Awesome bruschetta. Way awesome!!! The prosciutto and mozzarella were way good. Now service really stunk!!!! We had to wait for about an hour to order our food. I guess that's the price you pay for going out on a Saturday night. Tons on beer on tap and though I'm not a beer drinker my hubby enjoyed them.
Review Source:Taps back on track with great new Chef Barry and solid service staff. Â When Mgr Leslie is in the house, all works like a well run and consistent neighborhood bar with diverse small plates. Â Indoor (music can be too loud for talk) and outdoor seating -
Good for late night or last stop before home.
The location is perfect for all those who work/live downtown. Taps is at the bottom of the Skypoint apartments/condos. If you love beer, there an assortment to choose from but those liquor lovers, they do have your favorite spirit available too. I only stopped by for happy hour so I can't comment on their food but their service was awkward. We were at a table inside and when happy hour started, the waitress stopped by and told us the table was now reserved. I wouldn't normally make a point of it but she was very curt about it and began moving our drinks before the thought processed in our minds.
Review Source:Came here before a show at the Straz Center with a large group.
I was impressed with the wine and beer selection. Some really good finds at a reasonable price. Cocktails and liquor too. The food menu is great too. A selection of small plates, salads, sandwiches, etc. I had the Bacon Turkey Salad. How can you go wrong? Bacon, sliced turkey, avocado, lettuce, sun-dried tomatoes, onions and gorgonzola cheese in a vinaigrette dressing. The salad was huge and was served with two wedges of cheese toast. I was very impressed and saw many other items on the menu I wanted to try.
We did have an issue with service. Our servers did a great job but our food took forever to come out and the servers just kind of ignored the issue instead of checking in with us and telling us the status.
Overall, I would go back again in a second. Great location for downtown events.
FYI- Street parking around here is free evenings after 6pm.
I don't eat here: I drink.
Thursday night is ladies night and I get a whole lotta martini (made "filthy" with a whole jar of olives) for $4 a glass. Additionally the beer selection is fantastic and the hot pretzel with mustard is out of this world.
My boyfriend and I like to stop in for a quick (and sometimes not so quick) couple of week night drinks a month and are even considering participating in the beer challenge.
I highly recommend stopping in for a drive (or five) whenever you can.
I went to Taps last night for the first time and was pleasantly surprised to find such a great spot in Downtown Tampa (from what I've discovered, there's not too many nice spots open late in the area). When we arrived, I really enjoyed the chic, sophisticated feel inside and found it to be warm and relaxing. It wasn't very loud in there either, which was nice so it was easy to carry on a conversation, yet it was surprisingly busy for a Monday night at 10 PM. From what I saw, they have an extensive collection of draft beer, liquor and of course wine. I first ordered the Riesling (not sure which one, but there were only 2 choices available) and next I had the Red Velvet Cupcake wine. That one was very unique but quite delicious, I will certainly try that one again. My friend and I shared an order of the baked mac and cheese, which was tasty, but somewhat overpriced ($8) for the portion size. Most of the food and drink  items here seemed to be a bit pricey, but that's to be expected in this type of bar in downtown Tampa. Overall, I really enjoyed the experience and would definitely go back again. In the future, I'd like to try some of the other food options as it seems most people have said good things about their menu.
Review Source:Food was solid but a little expensive for what you get (the bruschetta was only 4 half-of-a-credit-card sized pieces of extremely thin toast, albeit delicious). Â Definitely go for the atmosphere (they have that "industrial sophistication" look down) and great beer selection. Â I had a beer sangria that contained hard cider, a raspberry beer, and a blueberry beer. Â It came garnished with fresh fruit and was excellent.
I did get the yucky feeling that the douchey male bartenders have and/or are currently sleeping with the cute and young-looking waitresses. Â Obnoxious, vomitous flirting ensues.
Other than that, I would definitely go back for beer and snacks (like the soft pretzel with your choice of mustard, cheese or Nutella).
Appealing beer selection
Cool location and set-up
Good after-work spot
Close the University of Tampa campus, Taps is a not-too-large resto-bar with two sides plus an outside. Â I enjoyed the beer selection available, and the dinner we had here was above average as well. Â Service was available and attentive, but a little over-friendly and threw around "chief" a little too much for my taste. Â Wine is also a fine focus here.
