Wolcott Tap — Restaurant in Lake View Township

I can’t say I would go back to Wolcott tap. It’s a shame because I love supporting local businesses but the bartender here was one of the rudest I’ve ever encountered. I should preface that I have worked as a server for many years so I know how to treat my fellow service workers. I would NEVER ask too much of a bartender or a server. I was part of a group of 6 ppl looking to grab a drink at wolcott tap. When we walked in, a blonde bartender asked if there was 6 of us, we said yes, and she told us that she’d have to put something together for us. She was a bit gruff, we weren’t greeted or welcomed in but I wrote it off as they were a bit busy. We then noticed that they had outdoor seating. Since the bartender never specified where exactly she’d be putting something together for us, I asked if we could sit outside. She then extra gruffly and rudely said “I’ll put something together for you in a moment.” I was taken aback as I wasn’t asking too much, and she had never asked if we wanted inside vs outside. She treated me like I was a “Karen” demanding something out of the ordinary. I wasn’t pleased with her demeanor but she put a table together for us outside where we had a different server so I decided to once again brush the interaction off. Once seated outside we were pleasantly sipping our drinks when it started to rain. We were willing to try to wait it out as we had a bit of cover and my weather app said that the rain would be stopping in about 10 mins. Our server then told us that she might need to move us inside. I told her that it looked like the rain would be stopping soon and she curtly replied that she would rather not serve us in the rain. To be clear, I would never have asked her to do that. We had our drinks, we didn’t need anything and if we did, we all understood that it would be on us to go inside and get it. We were willing to try to sit out the rain in order to keep our table outside as inside of Wolcott Tap was extremely loud, not to mention the rude bartender. Again, I felt like I was being treated like a demanding “Karen.” The rain started to come down harder so our group decided to move inside after all. Once inside, the blonde bartender scolded us by telling us that she had set up a table inside for us and that the next time our server tells us to move inside we should trust her. We felt like we were being reprimanded like children and “Karen’s” yet again. It was clear that the server and the bartender were displeased with us. We decided to finish our drinks and take our business elsewhere because we didn’t feel welcome there from the start. I truly have never experienced anything like it. We weren’t behaving badly or asking too much of anyone. Their rudeness was completely uncalled for. I’m pretty forgiving of errors and mistakes when I go out since I know how difficult it can be to work in the service industry but this was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. As a matter of fact, there were 3 people in our group who currently work in the service industry and every single one of them were appalled. We weren’t misbehaving, we weren’t inconveniencing anyone, and we weren’t demanding anything. She went out of her way to be rude to us, it felt like she was on some weird power trip. I will not be going back to...

Wolcott Tap is cool, better-than-average but kind of inconsistent local bar. I've had the spicy barbecue fried chicken sandiwch and that was great. Crispy batter friend chicken with barbecue sauce, pickles, and all the trimmings. The spiciness did not register as I ate which may be good for some with more sensitive palettes.

I went back a second time and that's where the illusion kind of died for me. I ordered a moscow mule which came in a glass, not a copper cup. That's fine, but it was a disappointing beginning seeing as the interior of this establishmebnt is so polished and they have a prominently displayed cocktail menu. It just seems like the kind of place where they would take these kind of details into consideration. We can argue the necessaity of a copper cup with a mule, but I enjoy it and it alters the taste slightly in a metallic way that really compliments the citrus in the cocktail.

Anyway, we ended up ordering a duck sandwich which came out covered in some sort of mayonaisse sauce that might have been labeled as aioli. The duck was dry and the sandwich was big and clunky and at least 60% bread. For myself, I had ordered the shrimp tacos and they were drowned in some sort of sriracha dressing that absolutely ruined the rest of the tacos. The tortillas were falling apart due to being submerged under the dressing. There tacos didn't have much in them besides these battered shrimp so I just ate those with a fork and didn't even finish them despite them being somewhat tasty and there not being that many of them. Dumping sriracha all over your food is not a substitute for good cooking.

In general, I think the trick with this place is knowing what to order and what to avoid. I'd come back if I were hungry for a sandwich and try a few others, or just stick with that fried chicken. And I will definitely come back and have drinks at the bar or on the patio. The decor really is nice. The servers have been pretty friendly overall. If they had less but better menu items and made their cocktails with more love I would consider this...

I've been to the Wolcott tap twice. The first time was a lovely experience. We had a server who brought us water right away and then asked if we wanted a paper menu which we did.

We ordered the spinach dip and the chicken lettuce wraps and a few drinks.

The the sauce on the chicken lettuce wraps was overpowering. The spinach dip was so cheesy and very good.

The second time I went there it was a completely different experience. The service was horrible. A woman told us we can sit wherever we wanted. She came and slammed some water down and then walked to the bar. She had moved a sandwich so that we could sit at a larger table so when I went up to the bar to ask for a menu I wasn't sure if she was eating or not since her back was to me so I was trying to ask the bartender who completely ignored me.

She said that she would be with us in minute to take our order since she was going to deliver a drink. Since she was walking away I looked at the bartender and asked for menus. He looked at me like I didn't exist and walked away. So darn rude!

I was really looking forward to trying the burgers because they looked good but we decided to just walk out...