My mom and I went in for a drink and ended up staying for several. We order old fashioned and the drinks were tasty and the staff was super friendly. The people around us were fun to chat with, which made the night even better. The bar got pretty crowded once the Packers/Bears game started, but it just added to the lively atmosphere. We also grabbed a pizza from Primo's next door, and it was so convenient that they brought it straight to our table. We're definitely planning to come back soon! read more

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My daughter and I stopped for a drink and ended up staying a lot longer than planned The drinks were good and the service too! The people sitting next to us were fun and chatty and we had a blast. Of course it ended up getting packed at this little neighborhood bar bc it was a Packers/Bears game and that just added to the fun. We also ordered a pizza from Primo's next door and it was delivered right to our seats! We plan on going back next week!!! So fu read more

Fun atmosphere to meet with friends. You can order pizza from next door and eat at the Tap!

We have been here a few times. Great little neighbor hood bar. They have specials every night including game night, 50% off wine, and live music. The bar is beautifully designed with intimate seating in front of the fireplace or longer tables scattered around. The place is pretty small and can be hard to find a seat sometimes, as this place gets busy and loud. The reason for 4 stars is for the prices. Drinks are a little more expensive than the surrounding bars. They do not serve food but have no fear, grab some pizza from primos next door.... You won't be sorry! read more

Cool spot on this side of town. Really good list of bottles and cans, plus their drafts change frequently. Definitely stop by during happy hour, weekdays from 4-6, to get the best deals. I appreciate their loyalty program and specials, on Thursday's you can get a free pizza from primos next door! Atmosphere is really cool. You can hear the person next to you, but it's never awkwardly quiet either. The place is always clean and very taken care of. My server of choice is Rebecca, she always makes me feel at home and even recommends beers she thinks I'd like. If you like craft beer this place is a must in Rockford. read more

We live in the neighborhood, used to be semi-regulars but this place has changed. Tonight, some dumb drunk girl took my husband's seat at the bar when he went up to play a song with the band and wouldn't give it back. The bartenders saw it, we hinted at her, her douchebag friends and the bartenders twice about it, and we finally just left. The bartenders admitted to seeing it and admitted it was very rude but did nothing to help us out. Rural on Tap used to be a great place to enjoy a craft beer and a taproom atmosphere, but the new ownership has hung tacky beer signs everywhere and installed video gaming machines, and this has drawn the douche-bag crowd in droves like an asshat to a bag of dicks. This place will learn that trying to replicate the crowd and feel of the Eastside bars in a remote neighborhood setting like this won't yield long-term success when the neighbors would rather travel out of the neighborhood to places where childish behavior isn't tolerated. Mature people have money to spend and time to drive there. read more

They have a pretty fun trivia night on Tuesdays! Come with your thinking caps on--the teams are competitive. For only being open for 2 years, the place has developed a pretty local vibe. The servers are very friendly, and the decor is minimal yet just enough. The ambiance is pretty chill, but it does get pretty loud very fast. The only downside is that this place does not serve food (because of no kitchen!) BUT they do allow takeout from any location and have a binder of places that will deliver to them! I don't drink so I can't tell you much about those, but the water tasted great :) read more

Big beer selection, crowded. Youngish hipster crowd. Dark and loungey decor. If you're a beer enthusiast then you'll like this. Hard to get service when it's crowded, which I hear is often. Super loud due to crowdedness. Not a good first date spot. read more

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I really do like this place a lot! The selection is great and I really enjoy the Stealing the Glass Promotions that Rural has. I am all about good beer and they really take it up a notch above what a normal watering hole does. Eat before or after due to no kitchen but otherwise a fun atmosphere to enjoy a great brew! Great Vibe and it is a place with soul! Cons: Can get a little noisy due to the size of the building. read more

Fun bar, had a good amount of craft beers on tap, plus the Friday night I was there they had $1 goldschlager shots, which are good, but potentially dangerous. Not too loud or packed, and nice decor. I'd be open to return if I'm ever back read more

Great selection of beers. Like, amazing selection of beers. As in their beer menu is several pages long. This bar has a nice vibe and is perfect for getting a drank- or a few- with pals. Service is decent. It does get crazy loud in here though. I suppose that just means they're really busy cause people like beer. read more

