Tallgrass Tap House — Restaurant in Manhattan

Update 8-2024. It had been awhile since I had been to Tallgrass as noted below. I've since been back two additional times and both of those visits were satisfactory In terms of food. I didnt get a burger though, i had some nachos and tried the Tap Mac. Both were very good, so i have raised the score up from 3 to 4.

Previous (2 years ago) Having eaten at the Taphouse quite a number of times over the past several years my opinion like many others is typically swayed towards more recent experiences.

Taphouse was a place I used to frequent 2 or 3 times a month up until 2 years ago. I always found their food and service to be quite exceptional and there wasn't much I could say in the opposite direction.

However my last 3 visits in a row have finally ended my desire to really ever go back again. I am somewhat a creature of habit so I tend to order the same things at restaurants I go to. In the case of TapHouse it's almost always a burger.

3 visits ago I asked for my burger to be cooked medium as I am quite fine with some pink in the middle. What I was brought could barely have qualified as medium rare, as in red throughout and blood running everywhere. Needless to say I sent it back which I pretty much never do.

2 visits ago, this time I asked for medium well thinking well they will probably undercook it as they did the previous time but I should end up with something more like a medium, if it's more done I can handle it. As fate would have it I was brought another red, bleeding burger. The first time I could understand based on initial order temp. This time however was quite annoying because you can't get it that wrong unless you aren't paying any attention.

Last time less than a week ago and having been several months since the previous visit, I once again ordered medium well, although I should have just said done, even though a well done burger is a hockey puck but at least I may have gotten one that was somewhat cooked. What was brought was of course red though and blood. Worse yet both it and the fries that came along with it were cold. Not just cooled down and cool, but cold. I brought this to the attention of the server who was new so I felt bad. She offered to take it back, but at that point I had enough. Only because I was starving and had to get back to work I ate the food, paid for my meal, and left without another word. As I don't care about comped food, nor do I consider myself to be a food snob who can't be satisfied.

Having written a large number of reviews what I can say is I realize a restaurant won't know there are problems if customers don't say something but this has become a consistent issue. I actually looked though some previous reviews and was not shocked to see some similar statements regarding incorrect food prep and temperatures. I don't see myself going back anytime for the foreseeable future, and while I wouldn't recommend against going here, what I would recommend is that you take care to make sure you are served what you asked for and how you asked for it, as the prices commanded here certainly warrant...

Note- this is the same review I posted on Yelp.

My husband and I were really excited to try Taphouse when it opened. Unfortunately, we've been twice now and were not terribly impressed either time.

So far we've had two flights of beer- the first time we went they were out of almost all the in-house-made beer so my husband got stuck with mainly beer he'd already had from the brand from the liquor store. The second time was much better. Potato nachos- Really good, I love the chili Mac & Cheese- Also really good. I was skeptical about it as a meal but it was very rich & filling. Rootbeer Pork Belly- My husband said the taste was good, but the portion seemed small. Broccoli- Very plain, no flavor, a bit dry

Chicken & Biscuit sliders- My husband said they weren't bad, but they weren't anything special either. He said "Nothing memorable about them" Midwest Paella- I was very disappointed with the Paella. The rice seemed underdone and the shitake mushrooms were somewhat hard and chewy- like they used dried mushrooms that hadn't properly rehydrate. Beyond that I was honestly irritated that the dish was $16 and comes with THREE small strips of steak on top. I was expecting to get Paella with steak, but it felt like the dish was 90% rice and maybe 5% steak. If it were $12-13 I wouldn't have been so annoyed but for $16 I expect more than three strips of meat. Cheesecake- The cheesecake was good but I believe premade. The expresso sauce was excellent but the Key lime sauce (I ordered two sauces on the side so I could try both) was incredibly sharp and "medicinal" as my husband put it.

Three people at our table ordered pizzas. First off they are bigger than expected, which isn't a bad thing. Def not intended for one person to eat alone. Two of them looked great (Margarita and the sausage one) but the friend who had peperoni pizza's looked pretty rough. It seemed like all the sauce, cheese and toppings were in the center leaving most of the pizza as crust.

Overall I think Taphouse isn't bad, per say. The atmosphere is great, the staff is friendly and very knowledgeable. It made a nice date night and a nice going away dinner with friends. But, it really comes down to feeling like it wasn't worth the expense. Both times we spent about $50 for two people. I felt like the concept is there with the price point but the food (and the portions of entrees) just don't live up to the cost.

Honestly, I think that there are better restaurants at the same relative price points in the area (namely, Bourbon & Baker). I would recommend Taphouse as a try it or for a good atmosphere to drink with friends but really I don't foresee...

If you are looking for good food and great beer, go to Tallgrass. I could end there, its that simple.

The Tallgrass tap house is the last remnant of the old Tallgrass Brewery, a great brewery that fell victim to the change in the micro brewery conditions in the 20 teens. The good news is that you can still get awesome Tallgrass beer and you can get some really great food at the same time.

I would describe the menu as pub food plus plus. All the usual suspects are here - briers, wings, fish and chips - with a whole lot of extras. The poutine would pass in Canada. The Korean wings are amazing (and STICKY!) and Tap Mac (Mac & Cheese) will make you question how much you like your moms cooking. Vegetarian options are available though limited. Same with kids options. But thats the thing, there are options so you can go in a group with vegetarians, kids, GF and non-dairy people and all find something to eat.

Seating, parking and wait times are all going to vary with the calendar. If you dont know, Manhattan is a college town so if you show up on a random July Wednesday you will park at the door, get seated immediately and have you choice of locations. Show up on a game weekend in September and you should count on an hour, park at the mall and your table is your table.

Service is going to follow the same pattern and so will atmosphere. Busy times it going to be longer waits, less interaction with your server and LOUD. Slower times food will arrive fast, servers will talk you though the beer selections and you can gossip about people without a concern. I will leave it to you which version makes it a 4 star rather than a 5 because I know a LOT of people love the loud version.

Beer selection is seasonal but I have never had a bad beer there. If you cant find something you like, thats probably a your problem.

We get to MHK 2-3 times a year. Tap House is usually our first night or our last.

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