TAPS Fish House & Brewery

Reviews 4

JO

Joel Rothschild

This was my third or fourth visit to Taps. Each time it has gone down a notch in my book. At this point. I would call it a good "special occasion" restaurant, but not a place I would go to regularly, or even occasionally. It started with a bad reception. We stopped by at 3:30 PM on a Sunday - the time they advertise they switch from brunch to dinner. At first, the hostess told us that we could sit in the bar only. But after a minute, she realized what time it was and said they could seat us in the dining room. Not a big issue. We were seated and the manager came by to ask about our drink order. Since it was early, we opted just water only. She came back again and asked about appetizers, but we were ready to order. Then there was a LONG. delay waiting for someone to take our order. The waitress finally came to our table and again asked about appetizers. We asked about the brunch menu that we were given by the manger and were told that brunch was over - it must have been a mistake, so we placed our order. Although we were the only diners in the restaurant, another group came in and was seated right next to us. Really? How about a little privacy. But it wasnt until the same waitress told the table next to us about the daily specials that we realized that she never mentioned them to us - and we probably would have ordered them instead of what we did. Complaint #1. Our order was very simple, but for some reason, it took a very long time to get out of the kitchen, despite the empty restaurant. In fact, it was 45 minutes from the time we walked through the door until we received soup. Seriously, soup. The food was OK, but nothing to get excited about. My wifes clam chowder was thick - so thick that the spoon stood up on its own. My crab cakes were so-so, with lots of celery where there should have been crab meat. But it became apparent that the waitress decided we were not "big spenders" and she was not about to waste any time on us. Not once did she ask "how is everything" or "is there anything else I can get you." Nope. It was the bare minimum service necessary to avoid an outright complaint. Overall, I like the atmosphere, just not the attitude. The food was good, but not great. I dont think I will be going back anytime soon.

DE

Deanna Bustamante

My cousin in law and I came here for champagne brunch yesterday. We were seated for quite awhile and we both needed to pee but wanted to wait for the server to order our drinks and mimosas. We were seated for awhile so my cuz in law flagged down the hostess who went to get our server. Roxanne came out and greeted us warmly (but I could tell she was slightly put out for the interruption lol) and explained the buffet and omelette/drink ordering menu. While friendly and informative, I cant help but feel our drinks were empty too often. I mean, we are helping ourselves to the food, there are busboys clearing empty dishes everywhere, so the only thing left to do really is refill drinks. That bugged me. But Roxanne ended up warming up and was a sweet server so one star for that. The offerings seemed pretty slim for the price ($34.99) but were decent offerings nevertheless albeit very carb heavy. This brunch is not friendly for carb conscious eaters. There was rice and potatoes but no steamed or sautéed veggies. In any case, I imagine the unlimited champagne mimosas drives their price upward but being that Im not a drinker and only drank half a glass of my mimosa, I cant help but feel ripped off. Plus, being a seafood restaurant, I expected more seafood offerings. There wasnt much. Although I do give credit to the seafood omelette smothered in lobster bisque that was really good. The dessert offerings were decent. I only cared for the crème brûlée. Unfortunately, towards the end of my meal, I started feeling my stomach churn and ended up getting sick in their bathroom twice! AND I was sick the rest of the day!!! I suspected it may have been the steamed clams because my cuz in law didnt get sick and she didnt eat those. I know for sure it wasnt anything I ate before my visit because I just ate a banana that morning and was feeling fine up until that point. It pretty much put a damper on the rest of our plans so I was not a happy camper. If I felt ripped off before, I felt even more ripped off after! So one star for my experience as a whole. But on a positive note, my cuz in law was happy with her food so it wasnt a total wash. So plus one star from her. Lol. I dont live in the area so I wont be back but I wouldnt come back even if I did live close.

ST

Stephanie Han

This review is for their Thanksgiving buffet only. Usually my sister and I host Thanksgiving dinner but this year we just werent feeling up to the cooking and cleaning so suggested that maybe we do a restaurant Thanksgiving. There were no objections from the family so we did a little research and this place seemed to have good offerings for the price ($44 per adult, $15 per child--not sure of age restrictions). Id never been to this area of Corona before but its quite nice, and this TAPS location is really huge, much bigger than the original Brea one and overlooks a picturesque lake. Theyd decorated the place for the holidays and it looked very festive and classy; I liked the music they were playing too--a lot of jazz standards stuff. Once we checked in with the front desk we were seated right away and from there the service and food were really top-notch. Our table was closer to the bar area, which had the more seafood-centric offerings, everything from sushi (mostly rolls, but OK) and oysters, shrimp and ceviche, along with charcuterie and cheese stations, a fresh pasta station (linguini with pesto and clams, YUM) and the dessert station (creme brulee was great). They had a whole another buffet area in the other dining room with had the more traditional Thanksgiving offerings, like turkey, ham, prime rib, stuffing, mashed potatoes, etc etc. We all thought the selection and quality for the price was awesome, and the servers were really great too--all were friendly and courteous, clearing away plates in a timely manner and helping us out with drink orders and other special requests. Everyone came away relaxed and happy, which is really all you can ask for during any family holiday outing. I dont know what theyre like during regular dining occasions, but they have this holiday buffet thing nailed. I definitely wouldnt mind coming back.

MI

michael e

Seems odd to give such a high rating to a chain place. But Taps goes above and beyond. The only reason for the 4 star, and not the 5 is the price. I feel they are little pricey, but in all fairness they do deliver. The South Corona location is located so far from the main areas of the IE. This is another reason for the imperfect score. But they are located on a nice property and have a lake view/walk. The ambiance is some of the nicest in the IE. For those that have never been to a Taps, it is cross of American steakhouse and old Louisiana. The quality is amazing, and the staff is well trained and super polite. I rarely come for regular meals, though I have and do recommend. I usually go for brunch. This is where they shine. They have a traditional casino style brunch, but have a southern seafood aspect on it. Oysters, steamed shrimp, pasta, etc... There is ample indoor seating, and a spacious heated outdoor patio. Inside is a large bar that serves well crafted cocktails. If you come for brunch, be sure to make a reservation. Until next time...