OpenTap — Restaurant in Charlotte

2025 Update:

This place has come a long way, the outdoor seating area looks really good now, and it's kind of the side of the building so it feels more quiet and away from all the noise? I haven't tried the food trucks yet, so I can't rate the food. I bought one of the thermal growlers like Day 4 when the place opened.... So I always get 50% off growler fill ups.

First of all, this place is BEAUTIFUL! It has gorgeous interior, lots of wood accents and structures that really go together, and pretty metals intertwined in a wooden tree-like structure when you walk in. There is a smaller second floor with tables, and a really nice outdoor area with casual couches and chairs for seating while drinking or eating. There's no kitchen, but they designed the front path to the building as a food truck drive-in and you can easily order food from the patio. Lots of beer taps, however, there's about 40 beer taps, and 20 others for wines, juice, and non alcoholic and kombuchas. I'm sure there will be better beers rotating in as they filter through all the breweries inquiring to have their beers served here, so it might take a little bit to rotate some of the kegs out based on popularity. There is always a ton of people here, I don't suggest coming on Saturday unless you get here at open and get a table, otherwise it's a zoo inside. I think there should be additional tables outside off of the deck area, so that way maybe some people can get out of the rustle and bustle from inside and enjoy the grassy area and a little less noise. Maybe some nice picnic tables outside off the patio? I strongly recommend to management to please add a designated EMPTY GLASS table or area or something, there isn't one, and you have to put your glass on a table....but there's always people at tables so.... what do you do with it when you're done? You have wristbands that are charged to your card, and you charged per ounce of pour, which is really nice because you can try a lot of different beers for partial fills instead of a typical bar charging you for a full pour. The food truck selections have been good from what I have seen their menus having, I just haven't tried any of the food. I ended up leaving one Saturday when we stopped by at 5pm, busiest time, so we left and went to Yancey Road and found something less crazy busy. The owners are really nice, they really are passionate about their business, and they are also from here so they are "Carolina Natives" and really appreciate the Carolina culture. If you see the owners, be sure to compliment their business because it is one of the prettiest beer tap businesses you will find here in Charlotte. Hope to see them grow long-term. You never know, maybe they'll extend their seating area and add a dog area? That would be cool. Maybe charge a couple $ to bring your dog, and have it a separate area... and the adults can still get their beer and sit outside and enjoy their dogs playing...

When I discovered that this place had opened a short drive from my house, I was so excited to check it out. My first experience last night did not disappoint. The space is beautiful - bright, open, with a great mixture of seating throughout. I was happy to see that it was crowded with patrons, and while it was definitely noisy inside, I felt the space held the number of people well. They have a dedicated space for a rotation of food trucks, and while I didn't try the food while there, you can easily see the schedule on their website and plan accordingly. Upon entry you are asked to provide an ID and card for your account and then are provided a bracelet to scan and get access to the beverages. Staff will come around and collect glasses and I'm sure are available to provide assistance as needed. I didn't have reason to really interact with anyone at length, but all the general interactions I had with folks was positive and friendly.

I read all the reviews prior to going, and while I can see how people would have the opinion that the outdoor space is great for dogs, I don't think it is fair to reduce the quality of a rating based on the decision made by the owners to not allow dogs. As I said, the place was pretty crowded and I'm not sure how intrusive it would have been to have dogs among the patrons trying to get to their seats and to and from the food truck during that time. Additionally, it was a nice night and they had the doors open at one end of the place, meaning there was less distinction between indoors and outdoors. I love bringing my dog with me as much as the next person, but I understand and respect the decision made by these folks to not include that as part of their experience here.

I will absolutely be back (probably sooner than later) and hope to make this a regular spot, both for socializing as well as to stop in, grab a beer, and get some work done during the day time. Thanks for giving...

I told the manager I would be leaving a review about my experience. Within the hour, over 20 new 5-star Google reviews appeared because they ran a contest encouraging guests to leave positive ratings during an in-house event. They are incentivizing 5 star reviews that hold no merit. Furthermore, the reviews do not note that it’s incentivized, which is misleading to future patrons.

This was my worst experience at an establishment in my 5 years of living in Charlotte. I called ahead and explicitly clarified that my dog was registered as an emotional support animal. I was told that was fine. At the door, a second employee checked his ID and also said we were okay to go in.

We sat outside on the cement patio, 20 feet from other guests, just to be extra respectful. My 25 lb hypoallergenic dog sat quietly at my feet. It was a hot weeknight, and most guests were inside, so the patio wasn’t crowded.

The manager, Cole, came out to say only service animals are allowed, and asked me to leave. No warning. No chance to finish my drink. I was kicked out in front of colleagues after being told twice that it was allowed. I mentioned I had called ahead and asked who I’d spoken to. The staff member next to the manager admitted it was him.

To be clear: I don’t have an issue with the policy. The issue is that it was miscommunicated twice by their own staff.

I had taken only a few sips of my drink before being asked to leave. The manager comped it, but that doesn’t undo how humiliating and poorly handled the situation was. There was no compromise offered. Even when we offered to move my dog to the public sidewalk, Cole said no.

This was a complete failure in communication and...