Albany Taproom
| Address: | 745 San Pablo Ave, Albany, CA 94706, USA |
| Phone: | +1 510-526-2998 |
| Site: | albanytaproom.com |
| Rating: | 4.6 |
| Working: | 12–10PM 12–10PM 12–10PM 12–10PM 12–11PM 12–11PM 12–10PM |
Location
Photos 1
Reviews 15
JK
JKay GreenStarsProject
The Taproom and Grazzy Burgers next door go hand in hand. The rooms are interjoining, and whichever entrance you use, you can order beer from the Taproom and food from Grazzy Burgers. If you like a brighter restaurant-type environment then sit on the Grazzy Burgers side, or if you prefer a darker pub atmosphere then sit on the Taproom side. I’ve been here about half a dozen times (sitting in the Taproom side each time) and have always found the service to be super-helpful and the food to arrive promptly and exactly as ordered. To those that quibble about the prices being a little high, I would disagree - $9 (or even $11) for a burger is not a high price when you consider that the meat is humanely raised, grass-fed, locally sourced, and served on an organic Acme bun… and delicious. Beer: Check the Taproom website for a picture of their chalkboard listing the 32 or so beers that they have on tap. Mostly local –you’ll see some familiar names (Fieldwork, Henhouse, North Coast, Stone, Drake’s, Altamont) but also some very unfamiliar brews, even from breweries that you know fairly well. A recent highlight for me was North Coast’s Old Stock Ale, aged in rye whiskey barrels (its brother aged in wheat whiskey barrels was also available). It’s a dark ale, almost 14% alcohol ($8 for 10 oz) but yet isn’t overpowered by the ethanol or the whiskey flavors – it was well-balanced, potent, and very, very good. Another good one was Drake’s Unholy Alliance sour ale, fermented with Viognier grape skins from Rockwall cellars (also $8 for 10 oz). Yep, beer is getting pretty fancy these days and the Taproom is a good place to find out what’s new – and you can also get pints of well-made traditional beers and ales for $5-6. The friendly bartenders were happy to pour samples and frequently checked our table for orders. Sustainability: I’m also giving the Taproom and Grazzy Burgers experience 5/5 green stars for social and environmental impact. Green stars you say? Why yes! It’s a new rating scale for social and environmental impact - it’ll catch on ;) The Taproom’s beer is predominantly from very local breweries and many of these (Drake’s, North Coast, Stone, to name a few) are making good efforts on energy use, re-use of spent grains, and philanthropic causes. Grazzy Burgers use mostly organic ingredients, all sourced from Bay Area farms, and again, those excellent organic buns are from Acme. Their meat is grass-fed (corn-free), compassionately raised without stress or confinement, antibiotics, or hormones and their salmon is wild. The pasture-raised beef and lamb comes from employee-owned Sun-Fed Ranch and Superior Farms (the latter is also 50% wind-powered). The food: I’ve had their black bean fiesta burger, sweet potato fries, Kennebec fries, regular fries, onion rings, and hummus plate. My favorite is the black bean burger ($9), which comes with a side of homemade potato chips (fries is $2 extra). There were maybe four things that stood out: first, it was a real, homemade burger and not a super-dense soy protein or gluten patty and it was satisfyingly filling without being overly heavy. Second, it had this lemony flavor, not over-lemony but providing just enough acid, that really elevated it. I checked the menu and this delicious flavor was coming from the preserved lemon guacamole. Third, it was moist and had enough toppings (the guacamole, pico de gallo, and cilantro lime aioli) that I wasn’t even remotely tempted to reach for ketchup or mustard. Fourth – the bun was great. So many otherwise great burgers are let down by their buns – story of my life really. My friend had the Grazzy Classic beef burger (also $9) and like it a lot too – good bun and cooked to order.
IA
Ian Winbrock
Here I am on a chilly Thursday evening inside one of Albanys charming establishments: The Albany Taproom. Service was slow. I came in alone after work and the staff is more concerned with interacting with each other than interacting with guests. Their loss! Onto the beer folks! 32 selections and I choose the barley wine from Napa Smith. 10 ounces, 10% carmel notes, toffee aftertaste, not too heavy on the palate. Its a winner. Atmosphere is nice. Place is busy. Plenary of seating. I chose to not order food. Great selection of beer. Good service when they get to you. Knowledgeable staff. Decently priced. Surprising bottle selection. Atmosphere 4/5 Service 4/5 Beer 5/5
JA
Jamie Randolph
I have been her more than a couple of times and have to say its a great little spot. Sometimes the service isnt the fastest or most attentive but the servers and bartenders are hella nice. The food is great and not your basic pub fare. Everythings got a little twist to it, like harrisa ketchup, theyve got sweet potato fries and "dino" chips aka kale chips. The beet salad (plus chicken if it strikes your fancy) is pretty stellar. Overall the food tastes fresh and is full of good ingredients. Its hard to go wrong with such a wonderfully vast rotating beer selection and cooler! Definitely a happy camper when I leave!
ST
Stefanie Cervantes
The beer selection was great. Your able to order food from Grazzy Burger next door since they are connected. The mushroom Marsala burger was ok. Needed to add mayo. The shoe string fries had way to much spicy seasoning. Made them bitter. We never received our apptiezer and the entrees took a long time. The waiter rarely stopped by. The night was not very busy. Hard to order more beer when we rarely saw him. We often had to go the bar ourselves to get beer. There was a younger guy at the bar and he was the only quality worker there.
J.
J.J. Howard
Fantastic selection of beers on tap. Good food, more upscale than "pub grub". Can get noisy during peak times due to concrete floors, mitigated somewhat by acoustic treatments. But who cares? Enjoy your beer and keep your mouth shut, lol.
DE
DEREK RAYROSE
The beer selection is good, always 32 taps, plus lots of bottles in the fridge. The owners are very friendly, hip, and knowledgeable. This is the place to go for a beer in the Albany/El Cerrito area. And, the food is quite tasty.
CA
Camille King
I love the many choices in beer available here. The bartenders are very patient in answering my many questions and very knowledgeable about the beers. It is never too loud and it has a nice variety of seating options.
DA
David Mets
Tgis place has the largest and best curated selection of beers in the bay area and it changes often. If I lived closer I would be here all the time. You could visit every day and not be able to try everything.
PA
Patty N
Great beers, fries were delicious. Just the right amount of music, where friends could talk without feeling like the next table could hear you. The service was attentive and fun. Will be back!
KA
Kaofoo Saechao
GREAT selection of beers on tap! Seasonal beers, local breweries, etc etc. Check the board, because it updates frequently. Friendly staff, welcoming atmosphere, delicious foods too.
KE
Kenny Alvarado
Good Beer. Good Food. Great environment for social gatherings or just doing school work. Staff is really knowledgeable and always make great recommendations
E
E Abella
Just the right amount of attention--not in your face every 10 minutes asking if e everything is okay. Nice beer selection, really great burgers.
DA
Dave Monk
The beers change here daily. Lots to try and learn. The staff is great, most long term employees. The snacks and burgers are excellent.
MI
Michael DelGaudio
Great selection of rotating craft beer. Burgers are solid too. If you are feeling adventurous try the lamb merguez burger, delicious.
AL
Alec Imperial
Always come here, the variety of beer is great with the constantly rotating tap. The food here is a good, especially the lamb patty.
