated).  No word yet on whether you could actually try all 52 taps.  Plus! beer here is pretty cheap, going for $6 up to 9 and down a couple of bucks for happy hour (which runs for two hours after 5.  

Not happy with just dirtying glasses, they have peanuts you can eat and encourage to throw on the floor with wild abandon.  

"You here for awhile?" "Why do you ask?" "You picked the twenty minute long song..."

A little worried about the digital jukebox in the corner, they've made sure to limit it to songs you should be listening to -- jazzy numbers and the like.  There were also some Christmas songs mixed in for some mood music for some writing regulars.  

"My brother plays the flugelhorn."

Did I mention there was a good crowd?

You know those TV shows/movies where there's a bunch of twenty somethings and they all convene at a cool low key spot to shoot the shit, play pool, and drink beer once a week? This is that spot.

I almost didn't want to write a review on this place because it's such a great gem, I don't want other people to know about it!  Come with your crew, order a beer you've never tried before, grab some peanuts and throw the shells on the floor, play some pool, and pick some sweet tunes from the jukebox.  It's got a worn-in, small town feel.  Nothing pretentious about this place.  It reminds me of a bar my parents would have hit up when they were my age.    

I'm not really a beer expert, so the bartender made a lot of educated suggestions for me to try.  I had a pear cider, an IPA, and some locally brewed beer, all for less than 15 bucks during happy hour!  I definitely recommend the ciders if you're not into strong beers.  They're sweet, flavorful, with just a hint of alcohol.  

Normally, I feel weird going out with my sober friends, but not to Glendale Tap.  Even if you're not drinking, you can still have fun here.