(cough)
On the Yelp review site it asks: "Smoking"? Â And the response: "Yes"
That being said, we were walk-ins and didn't get to read this in advance.
People smoke in here.
We parked our butts far to the side and away from the smoke of numerous patrons and with the door and windows open and a/c blasting, we were fairly clean in our little pocket, our "circle of cheese". Non-smoking legislation has yet to take effect here in many parts. (But it will. It's one of those inevitable things...like death, taxes and the zombie invasion, sorry Texas)
We ordered up a couple pints of Guinness on-tap (of course) and the fish 'n chips, the "best in town". It's a small town but we were happy with the fried cod, home-made chips and cole slaw. Service was fine and the vibe comfortable.
(cough)
But the smoking has to go.
(Go Airborne!)
So I'm upgrading a star because I've visited the Tap-In a couple of times since my initial review, and while I'm still not in love with the place, I have found it to be useful in times of desperation for a dive bar.
For instance, the power recently went off at home with a predicted turn on time of 4am. The Tap-In has free wifi, outlets that I could plug in my almost dead phone, and  air conditioning and ceiling fans for daaayyss - all things I needed during my June power outage.
The drink specials weren't outrageously good, there were still some middle aged douches, and the beer selection was still a little weak, but in all I had a nice afternoon sitting at the bar and reading a big, fat novel while enjoying some booze.
By 7:30pm, reading was no longer an option because the place started to fill in and events were getting ready to start - I believe it was going to be trivia (points for awesomeness) but our power had been restored and I had already racked up a nice enough tab by that point.
So thanks Tap-In - you ended up serving your purpose as a neighborhood bar just fine. And now that I know what a nice spot you are for afternoon reading and drinking, I'm sure I'll be back.
It was just what we were looking for. Â A bar that was open and had food past 9pm in Grapevine.
There was food, beer (Stella on tap), live music and friends. Â What else is there to live for in life?
I had the grilled chicken sandwich with a side of buffalo sauce and it was pretty okay. Â I've had better and I've had worse. Â A friend thought her pizza was so-so and the salad another got seemed pretty average but for the price it was just fine.
The crowd was so welcoming and warm as we entered and the service was good. Â I'd go back if I were in Grapevine looking for a bar.
I frequent this bar for happy hour and would consider myself well versed with the happenings of the Tap-In. The prices and service are great and so is the pizza, however, smoking is allowed in this bar and EVERYONE smokes. I'm a non-smoker and I'm pretty sure I'm usually the only non-smoker in the bar. So, if you are not a fan of smoke, I'd suggest stopping in for a quick lunch rather than stopping in anytime after 5pm.
One other tidbit is that both the bathrooms are single stalls and it's "acceptable" for women to go into the mens and vice versa. Enter at your own risk.
Stopped in here during our wine stroll to get a break from the wine. Â It is a fine place. Â Nice service. We just had a beer and didn't try any of their food, although some of it looked good. Â I thought it was a tad out of place with the rest of the street which seems to be historic and wine related, but it was a nice break and something different. Â Overall, a pretty normal neighbordhood bar and they did have the Cheers' "everyone knows your name" slogan written outside when we were there too.
Review Source:My fiance and I were checking out some of the stores and wineries in grapevine got a little hungry and popped in since it was the closest place with food. Â We had a really good time, the service was great and the staff was friendly. Â I had the fish and chips (huge and fabulous) and my fiance had one of their hot sandwiches. Â Sweet potatoe fries are awesome too! If you like to smoke a cigar and have a nice drink with some tunes, this place is a perfect relaxing place to hang out.
Review Source:Unfortunately, nobody in our family smokes so we walked in the back door, choked on the smoke, proceeded to the non-smoking section in the front, choked on the smoke, and so continued on out the front door and to a different restaurant. Â Clearly smokers love the place which we were anxious to try but since we wanted to be able to taste something other than smoke we took a pass. Â Not for us...and yes, I feel a 1 is a fair since the sign advertises it as a more than just a bar, and we would have been unable to taste our food, and it was therefore inedible, and they thus get a 1. Â I'm sure they will survive - and so will I in a smoke free environment elsewhere.
Review Source:Great live music here last Saturday night! The 2 guys that had guitars and were singing had awesome voices and really made the drinks there enjoyable.
