If you go at night, you lose the ambiance of the Petaluma turning basin, the boats, and the river. You are then left with the stark quality of their food. This is a major fail based on the quality of the food. I had a burger (no meat, it was a mushroom) and it was dreadful. It was bits and pieces of mushroom, not he whole mushroom. It fell apart right away to mush. I ate the crumbs with a fork. BTW all I got was the bun and mushroom plus a heap of pickles. No sides, no onion, no fries. WTH! This place seems to survive, and with Dempseys shuttered it is a horrible choice to pick Taps as the only one in the area. I will pick more carefully next time so as to not waste my dinner dollars. read more

The service and view were fine, but the food was so bad, I was amazed out how awful it was. I had the fish and chips, and the fish was terrible, and the batter was gooey and greasy. The cheeseburger was awful. Live music was entertaining but it would have been much better if it wasn't so loud. Considering the location which is fantastic, its amazing how they couldnt find someone to cook a decent meal. read more

I'm trying to be nice as I write this review because I know times are tough and restaurants have been hit the hardest but.... My boyfriend, my friend and I all went here today for lunch. I recommend this place because I love the location, and have always had great experiences in the past. Today was nothing less then horrific. We sat down , waited a hour and 30 minutes for our food. We order the SIMPLEST dishes. I ordered the wings, my boyfriend ordered pulled pork fries and my friend Dan ordered the shrimp po boy. When we ask our waitress where our food was, because it had been almost a hour and a half, she had the audacity to tell me it had only been 1 hour and 15 & she told us the restaurant was super busy and the kitchen was behind. This was super annoying because people who were sat down after us were receiving their food, 4 tables to be exact. When we got our food, it's was nothing short of horrific. The pulled pork fries where smothered in what what seemed to be Kraft velvet-a cheese , cold and the pork was awful. My friend who ordered the po boy for $15 dollars , came with 2 tiny shrimp , a store bought un-toasted bun, and a wedge of up ripe tomorrow and a piece of lettuce. I ordered the wings and they were not bad, but nothing to write home about. Overall the service sucks and the the food is even worse. However The location is awesome , but it's clearly the ugly step child of Petaluma's restaurant scene. read more

Taps on the River - The sad Shrimp Po boy - New American Near Me - Petaluma, California

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Logged about eight miles on the Bay Area Ridge Trail and rewarded ourselves with a stop here. The beer hit the spot! My porter was smooth and paired well with a pretzel. I was not a fan of the dip that came with it. Nice view to go with lunch! read more

Taps on the River - Porter - New American Near Me - Petaluma, California

Ate here because Dempsey's closed down. Sat outside, I ordered the Mac burger medium rare, with Fries (extra cost). The fries get 5 stars. My burger arrived, cold and rare in spots. I took about 4 bites and just couldn't. Our server never checked on us until the end. I told him the burger was cold. He snatched my plate away...but I was still eating the fries! No words, nothing. Dropped the check off, no words, no nothing. The burger was taken off the bill, as it should have been. You lost 2 customers. Buh-bye. read more

My partner and I went to Taps on the River today. We drove over from Napa to go to a brewery on the river. First off I want to say atmosphere and the food we had was very good and the beer as well but, the hostess and our server were very rude! In our early days we were both servers and we were put off a immediately by the hostess who tried to put us in a fenced in side area outside and when we asked for a different location she was offended by our request. We were given a table off the side yard and sat down, the table was a wine barrel that was inappropriate for food consumption so we asked the waitress if we could go to the other side of the restaurant outside and she said yes. When the new server finally arrived she was very curt with us. When she dropped off our beer it was just slapped down on the table. The restaurant is very cute and like I said, the food was good but we were hoping for a better experience. read more