Not a ton of personality here, but I can imagine it being a nice spot to enjoy a brew outside on Ashley on a warm evening, especially if there's an event going on nearby, for example.
A-OK.
Pricey, but they have an incredible beer selection between the taps and bottles. It was 7.36 for one draft microbrew. I consider that close to outright robbery, but whatever - it's downtown Tampa and it has a kinda upscale vibe. I had two.
Also, it is located directly across from the Straz Center parking garage, which makes it the perfect spot to relax before a show or concert there.
They seem to really take pride in their mixed drinks as well, no halfassery.
First off, the location was nice and very quaint when you walk in. My only complaint was that I checked in on Yelp and they didn't honor the deal I got. The manager said that it was an old deal and they don't honor it. No restaurant has ever done this so that was a little messed up. Anyways, on to the food. We started with the beer queso nachos and the Brie and honey bruschetta. Both were excellent although there was nothing special about the queso and with a name like beer queso you expect melted perfection. As my meal, I had the meatball sub. It was the perfect size and stuffed with love (meatballs, marinara, and mozzarella). It came with a fresh strawberry salad, which was a nice surprise. The only reason I removed a star was for the manager's behavior since they should honor The deal they put on yelp. Not my fault they forgot to remove it.
Review Source:I visited Taps with a large group of about 12 people. We were seated at a high top table and we took our time. I was really excited after reading the menu and started to have high expectations for Taps. I decided to order the Chipotle Apricot BBQ Chicken with Bacon Sandwich. It sounded delicious on the menu. It looked really delicious when it came (see the photo I uploaded). Unfortunately, it didn't taste as delicious as it looked and sounded. A lot of the sandwich was pretty bland. It seemed like the sauce was only on the end of the sandwich and that part did have a lot more flavor. Maybe they were just sloppy putting together mine? I actually ended up enjoying the little side salad with strawberries and vinaigrette more than my sandwich. I ordered one Sea Dog Blueberry beer to go with my meal and my tab was $14 and change.
The waitress also seemed to have some issues. She couldn't remember who ordered what (even when only 1 person was ordering at a time getting an additional beer). She also had to be asked to bring our tab after we had been sitting there for a long time. Then, she said she had to go back and divide it all up because she put everyone on one tab. We were almost late to our show because of her, but it all worked out fine in the end.
I am still intrigued by this place and would consider trying it again. If my first visit is any indication though; it is not worth the money.
This place has LOTS of beer and wine, perfect for people with good taste.
This is a good date bar, meeting bar, or hangout with friends bar. The volume is low enough that you can have a conversation and hear what the other person is saying, and not just nod and smile.
The only reason to dislike this place is if you were looking for drink specials or a smoky bar or some shady drugs to buy, which I am not criticizing, if that's what you're into. Also the art sucks here, but if you're really offended, you can just look at one of the 30 big screens with all different sports on them.
I really enjoyed my visit to this classy bar across the street from Curtis Hixon Park in downtown Tampa. The location is excellent, the ambiance is good, and the food was delicious. You can park in the parking garage right across the street and walk over, and afterwards you can visit the waterfront park. Would make a great ending to a date.
I visited on a Thursday night with a party of 10 and we squeezed into a corner booth/table. It was a little loud to talk to everyone at the table, as the place seemed kind of echo-y (if that's even a word). They had TV's going (several) so this might have contributed to the noise level. They weren't too crowded on this night, so I can imagine at a busier time it would be really hard to hear the person next to you.
I ordered a portabello soup that was superb! I'd go back for just that item alone! We got something else, too, maybe a taco or something completely forgettable, although it was good. The mac and cheese was recommended, but we didn't find anything special about it. The martini's were on special, so I ordered an appletini and wasn't very impressed with it. It had a very artificial, "candy" taste to it, but not in a good way. I did not order any wine, but I'm excited to go back and try the other room there where they have the wine taps. This part of the restaurant was vacant, so not sure that's a popular draw there.
