This is my first time back in the Hampton Taphouse in quite a while. Just over a year I guess. We stopped in here after attending the Mariners' Craft Beer Festival today. I had a hankering for a Purple Haze, unfortunately they no longer carry my cherished beverage. I settled for a Snake Bite and took a look at the menu.
I ended up ordering a the Smokehouse Burger for lunch, which is a bacon cheeseburger with house BBQ Mayo. The burger was ok, it hit the spot, however it was a bit overcooked and dry. The BBQ mayo was there, but I couldn't taste the BBQ. The fries were just generic fries, nothing to write home about. They definitely weren't as warm as by burger. All in all, minor complaints, great beer selection and definitely worth checking out if you're in the neighborhood.
Went in for lunch on a Friday and they only had one waitress on staff. They also turned away several customers because they were full. I ordered clam chowder and was not clam chowder at all. It was like vegetable stock with onion, bacon, potatoes, and some clams. I got the fish and chips and the waitress never brought the vinegar she asked me if i wanted. The reason the restaurant was so full, i suspect, is because it took us an hour to get in and out. Otherwise, the food was pretty good and beer selection was great. I saw an advertisement for live music that night and thought I'd come back for some bluegrass. Apparently I misread the sign, but I called the restaurant that evening to inquire about the cover charge and whoever answered the phone hung up on me. Decent food overall, terrible service.
Review Source:When traffic absolutely blows and getting across the tunnel back to VB is an hour waste of time get off immediately and find the first bar for a drink! That's my advice and I took it tonight.
The original plan was to hit up Marker 20 but after writing about Taphouse in The Weekly Yelp and seeing it just a few doors down I immediately had to stop in for a drink. Happy hour drinks are $1 off the listed price and in the interest of trying something new at a taphouse bar I decided to go local with an O'Connor Red Nun. Maybe it was the two beers I had at two previous bars (yeah so taking my own advice started in Newport News!) but two O'Connor drinks put me over for a solid buzz. This beer is a bit darker than what I prefer but I absolutely loved it.
I like this place. You have your downstairs bar area with a few tables and upstairs is where all the music happenings take places (along with a few extra tables). I'll save dinner there for another night...
Our bartender, BK, was an absolute doll and I walked away with two drinks and a buzz all for $10. And when we headed back to VB all the backed up traffic was gone. Damn, I'm good.
Two years ago, this was a 5 star rating for me. Today it's a 2. Â I'll go into that below.
Hoegarden in a 12 ounce pour...why? Â It's a weissbier with no exceptional alcohol content. I guess it's the "it's from Belgium so pour it small" mentality we're operating from. Noticed the higher ABV beers are higher priced for a smaller pour as well, marketing genius at work there, since in the past it's simply been based on cost and the pour has been, for the majority of the time in pint glasses historically.
On to the food. Â It's in a word, ok. Â When we first started going to the Taphouse the food was always interesting, as we had the menu to explore, and it seemed like the daily specials always had something worth trying. Â The food has been in a continuous decline since then. Â I don't know if it's the owner's thinning talent pool with expansion to other restaurants or just a general decline in overall quality. Â Whatever it is, the food is no longer worth going there for, and with other restaurants in the area expanding their beer selections, that's not a driving reason either.
An experience with the food that happened a few months ago for us: Â We'd ordered the cider mussels as a starter, something that we've been doing for years now. Â When they came out, they were good, but at least 8 of them hadn't opened in cooking. Â When we got our waitress over again (I know they're understaffed for the tables,especially at night, so service is rarely stellar) and asked if we could get some knocked off the cost since about 1/3 of the mussels hadn't opened, she offered to have them taken back to the kitchen and cooked some more to get them to open, something which is a big no-no with mussels. Â Commenting on that to her, she said it was ok, as they were flash frozen so didn't have that issue... Â Which was a surprise since I'd always thought the owner prided himself on using fresh ingredients. Â We haven't ordered mussels there since.
