Tapp'd Bethesda

Tapp'd is a local brewery located in the center of Bethesda. I recently visited for a work baby shower. Yes, who would have thought,baby shower? We had one long table in the back of the restaurant and about 15 of my co-workers and I visited for a happy hour shower.

Our waiter was pleasant and attended to our group needs. We ordered a bunch of appetizers. My favorite was the warm pretzel and beer cheese dip. It was really tasty and the beer cheese dip was amazing. I was also a fan of the humus. It came with pita and fresh vegetables. It was delicious. We also ordered the crab dip, which was okay, but lacked that crab taste and creaminess.

Our staff really enjoyed playing pool, ski ball, and the other games that are there for customers. The beer menu was huge and my coworkers liked the"hoppy blonde" beer. Be aware, that even during happy hour there are no deals on wine. The wine menu is limited to three choices. I did really like my Riesling, but at $9 dollars a glass, it wasn't cheap!

Dinner options were limited as well. So, after the shower I walked over to Dog Haus Biergarten for a burger. Tapp'd is a fun place for games and appetizers.

My pet peeve is when They keep the change assuming it's a tip,

I would like to have my change and leave the tip.

They seem nice enough, But Act too much like my buddy.

This rating is based on my bar experience only.

We went for a night cap, Wednesday night, seeing they had an all night special for 5$ house flights (which amazing just means pick 5 of the many many options they have).

I was delightfully pleased to see so many local breweries were showcased on their draft menu. The bartender even let us write our own flight on the chalk boards (because she was super nice with us taking our sweet time to decide)

Then...huzzah! They have a backroom filled with games :) pool tables, air hockey, and skee ball! Plis this fantastic old hockey shuffle game which was the most amazing thing to play. Our quarters got stuck, but their staff was very helpful fixing it- then giving us free plays.

The ambiance is delightful. So spaciois, many options for date night intimate corners, low key hang at the bar, big party large tables, big party game room. It'd be a fun area to move around. The staff adds to the appeal because they just seem happy.

We didn't get food, but I saw some walk by and noted I have to go back there and eat. It looks massive and fresh.

If you remember where UNION Jacks was..... you will know where this place is!

Awesome food and drinks and killer deals also ...

The RIBS are pretty awesome

Will definietly try this place out for a happy hour one day!

Oh I forgot to mention that the back area has pool tables, air hockey, skeeball and a few other games to play

I have to say, I'm pleasantly surprised with the food selection and quality here!

Let's Talk About Food Baby, Let's Talk About You & Me:

The biggest surprise of the lunch was probably the crab cakes. They were delicious! I mean, for a restaurant that has taken the Maryland flag and used it liberally as a central decorative theme; they definitely did the Maryland institutional dish justice. Hearty portions, tons of crab meat (mostly backfin), but I'll tell ya, there was not much filler at all in those crab cakes. Well cooked, not dry at all.

Market price came out to be 23.00 dollars today. I think it was a really fair portion and price, and was surprised how fresh everything tasted. The menu stated that you got the crabcakes with a pear slaw, and we got a regular slaw; which TBH, I was happy about.

We got the pretzels as an appetizer which come with beer cheese. Pretzels were good, I wish they were just a little bit bigger so that the doughy part inside made up a majority of the pretzel... but! they were good! Beer cheese seized up a little quick... I need to invent a portable heated sauce ramiken. Million dollar idea, right there!

We also decided to get the beer can chicken club which was a hearty sandwich served on Texas toast (which is awesome), and was filled with shredded chicken lettuce tomato mayo and bacon. The bacon had a bit of a funny taste to it, I'll be honest. But when you ate it with the sandwich, you couldn't really tell. The chicken was very tender and I love the bread it was served on. Waffle fries could have used a little more crisping in my opinion, but! as you can tell by the minutiae I'm describing. It didn't take too much away from the overall meal. I'm just including my thoughts so that details could possibly be refined.

Now she's back in the atmosphere, Drops of Unions Jacks In The Air:

It's definitely a space that you walk into, and you're like; this is old Union Jacks. But the renovations to the space are significant and plenty. Not too drastic where you're like... where am I? But drastic enough to be like... I could hang at this place.

The focal point is the enormous square bar that sits in the middle of the large space with taps a plenty. There's something like 60 beers on tap. I had been in recently to have a flight, and I'm happy to say that you can pick most any of the 4 for a flight of tap beers and it's only 8 bucks. 8 bucks for a flight of all these different beers, that's kinda awesome right?!

The back where the pool tables were is expanded to include ski ball machines, an air hockey table, and foosball.

The bathrooms have been nicely updated and just generally have a fresher streamlined appearance.

The walls are lined with large portraits of beer labels, with the beer name pulled out and "Tapp'd" inserted in. It's cute!