Service is okay. They had several servers, but I think ours was just not into her job that night. She was slow to take orders, bring refills, etc. And then when it came time to pay she didn't know who ordered what and then messed up the checks by putting one person's martini on another person's bill.
Next time I visit, I also look forward to sitting outside. They have a very nice outdoor area in front of the restaurant. That being said, we'll definitely be back! I wish downtown Tampa had more gems to offer such as this one without driving to Hyde Park.
I can get down with some Taps. Having some of the best craft beers I've had in a while, paired with an awesome french dip sandwich, I was on the road to success. Â I tried the chicken with mango chutney sandwich everyone seems to rave about....and thought it just ok. Â For a mild micro brew pub atmosphere, you can't go wrong.
Review Source:Downtown Tampa is weird (per my Philadelphian point of view). Â A good amount of tall, clean, modern buildings - save for the horrible looking Sykes tower - but NO PEOPLE. Â Did like a 3 mile walk through the city at 3PM on a Wednesday, then again around 7 and saw like 40 people total. Â Very odd - suppose the lack of residential area is the culprit.
That's 40 until I approached Taps, which I found using the Yelp app. Â Place was like a mirage in a deserted...desert. Â Obviously an after work happy hour crowd, but the place was lively, well decorated, and the food was above average across the board. Â Shrimp tacos and greek pita thing in particular were had some nice punch.
Also the beer list was huge, the crowd was great, and service was decent. Â If I lived in Tampa I'd be here often. Â Well done.
Several things make me a fan of Taps. The split room design - Bar on one side, wine bar on the other. Â Location - right across from Curtis Hixon and TBPAC (The city needs this place - they best be getting some tax breaks). Â Draft Beer selection - plenty of quality, unique choices. Â Outdoor seating is comfortable, clean and not hard to obtain.
The service and price make this just out 5 stars for me. The bar is really small, so it'll be difficult to get served if you're not holding down a table. It's really loud in there when crowded, so it's difficult to get your order in too. And the price for a drink feels about a dollar too high.
Great spot overall and perfect for a lazy Saturday afternoon...
I would call this a great place for a third or more date, but not for the beginning stages or a large group. Â
This place is beautiful. Â The decorations give it a dark and glossy feel, which is lovely for a relaxing night of drinking. Â Do not bring a lot with you, i.e. a heavy jacket or large purse, because most of the tables have stools, not chairs or booths. Â You will end up sitting with your jacket on your lap. Â Earlier I wrote that this place is not for early on dates or large groups, because it is loud. Â Loud as in I can't hear my friend two chairs down unless she is yelling loud. Â I'm not sure if it is the proximity of the tables, or the large screen televisions, but I was with a group of 6, including me, and I had a hard time hearing people at one end of the table, while I was at the other. Â The wine and beer selection, along with the decor, make this a great date place as long as you know the other person well enough that you won't be self conscious to speak loudly or ask someone to repeat himself/herself. Â
The drink selection is stellar. Â I'm not much of a beer or wine drinker, when given another option, so I got the blackrazz cosmo. Â It was just the right balance of tart and sweet. Â Even the blueberries that were in the drink were plump and delicious. Â There is only one page of mixed drinks, which is a good amount, but small compared to the beer and wine selection. Â Mixed drinks will set you back about $10, which is exactly what I would expect at a place like this.
A friend at the table got the Brie and Honey appetizer, so of course I got to taste test. Â It was delicious. Â The perfect size for a nice appetizer. Â
The night we went, they were showing football games (Notre Dame v.s. USC and Florida v.s. Florida State). Â I was surprised that a place like this were showing football games, now that I think about it, I'm surprised there were so many t.v. screens at all, but a lot of people in the bar seemed to come just to watch. Â I would suggest coming a day that a football game isn't showing.
Again, this is a great place to take a date and you can always take a walk along the water afterwards. Â It is a beautiful location at night and will set the right romantic mood.
My friends and I met up at Taps last night for dinner before seeing Elf the Musical at the Straz Center. I loved the atmosphere of the restaurant. We sat at a high top in the bar area, and the wall of beer was very enticing. We had a group of about ten and the restaurant and staff were very accommodating to out group, helping us to pull tables together.