So to summarize. Â The food is ok, but nothing exceptional, or even really good. Â The beer selection is nice, but the pours are weak at times, and the pricing is meh. Â There are better places in the area for both beer and food now.
RACIST RACIST RACIST!! They stopped every person of color for pants or ling shorts and wearing ball caps (snapbacks) and said they were not in accordance with dress code and let every white person in with no problem waering the SAME THING!!!! what a fucking joke....will never recommend this place to anyone of color brown, yellow, or black I hate this place...three times and every time there is a fucking problem...my friend of color wearing boots, skinny jeans and a a collar short stopped for 45mins at the door for looking "suspect" while 20 people went ahead of us with the same outfit and he was recommended to tuck his skinny jeans in his boots...so sad that this has happened time and time again!!!! Never going to this place again!!!
Review Source:Food's not that great, but not too bad. Great selection of beer and other drinks, good service. It's nice that the stage for bands is upstairs so people that actually want to have a conversation can sit downstairs and enjoy themselves without having to scream at the person right next to them.
Review Source:I should start by telling you about the beer...but that might take too long. There are so many choices that your head might spin...or was that the Aventinus. Can't say much about the meals because I prefer my meals served in pint glasses. Bring your curiosity and don't be afraid of the SamiChlaus...bring back the Sami
Review Source:MY MOM AND DAD MEET MY UNCLE MY MOM'S BEST FRIEND.HER HUBBY ALMOST EVERY SUNDAY FOR BRUNCH AND BREW AS WE CALL IT!!!
I HAVE BEEN QUITE A FEW TIMES (taking my two youngest children I have three children 21(away at college@ Averett university in Danville),15, & 11...) I AM NOT A BEER DRINKER BUT MY DAD AND UNCLE ARE THEY HAVE EVEN BREWED THERE OWN BEER. Â THE SEVICE HAS ALWAYS BEEN GOOD,THE FOOD IS REALLY GOOD WHEN EVEN MY 11 year old HAS NO COMPLAINTS THEY MUST BE DOING something RIGHT...WE ALL WILL CONTINUE GOING FOR SUNDAY OUTINGS!!! Â
I would like to mention that one of the servers is moving away and we would like her to know we are going to miss her and good luck with her new job and such a big move!"GOOD LUCK "***
My favorite bar to visit when I'm in the Hampton/Newport News area. Â Amazing beer selection and good food...had the Woodchuck cider mussels last time I was here. Â Awesome. Â My buddy that was with me even enjoyed them and hes one of the pickiest eaters I know. Â The bar really has a great vibe to it...located along the cobblestone streets in old section of Hampton and the decor of the place is really cool (yes, I said decor...gay I know). Â I took my parents here after telling them about the extensive beer selection when they came down to visit me and my sister while we were at CNU. Â Now, everytime they are back in the area they stop by. Â This place has everything from cans of PBR to Belgian ales and all sorts of different people drinking here which makes it good to visit.
In short - this place is definitely my ideal kind of bar. Wish I still lived down in the area so I could experience the beer specials they have during the week (Monday - Pint Night?).
This place is 4 stars for Hampton. In other cities, it might be 3 stars.
The Taphouse does have an excellent selection of beer. They had 3 varieties of Dogfish Head when I went which is awesome because I love Dogfish Head.
The ambiance leaves a bit to be desired. It's kinda dark, a little dirtier than I'd like and is fairly small. They could make better use of the space. There is an upstairs seating area but it's even worse.
I ordered a crabcake sandwich for my dinner on the recommendation of my waitress. It was okay. I probably should have gotten a burger.
It was pretty busy that night so it was difficult to get the waitress' attention.
Went here with three others during the Blackbeard Festival.
There is a downstairs and an upstairs. The downstairs seemed to be mostly a bar area with some seating. It was very loud. We ate upstairs. Upstairs had a small stage and was all seating. Not as loud; we were able to have conversations very easily.
Pretty large beer menu. Nice food menu as well. Options for vegetarians and vegans.