The bar scene was a mixed bag of folks, mostly middle aged. Many were there watching the Rangers/ College World Series or the late night World Cup match. Lots of pennants, flags etc on the wall made it have a college feel which was cool.
Very very smoky was the downfall. My throat was irritated and I longed for a smoking ban. They did have Ranger IPA in bottle form, which is a good beer, but it was mostly domestic and the standard imports so the beer list was not extensive. Wine list wasn't that hip either. This struck me as a Jack and Coke joint. Good place to forget the world and settle into a seat, sip and laugh or enjoy the tunes.
Good News...you are able to go to the Tap-In Bar, enjoy your favorite beverage, and not leave smelling like an ash tray. The little bar on the North end of Main Street in Grapevine is still a nice, casual place you can go to drink, smoke (if you do), and listen to live music on occasion.
While games were on the televisions, the focus was definitely on socializing with friends and the entertainment.
Bonus: Mark the date if Brad Thompson is going to be playing.
I don't know if it was just a bad night to check out the Tap-In over on Main Street in Grapevine, but this was one of the worst pubs I've ever been to. My wife and I decided to give the Tap-In a shot because we'd heard some good things. Right when we walked in were welcomed with a cloud of cigarette smoke which completely saturated the smell of the pub. I realize this is a pub, but come on now, they should at least have a non-smoking section. Anyway, the service was horrible, the food, prices and portion sizes were just okay, too expensive for a pub, and tiny, respectively... Also, for a place called the Tap-In Bar & Grill, the beer selection was atrocious and minuscule. I will never be going back here again, it was just awful. Â An excellent alternative pub with great food and awesome beer selection is the Old Monk in Dallas.
Review Source:We  stopped in for a drink after a short stroll down Main Street.  It's your typical small town neighborhood bar, where I bet "they always know your name".  From conversations overheard, many patrons this early Saturday afternoon were regulars.
We did not dine here, but the gent next to me at the bar had what appeared to be a huge chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and cream gravy. It sure looked good; another table across the way had huge salads with chicken. Â The menu was pretty varied for bar food, sandwiches, burgers, appetizers, salads, entrees, etc. Â
It was a comfortable, very casual atmosphere; service was decent by a bartender who was pretty busy, but had a cute sense of humor, friendly and chatty with the patrons around the bar.
We enjoyed the experience and would stop in again next time in the area.
I first started going to the Tap-In a few years back when an old high school friend moved back to the area. Â I was working nearby and he had just become newly -single again, so we started watching Monday Night Football and drinking to kill some time.
Fast-forward to 8 months of Monday nights in a row, and we loved this place. Â It has a nice, cool decor, large flat-screens and Golden Tee...none of which really matters. Â What mattered was the ambiance and beer. Â It has a nice "everyone is Irish"-quality to it, kinda like a Bennigan's only more grass-roots.
Originally we had a genius bartender that after a few visits, he knew us forward and backward. Â We'd walk-in, not even see this guy, and BAM!...2 Coors Light pints appeared. Â A few beers in and all of the sudden I had a Guiness Draught in front of me. Â "I thought you were ready to switch-it-up...", he said. Â He was correct, the guy was using Jedi-level mind tricks to serve us better than any bartender...ever.
St. Patty's was fun there with friends, lots of free green jello shots. Â It's right on Main St. and close to several restaurants, including Esparza's, a local favorite. Â The food isn't too shabby, either, as they serve fresh-made potato chips and ranch dressing and a mean Fish & Chips.
The weekends, now, have become a horrible thing here. Â The live bands, while good, would be better at about a decibel or 10-down. Â You've got LOTS of older, dance-challeneged people dancing their @$$e$-off...and oh yeah, there ISN'T a real "dance floor" here. Â The bar's layout is not conducive to live acts, or live karaoke due to the floor plan. Â I have had a couple spare waitress encounters here, as well. Â Some just have ZERO personality, a sad thing if they're in their 20s, and even worse when you've met them 20 times and they still stare blankly at you as if you've never existed to this exact point.
Recently, after a bad night I squarely blame on the wait staff months back, a few friends hit the place on a Saturday night and it was OK but too loud to hear yourself think let alone talk.
The good news is it's next door to a cigar shop, has great TVs for games and a few 20s-set around to not be too annoying. Â If you're listening Tap-In: hire-back that architect-bartender and just be a cool place to chill and have some pints.
Here's to the good ole days, Dave!
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