The Tap is sort of a mixed bag. Before they opened it was hyped as a craft beer bar so I assumed it would be a laid-back place you can go with friends for good beer and good conversation. Instead it's loud, packed to the gills with TVs, and service can be spotty. The first few times I came here the beer was very overpriced and the draft selection wasn't impressive. However, both have improved. Beers are still a little more expensive than they would be at your average pub, but the selection is much more interesting now. The Tap is a fun place to watch a game if you can snag a table. Not such a good place for conversation. They don't have food, but you can order food from various local restaurants to be delivered to your table. read more

Heading to Bloomington is always such a rush for me, there's something about the atmosphere the college town gives that just gets my blood pumping! BUT...The Tap just really didn't start my trip off on the foot I was hoping it would. To start, the I walked in to meet a group of friends and it took a slightly unreasonable amount of time for our waitress to come see what my bev of choice would be, but hey, it happens. I moved on. I got my flight, which was great actually. I loved the Java brew from Sun King and the presentation was great, which was about the only great thing I experienced here. The food, which if you are unfamiliar with The Tap is an "order delivery yourself" type deal took 55 minutes to get to us. Now, a former waitress myself, I realize that if its a busy day, it can take a while, but it wasn't busy. At all. After our food finally arrived, my stomach being satisfied, I was still ready to give this place another go and finally started really getting into it! And then our waitress lost our debit card. Yes, you read right, SHE LOST OUR CARD! And she couldn't be bothered to help us find it either, so here we are a group of 10 ladies crawling around the bar floor searching for the visa. Needless to say, I was out. Love the concept, Hate the service, which in my world plays a huge role in my willingness to keep coming back. read more

Well they have fun trivia, good drinks, and good food. A bit loud and during triva it is hard to hear but thats about it.

I'm not sure what to think about The Tap because I'm not sure of what the tap is trying to be. A friend said nice sports bar, but the music was too loud to even focus on the games being played. There was live music, which is kind of up in a corner which is an interesting idea, but it certainly didn't feel like the focus. It felt like the sort of place where that SHOULD serve food, but doesn't. That said they have a hilariously large beer selection, with good prices and seats and good service at the tables. We came for drinks and the sort of place it is (and the fact that there were games on) you'd think maybe I could hear that or the people across the table from me, but no... I hear I'd maybe like it better earlier in the day, but as it stands I didn't love it. I was expecting something a little more intimate from a craft beer hall. read more

This place is a cool spot to try a new or favorite beer. Pros: +huge beer selection +clean and modern looking +t.v.'s +live music Cons: -can get crowded and noisy read more

I come here a lot for Trivia nights, where I inevitably order not only a couple of beers but also several appetizers to share. Yes, the Tap fries are as good as they say - but this is if you like well-seasoned fries with your choices of dipping sauces (comes with beer cheese, tomato pesto, spicy mayo, something else). I've also gotten their pretzels with beer cheese which is exactly how it sounds. My favorite would have to be their fish tacos, one of my favorite fish tacos that I've ever had. Their food is on the pricey side (apps upwards of $8 / fish tacos were around $14), but it may be worth trying. Service is usually pretty hectic and especially busy during trivia nights. Lots of beers on tap, and the menu is always changing so you'll always be in for a surprise. It's a good "upscale" bar that doesn't get too crazy. read more

The Tap is my favorite place to go out to eat with my friends. The beer is fantastic and the food is so good. I love the tap fries with the variety of sauces. The service is always great and they're always playing some game on the TV so it's a great place to go and get a bite to eat and watch a good sports game! read more

Best beer selection in town. This place is awesome, if it was 10% less noisy and had ANY food/snack it would be perfect. read more

The Tap - Bars Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

When I went to the tap, I was just expecting to drink. You know how that goes though, you end up getting the munchies. I got some food, which I assumed would be just normal bar food, but in fact it was quite good. I would actually go in there for lunch and eat. The service was kind of sub par, but what do you expect for a pub. read more

Excellent food and beer selection. The dips for the tap fries are incredible. Good location. Service was very slow as it seemed under-staffed when we were there on a Saturday afternoon. One has to acknowledge these are strange times, so I will not dwell on it. read more

I had the beef tacos, and a side order of chips and salsa. There was a couple different varieties of salsa to choose from, all of them tasted fresh, and not over-the-top spicy. I would've rated this place higher if I would be a person who enjoyed alcoholic beverages and this type of non-traditional tacos. Great atmosphere and I would recommend this to you. read more