Disappointed in service and especially untrained manager. 6 of us went in for dinner. Service started slow and went down hill. Only had 4 place settings delivered, yet 6 of us - had to request 2 more, which took a while. We asked for water 4 times and fianlly had to go up and get it ourselves. When we asked an employee a question on getting something she replied she was off. Turns out it was the manager. How cona the manager reply to a guest like that. Unacceptable! Server only came by once after food served to check on us - I know it can get busy, just stop by and say so. I detest feeling ignored. Took forever to get check when we were done. Manager came over and said that due to our complaining about service we should not return. She overheard us talking about bad service from our server. Rather than coming over to help solve the problem she blamed it on us and told us not to return. The owner of the restaurant needs to have some customer service training sessions. Why a manager would hear guest complaining about not getting service and and choose not to come over to help solve the problem is beyond me. Lots of other places to go in Petaluma. If the owner would like to contact me for further details I would be happy to talk with them. You have a great location and fantastic beer selection. Just need to up your game on service. Thank you Eric, i have no idea what your response about "brown boy" even refers to. If your manager said we made any disparaging remarks about any employee like that she is lying We complained about server not checking on us and manager not doing her job to step in and help solve issue. I think we need to have a phone conversation. Again, I am discussed that your manager said we called anyone "Brown Boy". We had a blond waitress. The other staff that brought food were good and picked up the slack as they could for her. Let's talk on phone, as the manager is lying about what the problem was. You May want to talk to customers before posting responses that are disparaging based solely on your manager. I am even more offended by your response than the bad service. read more

Great location on the river, great selection of beer on tap and non-alcohol beers. (And a very good bike shop next door--Big Bow. Get your bike fixed while you have a brew). Nice Happy Hour 4-6 p.m. food & beer. We had dinner & beer for 2 for $30. Fun place; dogs welcome. read more

Came in for a dine-in experience. Everything was fine so review is focused on the food. Good amount of beer options to choose from. Ordered the flat iron steak melt. Came on a roll, so not sure why its called a melt. In any case, that wasnt a negative, the bread was actually quite good. But the sandwich itself and the fries not so much. The fries were a bit heavy on the herbs, even though i ordered the regular fries. I wasnt a fan. And i enjoy fries from pretty much anywhere. Same with the steak sandwich, it had a strong herb or something that took over. Not much meat. Wasnt a fan. Wouldnt order again and likely wouldn't return. Also, food menu isnt very exciting. Pretty boring. read more

Came with a group of people on a beautiful day and enjoyed the outside seating near the river. The fish and chips was heavy compared to other versions. I have enjoyed, and the fries were soggy. There was a nice selection of beer on tap. We were a group of six and it was a relatively slow day. Nevertheless, the server kept asking us if we wanted to order anything more and I felt that we were being pushed to leave before we were ready. read more

It's going to be hard for me to like/recommend a place that charges me extra moolah for fixings on my burger (i.e.: $0.50/a tomato slice). Like, seriously?! Immediate, Bad taste in my mouth. Regarding the Wait Service, I wish we received a little bit more. It was like, she took our drink order, then took our main order and that was that. A food runner brought us our food, then our server stopped by when we were pretty much done eating to ask if we were good. Could have been a bit more attentive. The burgers were just okay. You simply get a pretty hearty meat patty and some cheese in between some buns. Again, if you want lettuce, tomatoes, etc- it's going to cost you per item. Also, if you want fries with your burger, oh yeah- that's going to cost you extra too! If you're going to splurge on fries, go straight for the garlic fries. These were quite decent cuz they come with a ton of garlic! Overall the one table favorite from today's visit was the Pork Belly Mac n' Cheese; we all agreed this deserved 5 STARS! If you're going to order one thing from Taps, order this...everything else, pass. read more

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Ambiance is great, beer is great, server was great, but honestly the food is just terrible. Disliked both the meals so much we barely ate it, wasn't even worth the calories. read more

Taps on the River - Beer cheese burger and quesadilla special - New American Near Me - Petaluma, California

First if you're gonna leave a review better spell check first or you gunna get in trouble from KAREN... Waited an awful long time to get in, burgers were heated fro;zen patties mushy too! (see OTHER reviews SAME observation), FLIES :). were everywhere! This place is next to the SLOUGH :} definitely don't go at low tide. Staff was obnoxious (Think... EVERYONE gets a trophy). Go to Dempsy's across the way they have fresh burgers and Beers on tap too. Or, better yet go to BREWERSTERS Beer Garden across the street and away from the Flies :} and well you know... Sorry if you're offended, I tell it like it is! ENJOY read more

Last night was my second time visiting Taps. We arrived in time to hear the last few numbers of a great band playing. We were there to get a quick snack on our way back home to the East Bay. We really enjoyed the time we were there and ended up staying longer than we intended. The service we received from everyone was outstanding. All of the staff was very friendly and helpful. We ordered the poutine, Brussels sprouts, and the petite shepherds pie. The food was delicious! The petite shepherds pie was especially delicious. There was so much food we ended up taking about half of it home and it was still delicious when we reheated it. The Christmas lights reflecting on the river were magical. The beer menu was fairly extensive and I really enjoyed the double IPA that I had. We will be back! read more