I had the avocado and jalapeno quesadillas with chicken. I loved that they had large jalapenos cut lengthwise (not rounds) on them. The quesadillas were very flavorful. The menu had so many alluring offerings that it was hard to choose. I would love to return to try some other items!
I've gotten to taste the majority of the tapas offerings and they are all fantastic. My favorite being the Asian Chicken Lettuce wraps and the Mac and Cheese. The quesadilla and au jus are good, but pretty standard. Â Ahi Tuna Roll was excellent and I'm not even that into sushi.
The rows of wine offerings along the wall are interesting, and one my friends had the idea to make a "suicide." You know, like when you were 12 and at a free-soda refill station and you went down the line and got every soda on tap. I don't drink wine, but the taps really looked fun and made me wish I did drink it.
The giant refrigerator case ABOVE (like 10 feet!), featuring craft beers was really cool too. I want to know how they get up there to get them. I think there is a secret staircase, but the staff was pretty mum about it.
I can see how service, especially if you are drinking, could get pretty backed up. Every time I've been in here it's been slammed. Its more bar than restaurant, so seating is on your own and you hope that a server finds you eventually. Orders were taken and food came out pretty fast, but I had to flag servers down for napkins and the bill. As a novice level drinker, I'd recommend lunch for the best time to visit for focusing on food.
This could be my new favorite bar! Â I love the modern decor and furniture. Â I thought it was going to be more expensive based on the look, but it wasn't terrible.
They have tons of wine lining the walls where you just put a card in and try whatever you want. Â How cool is that? Â They also have a great beer list with a variety, including some local brews. Â
I ordered nachos and they were delicious. Â I order nachos often and my biggest complaint is usually a lack of sour cream or guacamole on top. Â Not a problem here! Â They also serve them on a long, skinny plate so they are easy to share.
Will definitely be going back. Â Next time, I will try something other than nachos.
One of the best establishments in downtown Tampa. Consistently good service. Great selection of beer and wine. Be careful not order a $20 glass by mistake though. ;-)
The menu is a variety of fresh and tasty items. Bar area, wine lounge, and outside seating add to the versatility with live music Saturday evenings.
Unlike similar beer concepts like World of Beer, this place understands that sometimes we want a liquor drink, glass of wine, and good food too.
Interesting little spot. Â I've only been once, but I was impressed by the beer list. Â It was robust and unique enough to satisfy any beer lover. Â The menu was eclectic, unhealthy mostly, and not too expensive.
Sat outside and thought to myself, "this location could be a lot better". Â That said, group of 10 was happy, drunk, and fattened. Â I would def recommend this place to anyone who wants a relaxed, uncomplicated meal with a good beer or glass of wine. Â It certainly isn't going to be a place you see Anton Ego, but there is a good chance you'll see a Univ. of Tampa student in board shorts.
Does this place REALLY need a review? Probably not. Taps is by far our favorite bar in the downtown Tampa area. One of the best things about Taps is the laid back atmosphere which does not normally accompany such gourmet culinary offerings. We are huge fans of the rotating beers on tap, and the bartenders are educated on any beer in inventory (they have quite a few, which makes their knowledge all the more impressive). Where to start with the food... bruschetta, soft pretzel, shrimp tacos, sausage sliders, nachos, apricot chicken BBQ sandwich... impossible to go wrong. They have a limited hard alcohol selection but if you are after beer or wine you will be in heaven. Jack and Ashley at the bar are fantastic...always a good time. This is making me want to have a drink, they also have a pretty good happy hour!
Review Source:This is bar none the best wine bar in town. Â The have many to choose from and with your pre-paid Taps card you can enjoy 1 oz, 3 oz and 5 oz pours of whatever you choose on the walls.
They also have a great selection of beers.
This is a great spot for my husband and I because it's the best of both worlds.
We enjoy the atmosphere, although there are mostly residents of Skypoint there, we've never had a bad time, with groups or just the 2 of us.
We like the convenience of it downtown and we usually have no problem finding parking on the street.