This place is great. I like that the music stage is above the bar, very classy and makes for an atmosphere where it's easy to socialize and chat because the music isn't overwhelming. i also like that they have root beer on tap occasionally for those who don't drink but enjoy the atmosphere of a bar. Also, they have a lot of local or tri state selections. lastly, i like the idea of a picnic bar. You can order food there or bring food in from somewhere else, very posh. read more

My new go-to beer place in Bloomington. They have a wide variety of beers on tap and even more in bottles. The wait staff is attentive and knowledgable about the beers they offer. They provide free samples if any draft. Atmosphere is nice often with life music and it's not full of 21 year olds. Heads up that they don't serve food. Instead you order take out and have it delivered here. read more

I went to IU and The Tap became my favorite overall bar in Bloomington. The beer selection and the food is incredible and it attracts a lot of out of town guests as well as students. The place is always packed and the servers are extremely knowledgeable about all the beers the sell (which they should be, but they take it even that much further with KNOWING their products). Get the fries as an appetizer! read more

The Tap - Beer samples - Bars Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

My all time favorite place for beer. I love the amount the have on tap; you can't find a beer you won't like with the choices. The food is typical bar food, but a little nicer. We haven't had a bad meal here. The service is fast and the waitresses are knowledgeable and kind. This is our go to if we don't have our kids for an evening. read more

Worst experience ever. 1-1/2 hour wait for the food. Worst hamburger I have ever eaten. Cooked so hard that it was a dry piece of leather. Will never go back there. read more

Fun, young, and very casual vibe. Service was great even close to midnight and even when they had a big and noisy birthday party going on. I was surprised by the quality of food - there are a lot of options beyond your typical bar fare. Great options of beers - I ordered a flight and was served the following beers: - Social - Brickyard - Bionic Dragon - Red Rye Red Rye was a surprisingly flavorful rye IPA that was my favorite. read more

We stopped into the Tap for a quick bite on a Friday evening before catching a show at the Comedy Attic. Although I had heard good things about The Tap from my coworkers, we were generally underwhelmed with their overall quality/service. My husband ordered the Beer Cheese Burger, which came with an order of tap fries; and I thought I would be adventurous by ordering the BBQ Mahi Tacos, which came with an order of tortilla chips and "house-made" salsa. My husband's response to his burger was "meh" at best. The waitress didn't ask him how he wanted it cooked, so it was, to quote Bob's Burgers, a little "overdone and dry." His fries were okay, which made us wish we had just ordered the appetizer portion instead, but the seasoning on them was inconsistent (e.g. some fries were a little soggy and "nude" while others were coated in it). But the tacos. Where do I even begin when it comes to the tacos? First of all, they were served on flour tortillas, which is typically fine. However, it was clear that they were stale and/or hadn't been heated on the grill because they were really rubbery and extremely difficult to chew through. As a result, every bite threatened to send the taco filling sliding out the other end! As far as the filling itself goes, there were *maybe* three to four 1/2" cubes of what I guess was supposed to be Mahi-Mahi in each taco, but that's being generous. And the "fresh slaw, tomato, avocado, and mixed cheeses" described on the menu should have really just read "iceberg lettuce, tomato, and pre-shredded cheddar cheese that looks like it came off of the salad bar at a middle school cafeteria." To top it all off, the tortilla chips on the side were stale (even though it was the middle of a busy dinner service on a Friday!) and the salsa was really grainy, like it had either come out of a can or sat around so long that it was starting to break down. Either way, the tacos were a pretty unpleasant experience from start to finish. The reason why I harp about the tacos so much here is that we noticed that the people who run The Tap are apparently putting in another restaurant on the square that is going to focus on tequila and - you guessed it - tacos! My only hope is that whoever designs their new taco-themed menu really puts some TLC into it, because these were some of the saddest, most disappointing tacos I've ever eaten. read more

Service was horrible, we waited over an hour for just chicken wings. The table next to us that had a party of the same size, ordered their food, finished their food and had their table cleared before we had gotten our appetizers. Our waiter avoided us the entire time and we asked where our wings were multiple times. Our table also got cheese curds which came out cold. The service was unacceptable read more