The waitress was attentive; took our orders in a timely manner, re-filled waters, checked back several times to make sure we were ok. She brought the bill and took payment promptly. It did take a while for us to get our food, though. Since we were out with no time crunches and were enjoying ourselves, this wasn't a problem. If I needed to be somewhere afterwards at a particular time, I would probably go somewhere else, or show up very early. Â
I had the portobello mushroom sandwich with french fries. The sandwich was so good! Seriously one of the best sandwiches I've had in a long time! Everyone else enjoyed their food as well.
I will definitely go back if I find myself back in Hampton!
Their Biscuits and Sausage Gravy is to die for.
That had to be said first. Â I honestly don't think you can go wrong with anything on their menu, really. Â Especially their brunch menu. Â The Bread Pudding French Toast is also pretty good and they aren't stingy on their Mimosas.
We've gone for lunch and were pleasantly surprised but we keep going back for Sunday Brunch.
Seating is first-come-first-serve and you may have to yell at your waitress for a refill, but the food is *top notch* for what looks to be a hipster hang-out dive bar.
I have had better service before. One time the waitstaff lost a credit card and did not seem to concerned in finding it. Other than that the food is great. the secret to this place is the concerts hosted by <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yourmusicshow.net&s=0186a6d4095ea3cf9789a3aa6b35b72b67e56e435207e719fa3be48d38811efc" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.yourmusicshow…</a>. and the portabello sandwich
Review Source:I don't quite understand what all the fuss is about. The place is small and loud, and the service is slow. It took me almost an hour and a half from the time I walked in the door until the time that I left. I was by myself and only ordered the Cuban with Fries.
The waitress was slow, the kitchen was much slower, but the food was awesome. One of the best Cubans I'd had in a long time - and fresh. The fries were really good too.
If the food quality were worse, I'd be rating it 1 - 2 stars for the lack of service and the lack of space. The decor was pretty cool, but it doesn't do any good to have good decorations with no service.
Taphouse in Hampton is a cool little spot that might be just a bit too cool and a bit too little for its own good. The place is certainly cool, what with an ever-changing array of beers on tap and an awesome staff who's passionate about beers and good at explaining them to you. Not to mention the stellar Sunday brunches and the overall quality of the menu. But it's a location that could definitely benefit from some more size. And therein lies the problem.
Too often the place is overcrowded. The wait staff has problems getting to you, and the bar can be almost impossible to navigate. Still, catch Taphouse on the right night and it can be amazing. Come early if you want to really sit down and enjoy dinner. Come later if you're looking for a bit of downtown Hampton nightlife. Really a good time and an awesome crowd.
Granted I've only been here once, but I really like this place. Â It has energy, it's spacious and it's got a classic bar feel. Â Walking in, it just has that vibe like the next hot band is about to move from obscurity to fame right before your eyes. Â
I came for an amateur comedy show and had a great time. Â The bartenders were quick and friendly and the crowd was lively and almost as amusing as the talent on stage. Â It's one of the few places locally I've seen that advertises, even on special occasions, amateur comedy, so I was really excited and hope to see more.
The Taphouse Grill in downtown Hampton, VA is a great little spot that offers a huge selection of beers and a good variety of food. It's a popular location, and they could certainly benefit from more seating, but it still has a nice cozy feel to it. There's an upstairs area where larger groups go for dining, and the downstairs area is a mixture of the bar and dining. It's a little dim inside and the décor consists of dark tones, mahoganies, and the general feeling of hanging out in some cool basement converted into a bar.
The staff is friendly and well educated on their food and beers. They offer somewhere around 200 beers and they mostly rotate through different brands throughout the year. Fortunately the staff is very good at making recommendations, and you can tell they care about their beers. For many, this is the main draw to the place. However, they also have a surprisingly good menu that offers common fare like burgers and sandwiches, and also a nice selection of seafood. I recommend the linguine and clam sauce. The sauce they prepare is white, a bit like alfredo but not as thick, and is very rich.
