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    Scratch Kitchen & Taproom

    4.0 (614 reviews)
    ModerateBars, American
    Closed 10:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Scratch Kitchen & Taproom Photos

    SCRATCH KITCHEN & TAPROOM ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Trendy
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Scratch Kitchen & Taproom

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    Reviews With Photos

    Crab omelet
    Kelly M.

    Was in town for a concert, this was a great restaurant near the VRBO I stayed in. Casual atmosphere, freshly prepared food and the staff were friendly. Portions were good. I'd eat here in the future.

    Nice place.
    Tony A.

    AWARENESS: My daughter and I were in the Apex area and decided to find a nice place for dinner. After opening the Yelp app, looking at reviews and pictures, we decided to give Scratch Kitchen & Taproom and go. NARRATIVE: Due to construction in the parking lot behind Scratch Kitchen (Temple Street), we ended up entering the restaurant from the N. Salem Street. And before going in, I noticed the signage above the building says; Tobacco & Mule Exchange. I'm not sure of the buildings history but the buildings interior has a story. Entering from the Salem Street side, you'll pass several shops and a unique bar / barber shop and Scratch Kitchen is located at the end of the hallway on the left. When we arrived at the podium, just outside the restaurant, we were promptly greeted and seated and within the minute, our server and his "shadow" server greeted us and introduced themselves. And after going over the menu and special meals for the day, our drink orders were taken. We ordered the Spicy Tuna Sushi Round as our appetizer; "Spicy ahi tuna with avocado, cucumber and wake over a seared sushi rice patty with edamame and fried green tomato. Topped with wasabi-miso crema and mirin-soy glaze." It was presented and tasted just as good as it sounds. For the main dish, I had to get the Shrimp & Grits; "Cheddar stone ground grits with seared shrimp and pork belly, peppers, onions and a creamy gochugaru sauce. Topped with green onions." And as you can see by not only my photos but others on Yelp, it was an amazing choice and amazing meal. I don't recall what my daughter had as her main but she said it was really good. SCENE: Scratch Kitchen & Taproom is located in the downtown area of Apex. Parking, especially when city workers are doing construction in the rear lot (Temple Street) can be a challenge. I also noted a man, who had too much to drink did order and get a ride from either an Uber or Lyft which is great if you don't want to drive or worry about parking. RECOMMENDATION(S): Scratch Kitchen is quant with that small town feel. Service from the staff was top notch and genuine and could be felt during our interacts with them. The food and its presentation were exemplary so yes, I'll highly recommend a visit. I know I'll be back.

    Tropical chicken bowl
    James S.

    Even tough the BBQ bowl is gone its replacement the Tropical Chicken Bowl at Scratch in Apex is a standout--bright, fresh, and surprisingly satisfying. The chicken is tender with a subtle char, the pineapple adds just the right pop of sweetness, and the citrusy sauce ties everything together without feeling heavy. It's the kind of bowl that tastes like summer in the best way and leaves you feeling good afterward.

    Fabiola Z.

    Our last stop before returning home after our long weekend in Raleigh was this place. Wow! It was so comfy and relaxing. My daughter and I had the sandwiches with sides. Omg! The sandwiches were heaven. The potato salad was riveting with so much flavor. It became one of my favorite side dishes to have there. The atmosphere is fresh and airy. There is an outside patio the weather was nice for that but we decided to a high top table. The waitress was nice and with good customer service. Everything was great. Thank you.

    Tropical Chicken Bowl
    Courtnay B.

    I've been here several times for dinner, but this is my first lunch experience. Service was good and I really liked the lunch specials menu. Had the tropical chicken bowl and enjoyed it. The food is always good but the price point is a bit high for lunch.

    What a terrible experience. 9 flies = 8 on my plate + 1 on the Chex mix container. No fly-repellent fan provided
    Josh R.

