Tap House Grill At Ghent

LambicKing

Virginia

3.1/5  rDev -23.6%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 2 | selection: 4 | $$

OVERRATED. The beer list is pretty extensive, but didn't have everything I wanted to give a try (which is understandable). A group of 5 of us sat down for a few beers each one night (each order was comparatively slow to arrive)...each and every order appeared to annoy the waitress...as if she had something better to do. We weren't taking our sweet time ordering either. We'd make sure to pick out what we wanted before we got her attention...and she still appeared to be bothered that we wanted to place an order. At one point I asked for gueuze (big surprise) and she looked at me like I had 3 heads. I tried to politely explain what it was and what breweries she may be able to recognize. The response I got was a rude "I don't know what that is" with a scowl on her face. Mind you, at no point did any of us give her attitude and were more than polite to this gem of customer service. She apparently thought she was a lot hotter than she really is. Another negative - A live band happened to start setting up a couple hours after we arrived and ordered 2-3 beers each. My favorite waitress came over to tell us that if we were going to stay, we all had to pay a $5 or $10 cover charge. None of us had any idea a band would be there that night and clarified with the waitress that we could or could not be "grandfathered." We received a snarl and a quick "no." Get bent. We left.

Needless to say, I won't be back to this place...unless they do something about their staff. I'll happily visit the Bier Garden and the Birch instead when I move there in 3 months.

07-29-2011 22:13:53 | More by LambicKing

Geuzedad

Arizona

3.4/5  rDev -16.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 3 | food: 3.5 | $$

This used to be my first choice watering hole until The Birch opened up. I like their selection and they do have a good list of beers to meet about any taste. The food is OK but I usually do not go there to eat. Summer is the best time to go as the patio is open and the college crowd is gone. The wait staff are OK but they do seem distracted and at times almost annoyed when you ask a question about a menu item or need a refill. Service at the bar is much better and the bar tenders very attentive and friendly. If craft beers are your thing give them a try. Just avoid weekends unless you are into loud live bands, rowdy patrons, and a cover charge.

02-21-2011 18:06:22 | More by Geuzedad

adam42381

Florida

4.33/5  rDev +6.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$$

The wife and I went to the Outer Banks this past weekend and flew into Norfolk before driving down. We visited Taphouse Grill at Ghent last night as we were in town for the evening only to get a hotel room before flying out this morning. We read reviews here on Beer Advocate prior to our visit so we knew what we were up for.

I must say, we were not disappointed. The food was much better than your traditional bar fare, especially for a place that is such a "hole in the wall". The service was very good at the bar. It looked like the service was a bit slow at the tables so I would recommend sitting at the bar.

The beer selection was very solid with some stuff that's usually not available in bars. Between the two of us we drank the following on draft: Hop Rod Rye, Duchesse, Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Jack and Ken's Ale, St. Bernardus Pater 6, New Belgium Trippel and Trois Pistoles. Not too shabby. Most definitely not a selection you'd find here in Southwest Florida. They probably have about 20 beers on tap as well as an extensive selection of bottles. I had read elsewhere online that they used to carry Westvleteren 12 from time to time but no luck last night. My wallet will probably thank me for that anyway.

I would highly recommend checking out the Taphouse Grill at Ghent if you are ever in the Norfolk area. We will definitely return if we ever happen to visit the area again.

10-03-2010 21:20:53 | More by adam42381

jporf911

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -7.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

The Taphouse is definitely one of the best beer bars in Hampton Roads. Located just down the street from Total Wine (where you can also pick up a ton of hard-to-find beers), it combines good food and good beer. Taphouse has a fairly sizable draft list and a huge list of bottles on the other side of the menu as well. All the local hipsters rave about the Aventinus, but they offer a lot of other good beers in addition to that. My only qualm is that they don't offer Gulden Draak. The Bier Garden in Portsmouth has a slightly better selection, but if you can't get out there, then Taphouse in Ghent is a great place to go for good beer, good food, and good friends. The atmosphere is nice-- music plays all night; there are outdoor tables, indoor tables, and the bar itself, plus a separate room with some pool tables.

*Tip- The service can be a little slow at times if you're at the tables instead of the bar, so if you want to order a drink, it's best to go to the bar and order it yourself instead of relying on your waiter, who usually has about 4 other orders to fill ahead of yours.

07-04-2010 13:44:27 | More by jporf911

BgThang

Texas

4.05/5  rDev -0.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

This place was descent. They just tapped southern tier iniquity which was amazing. they had two hearted and several bottles that I was looking for. Baltic thunder from victory, old horizontal, and several others. When I went back a few days later they were out of alot of things including the st iniquity. The remaining selection was lacking. They did offer samples of the brews they had. The food is pretty good. the burgers are great. They do a house mustard with newcastle and horshradish.
Definitely recommend this place.

