Tap Root

What a great evening, great service great entertainment. Rogues and Wenches was a high energy band! We payed a cover charge to get in but totally worth it. So now the fun starts, we pay our bill and we’re watching the band pack up and another band started setting up. All of a Sudden an employee of the bar came to our table and asked us if we were done. We said yes then she said then leave because we are closing. No explanation of anything, she really could have said hey we are setting up for a new show if you would like to stay you can pay an additional cover. We really felt like we were being kicked out. Not a nice way to end a lovely experience. A little advice for the front desk, please let us know that our cover is conditional.

You always remember that one good time you had at a bar and always try to relive it. Well, this is how the Tap Root is for me. I have tried several times to come here and have fun, but it never pans out.
The food and drinks are good though.

Loved it for the live music. Also tried some cool drink recomened by the waitress.

Great locals spot in the heart of Spenard: good beer, killer wings and live music like the Derral Gleason Trio from Austin, TX.

We went here twice, first for the reggae night and second for the blues jam night. Both were awesome but very different scenes. Reggae night was on Saturday and it seemed that this place is where all the locals come to hang out. We had a fantastic night dancing away, drinks are reasonably priced and the food was good too. We had the chicken fingers and the chilli fries. Blues night was on Sunday so was much quieter but everyone with an instrument was invited up to jam with the band — very cool. A nice way to spend a chill Sunday evening.
The place looks a little seedy from the outside, but go in, its worth it!

My review is for the food options. I’ve been here a couple of times (always for events, so take this review with a grain of salt.) One time was for trivia and I had the burger and fries – I thought it was good, I didn’t think the garlic/​rosemary was overpowering, but thought it was pretty unremarkable.
Another time was for Christmas in Spenard. To be fair: the house was totally booked, and it looked like the waitstaff was working incredibly hard, but I ordered the pork sandwich only to be told about 45 minutes later (at the same time that my family and friends were getting their food) that they were «out», and asked what I would like. They said that they still had the pork, and asked if I would like to add that to something else. It was kind of hectic, so I didn’t think to ask, what were they out of then? Cole slaw? Sauce? I decided on the black bean burger and was glad I did. They were generous with the the avocado and the burger stayed together pretty well. I also really like their obviously house-​made fries. I had a bite of my friend’s kale caesar and thought it was delicious, will definitely order that next time. Again, wouldn’t come here for the food alone, but there are some things on the menu which are worth ordering.

The bar doesn’t put any alcohol in their drinks. Our table was very disappointed.
The Mr. White Keys show is great, worth every penny and more.

I was lucky enough to stop here on a calm night. I really liked the environment. The food wasn’t the best but it was certainly better than most bar foods so I’d definitely order here again.

Ordered a BBQ pork sandwich with side salad and fries. Fries and the yummy beer is the only reason giving it 2 stars… Pork had zero flavor. Blue cheese dressing tasted like sour cardboard (or what I imagine what that tastes like). Yuk.

Whether it’s a Young Dubliners concert, or Geeks Who Drink Pub Quiz, the Tap Root is a fun environment with a lot of energy. Beer selection is wide enough that you won’t get bored. Not the typical ‘Bud, Bud Light, Corona’ list! The food isn’t amazing, but it won’t disappoint. It’s best kept secret is the dessert menu.

Cocktails were great. Bartender was awesome. Going there when you aren’t involved with trivia nut isn’t the ideal time to go. Food was not good.

I was here to perform a duet as part of a United Way fundraiser, and I really enjoyed the venue!
Good drinks and a diverse menu with something for everyone. The servers were friendly and stayed on top of the crowd’s choices. The performer green room was stocked with snacks which was a nice touch.

For the last six months a group of my friends and I have been frequenting the former Fly By Night as our love for trivia brings us out on Sunday nights for a bit of fun before the work week starts. Testing our pop culture knowledge and aptitude for useless facts has become something to look forward too as it most certainly is not the food that brings us back week after week.
We have tried to eat before we attend Geeks who Drink, but sometimes Sundays become a blur and if we are going to sit for 3 hours in an establishment that serves food, why not? Truth be told we are just poor planners.
Well, as we have worked our way through the new, somewhat limited menu, we have become resigned to the fact that the food is not going to get any better. While we were fed the line that there are some new chefs in the kitchen and that the menu would improve, we are still waiting for that item on the menu to appear out of the heavens and descend upon us like a miracle. Some of the new items are good, but now consistency seems to be lacking, you can’t trust that an item that was good last week will be the same quality the following week.
The iced tea — when it is consistently being exchanged for soda you might want to take a look at why. «It comes from a box» does not make us feel better about the mistake we just made in ordering it. It is water with a slight brownish tinge to it, maybe they showed it a picture of a teabag but that is as close as it comes to ‘Iced Tea’
Lemonade — Lemonade is fairly simple, it is actually one of those things that is improved by simplicity. Lemon juice, water, sweetener. It is not however just lemon juice. This is a nasty surprise when you have ordered an Arnold Palmer (half lemonade, half iced tea), and rather than being told that isn’t offered being served a glass of half brownish water and half straight lemon juice.
Bring back the fish and chips. Seriously they were the only consistently good thing on the old menu. Really they were good, we looked forward to them.
The pork sandwich is dry, it is not a style choice, it is a choking hazard.
There was too much rosemary in the burgers, the week before they were great, I recommended them, a choice I later regretted as this week they tasted like they were rotting. Even the server commented that she had mentioned the unpleasant smell to the cook only to be told they were fine. They weren’t. I mean I’m sure the quality of the meat was fine, the amount of rosemary added the unpleasant smell.
No avocado for the black bean burger which says it comes with avocado, who’s a poor planner now, Kitchen? Want to sub something else? Sorry nothing to sub.
I decided to splurge one night and ordered the fish tacos, opting for the add-​on avocado for an additional $ 3. I got one slice of avocado per taco. Really?! $ 1 per slice?
The hummus platter, hard to mess up, but great one week was bland the next.
Spam, the tribute to the former namesake of Taproot, the Spam appetizer is one of the more delectable items on the menu. We do appreciate the Frank’s Red Hot, always a great addition.
Last week we all played it safe and ordered chicken wings, hard to mess those up, I mean really they can’t be any worse than crying alone at 2 a.m. eating wings from Sicily’s.
Except our one friend, she took a chance and ordered Taproot’s spin on red beans and rice. Tomato sauce? Really Taproot, that’s your spin? I expected a little more creativity. And for the record that’s chili, not red beans and rice.
While the food has been lackluster, the service continues to be stellar and is always our favorite part of our experience each night.
It’s no use having a great menu concept if your kitchen can’t execute it. A choice that was good one week may be horrible the next. Please get your staff on the same page. We would love to look forward to coming and enjoying great food every week but right now we are all gunshy after too many inconsistent experiences.

