Tapworks Tavern & Grill

Stopped in for a couple of beverages and appetizers. Great Food, great selections on tap and amazing service.

This is good sports bar/​bar food place with a good beer list. I went with friends for lunch on a Friday and had a couple of beers. The service was good and the prices were reasonable.
I had the blackened fish tacos, which comes with black beans/​rice. The side was a little weak/​skimpy. No other complaints. While we were there, a guy I assume owned or managed the restaurant stopped by our table to invite us to a party the bar was having that evening. I’m too old/​married for that kind of thing and had plans anyway. But it was nice to be invited and I appreciate management’s interest in the customers.

Went in for a casual business lunch last week and noticed maybe three other tables mid afternoon… no excuse for the TERRIBLE service we received. Note to the upper management, watch your staff. The only server there completely ignored us as he was swinging back and forth from a table in the back to swigging shots behind the bar… at noon, no less. Doing this in FRONT of customers leaves less to be desired. The food is sub par at best. My team and I will not be back. I advise readers to do the same. Stay away!

Great happy hour spot. Items our table tried during a recent visit: nachos, southern-​friend mess, big quesadilla, bacon fat popcorn, hummus & pita, and probably others I’m forgetting. Not to mention a huge beer list. The staff did a great job keeping up with our large party of 12, and especially great at accommodating us given that we didn’t have a reservation.

I’ve been here a few times as its only a few blocks from my home but nothing about it has ever blown me away. I think the prices are a little high for food that is just ok. They have a great beer selection its just a little overprices. For example, they are charging $ 9 for a Revolution Fistmas draft when you can find it for $ 6 a few blocks away. Minor things I know but just a little annoying.
The service is always pretty solid but the place, at least when I have been in there, is never really that crowded.

I consider this my local spot whether thirsty, hungry, or both.
The food is very good and portions are large. Hands down the best is the Texas Chopped Salad.
I like almost everything I’ve tried here. Service is always spot on.
Great selection of beer, per the name. I would love a bigger bourbon selection, and maybe a new menu. But that’s only because I’ve been there 20 times :)

I stopped by TapWorks with a friend on a Friday evening for a few drinks after work. We had a slightly confusing, yet enjoyable, time.
Décor: It’s pretty much just a bar. Well, more a sports bar (there are tons of TVs and the four-​side bar is large) with plenty of tables. As you would expect, the lighting is a bit lower but it isn’t «too dark,» just enough to maintain a bar vibe. While it isn’t a huge place there is plenty of space for nearly any size group and everything is clean and inviting.
Bathroom: Clean and inviting, nicer than a typical bar bathroom
Staff: Our waitress (es) were very friendly and nice, the only problem was that they couldn’t figure out which one of them was serving our table. Luckily it erred on the side of either of them stopping by frequently, but the confusion was somewhat comical (especially given that we specifically discussed it with both of them and they stated they’d «chat with her and set it straight»).
Drinks: We only had beers but they have a solid selection (including the standard lights). In fact, they have a pretty extensive beer menu with plenty of craft beer on it. Additionally they have a full bar. But don’t get me wrong, the menu looks REALLY good and I am already wanting to come back to try some of the stuff that seems right up my alley.
Value: The prices are decent — not super cheap but not outrageous either.
This is a good, solid spot to come just for drinks or for food (so it seems). I’m eager to return and try the menu.

Good food, BAD service… Friendly but bad. I feel like they’re always understaffed or management is trying to save money on labor. I’ve been here 4 times on weekdays around 1pm and it’s always been this way

Came in here randomly after waiting too long at a nearby restaurant. Service was great, the manager even got us a round of shots. Would return again.

Great neighborhood bar. Every time I’ve been in, it’s been pretty busy but there’s usually an open table somewhere. They have a great selection of beers and house drinks. The City Sangria is my personal favorite. Great place for brunch, after work drinks or games.

The food is great! Worked in the building, so we had this often. The waitresses and bartenders are so nice! They are very welcoming and it’s nice when they recognize a familiar face! Especially Monica and Stephanie! Their beer selection is so good!
I wish it were open later but regardless love this place!