Taps on the River - Moonbuggy Hazy IPA at Taps - New American Near Me - Petaluma, California

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I guess I'm not one for dive bars, and I am definitely not one for overly crowded and loud dining. That said, I do love me some beer, and when I heard that Taps carried my all time favorite on tap, I knew I had to make the effort. The first time I tried Taps, I just went to the bar and ordered a gorgeous, cold, perfect glass of Duchesse de Bourgogne. The bartender actually seemed surprised that I knew about the Duchesse, which really is one of the world's best beers, but has sort of a low following. If you haven't had the overwhelming pleasure and delight of the Duchesse's company, go hit up Taps and meet her, it will be worth your while. ;) At that time though, it was packed and late, so I vowed to return and try the food another day. The subsequent and likely last time I went to Taps, we ordered drinks, stood by the bar and waited for our table for an hour when we were told it would be 20 minutes. We ended up ordering garlic fries, which were a terrible mess, the fries couldn't hold any flavor, and all the garlic and salt fell off into the bottom of the basket. Next, we ordered the stage 2 spicy wings, and stage 3 for dip, which were deliriously hot and wonderful, but low on actual meat. Mom ordered the garden salad, which unsurprisingly was quite bland, given that it's from a meat-centric pub, but it was beautifully plated. For our meals, my dad ordered the Pulled Pork sando, which despite the recommendations of my coworker, was extremely dry and the bread was on the stale side. I ordered the Chuck Wagon burger, which sounded like a delightful cacophony of bison, hush puppies, and seared pork belly. I ordered my burger medium, but it came out well done, and gritty. It must have been a bad day with the bread distributor because my roll was also stale and dry like my dad's. With an experience like that, we didn't even look for dessert, and left with the setting sun. I can see this place as the perfect spot for those looking for a crowded bar scene, but it's not for me, and I will not likely return. Plus I can see the Duchesse anytime I want, as she makes frequent appearances at Hopmunk, which has never served me a bad meal. One star for location, with gorgeous panoramic views of the Petaluma waterways, one star for the Duchesse. read more

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The atmosphere is great - right on the river. Lots of on tap beer... The salad was good, but the chicken on it was questionable. Was it microwaved from a frozen pack of grilled chicken? It had a horrible smell to it and I'm surprised the dog ate it and didn't get sick. I will say the pulled pork sliders were good. But can't justify more than 3 stars... read more

Taps seems to have a lot of mixed reviews but I've been here twice and I loved it! The first time I came was on a Sunday night. They were really packed and everyone was having a blast with the giant Jenga game they have on the patio. We were seated right away and the food came fairly quick for as busy as they were. The service was alright. I had their garlic fries. I think it's a mix with something other than garlic and it wasn't my favorite but it wasn't bad! They also have a huge selection of beers! The second time I came was yesterday around 4pm. Not very busy and just a few people at the bar so we decided to sit outside. Our server was great! I wish I got his name. I'd give him 5 stars for his awesome service. He was super friendly and very knowledgable about the beers. With such a large drink menu they let you sample a shot of the beers before you order it. It definitely saves you from ordering something new and not liking it. It happened to be wing Wednesday yesterday so the salt & pepper wings were only 50cents each - 10 for $5 when it's normally like $7.95. They were delicious! I don't remember what the other wings I ordered was called but they were good, just not as good as the salt & pepper wings. They taste like home made wings - how my mom or grandma would make them so it was a little nostalgic. In all, this place has a fun atmosphere and it's inexpensive. I'm going to be coming back all the time. read more

Taps on the River - Wing Wednesday! - New American Near Me - Petaluma, California

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A couple of years ago my husband did a training in Petaluma and now we are moving to the area. He raved about TAPS and we decided to go with our boys on one of our pre-move trips to the area. The food wasn't what we expected (or what he remembered) for the prices. It was just okay. The fish was over cooked but the tartar sauce was great. The burger was a bit greasy. I did like their kids menu and the boys loved their corn dogs. They also have a great beer selection. What earned the three star review was the wait service. The guy who picked up the plates near the end of our meal was so sweet, but the waitress seemed to forget we were there even though they weren't that busy. I'm sure we will be back and hopefully will update our review with two more stars but for now, service is so, so important. read more

Love the owner, love the beer selection and hates the food. Fries is supper saggy, looked like they were fried twice. Russels sprouts were burnt ? Not sure. I didn't like them. Pesto Chicken was under cooked and was more on the raw side. I will go back for the beer only. read more

