La Trappe

czechsaaz

Washington

4.9/5  rDev +9.1%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$$

Normally I wouldn't start a review with the atmosphere. I'll put up with a lot for a great beer list but... La Trappe is way cool. You walk in upstairs and there's the kitchen and some dining tables. You could stay upstairs if you want, but take the spiral staircase into the cellar. That's where the bar is and it's all exposed brick and dark paint colors and dim lighting. It felt to me like drinking a catacomb or the basement of some cathedral somewhere. Loved it.

Then there's the binder sized beer list that is of course 85-90% Belgian with a handfull of other European and a few outsanding U.S. Belgian styles plus Unibroue. There's plenty of rare beer on the list to keep you interested but the really rare is very pricey. Not a complaint at all but there were a few things that I really wanted that were out of my league price wise.

For the service, we were told when we sat down that service in the Lounge area (dark, brooding and even romantic) was self service at the bar. But after ordering beers and a snack and chatting with the servers and bartenders for a bit at the bar they did table service for us. (I had one of those, "They know I'm a beer guy and they love beer too so we have a mutual respect" type of vibe.)

My price rating is more for the rarities. The taps and most bottles are reasonably priced. But they also have some really great lambics, limitted releases and large format bottles that are expnsive but not out of line for the rarity.

I only get to S.F. once a year or so but this is now (with the Toranado) on my must visit list. Great Place.

12-28-2008 08:52:36 | More by czechsaaz

damndirtyape

Ohio

4.93/5  rDev +9.8%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$$

Visited both lower bar and upper restaurant. Got there shortly after the bar was opened at 5, and later went upstairs for dinner.

Atmosphere: Cozy little joint downstairs. Plenty of tables, but it fills up fast. The bar chairs were already filled up when I got there 15 minutes after it opened. All wood and brick downstairs, with booths and small tables for parties anywhere from 1 (myself) to 8. Impressive layout of Belgian beer signs and glassware behind the bar suggesting this is Belgian beer heaven outside of Belgium. Upstairs (well, ground floor really, it's where you enter) is equally cozy - not many tables, but well lit and airy with a high ceiling and kitchen nearby. The downstairs is a place to have several beers and dwell upon them. Upstairs is just what you want when you get hungry after those beers - food is emphasized but you still get the great beer.

Quality: I don't think I can do this place justice on the quality of the beers available. Rare and great Belgian beers and Belgian style beers from around the world here. "No crap on tap" would be an accurate statement to make here. The only trappist ale they didn't have was Westvleteren.

Service: Very friendly given the small staff (2 behind the bar, 1 roaming) versus the large clientele (every table and chair filled downstairs). I watched the servers listen to the orders, look for the right glass, pour it, and if it spilled over, they even got out the knife to level off the foam from the top and then wipe down the glass. I watched another bartender open a corked bottle for a party of four and then proceed to serve them at the bar leaving the sediment behind. Later when I went up for dinner upstairs the waiter was equally friendly and made sure I got everything I needed without being too hovering.

Selection: 15 different beers on tap - way too much selection. It was hard to pick what to have on tap. The bottle menu was even longer - broken down alphabetically by country with the Belgian selection alone taking up probably 15-16 pages in the huge beer menu. Far and away the most extensive beer menu I've ever seen.

Food: Good and tasty. I wasn't very hungry so I ended up having the beer and cheese soup and the sliders as they were out of the puff-pastry chicken. The food went very well with the beer I was having at the time (Petrus Winterbier) and the portion sizes were just right.

For value....The beer prices were high for a 25cl or 33cl glass, but....if you're paying for this selection imported all the way from Belgium you're going to need to be willing to pay. Food prices I would say are quite reasonable, but beer prices - this is a place you save up for a treat, not an every night experience. Well....I would love to drink here every night but I know I would quickly wreck my banking account on this place.

01-27-2013 03:58:18 | More by damndirtyape

excalibur

Kentucky

4.68/5  rDev +4.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

We love this place. Go downstairs and the room is a brick lined grotto with comfortable seating and playing good rock music, but not too loud on a powerful system. They have an extensive Belgium beer book listing some pretty high priced beers but there are also about 6-10 reasonably priced draft Belgiums served in beautiful appropriate glassware priced between $7-$12. The servers are very knowledgeable and helpful in making your selection. I think their mussels are great and are cooked in many different ways. We also enjoyed the pommes frites and a tasty roasted beet and avacado sandwich. They open at 5 or 5:30 depending on the day and I suggest you arrive early as it can get crowded. I believe the kitchen opens at 6. If you like fine Belgium ales this is a place you must visit if in town.

11-07-2012 03:22:58 | More by excalibur

scotaussie

United Kingdom (England)

3.4/5  rDev -24.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$$$

The cellar scene at the Trappe provides good ambience, a good list of beers and nice Belgian food, that is if you like mussels and not much (nothing) else. The main negative points are the exorbitantly high prices, one assumes to pay for the rent and the owners pension plans, and the atrocious Musak you are forced to listen to, while having a beer. The super high prices certainly don't make anybody want to hang around and try more beers. The waiters knew little about the beers they offered so a discussion on whether they had nice blondes rather than Flemish sour red ales was not clear, so I ended up with the latter by mistake.

