The Tap & Mallet

hungryghost

District of Columbia

4.08/5  rDev -8.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Went to Rochester for a wedding, drove from the airport directly to Tap & Mallet.

It was early afternoon so there was no crowd, but the place is comfortable. The bartender was knowledgeable of the beer on tap and other local spots to hit for more options. They have a good selection including quite a number of flavors I do not have access to in DC.

The food was decent, a step above the usual pub fare. The staff will happily suggest what brew pairs best with your food order.

If ever I get back to Rochester, this place is on the list for a return visit.

12-18-2012 21:04:43 | More by hungryghost

fulcrum

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -10.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

Very cozy English pub atmosphere (between Thanksgiving and Christmas). Easy to park our front and the area seemed to have several other options (but was in a hurry so didn't really looks around). Local feel all the way, with only a hint of staring at the obvious out-of-towners the three of us were. Cask was perfect pale ale. Solid list of taps including IPAs and Belgians. Bottles were all you could ask for. Appetizers were very good (best fried pickles I've ever had) and the entrees were slightly above average--more so if you're expecting typical British pub fare. Overall, I was happy with the place but will try one new pub before returning.

12-09-2012 20:39:03 | More by fulcrum

Bowersm

Connecticut

4.94/5  rDev +11%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

One of the best beer bars I've ever been to in terms of selection, quality, price and knowledge of the staff. Only been a handful of times, but have left satisfied every single time. Opened not terribly long before I moved away from Rochester, but wished they had sooner so that I could have frequented it more often before leaving. Only ate there once, but don't really remember it being super memorable...but it was a few years ago so I but it down as N/A for that reason. No real complaints about this place.

Joe is the man!

07-12-2012 18:11:54 | More by Bowersm

dogfishandi

New York

4.58/5  rDev +2.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

stopped in here on a saturday afternoon after doing a bit of beer shopping with a few local BA's. really loved the atmosphere, a very nice hardwood bar top and chairs. lots of room at the bar as well as plenty of tables. one other room for tables and what looked like an outdoor beer garden. also some tables out front. no tv's, which is nice. not many people when we arrived, just looked like some regular locals. as wel left, more and more people were quickly filing in.

a very friendly bartender quickly got us some new tap and bottle menus. he was very knowledgable about beer, discussed different brews pretty much the whole time we were there. gave us a few suggestions of both beers and stores around town.

very nice selection, both of beers on tap, 30 i believe, and bottles. also one cask offering, which when i was there they had raging bitch which blew my mind on cask, delicious! some rarities including, cantillion iris, classic gueze, rose de gambrinus, ithaca brute, 10, 11, 12, 13, plus many others.

the food was pretty standard bar food. i got a rueben which was done nicely, a bit of an english theme with some of the menu items.

overall, this place is definatly worth a visit. i exspecially loved the atmosphere and the service, everyone there seemed like they belonged there, customers and bartenders alike. next time im in town, ill be sure to visit.

09-07-2011 19:59:06 | More by dogfishandi

hotmanflab666

New York

3.78/5  rDev -15.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 2.5 | $$$

tap and mallet is a regular stop for me during the week. for my area its the best beer bar around. they have a good bottle selection and 30 taps. the bar staff is usually good on getting your order and they all know what they're talking about which can make it easier for someone just getting into beer. they have a nice back patio perfect for summer days. sometimes the lights are dimmed a little too much but its nice interior all in all. tap and mallet it is a great place if you like good beer and hate overly crowded places with blasting music

06-10-2011 15:27:33 | More by hotmanflab666

alee42

Massachusetts

4.8/5  rDev +7.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$

I've been a frequent-flyer over at the Old Toad for a while now, and it was about time I tried a new place. A friend of mine suggested Tap & Mallet and now I've become a loyal fan.

T&M has a very breathable atmosphere. When you first walk in you get an explosion of hops and citrus flavored smells. The scene is quite polished - several tables and seats in the bar room and in the adjacent room, a nice dart board. I was very impressed with the beer selection and I found the staff extremely helpful. T&M makes updates to their website almost every day, which really translates to the amount of beers on-tap they go through each day. Prices are very reasonable: any beer on the mid to low-end of the abv. scale usually sells at $5-6 a pint.

I'm usually out on a Sunday night till close. Chris works the bar and he'll tell you everything you need to know about choosing a beer.

02-23-2011 04:10:15 | More by alee42

ChrisBakken

New York

4.28/5  rDev -3.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$$

i have been many times and finally thought i should review... as you have read from many people the tap and cask list is always rotating. they do a very good job of mixing NY brews and mid west stuff. the bottled beer list can be a bit $$$, but every time i go someone seems to be buying it (supply/demand). the food is good nothing that will blow your socks off, but you will not be disappointed. last time i had the stew and it was awesome with my sly fox porter. i recommend giving this place a try, way more fun to go with friends than the old toad...

01-21-2011 02:18:11 | More by ChrisBakken

triwolf

Ohio

4.78/5  rDev +7.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

What a great place! They're always trying out new brews and the food is great. They even have a handy iPhone app so you can see if they've added anything to the rotation that you'd like to try. Because of the constant updating, you might find that they're out of a specific beer you were wanting to try, but that's the only small qualm I have about the place. The menu too has new items on it regularly and I've never had a bad thing there. The Tuscan chicken sandwich is especially good. Definitely worth your time if you're going to be in the Rochester area.

12-30-2010 13:33:13 | More by triwolf

ZeroSignal

Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev -2.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Nice looking place with a great outside seating area. Plenty of on street and in the back parking.

The menu is mostly on the simple side of things, but everything is executed very well. I had a prime burger, which I ordered medium, and it really came out rather rare. I was totally okay with it, but it makes me wonder what it would have come out like had I ordered it rare. There were 9 people in our party, and everyone was happy with the food.

The beer list was quite extensive, with somewhere around 20 taps. I found the mix of things on tap to be somewhat odd for the time of year, but it was more then made up for with an impressive bottle list. Most of the beer pricing seemed very reasonable, while others were, IMHO, a little on the high end.

Our waiter was attentive and seemed knowledgeable about the menu and beers. All in all, a place I will likely visit again.

08-18-2010 00:38:48 | More by ZeroSignal

soco7tyx7

New York

4.7/5  rDev +5.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5 | $$

The Tap and Mallet is the best bar I've been to hands down. It's a great place to go to eat with the family, catch up with friends, meet fellow beer enthusiasts, and of course just have an excellent brew. The owner is there most of the time I go and is a great guy to talk to. All of the staff are very knowledgeable and personable. One of the things I like most is that they only serve beer, wine, and mead so you wont see a bunch of sloppy people stumbling around all the time. Also there aren't any TV's to discourage conversation. One will find a very diverse crowd, and always a lot happening! Check it out

02-28-2010 16:59:16 | More by soco7tyx7