Taphouse is definitely a very popular spot in the downtown area, and as a result it gets pretty crowded on the weekends. For barhopping purposes there's no real worry, but if you want to sit down to dine you want to try this place on a weeknight or an early weekend evening. Otherwise the place gets crowded, loud, and busy.
Came here for a friend's going away. Normally this place would be too legit to quit but the lack of band deducts a star. Although there was not a band present, it is an excellent place to sit and have drinks with friends and/or date. It is quiet enough to have a conversation but loud enough where if you get a little loud, no one will notice. Drinks are a great price as well.
Review Source:I went here for dinner on a weeknight. Â My burger (something with Jack cheese and jalapenos) was big and juicy, although slightly more pink that I had expected when ordering it well-done. Â The fries were crisp and not too salty. Â I asked for a side of barbeque sauce and it was a perfect dipping sauce for my fries. Â I don't drink, so I can't comment on their beers and such. Â Our server was friendly and not overly attentive. Â Cute decor, would come back again.
Review Source:Pretty Legit.
Pros:
Great Vibe
Wide Beer Selection
Awesome drink specials
Great Morning drinker friendly. Two dollar mamosas can't go wrong.
Food is outstanding I've not run across anything that is not good on the menu.
Negatives:
If you go there a lot you will probably start to know everyone after awhile. Which is not that bad.
I did not like Beer before visiting Tap House. I started out with the Belgian Ales they offered on Tap and have steadily moved on to the dark and heavy beers. They have such a wide variety any pallet can be quenched. From Beer and Wine to Liquor, Ale, and Meads this bar has it all. Â Along with their enormous selection of drink Tap house offers quite an exquisite menu as well. Soups, Salads, Sandwiches, Entrees, Brunch options available on Sundays, and desserts all handmade by culinary experts. They even offer a few daily specials that are the chef's special creations and interpretations of popular dishes. If you are looking for a cozy atmosphere with staff that love to get to know you and go out of their way to make you comfortable and happy, Tap House is the place to visit.
Review Source:Incredible beer selection and friendly staff. My wife and I have made a tradition of going to the Taphouse. 37 beers on tap with around a hundred bottles and new beers on tap almost every week mean you always have something new to taste.
The outside may not look like much but the inside has a great atmosphere. Lots of old 1900's photos on the walls and an impressive antiqued bar. There is a bit of seating shortage sometimes if you come with a group, but it is definitely worth the wait.
The food is also well beyond what you would expect. A solid menu during the week with a special Sunday brunch menu. They also have a lunch special menu just for the chefs to play around with. I've seen fun stuff like green eggs and lamb, or a east coast gumbo skillet that were amazing.
They also have shows for local artists and an "Old Time Radio Show" at least once a month with a few artists and an in-studio audience listening in, sometimes with local crafters selling their wares.
Absolutely one of the most special places in Hampton that I've had the pleasure to enjoy.
Discovered this place last weekend for brunch. Â I am a huge fan of the tap house in Ghent, and I had no idea that this one was here! Â
The first noticeable thing is they allow smoking at this establishment, and with the wife being pregnant, she was concerned. Â There was not ample seating, however, you can get a table if you are persistent.
This also carries into my next point.They were obviously understaffed, and the place was crowded. Â If you don't mind the wait, the food was worth it. Â I had ordered the crab cakes Eggs Benedict, but ended up served the regular Eggs Benedict. Â My wife's order was correct. Â She ordered the biscuits and gravy special. Â It was A LOT of sausage and very little cream that you are accustomed too, but it was delicious! Â the Eggs Benedict was good, but one thing I will say ids that you are going to pay more here than at IHOP or Denny's. Â My breakfast (if ordered correctly) was $15 for the Crab Cakes Benedict. Â My wife's and what I was served was $10. Â The caveat is the Bloody Mary's were only a dollar!
Again, I think if the place was staffed well that this would be a really great place. Â I will definitely go back for a second attempt at the crab cakes Benedict!
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