A prominent cut out of the great state of Maryland is hung as a center piece on the wall that is painted with the Maryland Flag design. #YouGotMyVote

It's friendly, it's welcoming, there's enough bar seats to host a very large group, and if you get there early, and bring a crowd, I'd go take over the gaming area. With the selection of beer and food, it's sure to please a large crowd.

Smart design, smart renovations.

Even the windows on the second floor where creepy people used to stare down onto millennials dry-thrusting to the sounds of Nelly's "Ride Wit Me" at Union Jacks has been traded out and is now an entrance. A very smart move!

This place has everything going for it. An s-ton of craft beers. Great food. Large space. And it's in the middle of Woodmont Triangle. Quickly becoming the hottest place to live in Bethesda.

Looking for a 8$ beer flight and/or a long list of adult brews? Looking for a good crab cake? Looking to shoot some pool, play air hockey, skeeball, and commemorate your victories with a photo in the photo-booth? Look no further; Tapp'd Bethesda is brewing up some good brews and eats!

I was mourning the absence of many lost memories at Union Jacks BUT when I heard Tapp'd was housed in the new space, I was curious on how they were going to make up for it. The space looks refreshed and replace the Union Jacks with Maryland insignia, cleverly placed in well known beer labels, and that's what you have here. The bar boasts many beer taps and with flat screens showing what's on tap, call your designated driver now.

Service was good and my dining partner and I decided on the pretzel with beer cheese dip. Pretzels were browned evenly and came with a cheese dip I wish would have stayed warmer and more gooey. There were three (3) pretzels and about the size of my palm, very good for sharing.

Crab cakes were oh so yummy and did the Maryland pride good with the generous lumps of sweet blue crabs and with not too much filler, I was actually really satisfied with just one! Served with two lump crab cakes and little coleslaw, we switched out the waffle fries for a side salad because we were already getting waffle fries with another order.

Beer can chicken; is it Southern or Midwest thing? Is it just a thing now? Either way, the beer can chicken club was good. Served on Texas toast, with mayo, tomatoes, lettuce, bacon... clearly the star is the perfectly tender chicken. I would opt for the chicken alone.

Waffle fries were dusted with a little old bay which I loved but wish there was more old bay at the table. There was a condiment rack but I wasn't paying too much attention after the sriracha ketchup and A1 sauce...!

We asked for some spicy chipotle ranch sauce and YUM! It's got a kick so don't say you weren't warned.

Stayed a night in Bethesda with a friend last weekend and decided to have a girls weekend. It wa s cold and rainy outside but we took an Uber to this bar just to check it out. It was surprisingly busy, groups of collage age kids then tables of older folks.

They have a big beer menu, three things I wanted were sold out but that told me how popular this place is. Ended up with an ordinary beer but my friend tried their specialty cocktails . Also ordered the crab dip which was mostly cream cheese but satisfied my late night munchies .

A friend and I wanted to try out somewhere new, and heard good things about Tapp'd. To be honest, I was a bit underwhelmed. Maybe if you're more into a diverse beer menu, and not the food, this might be more your speed. But I'm kind of picky in terms of the food and other drinks on the menu apart from beer.

We went in for Happy Hour, but I ended up getting a Watermelon Martini off happy hour menu. It was smooth and sweet. I'd probably get it again.

The food on their happy hour menu was typical for a bar. They had quesadillas, chicken tenders, etc. They were just fine, but nothing special. It's typical American bar food. Nothing fancy or unique.

Ambiance:
It felt a little like a college bar to me. On a worknight, it was clear they had some of the younger crowd there for happy hour. I would say, it's a good spot to hang out with friends. But I wouldn't recommend it for a date.

Service:
The service was good. They didn't forget about us, but also didn't bug us the whole time. The bartender was helpful in helping me pick out a drink.

Final Verdict:
Glad I checked out this spot, but I probably won't be going back. More of a personal preference since I prefer more upscale bars...

We came on a random Monday afternoon, not exactly peak drinking time, but hey... we had the place to ourselves.

They have some happy hour specials to take advantage of and a solid selection of beers on tap.

Our bartender was friendly, and knowledgeable on what they had on tap.

Just a typical bar with mediocre food. I liked the wings but my BF had the beer can chicken pot pie as his entree which was way too small, it probably makes sense to put it in appetizer menu.

I liked the fact they offer wide variety of beers. I love beers and the fact they do 3 beer flights for $8 is a great deal and chance for you to find what you really like. I also liked the fact on sundays to wed they offer free pool all day! The yelp check in offer is another plus where you can get 50% off your appetizer when you order an entree.

Only thing I was kind of turned off to was when I initially walked in the restaurant, the entrance smelled like trash. Not sure why. Oh and I had NO cell service inside! That is bad...I have AT&T and usually have service everywhere but here. I did connect to their wifi to at least use data but what if I need to make/receive phone calls? The management definitely needs to look into that...

My group and I still had a good time playing pool, air hockey, pinball, and skee ball. Will be back if we need a bar with good space, beer, and entertainment.