06-29-2009 05:46:41 | More by BgThang

BringusKilkenney

Virginia

3.98/5  rDev -2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$

Went on a Friday night which was probably the first mistake. The selection was great had a lot of good and varied beers that you wouldnt think you could find in the area. They were out of quite a few beers that i asked for and would like to have seen that marked out on the menu or something. The service was good considering there was only one waitress in the place.

The food was decent too just got a tuna wrap not to many ways to mess that up.

I would recommend anyone go and try this place out if you are looking for an easy laid back place to just enjoy your favorite beer or try a few new ones. Dont miss the great bottle selection on the other side of the menu too

04-05-2009 10:39:24 | More by BringusKilkenney

Onibubba

Kentucky

3.94/5  rDev -3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

This is a bit out of the way for me, so I have to ask the question, is it worth a cab ride? While they do surely have a nice variety of beers on tap and bottled, they did not have the number of Belgians that I would prefer. On the other hand, they did have Saison Dupont on tap, and for that I give them much thanks.

I had some problems with the size of the place - too small. You could maybe seat 8 people at the bar. Bar staff was very attentive, and I have no complaints at all regarding the service. I'm a bit of a glassware ggek, and would have liked to see more in that department, but not a big problem.

If you like a good mix of beers, and are not tied too much to a particular Region or style, you will find the selection great. Price is hit and miss, but there is a happy hour until 7.

All in all a nice place, but not a return trip for me unless I happen to be in the area.

03-31-2009 20:05:56 | More by Onibubba

catwoman

Virginia

3.78/5  rDev -6.9%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 5 | food: 3 | $

The beer selection is outstanding, as many reviewers have stated. The draft list is great, and check the board for specials. However, a lot of people never turn the draft beer menu over to see the extensive bottled selection. Some real goodies here too.

The best beer selection in Norfolk, nice staff, and decent bar food with some interesting twists. Veg and vegan-friendly. Definitely your urban hipster vibe. The outdoor patio is a wonderful place in nice weather. A popular place with locals from all walks of life. The food is very reasonably priced. These are some of the things I love about the Taphouse.

However, there are a few things to be aware of, although they may not bother everyone. The bathrooms are quite old and have seen some abuse over the years. While they are cleaned daily, it is not sufficient to handle the mess that builds up. The bathrooms are not a pleasant part of the experience. The main dining room is nonsmoking, which is great, but the smoking bar and pool room odors sometimes, not always, permeate the place. Occasionally bar patrons and even employees walk through the main dining room with their lit cigarettes. Once or twice I've seen (and smelled!) an employee hanging out in a corner of the nonsmoking dining room, by the kitchen, smoking a cigarette. Really, a staff member should jump on that immediately. On the other hand, if it isn't crowded and the bar area isn't filled with smokers then it's usually fine in the main dining room. And you get to drink some great, hard-to-find beers!

FYI when they have bands at night it becomes all-smoking and there is a cover charge. Most nights, though, there is no band.

So I've tried to present a balanced review. If you are a beer lover, this is the place to go.

01-31-2009 20:34:45 | More by catwoman

clayrock81

Virginia

4.18/5  rDev +3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$$

This was the first place I went to when I moved to Virginia Beach. This is a beer lover's haven. First off, it is somewhat off the beaten path so you're not surrounded by average beer drinkers; the people here are here to drink. And what a selection! I asked the server for a suggestion and she had no idea, but the bartender had a few. The food is pretty damn good too. Now, on some nights they do live music which is not the greatest idea since this place has this nice, quant ambiance and then a band plugs in over in a corner and there is no place for the sound to go at all. It get really loud. Worse, they charge a cover for these bands around 9, so get there before then and you're in the clear. Other than that little complaint I would go here immediately if you haven't been here yet.

01-05-2008 02:50:11 | More by clayrock81

theformula

Virginia

4.28/5  rDev +5.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

The fine woman's review below is nearly dead-on.

A great "hole in the wall" establishment to just sit down and enjoy a cider, macro, micro, German, Belgian or whatever you're into as the selection is pretty impressive with a whole lotta rotating taps and great bottled selection.
Food is good for the style, great flavor and variety.

Atmosphere is nice, but get there early in the evening if you don't want lung cancer or a very loud band hammering your ear drums.

Service can be lacking at times, but it's decent. Just go up to the bar to order a beer and sit down, you'll be waited on soon enough.

The main bartender is knowledgeable and knows his stuff (his name eludes me...he has blond hair). I usually start off w/ a German or micro on tap (Hacker Pschorr Edel Helle, BR Racer 5 IPA) and like last night ended up drinking the St. Berny 12 ON TAP as well. Oh, and during my meal a Weihenstephaner Weissbier Dunkel.

Good enough service, a big and varied beer list and eclectic mix of locals and non-locals, young and old. A favorite regular haunt of mine.

Recommended, yes.

09-16-2007 15:21:50 | More by theformula