Taste of Tops — Restaurant in Tempe

We were hoping to get some take out from Thai Basil and like the reviews say, bring in our own drinks from the connected liquor store and with a corkage fee, drink our drinks and eat our food and have a little date. We’d been in before and had a good time so we expected the same.

We came in around 2:15, which apparently they were not yet open but the bartender let us in and sit down anyways for some reason. We sat for a few minutes or so, my boyfriend was looking at their beer selection in their coolers and I had sent my friend a picture of my drink at 2:30. The bartender didn’t greet us at all, talk to us at all or explain any of the procedures in this time and after a while more, by habit I opened my drink, which was my honest mistake. I sat with my drink open for probably 30 seconds, not yet even having drank it when he came out from behind the bar, asked where we got our drinks and then told us to leave.

We were super confused and asking what does he mean and he snatched my drink off of the table, (it was a Long Drink which I didn’t even know wasn’t a regular seltzer) and yelled directly at me, “first of all, this has liquor in it, you can’t drink that, I’m supposed to open it for you and second, it’s 2:30, we open at 3 so I’d appreciate it if you guys leave NOW.”

We were literally baffled because he let us come in, watched us sit down, watched us talk for a second, watched my boyfriend look around, and probably watched me open my drink for 15 minutes without saying very easily, “hey guys, we don’t open for another 45 minutes” when we walked in, in which case, we would’ve left and come back when they were. He knew what kind of drink I had from across the room so I do not know why he didn’t say something when he first noticed it and even though we left with no argument, he still took my drink that I’d paid for next door and dumped it.

We would not have minded being told they weren’t open yet and we aren’t sure why we weren’t, we would not have minded grabbing another drink that was allowed (only beer/seltzer and wine) and I’m not sure why they didn’t just explain that instead of kicking us out and dumping my drink.

Zero service and really left us with a bad feeling about the place. We live down the street and frequent the liquor store very often so it was a shock, especially having been a bartender for years. I’ve actually never let people sit in my bar or get this far into the experience practically an hour before we were open, I’ve also always greeted people coming in instead of watching customers sit down when they aren’t supposed to. Completely baffling sort of behavior and treatment.

Can’t recommend for a date, it’s definitely not a real bar and I’m not sure if this bartender even has any bartending experience or any service industry experience dealing with people really, I guess you’d have to do your own research on their liquor license since the bartender won’t tell you, and don’t pick up a 4pack of vaguely labeled seltzers because it might have liquor and you...

I'm am extremely disappointed in this place! Been here many times and always had such a great time, not so much this time. The girl running the place was rude from the moment we walked in. Thought we would be able to ignore her and just enjoy a few beers, unfortunately that was not the case. We asked her if she would be able to change the music to anything more upbeat and her response left us shocked. She basically said that her classical music was the playlist she had picked out for the day, but if we wanted something more upbeat she would change it, she then proceeded to change it to someone nararating a story of some of Peter and the Wolf. That was obviously done on purpose and it felt like a big F you! We couldn't stand the vibe and had to walk out! For someone that portrays a zen type personality she was pretty sinical! BREE you need an attitude adjustment! You work at a place of service and it's not about you it's about the customer. Your vibe was very negative from the moment we walked in! Will not be going back and will definitely share my experience with others! Just glad there are plenty of other places that know what customer...

Affiliated with the Tops next door. Great way to find rare beer that is only available by keg. Nice place, albeit a bit on the small side, and can get a bit busy, so plan for that. Probably can't accommodate a large party during busy times. However the selection is phenomenal, and you will find things not available on tap elsewhere. Great atmosphere as well, which makes it a welcoming place. Bit pricey, so if you get the rare stuff it can add up pretty quickly. Selection of bottles is very hard to beat, and tap always has something interesting on. They do tap takeovers now and then, which is nice as well. If it was cheaper I might frequent it more often, but even so a nice and easy way to taste a rare offering not available elsewhere, or in bottles.

[Edit] Always a place to find things not available elsewhere. Or taste something new before committing to a four/six/twelve pack next door. If you missed it at Tops, then you might still be able to taste it here. Also added couple photos, but as lighting is dim, so...