Located in one of the best hangout places in Westloop, the Greet town. I love the choice of craft beers. Friendly service. Food is good too. It’s kind of a sports bar come restaurant.
Food/​drink: 4.0
Ambiance: 3.5
Service: 4.0
VFM: 3.0
Would I visit again?
Yes!

Great place that could easily be a 5 star review but I currently can’t justify it. The food is great, the atmosphere for watching a sporting event is great, lots of televisions. However, the service is SLOW and indifferent.
This is mostly managements fault for not hiring more waitresses on busy days like Bears Sundays or last night Cubs 1 game playoff & Blackhawks opener.
In addition, it appears management hasn’t trained their waitresses to follow up with table consistently to see if they want more drinks or food. Our table of 6 had to consistently waive down our waitress to order our first round, order apps, or more drinks and order entrees. I can think of at 5 different occasions we had to do this. FYI — we were there for 3 hours and the bill could’ve been much higher.
Hopefully management is reading the reviews on Unilocal and can fix the issues with staffing and training.

I’m surprised at all the negative reviews. Every time I’ve been here, the food is great, the service wonderful, and the atmosphere is just how I like it.
Brunch is my favorite, and I’m loving the Bloody Mary bar. I will say I think it is a little overpriced, considering it doesn’t even come with a beer back (I’m from Minnesota, so that’s important to me!!). However, every brunch meal I’ve tried has been wonderful. I have especially loved the breakfast burrito, the chilaquiles, and the pork tacos. My husband loves their breakfast hash too. Also, the portions are huge. Keeps me fed for the whole day!
Their beer selection is excellent and I appreciate the knowledgable, attentive bartenders. It’s one of my new go-​tos in the WL, and I will definitely be back!

I came here for lunch with something like 10 coworkers today, and was not impressed. However, the atmosphere was nice and I would like to return for happy hour. They also apparently do a $ 2 mimosa, so I will definitely be returning for brunch in the near future.
I did opt to be somewhat health conscious and order the turkey burger, so maybe that was my mistake, but I found my food to be bland and slightly dry. Judging by the menu, I expected the food to be a lot bigger and more exciting than it actually was. I recently wrote a review for Epic Burger where I also got a turkey burger, and I definitely preferred theirs.
Almost everyone I went with loved this place and thought a 4 or even 5 (!!!) star rating was appropriate. Granted, they’re definitely more generous with the stars than I am lol. Most of them ordered the Cubano and thought it was great.
The service was decent, but a little slow, and the waitress didn’t divide our check up correctly. We did have an excessive amount of people though, so I can see how it would get confusing. Otherwise, the restaurant did a good job accommodating to the size of our group.
Like I said, I’ll give this place another shot for brunch/​happy hour.

I went in here the first time with a co-​worker to pick up some lunch we ordered. The place looks nice it has a nice atmosphere, typical bar to go and watch a game or have happy hour at. Nothing spectacular.
From looking at the prices and some of these reviews, I thought I was going to get some big massive meal that was going to knock my socks off. I was very excited. I ordered The Sunny Side Up Burger. It was supposed to have a sunny side up egg, crispy pork belly and charred onions. I have to say that this was one of the most tasteless burgers I have ever had. There was absolutely zero and I mean zero salt… seasoning anything on this meat. and it needed it. It was a bland grey piece of meat. The Chunks of pork belly were a nice treat, but they were really too thick to fit on the burger. So i decided to take them off and have some nice pieces of crispy pork… it needed some kind of salt too. Not to mention the pork tasted like it was fried in the same oil as donuts… it was sweet. The egg was over cooked. I ordered a sub side of mac n cheese. I think it was kraft blue box mac and cheese. i’m not going to keep going.
the meal was über dissapointing. I am definitely not going back for food. Maybe beer. definitely not cocktails, this is a beer place with out a doubt. But then again you can get that just about anywhere. I don’t see the pizazz here that everyone raves about. I am going to stick to Jack’s Tap just west of there for food, same price but actually tastes good.
Do it at your own risk!