The great thing about this place is that it is a bar for adults. Although I have seen younger people in there, the age range runs the gamut. Us oldsters don't have to deal with 21 year olds acting like they are having their first beer and/or deal with awful music. You can sit back, relax with a few friends, and have a beer. Speaking of beer, Rural has an amazing selection, and they are always rotating new beers in. If you have questions, the bartenders are very knowledgable and can help you make your selection. They occasionally have great music acts, too. Finally, I love the decor. I might describe it as upscale urban - if that makes sense. Overall, this is a great bar for Rockford, tucked right in the middle of a small strip mall in a neighborhood. If you didn't know it was there, you might drive right past it. However, it is well worth the effort to find it. read more

They did a nice job here. It's got a neighborhood vibe which is rare for Rockford. Good beer list that updates regularly. Staff has always been really friendly. It gets crowded on the weekends and can be hard to find a seat. My only real complaint is the music- it's been pretty bad nearly every time. Of course this is subjective but music is super important at a bar and it should at least be current. At least some of the time. I've been a handful of times and each time it's been like someone chose the 90's grunge station. Generally, the place has a cool urban neighborhood vibe. The music sounds like Rockford. Update: went back and the music was way better so keep it up! 5 stars now read more

Did not expect this place to be as inviting and have such a great vibe! The bartenders are friendly and the decor is very pleasant. It's small, so it does get crowded, but I'm so happy to see a local business doing well! I live in this neighborhood and really appreciate having a neighborhood bar (reminds me a little of when I lived in Chicago). The down side is they don't serve any food. This would be 5 stars if they served appetizers or something (even nuts, popcorn & pretzels for cryin' out loud!). You can order from the pizza place next door and they'll deliver your food, but it's not that great and your selection is limited to Italian cuisine ("cuisine" might be a bit of an overstatement...). Going to try their Trivia night on Tuesdays and see how that goes. I recommend this place for after work, meeting friends, or just to watch the game. read more

A simple new bar with video gambling and some good beer selection. An overall superior bar in the area although it is isolated and not well known basically more for people in the area. Not much size here but got decent enough selection of beer and TV read more

Upon sitting down, it took about 5 minutes for our server to come and greet us. As we ordered drinks, our server had no idea what drinks we were ordering.. you would think that working here, you would at least have some knowledge about what drinks you serve here right? Clearly, she didn't. Because as we ordered, she had to glance at the menu so she could write down the names of what we ordered. Also when she served our drinks to us, she introduced and poured the beers into the wrong Glas (she got the 2 mixed up). So I was drinking an IPA from the cider glass and my cousin was drinking her cider from a pint glass LMAO. Great place, great vibes, bad server. Update: My server's name was Teresa. read more

Cool spot. Quiet with a good beer selection but no food. Happy hour is a great time to enjoy an after-work beer at this local spot in a residential area. I'll be back. read more

Great neighborhood bar, good beer selection, quiet enough for conversation, comfortable seating, enough Tvs to look at.

Nice new neighborhood bar. We enjoy the atmosphere and the wide selection of beer that is constantly being updated. The feel you get when you enter is very welcoming. Very cozy and comfortable to stop in after work or for an evening out. It can be difficult to move about when more people come in. The odd placement of the bar makes getting to the restrooms tricky if there is a back-up of people ordering. There was a band playing when were there last. They were good but TOO LOUD. Just because you have the ability to turn the volume up doesn't mean it is good. They would have been enjoyable at a lower volume. Plus there is nothing to absorb the sound so it bounces off the hard surfaces. No food, so we ordered from Primos at the end of the strip. I would make sure I eat before the next time I stop in! read more

Great neighborhood bar. Stopped in for a beer on a foggy Sunday, ended up staying for several (they have a good selection) and the bartender was so friendly and nice to talk to. read more

Wednesday night drinks- my first experience at Rural on Tap. Very cool bar, very friendly bartenders, drinks and beers were great. Music was a little lame when I arrived but the bartender was on top of it and put on a great mix as soon as I asked about switching it up. I don't know about this place being "hipster-ish" but thankfully it isn't the standard sports bar. I will definitely be back. And this may be the only non-restaurant bar I can say that about. Definitely check out Rural on Tap. read more