Taps on the River - New American Near Me - Petaluma, California

Came with sister and pops for a late lunch. Seated right away, waiters and waitresses all nice and attentive. We ordered our drinks first (mango/orange mimosa, Berryessa doubletap, and 21st amendment watermelon funk), and all came out quickly. Good taste! Ordered our food after receipt of the drinks...2 bacon cheeseburgers (one with bbq sauce and the other without), a bun less taps burger (medium), and one order of salt and pepper fries to split. Food was overall underwhelming. Salt and pepper fries had an odd taste to them (fish??) and were too salty. I had ordered my Taps burger medium, but the burger patty was so thin it was cooked all the way through (no pink). The aioli it came with was bland, bland, BLAND. Never had aioli like this one, tasted watered down and had no flavor. My dads bacon cheeseburger was boring and tasteless as well. Good place to sit outside and enjoy a beer or wine, but not to eat. read more

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Food is great! Love the wings. Spicy wing sauce options!! They were a little understaffed in the kitchen but great service and very accommodating. If you like wings, this is a must try. read more

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Haven't been here in a long time and decided to try it again. What a mistake. Hostess didn't seem like she wanted to be there, service was slow and the server was friendly but didn't pay attention. We asked for the wings to be delivered first but they arrived with our burgers. The burgers were ok and thankfully we shared the fries because there's enough for 4 people. Lots of beers but not much local and you have to scan a QR code to see what's being offered. Music was super loud and we could hardly hear each other. The food was only ok and we won't be going back. Save your money and go to Hank's which is owned by the same family but the service and food is 100% better! read more

I was in Petaluma for the afternoon with some time to kill, so I decided to go find a nice place to sit, have a beer, and read a book. Taps couldn't have been more what I was looking for!! They have these adorable picnic tables on the river, which made me feel like I was on a mini-vacation. They had a great happy hour deal, which was $6 for a select option of beers on tap. The waitresses were incredibly attentive and kept checking in on me to see if I needed anything else. At around 6pm I think they started playing live music, which made my time there even more magical! I would highly recommend this place for anyone, but especially if you are looking to take yourself out on a little date and take in the fresh air. Honestly, I would take more trips to Petaluma if it involved a day at Taps! read more

Taps on the River - Cute patio on the river - New American Near Me - Petaluma, California

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Wings aren't worth it. 10 the size of my pinky... Great selection of beer. Decent spot. read more

We are so glad we came to Taps! First of all, we're adults, so we sometimes like to eat dinner and have a beer past 9 o'clock. But where would you go in Petaluma for such a tall order? We watched nearly every restaurant and bar in town close before someone recommended Taps to us. We had a gorgeous table overlooking the river and ordered from a large and very well chosen beer menu. My girlfriend ordered the 12% chocolate stout and we were both thrilled with it. The wings, my sandwich and fries were top notch and our waitress was extremely helpful and friendly. The wings were perfectly spicy without being too hot to handle and my chicken sandwich with Tennessee hot sauce, cole slaw and fresh pickles was exceptional. We will be back!!!! read more

Taps on the River - The chicken sandwich, salt and pepper fries, stage 2 buffalo wings and the Noon Moon stout. - New American Near Me - Petaluma, California

Go for the beer, stay for the beer! Would not recommend eating here if you're looking for quality food! read more

Great place. Me and and wife love it here. Great atmosphere and great service. Really good variety of beer. Cold and refreshing. Come here you won't regret it. read more

Taps on the River - New American Near Me - Petaluma, California

Drinks were good. Bar service was great. Food was bad! Who charges $15 for a burger and extra for a side of fries? And, the Brussels sprouts were huge and deep fried, but raw in the middle! Recommend cutting those suckers in half before frying. Sad because the location is so nice, but I was disappointed with the food. read more

DECEPTIVE BUSINESS. TAPS GOUGES THE CUSTOMER 5% FOR 'MINIMUM WAGE FEE'! It was not stated anywhere in the restaurant or menu. I only found out about it on the check AFTER dinner. Dear Eric Lafranchi, owner of Taps, Running a business means you must adapt as rules and regs change, so do not put the cost of paying your employees the bare minimum wage on us, the customer. If you were mandated by new law to install a wheelchair ramp, would you then charge us an 'ADA accommodation fee'? I think not. Do not passively sneak in a charge for your opposition to paying your employees the bare bottom wage for the to survive! I have been patronizing Taps for almost a decade and I will never return until you remove these charges. I will make sure everyone knows what you are doing. Learn to adapt, Taps, and quit price gouging your customers. We have no problem paying increased prices, but we do have a problem with your shady business practice and passive aggressive stance on paying your employees a proper wage. Unbelievable. read more