09-30-2012 16:12:42 | More by scotaussie

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4.64/5  rDev +3.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | $$$

I'm sure I've mentioned numerous times how rare it is for me to walk into a place and find something available that really blows me away. Bødegal on tap? Ha! Say what?! Bring it on. (Even at $14 a pour.) Beyond this singular rarity on draft, the list here is utterly insane. It's a whole book broken down to a really precise degree on differentiation. Man that's a long word (differentiation). It really preaches to the scope and depth of all the beer that is out there. And also to the commitment of this establishment in its entirety. And on note regarding the establishment: world class. Beautifully setup with a small upstairs dining area, with kitchen. Keep an eye out for the stairs that lead to the downstairs bar and seating area. Overall, the vibe seems quite pure to me. Genuine, earthly rustic (in an urban kind of way) and real. I hear this place gets insanely busy, and it isn't hard to see why. The prices are "high," but who cares. You get what you pay for here. And it's definitely worth it. A must for any beer lover or human being with a personality.

04-16-2012 08:05:56 | More by RblWthACoz

jamesb7

Rhode Island

1.5/5  rDev -66.6%
vibe: 1 | quality: 1 | service: 1 | selection: 3 | food: 1 | $$$

On vacation in San Francisco and me and my girlfriend went out of our way to go to this place. Decent tap list and huge bottle list which was way overpriced even for imports. We each ordered a beer from the tap list. When the head subsided on my girlfriends beer 2 dead fruit flies were found in it, no flies were seen anywhere around the table or anywhere in the bar for that matter just under a good 3 inches of head. When this was mentioned to the waiter all we were offered was another beer from the same dirty tap line. Overall this was the worst experience either of us has had at any bar or restaurant in any part of the country.

02-04-2012 02:33:55 | More by jamesb7

Beerenauslese

California

3.08/5  rDev -31.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 2.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 4 | food: 2.5 | $$$

Came here for the first time with high expectations. The draft list was fairly interesting with about a dozen mostly Belgian or Belgian style beers available--enjoyed a Bear Republic Tartare and a Dieu du Ciel Solstice D'hiver ($12 for a 10 oz tulip glass). The waiter knew his beers and the beers ordered were served cold and in appropriate glasses. A few of the taps were out and there were no replacements offered. It was a Thursday night at 9:30. I ordered an appetizer of moules made with a Belgian dark ale, which were tasty but they were served half cold-- they had been sitting in the open on a drafty shelf while waiting for someone to bring them to the table. The waiter didn't appear again after the food was served and I had no beer to drink with them, so I had to get up and ask the kitchen staff to summon our waiter to the table. We were the only table in the upstairs dining area and the waiter was spending most of his time downstairs in the bar area. We probably would have been better served downstairs.

I was thinking of going for my birthday dinner today, but with that experience and noting that last night the whole place was closed "due to a situation that is out of our control. We need a day to make things right. Thank you for understanding" I punted on that idea. Makes me wonder what really is going on there.

An appetizer and two beers put me back $40, and with slack wait service, I don't think I'll be going back there for an entire dinner until they straighten themselves out.

01-25-2012 22:12:35 | More by Beerenauslese

BenHesk12

California

3.88/5  rDev -13.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$$

La Trappe has a modest length list of Belgian beers on tap, a long list of bottles (quite pricey though), and your basic list of Cali cuisine appetizers and entrees which are above average for the style. The downstairs area is small and crowded, but provides the best atmosphere. The food ranges from about 10-25 bucks for dinner and you probably won't be able to find a beer under $7. Nonetheless, come here with some time, and money, and you won't be disappointed. Overall, La Trappe is a fun place to grab some tasty belgians and good food.

01-09-2012 06:21:23 | More by BenHesk12

CliffBrake

New Hampshire

4.55/5  rDev +1.3%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Visited during AGU on the night of the Squid Ink debut.

Great vibe and decor. Not sure what the upstairs is about (overflow), but the downstairs is very cozy and has a great Belgian beer-bar atmosphere. We had a large party so got to sample a large variety of food and brews - all were great. Really enjoyed the seafood and the sauces that come with the fries. Great selection of drafts, leaning heavily on Belgian imports. Would like to see more quality domestic draft choices, but that is my bias.

Service was friendly and knowledgeable; a bit slow, but it was super busy. Great if you can wind down and hang out - plan ahead so your glass isn't empty long.

01-08-2012 16:28:49 | More by CliffBrake

beerwolf77

Wisconsin

4.58/5  rDev +2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

This was a must stop on our trip to San Fran. We were a bit apprehensive since it was a Saturday night but our fears were squashed instantly upon walking through the door. The place was near empty. Now I had heard the downstairs level was "the" place to be. So of course we made a bee line for the stairs. Surprise! That's where everybody was. Packed wall to wall. Back upstairs we grabbed a table and ordered food and drinks. The beer menu was like a dream come true. Sours sours and more sours. I ordered an amazing beef stew for my meal. Then there was the service. Our server was fantastic. He was covering tables downstairs and everything upstairs as well and still made sure we were never without a beer. After finishing dinner and several bottles we made our way downstairs to soak in that atmosphere. Very glad we did. The vibe down there was great. What an awesome place to eat and drink.

01-04-2012 02:57:42 | More by beerwolf77