Mudlick Tap House Uptown Centerville — Local services in Centerville

Sooo, for my workiversary, we went to Mudlick Tap House in Centerville. Its a very open area and the décor is nice w/ warm tones.

(pics attached) We started w/ a couple appetizers; the blue plate deviled eggs and the Bavarian pretzel w/ bier cheese. The description of the deviled eggs said there was horseradish, but it was hardly noticeable. Overall, the deviled eggs were okay, but I felt the flavors of dill, Dijon and horseradish were a little muted. The pretzel was large, warm, and good. However, the overall consensus was that it could have been served w/ a better cheese sauce, perhaps a mustard. To me, for some reason the bier cheese tasted like potato soup.

Both companion one and companion two ordered the chicken salad croissant sandwich w/ fries. Its important to note that this chicken salad contained curry, so it wasn’t a traditional chicken salad. Both felt the sandwich was good. It had just enough curry to taste, but it was not overpowering. The croissant was nice and soft; not dense and dry. The fries as well were nice and crispy.

Companion three ordered the white bean tabbouleh burger w/ Saratoga chips. The burger consisted of White bean and quinoa tabbouleh, hummus, sliced tomato, field greens, and red onions on brioche. Companion three was not a fan of the chips. They had an almost burnt taste and were oily. As for the burger, it was nowhere near a normal burger, but if you are a veggie lover, then you would enjoy it. Not the best in town, but good.

Companion four ordered the trotty coddy sandwich and chips. The sandwich consisted of Warped Wing Trotwood Lager-battered codfish, fried golden with melted American cheese, tartar sauce, lettuce, & dill pickle chips on brioche. The sandwich was good, not greasy, but a little sloppy. Admittedly not a connoisseur, but it was felt the Saratoga chips were good.

Companion five ordered the chicken tenders and fries. The tenders definitely felt freshly made instead of sitting under a heat lamp; “like they slaughtered the hen this morning.” Mudlick says they have homemade sauces, so companion five opted for the blue cheese and the buffalo sauce. The bleu cheese needed a touch more salt and the buffalo tasted vinegary. They were a different take on the traditional.

Companion six ordered the proper grilled cheese sandwich and added a cup of tomato bisque. The grilled cheese was sourdough bread stuffed with dill Havarti, cheddar, and spinach pesto. It was ooey, gooey, yumminess. The bread had a really nice crumb and was toasted perfectly. It didn’t scrape the roof of your mouth; very “proper,” although it could have been a little warmer. The tomato bisque received high praise as the companion six was seconds away from licking the cup clean. Also noted was the iced tea. It was above par and very good, but that could have been all the caffeine from earlier in the day talking.

As for me, I also got the chicken salad sandwich and substituted the fries for a cup of gumbo. As regards the gumbo, it had way more chicken than andouille sausage, therefore the spicy kick was lacking. Not to mention, the soup was lukewarm. As for the chicken salad, it was not really my favorite because of the curry. I agree that the curry was not overpowering, but it felt like something was missing from the sandwich that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. We decided to share a few of the desserts. We ordered the bananas foster bread pudding, the key lime tart, and the seasonal crisp that contained apples and chai. I gotta say, this was a shining moment for Mudlick. Although the bananas foster was more like warm banana bread, it was still very good and the warm rum caramel was a nice touch. It perhaps could have used a little whipped cream to round it out. The key lime tart, which was really a custard, was very creamy and tart. The chai in the seasonal crisp gave it a nice warm flavor and balanced well w/ the apples. I would go a la mode next time.

I would return. A little too pricey for lunch, so I would make it a dinner instead. I would also end the evening, with a...

We came here for what was supposed to be a special evening—a joint birthday dinner for my wife and my father. There were 8 of us total, including 3 kids (who are picky eaters, so we only even tried one kids’ meal). By the end, our bill was over $240, which we were fine with—until everything fell apart.

At the end of the meal, my mom brought out a tiny birthday cake to share. Now, to be fair, I understand some restaurants don’t allow outside food—that’s their right, and I don’t even love my mom’s tradition of bringing birthday cake to restaurants. When she asked our server for a few plates and utensils, though, the server returned saying management told her it was “state law.” Calling it the law felt misleading, when it’s really just restaurant policy.

We decided to quietly cut the cake ourselves with the few extra plates and utensils already left at the table, not trying to make a scene. But when the bill arrived, it included two surprises:

An $8 “cake plate fee,” even though we were refused plates.

An automatic gratuity for 8 people—even though 3 were small children who barely ate.

At that point my mom calmly went to the front to ask about the charges. Instead of a professional conversation, the manager immediately raised her voice, grew defensive, and escalated the situation. My dad (who is not confrontational at all) tried to reason with her and even apologized, but she continued to yell. I stepped in as well, pointing out she was handling it poorly. My wife, who has formal de-escalation training from her corporate management role, said this was the exact opposite of how a manager should behave.

Shockingly, the manager even threatened to call the police—over a small cake. This turned a simple, avoidable situation into an embarrassing spectacle in a half-empty restaurant on a Wednesday night.

We paid (they did remove the “cake fee” but left the forced gratuity) and left with our birthday gifts unopened. The night was completely soured. To top it off, another customer stopped us in the parking lot to say they had witnessed the whole thing and thought it was ridiculous and uncalled for.

Bottom line: We understand restaurants have policies, and we weren’t trying to break them. But the way this situation was handled—with hostility, dishonesty, and a complete lack of customer service—was appalling. We’ll never return, and we’ll strongly discourage friends and family from going...

UPDATE TO OWNERS RESPONSE. Agust 4, 2025. Well, I received a no nonsense matter of fact comment back from the owner. First of all, we were told upon entering the place that they were out of 2 or 3 items, not half the menu which again is absurd during a soft opening. That's like a retail store having 50% bare shelves during their soft opening with scattered items to buy. Also the chips I received is not to complain about where they came from but how they were served. I can get chips served in a bag at Subway or any fast food place and I'm not paying $18-$24 for a mediocre tasteless sandwich with bagged chips. Since I have never been here I wanted to give the place a chance, but I was surely disappointed. The best response I can give is to never come back and spend money in a place that wants to make "EXCUSES" for their poor food and dining experience.

Today is August 3, 2025. I came in with a couple of friends. To begin with, the seating is weird. They were out of a lot of items, but we ordered anyway. The burger I had was mediocre. For the price they charged, I thought it would be spectacular.... it wasn't. I got chips in a bag instead of being served on a plate. Where did they get them out of a vending machine! My friend ordered a salad and grilled cheese sandwich because they were out of a lot of items which is absurd. It too was mediocre. I could have made this at home and it would have cost me nothing. FOOD IS SUB-STANDARD AND PRICES TOO HIGH!! We will not be...