Strap Tank Brewery — Restaurant in Lehi

This is probably closer to 3.5 stars, but we'll round up.

I visited here on Sunday, August 18th, less than two weeks after it opened.

I evaluate brewpubs on 4 points - the beer, the food, the ambiance, and the service.

Beer gets 5 points - you'll see attached to my review a picture of the beer menu. I had a rauchbier (smoke beer), while my wife enjoyed their stout. Servings are available by the taste, pint, mug, and pitcher, at fairly reasonable prices by Utah standards. Thanks to our laws, nothing on draft can exceed 4% ABV (that will change soon, but not yet).

The food gets about 4 points. We shared the coconut shrimp as an appetizer. It was good, if slightly overdone. Also, odd numbers of items make apps difficult (5 shrimp? Just round to six...). My wife had the ahi tuna salad, which again - was quite good, but cooked a little tougher than is common. I had a reuben, which was better-than-average; they use a true marble rye (getting rarer these days, and I am a connoisseur of reubens; it's my benchmark sandwich), with properly thin-cut roast beef and the right amount of sauerkraut and dressing.

Service gets us into the weeds a bit. Our waitress did an excellent job, but it's clear their seating assignments are still working out some teething issues - our waitress was running all over the restaurant. Our apps and food came out at the same time (about 20 minutes after we ordered). Wait staff are just the face of a whole operation (the kitchen and the bar), so one does not wish to short the wait staff for operational issues elsewhere, but they clearly need to work this out. I'd add that a lot of the tables were empty even as a queue formed outside. Our waitress gets a 5 (not her fault the operation runs badly), but the management really needs to sort out some of the teething issues.

I'd add that apparently they do a brunch on Sunday, and had a buffet out, but this wasn't on the web site anywhere. I love brunch, but it could have used some marketing behind it.

And, finally, ambiance. Strap Tank's 'thing' is a shopworn look centered on pre-WWII motorcycles (the Strap Tank in question referring to an old Harley Model back when they competed with Indian Motorcycle Co bikes). It is well-executed here - there's no overt messaging or pat-on-the-back that one finds at other breweries in Utah (like SaltFire, whose messaging about 'zymotic transcendentalism' I can't determine is satirizing the various feel-gooderies out there or just taking such to the next level). Music was playing but kept at appropriate levels, and while the dinginess is clearly 'faux,' it's accompanied by enough light (both natural and overhead) that one does not feel trapped in a cave.

So, to the good: Beer. Wait staff. Food is hit-and-miss.

Things that can be improved: Back-of-house stuff. Some food items.

Come here on a slower day and you're likely fine. On a busier day, expect to potentially spend some more time than you normally would at a...

Took a while to get seated (~30 mins) even though there were several open tables. It was a Saturday afternoon and I don't think they had enough servers on staff to handle all of the diners.

Strap tank is a fun vibe, for sure. The waitress was overall very friendly, although for a $4 coke, my friend's glass was almost always empty. I think he maybe got one refill despite asking a few times. My water was empty for extended periods of time too.

Spinach artichoke dip: great flavor, lots of spinach, could have used more artichoke, the pita was overcooked and not really soft anymore.

Coconut shrimp: loved the orange marmalade sauce, and the coconut shrimp were delicious and fried to perfection.

Hot rod chicken sandwich: good flavor, but the bottom bun was super soggy. They put slaw on the bottom bun instead of the cheese, which is exactly why the bottom bun was saturated by the time the sandwich made it to us.

Prime rib dip w/ onions, peppers, and mushrooms: the meat, cheese, and toppings were all great, and they didn't skimp on the meat. The bread was pretty good, but the bottom bun was... you guessed it... soggy before even dipping. The au jus wasn't very flavorful, but the horseradish aioli that came on the side was a nice addition (not too much of a punch though).

Sweet potato fries: these were tasty and cooked nicely. No complaints here. Would definitely recommend these if you like thick cut sweet potato fries.

Mac and cheese: cheese sauce was nice and creamy, the pasta was slightly overdone, but the overall flavor was lacking. Needed more salt, and a deeper cheese flavor.

That's it, folks! If you are looking for a modern spot for some bar / pub food, Strap Tank will certainly do that for you. However, they will certainly make you feel it in the wallet and likely not make your list of "must go"...

Inconsistent at best.

I absolutely LOVE the Springville location, but the Lehi location is more central for friends, so this is where we end up.

Every time I come here I end up regretting it. Other than the atmosphere and menu, this is like a completely different restaurant than Springville.

I get the Ahi Tuna and spinach artichoke dip each time, and each time it's different. The levels of sear vary each time. Last time three of us got the ahi, and one of the filets was easily two and a half times bigger than the other two. Like a kids size, vs an extra large size plate. Comically larger than the other two.

Today was almost a three hour ordeal. Between the 35min "wait list" another 10-15 inside, and slow service at the table.

The first set of drinks came quick, but she handed them out wrong. She was advised of the switch after we started drinking them, but didn't bring out replacements until an hour later, after we had to ask for refill.

Our drinks were gone during appetizers. We didn't get refill until we were almost finished with the main course. 60 minutes for drinks is ridiculous.

It took almost 60 min for us just to get boxes and the bill. After our food was almost finished, we asked for refill and boxes. She acknowledged, the started taking our food.

She came back 20 min later (still no boxes) and tried to take the food again. Once we asked for the bill, it was still another 20-25 after we gave her the cards before she came back.

Unfortunately, this was the last straw for me. I love strap tank, but well have to make our friends drive past this one and go to Springville from now on. The friends who have to drive an hour to get to...