Tap & Bitters — Restaurant in Warren Township

TLDR: The food was different than what I expected. The staff is friendly and professional. Overall a good experience, and I'm interested in coming back.

Food Highlights: I tried the Gumbo, XO Noodles, and Dark Chocolate Bread Pudding. The Gumbo was unexpected. It didn't have a traditional Cajun taste to it (I'm from TX/LA). That's not to say it was bad, just different. I loved the oysters in it. They were cooked just right and I really enjoyed those bites. I've never had seasoned rice served with Gumbo before. I'm used to plain white rice. It wasn't bad, but definitely different. The XO Noodles have more of a sweet and nutty taste to me than spicy. One of the waitresses (Shania) was kind enough to ask me about it and offered to have it remade. The second batch had some spiciness which was enjoyable with the crawfish tails. The sweet and nuttiness was really overpowering though and a bit distracting in the dish. The bread pudding was quite nice. It is a tad different than what you might find down south, but in a good way. The dark chocolate is subtle, which is better when it comes to bread pudding. The cinnamon pecans were excellent and overall I think this dish just works. Really delicious!

Service Highlights: Apologies in advance for any misspelled names. One of the servers, Shania, was excellent and wanted to ensure that I enjoyed my meal and experience. I'm not normally one to complain about a dish I receive. She was able to tell I wasn't quite happy with XO Noodles and asked me questions about the dish. If it wasn't for her attentiveness, I never would have sent it back. Kudos to her for noticing and taking an interest in the customer experience. I wish all my servers at other restaurants were astute like her. The kitchen manager, Jon Carlos (JC), stopped by to talk to me about my meal experience and was genuinely interested in my feedback. We talked about each of the dishes and I felt heard. JC is passionate about the food and the customer experience and wants to improve wherever he can. I think all restaurants would be better with someone like JC on...

GET THE SALMON........

So let me tell you what happened.

I came into Tap & Bitters in Warren kinda late like, almost closing time late and I ordered something else on the menu. Honestly? I didn’t love it. I was a little frustrated. But here’s the thing: it's not about what went wrong, it's about how you fix it. And wow, did they ever deliver.

I asked if I could switch to the salmon (and trust me, I felt bad for even asking that late), and they said yes. Bless them. What happened next… I wasn’t ready.

I took one bite of that salmon and I swear the heavens opened. I’m not being dramatic (ok yes I am), but it was like an orchestra of flavor just erupted in my mouth. My soul lit up. This wasn’t dinner it was a spiritual awakening.

And here’s the crazy part: That was three days ago. I’ve had the salmon every single day since. It somehow keeps getting better. HOW?

It’s crispy. It’s perfectly seasoned. It’s buttery and flaky. I bit into it and my taste buds taught me how to Dougie.This is how legends are made!

Also: My daughter had the burger. It’s insane. The fries? Phenomenal. The staff? Kind, attentive, and truly made the experience.

But if you take nothing else from this review, take this:

GET. THE....

An absolutely incredible brunch for us at TAP from start to finish. We began with exceptionally well crafted Bloody Mary cocktails from a purpose-built bar cart, which delivered the perfect blend of both flavor, fun, elegance, and style (not to mention being highly instagrammable show pieces). Our party mixed and matched between brunch and lunch, particularly enjoying the eggs in purgatory, smoked salmon Benedict, and a truly outstanding stack of lemon ricotta pancakes with blueberry compote. For our lunch enjoyers we were privileged to indulge in a burrata with balsamic pearls, the wings (perfectly crispy and expertly dressed), and finally the TAP Burger with it’s sesame bun and house sauce that absolutely shined. Complimenting the phenomenal food throughout is a modern, elegant, clean and well appointed dining space and bar area with plenty of TVs for the sports inclined, and a staff who are attentive, fun, friendly, and professional. 10/10 recommend and will be back time...