Rural On Tap - Filled up as the night went on. Great bar... - Bars Near Me - Rockford, Illinois

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Good local business. Always packed when my wife and I are there. A little too crowded for my taste but once we are seated our server takes care of us. Great local/ area beer groupings . read more

I love the great selection of draft beers which is always rotating. Local, live, acoustic music on Thursday nights. Bartenders are very friendly and helpful in selecting a good beer to suit you preferences. Glad things are going well given the resistance by some in the area to try to not let them open the place. read more

Great beer selection on an ever changing drink menu. Great clean environment. A step above the rest of the bars in this town. At a reasonable price this is the place to be read more

Have been going here since they opened. Great place with great beer on tap. Helps that they keep changing the beers around and know which ones to keep. A nice crew that knows a lot about beer. I have been to many micro pubs and this rates up with the best. Cheers all! read more

Rural on Tap is a great atmosphere and the awesome tap list and beer selection make it a great place to stop in and have a few beers. They don't have food, but the pizza place next door will deliver right to your table and its really good! Add the excellent service and its one of the best places in Rockford to have a drink. read more

Love the atmosphere! Service is friendly and quick. Always a good selection of beer and wine, as well as whatever mixed drinks you may want. And, if you're hungry, you can order food from Primo's and eat it in the bar. Good pizza to go with good drinks! read more

I love this place the ambience, decor, and beer selection. This place makes me feel as if I'm drinking at an upscale bar but it's just neighborhood bar. One of the owner approach me once to ensure all was well with our service, he cares and wants to correct if something is wrong. Thanks Rural on Tap team great job. read more

I really enjoy the people, the staff and the atmosphere. No matter what your tastes are, you will find they have a great selection to choose from. And if you have any questions the staff is there to help. read more

Great atmosphere and friendly staff. Love going for the free music and activities such as bar bingo each week.

The place is really cool and the beers they have on tap are great. The service however was the worst I have ever had, ever. I have been there about four times hoping it was an anomaly but sadly no, the service just really really sucks. read more

The perfect neighborhood bar! All the comfort and conversation of a coffee house, with the perfect selection of ever-changing craft beers!

Love having a nice spot to go to in the neighborhood! A nice atmosphere with a great selection of rotating drafts on tap. They don't serve food but you can bring it in. Primo's pizza, right next door, is a favorite for most people! read more

Great local neighborhood bar! When we moved to the neighborhood we were happy to know that this strip of businesses was there and easy to walk to. Enjoy their trivia and music nights! Also, appreciate the honest opinions from the servers on the abundance of drinks they offer. read more

One of those bars that seems to be a fit for anyone. I've seen young and oldish alike, and whether you're in jeans or a suit, you won't feel out of place. ROT is in a very old strip mall in a residential neighborhood that many felt was declining- who'd have thunk a nice bar would make sense here? The owners have done a terrific job creating a place this established area can feel proud of. Great tap beer selection with frequent rotation, and many bottles. No $1 pitchers here, but the prices are more than fair. The 3/4 circle bar creates a neat atmosphere for those who belly up. Often great banter amongst patrons and staff. Very welcoming staff. Plenty of tables available also. No food menu, but you can bring food in from Italian place next door, and if you ask, the bartender will get you a bowl of pretzels. Music, beer tastings, trivia, and giveaways keep things lively. It's nice when you see the product of ownership that is so engaged and so appreciative of its clientele! read more

I LOVE Rural on Tap! My husband and I have been going there for a little over a year and it's like our own Cheers! Everyone knows our name when we stop by and they are always friendly. They always have something going on and they always have new and exciting brews. I am gluten free and they cater to my needs as well. The staff is amazing and I think they do a great job, even when it's packed! Heidi and Meghan are the best! read more

I have visited Rural on Tap once and truly enjoyed the time I was there. A very nice neighborhood bar with a nice atmosphere, music a great selection of beers and other beverages. You can order food from the pizza place next door. Service was also excellent. I am going back again. read more

Solid beer menu for craft drinkers, with a steady rotation and frequent tap takeovers. Occational live music and outdoor events.