    I truly wanted to like this place, but my experience left me very disappointed. We came for brunch on a Saturday morning and sat outside. The table was wobbly, so we ended up using the soaked napkins they provided to stabilize it. The food was just okay -- nothing special. We ordered the burger and steak & eggs, along with a French press coffee that arrived lukewarm. Service, however, was the real issue. I had to ask for a steak knife to cut the burger, a spoon, hot sauce, and black pepper for the grits. Our waitress took several minutes to bring any of these items, despite helping other tables promptly. We waited so long that we ended up cutting the burger with a butter knife. She finally brought the items after we'd already started eating. Throughout the meal, she was inattentive. At one point, another waitress brought a to-go order we didn't place. We told her it wasn't ours -- twice. Even after clarifying, our waitress came back with the same bag and asked again. It turned out it belonged to the table behind us. When we finished, our check sat on the table for over 10 minutes until I flagged down the hostess. Even then, my card wasn't taken right away. I asked to pay via Apple Pay but was told the terminal wasn't working, so I ended up paying with my card. To top it off, there were a lot of flies. Every other table had a fly-repellent fan, but we did not. I had high hopes, but between the slow and inattentive service, the mix-ups, and feeling overlooked compared to other guests, I can't see myself coming back. What a shame

    Buddha Bowl
    Jody S.

    I landed on Scratch Kitchen as kind of a roll of the dice for dinner on our way back home from the Raleigh/ Apex area. After "Yelp surfing" we landed on Scratch Kitchen and couldn't have been happier. We were fortunate where we were going for a late, late lunch (or really early dinner) so there was no line. It did start to build up when we were leaving so I think we timed it perfectly, accidentally. The experience started when the water brought a tray of what looked to be three large mints. He then poured hot water over the "mints" which quickly expanded into hand towels. That was a really nice touch. We started our meal with pimento cheese won tons. I wasn't a fan because I felt it was mostly wonton and not alot of cheese flavor. They were good but I missed the cheese. Our entrees consisted of the Buddha Bowl, Pad Thai and the mac and cheese burger (we were all over the place). everything was absolutely amazing. Tons of flavor and very high quality ingredients. The burger was probably the best. It comes with a huge ball of fried mac and cheese. Lastly was our dessert. We ordered the mud jar and a strawberry cheesecake. The server mistakenly brought the chocolate cheesecake. After apologizing he ran to correct it but we decided to keep the chocolate cheesecake to try as well (yes we got the strawberry cheesecake and paid for all three). The chocolate cheesecake he brought by mistake was in no way a mistake. The heavens opened and brought this dessert straight from up above. This had to have been the best dessert I've had in a long, long time. The chocolate was so thing and rich and it was accompanied by house made whip cream. This is a definite when you go.

    Smokehouse Mac & Cheese
    Adriana P.

    The food here is great. I ended up eating the Smokehouse Mac & Cheese and it did not disappoint. Even without the bbq sauce, I thought this meal was so flavorful. The BBQ had amazing flavor, the mac and cheese was creamy and the fried onions on top were a great textural addition to the dish. Our waiter was friendly and attentive. They have both inside, outside, and bar seating. They do not offer reservations so plan accordingly. I will be eating here again!

    Wine
    Grace T.

    This was a team dinner. Another colleague of mine arrived late. And my other team members had already ordered some appetisers. The ambiance was casual. I arrived in time to try firecracker shrimp. And the fries. They were delicious even though it was cold. I ordered sesame salmon. The risotto rice was not bad for me. The salmon was perfect not dry. And the rice was subtle but delicious. I like something that is not heavily seasoned so this was perfect for me. The roasted seaweed was a little strange for me. But otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed my meal. There was a lot of parking on both sides of the mall.

    Green tomato stacks, yummy!
    Marty W.

    Seating is plentiful with inside and outside seating. Service ordering was quick and responsive. Meal came out quickly and timely manner. Green tomato stacks were surprisingly flavorful and delicious, Bibimbap bowl was colorful, flavorful and filling. Service after was disappointing even if I was by myself I wasn't checked on or had water refilled. Look forward to trying again, hopefully Service will be better as it was only moderately busy Tues. night. Many tasteful looking options here.