We went on a Sunday afternoon and it was my little place of heaven. Good quality people who love to drink and talk about beer. They have an amazing variety of local, national and international craft beers. Don't want to commit to a full pint, try some of their beer concoctions of beer shots. Mmmm.. delicious. Or have a flight. Or just ask for a taste. Man these guys are the best. Beer: 5/5 Service: 4/5 Location: 5/5 read more

Bring your own food? EXCELLENT. I think the Tap fills a sorely needed hole in Bloomington- a casual, non-pretentious place for people who want to have good drinks at fair prices and not be in a Kilroys type atmosphere. The only problem? Too many people seem to like it now and getting a table on a Saturday night can be difficult. read more

So dumb this place requires you to be 21 or older to go to lunch! A lot of parents want to take their kid out to lunch when in town. I get the 21 year old thing but start that at like 8:00 pm when the college drinkers come out. You are missing out on a lot of business. read more

We absolutely loved the tap when it started serving food two summers ago and would come in often for dinner and drinks. As its popularity has increased, certain things have declined to the point where we will stick with feisty feta spread and beers from now on. When I'm there I feel like the reading deserves two stars, but time has made me more forgiving. Let me start by saying none of the issues are ever with the service. The staff seems to get less and less clothed with each season, which is a little odd for Bloomington, but they have kept up with exploding popularity better than I would have ever imagined. In sum, they're great. The food has gone from a dinner staple to a pretty big let down. The garden pizza used to be great strips of hand tossed pizza covered in an assortment of vegetables just like the menu promises. Our last pizza had about three onion pieces and a scattering of mushrooms boo. I get it with no olive oil because I hate soggy pizza, and the last five pizzas I have gotten from there were WET in the middle. Not soggy, uncooked to the point of wetness where cheese slides off under the decayed dough. They rush the pizzas out and if you ask them to cook it well done, they somehow burn the top and keep the bottom soggy. Last time we told the server it was soggy to which she replied "oh that sucks, especially for pizza." Yes. Why have I tried it five times then, you ask? Try finding vegetarian food after 10:30 in Bloomington on a week night. The second observation is that the fryer grease needs changing more often. Sometimes the fries and naan chips taste like funnel cake, and that's the issue. I can live with it though for the feta dip. Recently fries have started coming out cold too, but that's only been in the past month and the servers rush to fix it. They're great! In sum, the appetizers are still fine but don't plan on this as date night dinner out. read more

One of my favorite places in bloomington! The Tap fries can't be beat! Also the flights of beer are awesome and really not too expensive. It's easy to rack up a big bill here though simply because everything is so good. Must go! read more

Obviously they have a great beer menu given the name of the place, but we also enjoy their food menu as well. It's a great place for food and drinks most nights. My rating would be higher if they focused more on the ambiance. It's too damn loud. Plus on many nights they seem to be trying to force live music on the patrons. I always feel bad for the musicians because I can't hear their sets very well at all. read more

If you want to go to the Tap for beer and fries - go. They have amazing sauces for the fries and a wide variety of beer. If you're going for any other food DO NOT GO. The fries are the only redeeming food. I've had multiple trips where the food I was served was SPOILED (mold on cheese, fermented salsa) and complaints are not well received by the staff. We are disappointed every time we try to eat there. I'd even rate Nick's food above this place. I've lived in Bloomington for 5 years and the food at the Tap actually used to be pretty good. Things have taken a turn for the worse in the past couple of years or so. read more

I tried multiple beers and the food was amazing! Great music and atmosphere. I will definitely be returning.

I was in Bloomington for work for a few days and came across this place. They have an amazing selection of beer on tap along with a large number of beers in bottles. I was only in Bloomington for a few days, but stopped here each night to check out what they had on tap. They have constantly rotating taps that can change every night depending on what gets kicked each night. The bartenders are very friendly and definitely want to help you try to find something that you like. They do not have food on site, but they have a number of places that they partner with that will deliver right to the bar. I didn't do this myself, but it seems like a great idea. Overall this was a great place and I would definitely recommend if you are in the area. read more

First time here ... just after lunch on a Wednesday which meant the place was quiet aside from a couple of others at the bar. The selection is wonderful and the bar tender was extremely friendly. TONS of seating so I'm sure the place fills up quickly and can get loud at night. They have some bar food but we ate lunch elsewhere and then returned for some drinks, so I'm not sure what they offer/how good it is. I look forward to returning soon! read more