Successful first date! Hahaha...Taps made an amazing first impression in layers. Terrific host that was very hospitable and inviting. Service with sound ordering advice guiding us to our appropriate food and liquid gold items. Menus were dynamic and balanced showcasing beers from our winning local fountains to Belgium doubles to a Yuzu Lager...and even "hard" drinkables. Peeling back, our eyes enjoying the sites and sounds of the water...and the well executed beer garden section that I will not describe for your own live viewing experience. Next, we uncover the buffalo bouquet of cauliflower florets that were cooked to a crispy cadence. The salt-n-pepper crispy wings performing and honoring chickens proudly. Not to mention, the must order pretzel and cheese sauce. No doubt a must try and visit. I save my final star for a soon to come second date... read more

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My family and I rarely go out for dinner. Went to taps tonight and it's a mess. The server spilled vinegar on the table and didn't clean it. We did not get silverware, napkins, or condiments. Also, my daughter has a rare food allergy and has a limited diet. The server said she had to talk to the chef just to boil a hot dog in clean water. This is because they boil hot dogs in old pasta water (the server told us this). Our 3 1/2 yo son needed to use the bathroom. It was filthy and there was a financially less fortunate person urinating on the floor instead on in the urinal. I would not recommend this place to anyone. read more

When I made a comment about the 1" head on the beer he drew for me, the manager pompously pronounced it a "perfect pour." I agree, for together with the 14oz beer (since when was a pint 14oz?), now 12oz, charged out at 16oz prices, it was perfect - for the profit margin. read more

I'll come again for beer and maybe some fries but I've now been there a few times and had legitimately gross food that shouldn't have been served. About a month ago I had a burger where the meat was off, inedible. the server didn't seem to care or take the concern seriously. we came last saturday and ordered a pretzel and it came with a separated cheese sauce and the saltiest pretzel I've ever had in my life. My work had an event there and the food was truly great so it's confusing. at the end of the we always spend over $100 and walk away saying we will never order food there again. read more

Great Food! I've tried several items and all incredibly delicious! Especially the Fish and Chips as well as the incredible Chicken Burger. The best I've ever had. read more

One of my fave new spots to walk to, right access the bridge from downtown. An extensive list of on tap beverages, consistently yummy menu (the level 2 wings are my go to) and sweet outdoor seating overlooking the river. We've been for intimate casual date night dinners and with larger groups and they always take care of us. read more

Taps is a top-notch Sonoma County taproom! The beer selection here is incredible. From California IPAs to imported German Hefeweizens, Taps has a beer for everyone. With so many rotating taps, the beer list changes rapidly. I once came twice in a week and the beer list had already changed in just a few days! But this comprehensive variety is what makes Taps such a unique taproom. I've tried so many interesting beers, ciders, and even mead. They offer each person 2 free samples, so definitely take advantage of this! Although I usually just come to Taps for beer, their food is solid. Their burgers are juicy and delicious and their garlic fries are strong enough to ward off vampires. I also really enjoy their fried brussels sprouts (obviously the best way to enjoy brussels sprouts). The outdoor seating overlooking the Petaluma River, which is open during the warmer months and covered in the winter (with heaters!), is the perfect place to enjoy a beer. read more

Taps is always a nice place to end up or start your Petaluma adventure. Beers on tap to please any palette. Food is always on point to satisfy most cravings. All around a great place to hang with significant other or the whole gang! read more

Don't recommend for the food, great place for the beer. The 3 of us all got burgers. Buns were badly burnt, meat was defiantly frozen. Produce not the freshest. But do go for the beer. read more

Amazing Beer list! We came for a beer and ended up ordering a flight each. It was so hard to decide what beer to select. Fun atmosphere and a great view of the Petaluma River. We didn't end up ordering food but it looked yummy. Prices are good, but the beer is absolutely amazing. If your a beer geek your going to love it here! read more

Taps on the River - New American Near Me - Petaluma, California

They were so rude when I sat down at a friends table. Will never go here again. I have had bad experiences in the past but tonight confirmed that this is a piece of crap place to go. Would give zeros everytime. The server was rude and made me feel bad for trying to order a drink while they were still open for another hour. I wish I got the servers name because I would call her out. She had so much satisfaction by telling me they wouldn't serve me. read more