Best of all, they are open late so if we want to stop by after a party or after a game at the Forum or just for a drink, they always seem to be open for us.
We enjoy this spot and don't get there often enough.
An upscale, downtown lunch and drinking place. Â Lots of standard and tweaked small plates/tapas....meats, cheeses, veggies, sandwiches, salads. Â Â Prices are a bit high, but expected on Ashley St across from Curtis-HIxon park, etc. Â We had italian sausage/mozzarella sliders, cheddar-bacon soup, and a fine bacon-turkey salad with generous gorgonzola and dried tomato contents.
At mid-day, they served a lot of tea with lunch but 3 walls are filled with beer choices, draft taps, liquor bottles and wine by the bottle and drink. Â Over 30 varieties of draft been listed, some local and many crafts & imports.
The wine bar section has lots of wines literally "on tap" to allow for lots of "by-the-glass" choices and some offered by the ounce for sampling. Â Nice concept.....see if it spreads to beer sampling...not just "flights" of craft beer.
Cute place where live music can be played once in awhile, its also a wine bar by the glass which you are able to try any type of wines they have on tap instead of buying a hefty price tag bottle, which is a good idea, but each glass has price differences. They have tons of varieties of beer on tap and speciality beers too which is a plus for me. I tend to like trying a different beer then the usual I'll have that stores more likely would carry.
Appeitizer was alright, price was decent portions sides was good enough to share for two. A place we might think about coming to again in the future if we are in the area again.
This is a good place to sample wines you may not be familiar with before you commit to buying entire bottles. Sure, some of the pours are completely overpriced but I've found most decent vintages are always priced that way around town.
The red pepper & goat cheese bruschetta is delicious as is tuna crudo. The chicken satays were disappointingly dry and the roast beef sliders were very generic. The chipotle apricot barbque wings however were absolutely delicious especially with the chilly white we had to go with it.
A little pricey, but wine drinkers should be used to that in this area. the beer selection is good, nothing unpredictable , but good selection and fair prices.
Taps is my favorite wine spot in Tampa!
The wine and beer selection at Taps is excellant. Â If you are unsure which wine to order there are "wine dispensors" along the wall that you can purchase by the ounce. Â Our table opted for a bottle of Duckhorn Merlot. The bottle was priced very reasonably; not a huge mark up! We ordered the Italian Sausage Sliders, Shrimp Tacos, and Tuna Tar Tar. All three appetizers were AWESOME!!! If I had to pick my favorite appetizer I would say the sausage sliders since they are a nice sized appetizer for the price, but they are closely tied with the tuna tar tar. Â Free, live music usually goes on around 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Â It's usually alternative rock/indie cover songs: everything from Alanis Morissette to Brandi Carlile.
**Side note**: This spot gets very busy on Friday and Saturday nights so reservations are recommended. Â Plenty of seating is available outside if you don't want to wait for a table inside.
I rarely find myself stumped when reviewing a particular place, but TAPS is going to be one of them.
The location and style of the restaurant is fantastic. Located in the lobby floor of Skypoint (one of the newer high-rises downtown), it offers a clean facility with great decor. It also has a nice outdoor seating area which looks over the museum and the riverfront park.
The menu is inspiring and offers a lot of 'small-plate' items, which are fresh and tasty. Probably most notable is their wine selection - it's amazing. They also have a cool self-serve system that allows you to sample as many different kinds as you like, based on different pours and prices (sort of like a metro card).
The only qualm I have with this place is the service. Every time I've patronized the place, it's been a different experience. Sometimes the service is great, other times its wretched. Unfortunatly, I'd have to say that the service I've received here is worse than average based on every visit. Because of this, I couldn't force myself to give this the '3 stars' I would have.
If wine is your thing, I'd check it out. Don't rely on the staff for your drinks, it's better to buy a prepaid card and vend it for yourself...
Everything inside of me is built to hate Taps. From the IKEA paintings to the wine-vending machines from the FUTURE, to the Jersey Shore-esque crowd lounging on the couches outside (this is an understatement--there were "bros icing bros" next to us--Google that shit and be embarrassed for me). But, they have BEER. Lots and lots of BEER, which washes everything else away. One star off for tacky decor, four stars for BEER.
