Tyler's Taproom And Restaurant

spencerchristie

Massachusetts

4.08/5  rDev -3.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

Tyler's Taproom is a great place to hang out in Durham. I was in Durham for a wedding and was left on my own to wander around town. I was told that Tyler's would be a nice place to sit down, grab a few drinks and some food. While it wasn't the greatest burger, the beer selection and service were wonderful.

It was hot (90's) and I was in the mood for some Hefeweizen's so I sampled both the Pyramid Hefeweizen (CO) as well as a German Hefeweizen. Both beers were brought out within 5 minutes in the appropriate glasses. Just for talking a little bit about local beers with the waitress, she brought me a few samples to try.

On a warm day, it was nice to be able to choose between the air conditioned restaurant or to sit outside by the running creek (man-made in the middle of a plaza). Great location, great selection of beers, knowledgeable waitstaff and good service. Well worth a visit.

06-04-2008 19:13:06 | More by spencerchristie

GJ40

North Carolina

4.38/5  rDev +3.5%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Downtown Durham isn't much to speak of but the Durham Bulls stadium and the complex next door (where Tyler's is located) are fantastic. We stopped in for dinner before seeing my previously local Pawsox come in to play Durham.

Tyler's Durham location is in a spectacular old warehouse / mill building with high ceilings, exposed brink, huge wooden beams and a wooden plank ceiling. It's been renovated nicely and remains very authentic. The large front room has lots of tables and a bar with all of the taps behind it. But there's also a back room with pool tables and more of a bar atmosphere. This place couldn't have been done any better.

Like each of the Tyler's locations, the beer is outstanding. They've got to have at least 40 on tap and lots more in the bottle. While there are places that offer even more, just about every beer at Tyler's is great. Whoever does the buying for them is very good. The lineup includes a wide variety of American beers and loads of Belgians. Some of our favorites include Green Flash West Coast IPA, Rogue Imperial IPA and Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA.

Also like each of the Tyler's locations, the food is good and consistent. It's not the reason you should go but it stands up well. The portions on the nachos and salad were pretty impressive.

I've now been to all three Tyler's locations and while I really like something about each one, this might just be my favorite. If you love beer, you'll love Tyler's.

06-01-2008 11:35:46 | More by GJ40

TurdFurgison

Ohio

4.15/5  rDev -1.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Stopped here after a Durham game against the Toledo Mudhens. This was conveniently located between the stadium and our car, and we noticed the Chimay and Delirium beer umbrellas which drew us like flies to to a zapper.

There were about 40 taps, mostly craft beers. Some representative breweries I saw: Duck Rabbit, Ommegang, Rogue, Terrapin, Brooklyn, Weihenstephaner, Bell's, Victory, DogfishHead, etc. One nice option is a flite, where you get 4 sampler glasses (about 4-5oz) for one price. The drawback is that the 4 beers are taken from a pre-made list (you can't choose just anything).

The food was good (based on the NC BBQ ribs and garlic fries I had), the atmosphere was good (40% laid out as a restaurant with tables, 20% as a bar with stools, and another 40% in back laid out as another bar with pool tables and whatnot). If you're in town this place is a no-brainer.

05-14-2008 09:47:37 | More by TurdFurgison

jbphoto88

Texas

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

This location not only had some great micro brews but also have a lot of local brewing talent. Tyler's is designed in a minimalist style that revolves around beer art and signage. Nothing here really distracts from the beer which is the prominent feature. However there are other attributes like food and pool if you look for them. There are 30+ craft beers and a comprehensive, up to date beverage menu. A little pricy for the beer, but they dispense high dollar brews that would cost more in the store anyway when compared to your regular macro products.

Great place. Very clean and simple place with a lot of great brews. Oh yeah and ever beer is poured into its appropriate glass. AWESOME!

04-29-2008 23:36:00 | More by jbphoto88

wagenvolks

Texas

4.45/5  rDev +5.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$$

The girlfriend and I decided to try Tyler's Taproom after seeing what a marvelous selection of (NC) rare brews on-tap.

We went at around 2:00 in the afternoon on a sunday, so the atmosphere was a bit skewed. Still, with its tall ceilings and abundant craft-beer paraphenalia, I felt right at home. The waitstaff was friendly, and fairly knowledgeable about their beer.

Selection was amazing. Although it wasn't the most extensive I've seen in North Carolina (try Flying Saucer), it did have some uber-rare beers on tap (Kuhnhenn's Fourth Dementia, Rogue Hop Heaven 2007, etc...). The food was good, nothing truly exceptional, but if I lived in Durham I'd consider stopping by just to eat. The only problem I had w/ Tyler's is that everything was a bit too pricey. As a one-time deal, no doubt it's excellent. But making a habit out of visiting this pub is probably out of my price range.