When I lived in Bloomington, nicer bars were scarce unless you went straight to Upland. Since Upland at the time was rather loud on the inside, I never quite knew where to park myself for a craft beer and good atmosphere. The Tap came about late in my studies at IU, and thank goodness for that. Now, when I return, my husband and I can try a new beer from one of our beloved breweries (3 Floyds, I'm looking at you) and ON TAP. Not a bottle. We were so stoked to see some interesting 3 Floyds and Stone beers on tap this time around; since we try craft beers all the time, it is always fun to see something new with which we are unfamiliar. We found two beers, one by Dark Horse, that we really loved. Usually not an IPA fan, I actually adored an imperial IPA that we ordered. Nice to be surprised! However, we ordered the breadsticks and beer cheese and were let down...not by the cheese or the bread, but by the price vs. amount. We paid $7.50 for a side plate's worth of (admittedly yummy) cheese and three sticks (for two people...). Womp womp. Next time, we'll skip food altogether and focus on the beer only. After all, for $7.50's worth, I could've ordered another pint! read more

This is my favorite restaurant in Bloomington! We ate here last night and got the tap fries as an appetizer (highly recommend) and I got the shrimp tacos as my meal (very good if you like a spicy kick). I would also recommend the cheeseburger...best in town. read more

The Tap - Great morning at The Tap! Mimosas and burger! - Bars Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

I've been here once so far, and I plan on going back. I'm not sure about the reviewers who "weren't acknowledged" because I didn't have that issue on a busy Friday night. Service was average for what you'd expect at any busy bar in my opinion. But you can't beat the selection of beers they have here. There is nothing like it in Bloomington--50 beers on tap, and root beer too for the DDs. Tons of bottled craft beer. Prices are hot and cold...some over priced, some very well priced. The samplers are wonderful and a good deal. Can't wait to return--I'd come back more often if I lived near downtown. read more

Eye candy, beer, live music.... CHECK. The Tap is a great spot on the square! The servers are knowledgeable of the beer, and friendly...and you can try many different beers that maybe you didn't know existed. I really enjoyed my experience here, and really enjoyed the live music that was being played in the background. I'll be back next time I'm in town! read more

More upscale bar with so many beers changing daily. It's on the pricier side so come here expecting to drop more than your average night out. They have people performing sometimes. I know it's a beer hall but I wish they had some options for those who don't fancy beer. read more

I think the wide variety of beers available makes it very easy to find something for everyone. The Tap brewed beers are also usually pretty good and also interesting (had an apple pie beer once and it was amaaaaazing!!). It can definitely be too loud inside when it's busy. As for the food, it's hit and miss for me. I'm not a huge fan of "fancy" fries, so their fries don't really do it for me. I had a beer cheese steak sandwich that was pretty good, but I've had bad luck with the kitchen being out of stuff kind of early. All in all, it's a good place to go when everyone enjoys beer and might want some food, but it's not usually my go-to for a normal night out. read more

Lots and lots of different beers. Some of them are on tap. Some of them are made downstairs. Lots of television sets. All of them are tuned to sports. Kinda loud and oddly lit (bright-ish artificial lighting is it? Hmm...) They have some decent looking food though. read more

The Tap is definitely my favorite place to visit on the square. Even though I'm not a huge beer drinker, they have a huge selection to choose from and I was able to find something I actually like (Kentucky Bourbon Barrel, highly recommend). The main selling point for me is the great atmosphere and food. Tap fries are a must every visit. The only thing I was unimpressed with was their wine selection, as it was small and I was not a fan of any of them. Understandable though for a place that is centered around beer! read more

The Tap - Kentucky Bourbon Barrel - Bars Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

We stumbled upon this gem after a basketball game, and I'm so glad we did! If you get a chance order the pulled pork sandwich or the chicken tacos! If you get fries, order double of the solo because it is phenomenal!!! Also, ask to be seated in Carly's section....she's so sweet and super knowledgable when it comes to the beer menu! read more

The Tap - Bars Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

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I love trivia nights here. It is a fun environment with delicious food, drinks, and entertainment.

This place is ok. The gluten free menu isn't anything special, although the bbq mahi tacos were pretty good, but the side parfait was really pathetic and honestly kinda gross. I'm also not thrilled that my server did not inform me that there was a surcharge for a side substitute when the side that comes with the food is mot gluten free, so I physically can not eat it. I probably won't come back, especially since the service wasn't great, and my friends and I were essentially ignored. read more