Came here on the first nice day this spring and got a primo spot by the open windows. It never really got busy, though, which surprised me. This place is great! I hope they stick around!
The menu reads like my dreams. The whole thing is basically food porn, so pace yourself. I came in knowing I wanted the Chilaquilles, but I was sooo tempted to go off course. I didn’t, and boy am I glad. They.Were.Amazing. You get a huge serving for $ 9 (no one finished theirs, we probably could have shared), and it’s got a great kick.
We started with the fried pickles (always a winner!) and the Southern Fried Mess (the name of my band in college). I mean, it’s basically poutine with smoked pork and tater tots. How could you not???
I didn’t imbibe, but the bloodies looked great, they came with a nice slice of crisp bacon and fried pickles. You can’t beat the $ 2 mimosas.
The value is spot on, we got a ton of food for not a lot of money, and the space is cool. The service was pretty spotty, given we were one of three tables in use, but we weren’t in a hurry so it was fine. Definitely recommend!

I am quite surprised by the number of sub par reviews for Tapworks. I tried it with my WL Crew a couple of weeks ago, and the consensus between all of us was this place rocks! Huge menu, plenty of beers on tap, and a cool sports bar ambiance. What’s not to love?
We came in on a Thursday night and were seated right away. The place wasn’t empty, and it wasn’t packed… just enough people around to people watch. We ordered a couple of beers, each of us a different one, and we all enjoyed. For food I tried the following: nachos, burger, and the pulled chicken. The nachos were solid… lots of toppings, but they needed to be distributed just a bit better… we took care of it by sharing pork and guac with the lonely chips. The burger was quite tasty and the pulled chicken plate was honestly better than a lot of BBQ joints in the city! So tender and the sauce was muy yummy… pair that with the BBQ sauce on the table and you will meet perfection! Unfortunately we didn’t try dessert so I have nothing to report in that department. (Next time)
While entering the bathroom I noticed Tapworks advertising for their brunch… ahhhhh $ 1.95 mimosas and bomb breakfast options! I can’t wait to try it.
In short, try Tapworks for yourself, I don’t think you will be disappointed! Quality beers, quality eats in the heart of the West Loop:)

I came here with a big group of friends for brunch. We had the run of the place which was great! We put 2 tables together in the window and enjoyed their bloody marys and mimosas. The staff was terrific. Very helpful and there when we needed them. I can’t say enough great things about the staff. They keep this place clean and running like a top! The bloodies and mimosas were delicious!
We started with fried pickles which were dipped in corn meal to give it an extra crunch. Very good. There was also some extreme tater tot thing with beer bbq sauce. It had a ton of meat on it so I only stole a tot or two to try the sauce. You can tell that there’s beer in it. Very interesting in a good way.
I had the chicken and waffles. It was a little on the dry side but you can ask for more butter and syrup. They go kind of nuts with the cornmeal thing. But it traveled well so my boyfriend enjoyed half of it. The prices were all great too.
I would come back here to hang out in a heartbeat. This place is friendly, easy, and delicious.

Don’t hesitate — get yo’ ass in here on a Saturday or Sunday! $ 1.95 Mimosas on the chalkboard outside grabbed our attention like a pervert grabs your junk.
Of course, I had to do my research on this place before I stepped foot in the door and my fellow Unilocalers didn’t disappoint. Mixed reviews absolutely means I have to try it for myself and I’m glad I did. My friends and I hopped up on the first high-​top we saw and admittedly the seat felt like you were sitting on some odd incline that you kept slipping down. I’d readjust and felt like I was sitting on an exercise ball trying to keep my balance. Meh, no thanks. We spotted the booths in the back by the kitchen. AWESOME… I’m always up for drinks and a show because you can see right in overlooking the line.
The food that popped up on the pass had my meat-​eating friends salivating. I stuck with the sweet potato fries and they were a HUGE serving. In fact, everything was an oversized portion which made this a bang for your buck.
We didn’t have ANY issues with service but I’m convinced we had the best one out there — Heather. She was on top it and we didn’t go thirsty or hungry.
We will be back for sure and will bring all of our friends and family here as I highly recommend it!