Nice feel to the place, great entertainment both times and the food? Delicious. I can’t wait to go there again.

Loved this place. Simple live Acoustic music jams. Open microphone a few times a week and scheduled bands on the other. A full bar and excellent selection of beer on tap made this a favorite for me. I spent three of seven nights here as it was so comfortable to me. Loved it!

Meh. I agree with others that you shouldn’t come here for the food. Bar/​music venue-​wise it was fine, if a bit understaffed. During a recent visit for the Whale Fat Follies our poor waitress was basically managing half the house by herself so we waited forever for our drinks, then to give our order, then for our food. My dad and I both got burgers and proceeded to wait forever for our ketchup – then she only brought us one miniscule container to share. My burger was pretty bland/​average (couldn’t taste the cheese) but I will say the fries were excellent. i was disappointed by the drinks list – they have some random, strange cocktails (Alaskan Russian?) but barely any wines available and what I ordered was pretty gross. I’d stick to beer and steer clear of food – if you’re hungry there’s a great Thai place nearby.

Four of us went to the Tap Root last evening to see the latest rendition of Mr. Whitekeys’ Whale Fat Follies. We ordered food and drink prior to the beginning of the show. The service was good despite our food arriving at the table one plate at a time over a period of about 10 minutes. The food itself was only of average diner quality, and not really a good value. My wife returned her severely overcooked and burned black bean burger which was quickly replaced by another only slightly less cremated. One of our friends had the Tap Root Burger. He was not impressed, saying that it reminded him of one for half the price at Carl Jrs. Our friend’s wife and I had the fish tacos. They were okay, and probably the best menu item any of us ordered. However, mine were completely cold and lacked any real flavor with the exception of the grilled fish pieces. The veggies on the tacos appeared to have been sitting out for awhile and lacked that crisp freshness I like on a taco. We did enjoy a couple of ice cold beers along with the meal and our waitress was frequently at the table filling our water glasses.
The entertainment was classic Mr. Whitekeys and enjoyable if it wasn’t for the seating which consists of metal folding chairs. Even the hardiest rear end and back begins protesting after a couple of hours on those things. All things considered we had a semi-​enjoyable evening for four with good entertainment, mediocre food, and hard seats, at around two large bills … a bit more than I’d be willing to pay again for the same experience.

Wow, the reviews are all over the place!
I think it comes down to how you experience the Root.
Every time I end up here, this is seems to be the setup:
It’s open mic night.
I don’t get food.
I’m there solo, or with one other person.
For this scenario, you’d be hard-​pressed to find a better place in Anchorage. This is a great «chill» spot because it’s not at all touristy, and it’s dark. Two things that can be hard to find in town.
I don’t specifically plan to go here on open mic night, but I always seem to end up here on those nights. I like it! No cover, and a wide-​selection of rapidly-​rotating musical folks. I can be a bit ADD when it comes to enjoying music so I love that they cycle ‘em through!
They apparently have cheap beer specials before bands, but I have never been able to take advantage of this. Poor planning skills. They usually have solid beer selection on tap as well, one of the only places in town I know of that frequently has Ninkasi on!

My favorite parts about Tap Root are the happy hour beer prices, the service, and the fun events they host.
The first time I visited was for a free book exchange. You came in, brought some books, and picked up as many as you wanted at no charge and not even any food or drink purchase requirement. I love it when a business is willing to host community events and not have cover charges or anything — Super rare. So, whenever people don’t force me to buy things, I always make sure to buy extra. They also have some pretty challenging trivia nights and decent music acts.
I was fairly new to the area and this was definitely the first decent alcohol happy hour I’d found in town. $ 3 draft pints? That’s almost unheard of in this city. Their non happy hour prices aren’t bad either. I think I counted 22 tap handles if I remember correctly. They’re mostly Alaskan craft beers with a few other options. They do have a full bar including a handful of wine options.
I’ve never had bad, slow, disappointing, rude, or less than great service there, during slow times or a packed house. As a long-​time restaurant industry worker myself, that is HUGE to me. So, big props to Tap Root staff and management in that department!
I’ve only eaten their Pulled Pork Nachos and some onion rings so far. Nachos were super, and the onion rings were onion rings. I haven’t tried enough food yet to make any significant comment on that, but with good, cheap beer, fantastic service, and a wide range of events, I’m sure I’ll be able to update that sooner than later.

Went for Wednesday Bluegrass Jam night for some drinks. An absolute dive, but awesome music! Drinks weren’t too expensive and the music was just great. I will definitely be heading back on a Wednesday the next time I’m in Anchorage!
Just prepare yourself for pretty cheesy decorations from the 90s.