Taps Fish House & Brewery - Irvine

Had a hotel in Irvine, so decided to head over for dinner. Service was pretty good, but the focus here is more on the dining than beer. Tried a few of the beers and was not overly impressed. Worth a visit for a nicer dining experience, just don’t expect a ton from the beer.

Been waiting for this place to open for awhile now, just because Taps generally makes some good beers but I am rarely in the neighborhoods of either of their other two locations. This is at least sort of close to a route I travel on some sort of regular basis.

Located in the Market Place shopping center, the place is pretty large, but probably comparable to their other two restaurants...maybe a little bigger if you include the patio. Of course, well decorated and classy interior. Well done wood, warm colors, marble, etc. Huge bar area that was packed for happy hour during my initial visit. I just found a place to stand near the bar and watch some soccer while I tried a couple beers.

Food menu is the same as the others, focusing mostly on seafood and steaks. But, they have plenty of options. Yes, still expensive.

Service was good and fast, even with a massive crowd going. Though perhaps the most memorable part of my visit was seeing one of the bartenders attempting to hand a drink across the bar and smashing the cocktail of a patron who was sitting at the bar, sending liquor everywhere. Kind of funny as an observer, but I’m sure she was mortified.

Anyway, cool enough place. Worth a visit, but unless you’re just a huge Taps fan, you probably only need to go to one location.