Taphouse on Queensway

May 27, 2008
While there aren’t many, this is far and away the best pub in Hampton. The service is always friendly and helpful. The food is always top notch with daily specials and the beer selection is great. The Taphouse is equipped with numerous taps and a wide selection of bottles. The place is a bit small, but that lends itself to making new friends quickly.

November 8, 2007
Pretty empty on a Wednesday night - maybe 1/2 full at peak, which was nice. In the middle of a one block revived restaurant row. Excellent beer list, as expected. Food was very good - crab cake appetizer was excellent, burger very good. Decor is certainly a step up from their Ghent location. I really had an excellent experience here (it might have been amplified by the company I kept that night, which was absolutely wonderful) and will certainly return when in the area.

August 18, 2007 [ Updated November 10, 2007 ]
I’ve heard many good things about this place and finally had an opportunity to visit. I’m really glad I did. There’s a wall full of taps for probably every beer style. They also have a fairly good bottle selection. The prices are higher than normal, but they do have specials from time to time. I didn’t sample the food, but it appeared very well presented and smelled nice. I think I will be spending many weekends there. Rerate: I returned to have a Lindeman’s Framboise and Victory Festbier (both on tap). This time I also tried the food. I ordered a swiss burger and it was great, well presented, and done to my specifications. This is the best beer bar in the Newport News/Hampton area.

March 21, 2007
This place is so crowded no one ever goes there. What a great find! I’ve been several times now and the place is hoppin’. Sometimes you’ll have to jockey for a seat but it’s worth it. Big Belgian selection on tap (11 the last time I counted) and much more in bottles. I had side by side St. Bernardus 12 on draught and The St. Bernardus 8 in bottle, then split 3 vertical bottles of Old Horizontal ( ‘04, ‘05, ‘06 ) with my date. The ‘05 won. The food has been awesome……I’ve eaten potato crusted rockfish, shrimp linguini, a burger, and some pretty cool appetizers. I’m blown away and really surprised that I can get good food at my new favorite beer joint. The place looks like it has been around a while and feels well worn. It’s comfortable even when crowded and the service was pretty good even though they were really busy. Just discovered they offer $2.50 pints on Monday nights!

March 11, 2007 [ Updated July 21, 2007 ]
Went here Friday night. I thought my friend and I arrived early (8-ish) but there was no place to sit anywhere upstairs, downstairs or at the bar. Thus we decided not to eat here. We scanned over the chalk board draft menu and I ordered a Stone Smoked Porter and was promptly told it was gone. My friend tried for the 60 Minute IPA, which was also on the chalk board. It too was gone. Settled for a Tuppers Hop Pocket and my friend a Racers X. Decent selection otherwise St. Bernardus 12, McChouffe and La Chouffe on draft, and an impressive selection of bottles. Decor seemed like a blend of Americana and sea faring memorabilia. Not too smoky either. The bartender was friendly enough. I’ll give this another chance and get food for a re-rate. ***Re-rate: Went the evening of July 21st. Had the full deal with the wife. Appetizer was the pan seared tuna. Very nice! Tasty as hell! I got the soft-shelled crab sandwich and the wife got the meatloaf. Both were very good. For dessert we got the blackberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream. In a word - AWESOME! Great night here! Very enjoyable!

March 11, 2007 [ Updated June 3, 2007 ]
A new venture from the folks at the awesome Taphouse Grill in Ghent-Norfolk, this location is in quaint downtown Hampton and saves me a trip thru the tunnel. The rotating 37 taps are dedicated to some great regionals and the best available micros (local St George, Legend, Victory, Bell’s, Stone, to name a few) and a fistful of well-selected Belgians. There is some real strength in their bottle list as well, including hard-to-find Belgian ales. The Hampton beer list outdoes it’s cross-water sister bar, and so does the menu with a broader selection of meals, with a Hampton-like emphasis on seafood. This is the new best beer spot south of Richmond.