Tyler's Taproom And Restaurant

guinnessdoc

Pennsylvania

4.4/5  rDev +4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

NOTE - check out GCBrewingCo's mention of where to park & get to Tyler's quickly & simply

I was in the Triangle area on business and based on BA reviews, saw that this was the place to check out. I was glad I read about it's location before arriving because it's kinda hidden. Once I got inside I found a great beer bar. The selection is awesome, with 50+ taps made up of a diverse collection of beers. I had the HopDevil (served in a Victory pint glass) and the Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout (served in a D-R pint glass). When I saw a server walk by with a dark belgian in the appropriate glass, I knew this place was serious about it's beer. My server knew his stuff and was attentive all the while. I had a roast beef sandwich ($8-9) with garlic fries (awesome!) + a side salad & the 2 pints for a $20 tab. Not bad in my book.

The only small downside of the place is the fact that they chose to go with what seems to be a common building theme nowadays and left the ceiling open with an exposed ventilation system. As a result, the place is a little loud when there's a good crowd. However, this is all easy to overlook while enjoying some fantastic beer. If you're in the area it's well worth a visit or two.

02-18-2006 04:27:55 | More by guinnessdoc

sinistrsam

Maryland

4.3/5  rDev +1.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

I went ot Tyler's to watch a basketball game, where a large back room was rented out and food was provided. The bar itslef is in the old tobacco warehouse district, and is actually in a converted old warehouse, which makes for a great old atmosphere/artists loft kidna thing. It is across an outdoor courtyeard form the Bull's Park and therfore has ample parking.
The beer selection is pretty excellent for downtown Durham, a menu listing beer by style, which makes things easy to read and understanbd. They have plenty of staples but also a fair ammount of seasonal and special beers. The food was very good, but provided in bulk for free, so I can't comment on the price. The staff was more than helpful and friendly; as one of the staff (Mike?) was cleaning up after us rowdy bball fans, he sat and talked beer with friends and I for a good 15 minutes, and he certainly knew what he was talking about. I was very impressed with the whole experience.

12-11-2005 20:49:15 | More by sinistrsam

GCBrewingCo

North Carolina

4.72/5  rDev +11.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$$

As was stated, Tyler's is not adjacent to the ballpark, it is on the other side of an inner courtyard. There is a visible parking deck beside Tyler's so you could park there and walk right in no matter the weather.

Tylers is old warehouse space and I liked the vibe. Clean, fresh and industrial. The taps are well chosen and well laid out. Skip the beer menu in the book, it was so out of date that it did not appear that any beers were still on tap. The quality of the beers was very high as was everything. Every beer was served in a logo glass from the brewery of origin.

Our service was spot on. I'm not sure the what the waitresses name was, but she did a magnificent job. We were talking to some friends at an adjacent table and when walked around our conversation to bus tables and refill glasses or to take orders for another round.

Tyler's and the next door Speakeasy share 40 taps and then each bar has 10 taps that are all their own for a total of 60 taps. At the time of our visit the Tyler's side was a bit Avery heavy with about 6 taps. They had several Rogue as well, two XS and a John's Locker for sure. The Speakeasy was already too smoky for me at 5 pm to check out the drafts. For that reason, the average of the two joints for atmosphere is a 4.0. Tyler's gets a 5, the smoky Speakeasy earns a 3.

The food was very good. I had a soup of the day and the meatloaf. The soup was sausage, beer and white beans and extremely tasty. The meatloaf was two huge slabs. It was tough to eat it all. The other person in my party had the fish tacos. Everything was very, very good.

I'll go back, great food, great beer, great service and at least 1/2 the place has a great atmosphere.

10-13-2005 12:05:49 | More by GCBrewingCo

Tang07

California

3.78/5  rDev -10.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3 | $$$

Tyler's Taproom is a nice place to go for some beer.
They have a very big selection. A very long line of taps at the front of the bar and another 10 in the back.

I ordered a few seasonal ales that they were out of. I guess that it's fall now so I'll get over it. Some of the beers that I had weren't very good. I don't know if they maybe have too many beers and the kegs last a bit too long, and the beers go off and maybe stale.

The service is a bit lacking, but they are new and hopefully it will improve with time. The brew is a slightly pricey; about $4 to $4.50 for a pint.

The burgers are about 8 to 9 dollars, which is a bit much as far as I'm concerned. The food was pretty good, but the garlic fries were a bit TOO garlicy, maybe I'll try the chips next time.

They have a few TV's with sports. They ceilings are very high and the place is very big so it doen't have a cramped feel. There are some couches and some pool tables in the back room which is nice.

My group ate outside. The tables are square so it makes it hard to have more than four people in a group. But there is plenty of stuff going on outside to see of you are into people watching.

The mens room gets the thumbs up. They have the urineals that go all the way down to the floor so you don't have to stand in a puddle of dripped pee from people who like to stand five miles away from the pisser. (I bet this is the first review that talks about the can).

To sum it up: Tyler's is good, with improvement they will be great, but don't expect it to be cheap.

09-28-2005 22:48:46 | More by Tang07

belgianjunkie

California

3.9/5  rDev -7.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$$

A bunch of BA members went to the new, Durham location of Tyler's Taproom for the BA 9th anniversary celebration (arranged by afatty). This was also a celebration that only one week earlier, NC finally "popped the cap", finally allowing beers higher than 6% to be served. Good time at a good place.

The atmosphere is basically that of a large sports bar without the televisions. Two storey tall ceilings with visible airducts, large wooden support beams, and tile floors. Clean and not very noisy- at least for an afternoon session. A good looking, wood bar with leather sofas to the left (where we originally gathered), and the rest of the main area is filled with tables/chairs. Pretty nice bar atmosphere considering it's part of the old American Tobacco warehouse. The Speakeasy (down the hallway to the left) is similar in setting but offers billiard and dart entertainment as well. Lots of available private and on-street parking nearby, especially for a downtown area.

The service was mediocre, only because the bartender was brand-spankin' new and wasn't aware of such things like what particular glass to serve a bottled beer in (or to serve something like a hefty Three Philosophers in a glass at all- had to ask for one). She'll learn in time. But the waitstaff for lunch made up for the bartender's lack of knowledge and did a fine job.

The selection is great, as they offer approximately 50 beers on tap and plenty more in the bottles. Thanks to the new, "big beers" allowance they're already serving Chimay Red and Ommegang from the tap, Duval and Three Philosophers in the bottle, and promise that Maredsous 8 is on the way. They also feature a wide selection of craft and microbrew beers that vary with each visit (as told to me by the waitress). They also have most accompanying glassware for the beers they serve (most, though not all).

The food was better than usual for a bar restaurant. The burger I had was very tasty, as were the garlic fries that came with it. Perfect, meaty fare to go with the meaty beers I enjoyed there. All in all a great new place in the Raleigh/Durham area right next to the ballpark.

08-21-2005 13:33:22 | More by belgianjunkie