12-16-2007 23:28:23 | More by wagenvolks

Durge

Connecticut

4.45/5  rDev +5.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Stopped here on a Tuesday night and it was not crowded but it was active. It is a pretty big place situated within a retro/renovation project that seems to feature a number of college/yuppy eateries, cafes, and specialty shops along with numerous corporate offices. Look for the old Lucky Strike cigarette smoke stack that towers overhead of this renovated former factory right across from the Bulls stadium. Apparently it does get very busy throughout the week. It is a very clean, contemporary atmosphere with dining tables set up throughout the restaurant and bar area for relatively casual but respectable lunch and dinner settings. There are also quite a few tables set up outside the restaurant within the attractive courtyard/promenade that encompasses this general collection of businesses. I sat at the bar and had Nick as my barkeep. Nick had reasonable knowledge of the 20+ beers on tap and offered free tastes of anything I was curious about purchasing. Service was good including a fast turn around on my cheeseburger. The burger and garlic fries were plentiful & delicious, done perfectly (not overcooked). The selection of beers on tap included pretty much all quality micros and imports. I saw little or no evidence of any macros. Although I didn't try any bottled beers, their list included more of the same kind of stuff to complement the overall selection. I had a handful of different brews including some locals like Highlands Gaelic & Carolina Oktoberfest. Bell's Two Hearted and Terrapin's Rye Pale Ale were among my favorites but everything seemed plenty fresh, well poured and delicious. While they carried some micro standards like #9 and Dogfish 60 minute on tap, more of the selections were to me on the less common side. They offered four different sampler varieties which included an assortment of four different 4 oz. brews grouped loosely by type. There were adequate televisions for sports viewing and prices were very reasonable considering the general quality of the place and consumables. Nick did a great job, friendly and talkative, helpful and prompt. I was disappointed that of the two taps that were empty this night, one was Ska Brewing's Nut Brown Ale which I was looking forward to finally trying. Hopefully next time it will be flowing as I defintely look forward to more visits to this great place and recommend you try it out the next time you are in Durham. It's just a 3-4 block walk away from the Marriott Hotel in downtown Durham, just off exit 12 of Route 147.

10-01-2007 04:32:55 | More by Durge

blackie

Virginia

4.22/5  rDev -0.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3 | $$$

atmosphere: Love the outdoor seating and the views it offers. I'm sure the place itself has been well described by everyone else.

quality: Over the few visits I've made to Tyler's, everything has always been fresh and served in the appropriate brewery glassware.

service: Nothing exceptional, but certainly good service.

selection: Great selection of beers. A range of NC locals as well as some rare finds you'd be hard pressed to get anywhere else in the area.

food: Really depends. The portobello mushroom sandwich I had on my first visit was good, but the fish and chips I had this past weekend sucked. The "chips" were excellent, but the two tiny and flavorless strips of fried catfish left much to be desired. Decent burgers, though. Definitely better than the other beer bars of the Triangle.

value: a little pricey but nothing exorbitant

09-10-2007 17:06:02 | More by blackie

drryankelly

Massachusetts

4.36/5  rDev +3.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$

I visited Tyler's while in Durham for a friend's wedding. I was most impressed with the selection. The most "macro" beer they had on tap was probably Kronenberg 1664, so there are no complaints about a lack of quality of beers on tap (I hate it when a bar has lots of taps but half of them are stocked with terrible and/or boring beers).

Tyler's features a lot of local brews, which was exciting for me because I got to try a lot of beers that I hadn't ever had before. The bartenders were knowledgeable and eager to give samples as we tried to decide what to order. The beer menu was helpful, also, and well organized with mostly good descriptions. They perhaps could have had more detailed descriptions of their seasonal brews on the menu.

The atmosphere was fun. The large space keeps the bar from getting too crowded. There are two halves of the establishment. One is the normal bar, with tons of tables - this is the more mellow half, fun while relaxing and good for conversation. The other half is referred to as the "speakeasy." This half is a bit louder, and features pool tables. All 50 beers on tap are available on either side, although when we were there, the normal-bar side stopped serving around midnight, but the speakeasy stayed open until closing (although they didn't mind if you went to the speakeasy, got your beer, and returned to the other side).

I didn't try any of the food, but I glanced at the menu and there are a few things I'm interested to try.

This is a great bar that anybody passing through (or living in) the Durham area should visit.

07-07-2007 14:18:41 | More by drryankelly

MuddyFeet

North Carolina

3.73/5  rDev -11.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | $$

We swung by after a recetn Bulls game to wait for the parking deck to empty. Reminded me not so much of a college bar as a bar to remind older folks about what college bars used to be when we were in college. Two bars that I saw with tables on one side and pool and foosball on the other. A very large space which was nice because I hardly noticed the crowd. TVs around the rooms and I think I remember seeing some couches.

Fifty or so taps with a lot of local offerings. Not sure about the bottles though. I saw some folks carrying beer menus but I just picked something from the taps on the wall. Once concern I have though is we had some stools at the bar and only heard requests for the macro-style usual suspects which led me to wonder how long some of those kegs have been hooked up for. service was also a bit annoying. One annoying thing I have noticed in several NC beer bars is that once the crowd gets big they try not to serve bers in a glass but rather a plastic Solo cup. I had to ask repeatedly to get an actual pint glass. It would be one thing if I was ealking around the room but I had been sitting at the bar for several drinks and still was not able to get some. But I saw other folks walking away with pint glasses.

I am not sure I would go to Durham just for the bar but I would definitely visit after my next Bulls game.

07-01-2007 12:02:26 | More by MuddyFeet

daliandragon

North Carolina

4.44/5  rDev +5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Headed over on Sunday night after a Bulls game, not sure what to expect and was instantly impressed. One side is an open, hardwood bar with lots of tables and fifty taps lined up against the wall. A few macros but mostly good stuff. I ordered a Maharajah from the friendly bartender, who insisted I try a sample of Bell's Hopslam as well. I was eyeing the Three Philosophers and several others and could have gone to town but had to drive an hour back so had to call it a night. The other side of the bar has another fifty taps (forty identical, ten different, for a total of sixty) and several pool tables, big screens and soft couches. Again, kind of limited in what we could do on a Sunday night but worth remembering as a place of quality.

I thought the prices were reasonable for what you get and the food looked good but we were already stuffed from the nearby Mellow Mushroom. Also, as I already mentioned, the bartender was outgoing and very knowledgable. I thought this place real well done across the board and am definitely looking forward to going back soon.

04-13-2007 03:47:59 | More by daliandragon