Union Taproom & Pizza Kitchen — Restaurant in Winter Haven

I've been to Union several times but a recent change in ownership and a new menu lured me back to give it a review. We had some friends in town and really talked to Union as the concept of self pour taps is genius! We went on a Saturday and it was not very crowded, except a party of about 20 people and two small groups of four. We went to the counter and the young lady just stared at us confusingly. No "hello", no "Welcome! How can I help you?" Just a stare. I told her we would like to start a tab and get our wrist bands. This appeared to annoy her and our IDs were grabbed from our hands and thrown to the counter. After a few eye rolls and sighs we got our wrist bands. Now on to the beers. The taps are great if you like IPAs and fruity beers. Not much else. I'm a porter and stout fan and my choices were limited and one of my choices was Grove Roots 6am Pickers. It's one of my favs so that's what I went with. I was upset that the pour was extremely foamy. Before you say anything, I know how to pour from a tap. The place was filled with the scent of pizza, so we figured it was time to order. We went to the front counter and wanted to order a couple pizzas. We were then informed the kitchen was so backed up we couldn't order anything for an hour. Mind you to party of 20 had dwindled to 5 with 2 of them being kids and the other 2 parties were eating their pizzas. This was at 2:00 on a Saturday that was not very busy. We were not happy with how things were going and didn't feel too welcome or wanted, so we paid what tab we owed and set our half drank beers down and left. This visit was disappointing as Union has been a favorite stop of mine since they opened. Union will get another shot from me in hopes this particular day was just an off day. I would suggest the new ownership put some emphasis on customer service and ensure their kitchen can handle...well...any crowd at all. And some more variety on the taps...

Disappointing Service Overshadowed a Promising Experience at Union Taproom!

We were thrilled to visit Union Taproom, drawn by the great reviews, lounging atmosphere and a shelf full of board/card games. Unfortunately, poor service and a lack of guidance made our first visit uncomfortable.

Upon entering, we approached the counter, but the staff member didn’t acknowledge us, despite us standing just a few feet away. She was focused on a computer issue, which is understandable, but a simple greeting or question like, “First time here?” would have helped. Instead, when we asked if we seat ourselves, her response felt dismissive, making us feel like an inconvenience.

The self-pour system—paying by the ounce with a bracelet (found this information online, not from staff) is unique but confusing for newcomers. There’s no table service, which is fine, but it wasn’t clear we needed to order at the counter. We waited at a table for several minutes before figuring this out, even having to ask how to get water.

The lack of basic orientation for first-timers soured our experience. Clearer signage or a quick explanation at the counter would have make a huge difference, instead of brusque comments about starting a tab.

The thin-crust pizza was just okay, the tots were good, and the bottled “old-fashioned” sodas were reasonably priced. Still, we never felt comfortable, as the staff’s unwelcoming vibe made us feel like a burden, which could be why it wasn’t very busy for a Saturday evening. We really wanted to love Union Taproom, but the service needs improvement to match its potential. I hope the staff can be more proactive in welcoming guests, especially those unfamiliar with...

Our trivia team of 10 people went to trivia at Union Taproom tonight, arrived early and got a table. We ordered food and while they have a ton of beer on tap, they do not have a soda machine at all. The pizza was quite good which was the highlight of the evening.

We waited for trivia to start and found out we needed an iPad to play. No one informed us when we arrived. After looking for the iPads we discovered that there are only 9 available and 1 was broken. There were several parties of 2 and a few larger groups. We were not the only ones who were unable to play.

There is no way to connect to the digital trivia on anything but the iPad they have. We love trivia and were very disappointed that we weren't able to play, it was our entire reason for coming tonight. To top it off, the trivia host has no microphone and cannot be heard at all over the din.

Our party ended up leaving and we will...