Groveland Tap — Restaurant in Saint Paul

Build A Burger, Drink Beer, Be A Kid Again...

Take an old bar that was honestly ready for something new, some delicious burgers, some local craft brews, a bunch of games for adults looking to bring out their inner-youth and give it a new name. That’s exactly what restauranteur, Mike Tupa did to the old Tavern on The Ave.

The St. Paul Tap is the new name and if you’ve been to Mike’s other establishments, Wild Bill’s or The Smilin’ Moose, it has a very similar feel to it. Like walking into a reclaimed wood store (not a dig, love the look). On top of that, he brought in a bunch of awesome arcade games, old and new pinball games (including a rare gem you’ll have to see for yourself), TV’s for playing today’s hot console game systems (Xbox, PS whatever number they’re on and Nintendo), plus a bunch of other fun games and pool tables. A place where families could certainly show up together and a place that will be packed on weekend nights where mom and dad can get away for a date night.

Add to this fun environment, a menu that has a similar feel to Mike’s other establishments and a half-way decent local and non-local tap and beer list. You also have plenty of TV’s throughout the entire place to watch whatever team you cheer for that might be playing or the sport of your choice.

But enough about all that fun stuff for us youthful feeling adults, let’s talk about some grub. I had a few folks tell me that I had to get to the St. Paul Tap to check out their burgers and to do it at lunch time. Why lunch time, Build Your Own Burgers for just $7 bucks and you get a side of fries as well ($10 bucks at dinner time). You can’t beat that! But, for $7 bucks, was I about to receive a burger that would stereotypically fit that price point – pretty straight forward, nothing too exciting or would my experience be something completely different?

I went ahead and put my order in, using their paper checklist pad system and created the following; pink prepared burger, smoked gouda cheese, smoked bacon, chipotle aioli on a pub bun. So, was it a $7 buck burger? It was worth more than that! Burger was perfectly pink the way I wanted it, the smokiness of the cheese and bacon were super tasty, just the right amount of heat with the aioli and a grilled buttery pub bun. As for those fries, your typical pub skin-on-fries with a little seasoning – not overly exciting nor were they terrible.

Burgers aren’t your thing? Check out a pizza, some Mac N’ Cheese creations, maybe you just want an app or two, or maybe it’s a salad and soup that suits your fancy. I say go for the BYOB and maybe your creation will be a permanent menu item (I have no idea if that’s a thing they do, but hey, you never know). And, while you’re enjoying your burger, be a kid again! Play some video games and try to take down the top score on one of the pinball machines. Or, head upstairs and play some giant jenga and tic-tac-toe.

Honestly, I haven’t been a super huge fan of the Mike’s other establishments (the culinary side), but I would definitely make return visits to the St. Paul Tap for more BYOB creations. There are several burger joints and 6 cities that separate myself from the Tap and for most of those, I would drive right past them. I dig the St. Paul Tap after just 5 days of being open and I hope they are successful and always busy. Well, not too busy, I’d like to selfishly be able to get a table without waiting too...

We have been coming to Groveland Tap for a LONG time. We loved the bar food atmosphere, the back patio and the selection of drinks. It was the perfect place to catch a beer after work or to watch a game. We even came for trivia one night.

However, they have made some pretty significant changes to the food menu and service. We came here after attending the Vikings game a few weeks ago. They no longer serve in baskets, a quintessential bar experience. They serve everything in ceramic plates and bowls, which just doesn't fit the atmosphere and it is not what I expect when going to an establishment like Groveland Tap. In addition to their weird change, they removed ATON from their food menu, including the fried pickles, which we thought were top contenders for best fried pickles in the twin cities. Lots of the sandwich and wraps options have also been removed. AND no more cajun fries?! I left that night feeling disappointed about their changes, unsure if I like the new "Groveland Tap".

To me, it looks like the restaurant is trying to make a switch that just doesn't fit. We loved the old version and would came consistently. Now I am just not as sold on this place with the new changes.

I have to give them at least 3 stars because the service is always great and the food is pretty good too. Just disappointed with their desire to try and be more formal! I hope there are other frequent flyers that feel as...

Do not go to this place for the food. I thought that being over four stars meant this place was worth trying, but apparently all the stars are given for the beer. The service was fine, nothing stellar, and the atmosphere was okay. I assume it's a nice meeting place especially if you have kids and need plenty of space to spread out. But for the price, I was seriously disappointed. Everything tasted like it came out of the freezer and had no flavor. The burgers had the form of the Big bubba packages you can buy at Walmart. Slap them on the grill when you're feeding a horde, at least they have some charred flavor. These did not even have that. It was like densely-packed mush. The fries were crinkle-cut and needed salt. At least they were hot. You could have easily salted them at the table except that the salt grinders produce larger chunks than would stick to the fries. The poutine had gravy that tasted like it came from a powder packet and the cheese 'curds' were just a few patches of fully melted cheese clumps. The meat on the poutine was ok but severely dried out. I think it was all thrown together and thrown under a broiler bc there was no gravy or cheese beyond the very top layer. Just a bunch of crinkle cut fries needing salt. I lost my appetite less than halfway through the burger melt. There was simply no flavor even with the additions of salt and pepper at the table. Silver lining, I...