There's like, twenty different beers on tap and dozens more in bottles in a cooler behind a bar. I'm like an alcoholic kid in a candy store (mixed metaphor, doesn't work, no?).
I should probably also note, besides their beer, that the presentation is nice (they put fresh blueberries in my Sea Dog Blueberry Wheat Beer--genius!), the wait staff is great, and when they first opened, they sent some free food out of the kitchen towards my party because it was dead and they were just some kind ole people. I mean, who does that? Free food? These people are champs. I've never had dinner, but all the 'appetizers' I've sampled were grand.
Downtown Tampa needs more businesses like Taps. THUMBS UP UP UP AND AWAY!
Good location for us "urbanites" living in downtown Tampa. Â Very good beer selection, decent wine selection. Â Wish they would switch them up more.
Food is consistent and a good range of choices. Â Their pretzel is surprisingly good. Â The space isn't huge, but I think they did a good job making it attractive. Â It almost has a Restoration Hardware type feel to it... It cracks me up to hear people call this place very Miami or NYC like. Â
The outdoor seating is nice for breezy nights. Â Service is typically quick and I can't think of too many negative things at all. Â Beer and food prices are consistent with what you'd expect to pay in this area. Â
When this place first opened over a year ago, there seemed to be a lot of "posers" and fake millionaires. Â The girls that wear $250 Chanel sunglasses, but only have $80 in their checking account. Â Not sure if that has changed a whole lot... it gives an unnecessary aire of pretension that can be annoying if you're just looking to hang out and have a good time.
All in all, I hope Taps sticks around for the long haul as I think they do a good job in their niche.
Taps is a beer and wine bar that tries to use variety and technology and a "Restoration Hardware"-like decor to present an experience that wants to be at home in cities more synonymous with glamor and elegance than Tampa Bay.
But this IS Tampa Bay, so the whole thing gets a little surreal at some point.
I've been to Taps twice, with a few months in between and I think that's the best way for me to enjoy the place without having too much of the sheen rubbed off at one sitting. One trip centered around the "beer side" of the place and the other around the "wine side" -- they definitely have two different vibes. The beer side of Taps is much bigger and has a lot of seating for larger groups hoisting a glass of premium ale to the end of the week. The selection is expansive and geared towards high-end beers that people actually buy regularly rather than hidden finds for the connoisseur. TVs and bustling activity and a Miami Beach menu whip up a fervor: you SHOULD be having fun and you possibly MIGHT be fabulous, so I say - drink up on liquid courage and believe your own press while it lasts!
The wine side is a combo between austere lounge and IKEA serve-it-yourself modernity. The wine machines are a fantastic (and the more you drink: enthralling) gimmick, until $20 is eaten up by maybe a glass and a quarter of wine. I would be head over heels in love with the wine lounge if the markup wasn't so obvious and shocking, especially on such a consumer-friendly selection. In contrast, if you can score a cozy corner of the couches with some friends, the friendly, quick and helpful service can help overcome the sticker shock of a night at Taps.
The food is definitely not bar food and that is a saving grace, despite a price tag similar to the wines. The Napa salad I had was top notch, as was the cheese plate selection. Their baked macaroni and cheese was a revelation of complex flavor and perfect crispy topping, fantastic for when you've had one too many and don't want to do the walk of shame to a order-by-the-slice pizza joint...and by now, is an extra $8 gonna break the bank?
Well, maybe.
Taps wants to be that upscale joint that rich people call their home bar and the middle class drones aspire to for a great night out, but that's where they suffer. For a luxury bar, there aren't enough things to make me feel that $7 of my $15 salad is actually going towards an inspiring decor or a full-time Sommelier instead of a pretty hostess who would tell me that ALL the wines are good. I would give Taps more stars if the war between luxury and populism wasn't resulting in ambivalence.
And that's where it gets surreal: You're sitting outside, you're enjoying a great breeze, a jazz band is playing, but you've spent about $50 bucks on marked-up beer and you're staring at the phallic Sykes building. After awhile, you start to wonder: where the hell am I?
I don't think that was supposed to be their concept.
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