    Chicken Dutch Pancake Dutch baby pancake baked in cast iron with hand-breaded fried chicken, fresh berries, and rosemary lemon maple syrup.
    Drg B.

    So this is the last stop on my North Carolina vacation, our server was Eric and he was very attentive and accommodating. The food was amazing, especially the brussels sprouts, even if you're not a brussels sprouts person, you would've loved these. Pictures not shown kids meals, chicken tenders and French toast serve with potatoes and fruit. I highly recommend when you're in North Carolina especially Apex area, visit this Resturant.

    Harvest Salad
    Nicole L.

    Cute little spot in downtown apex. Unfortunately I did not get a picture of the honeydew cocktail I got, but that was by far the best thing there!! It had house made flavored honeydew syrup! As far as the service, they were pretty busy and the waitress didn't check in on us too much or ask us if we wanted another cocktail but other than that food was great

    Flank salad
    Blair K.

    Very different from downtown cary, and very good. The food was very good, the service staff was very good, the seating options at lunch were very good, parking was fine, the ambiance was very nice. Nice sized bar, comfy and clean. In general, the management had a steady presence, and the food was very timely and tasty. Completely different than Cary... fortunately for apex! Had firecracker shrimp and the steak salad. Nice medium rare on the steak.

    Jalapeno Cornbread

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    6 years ago

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    2 years ago

    This is one of the best restaurant in Apex downtown! Sit outdoors will be a very nice h choice.

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    3 years ago

    Delicious food. Fast and friendly service. Delicious cocktails. Great place for brunch with the girls.

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    6 years ago

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    3 years ago

    The food is okay and average. If you are looking for something quick and fried. The service is always exceptional which why I return.

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    3 years ago

    What a great find!! Innovative menu for the central part of NC (no offense to NC), delicious craft beer and great service and atmosphere.

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    Page 5 of 16

    Ask the Community - Scratch Kitchen & Taproom

    Is there outdoor seating?

    Yes they have lots in the back!

    May outdoors diners bring dogs?

    Yes

    What's gluten free?

    In general they're very accomodating, but the Pork Loin was gf and is really good. The poke bowl is my favorite and I get it to share in addition to an entree.

    Can I make a reservation?

    No - they don't take reservations.

    Can I make a reservation?

    I don’t think they take reservations yet. That’s probably going to change eventually, but it’s worth waiting for.

    What are your hours and are you open on Sunday?

    Yes, open every day Saturday 11AM-11PM… Read more

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    The waitress was nice and personable. The night we visited they had a lady singing and it made it…read moreenjoyable. The burger I had was mediocre basically burger with jalapenos, it was fine and tasty but felt like it lacked something. It's a nice restaurant inside lots of bar space and dining space for those times. I live this place just because it's cool. Given the price I paid I thought it high, but that's okay.

    Nice bar. Cute little place with a nice long bar, nice looking taps, and decent bourbon selection…read more The Bar is physically separated by the dining room by a short wall that just gives it a good flow, but does not cut down on visibility. Had spicy burger, french fries, ranch and hot buffalo for fry dipping and a pernicious on tap. The beer was large, cold, and fresh, tasted as expected when a place goes through the keg in the right amount of time. The burger was huge, not that it was hard to eat by being too thick, but like a medium rare smash burger that was not dry as a bone. It was the Spicy burger. Although not as hot as it name would suggest, it was delicious! The fries were hot and fresh, and the hot buffalo had a nice kick. Service was very good. The bartender was nice, gave me advice on beers and food items, and answered all my questions with a smile. Pretty fast delivery, but not so fast as you would think to yourself..."what was that so fast"? LOL. She checked back in a timely manner on both the food and drink and was all and all very approachable. Def would go back to try other items in the near future. thx.

    Photos
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    Tap selections
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    Salem Street Pub

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    Scratch Kitchen & Taproom - bars - Updated June 2026

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