Tap Tavern, Richmond

Located in the very heart of Richmond town centre, yet somehow tucked away down a quiet street that you’d be highly unlikely to stumble down without prior knowledge, this is a very smart back street pub that caters for diners and drinkers in equal measure. The pub has a very simple, single room layout with a beautiful parquet floor, large windows down two sides and the servery along the back wall. Everything has been given a smart makeover so that the pub looks like something out of a modern design magazine rather than a typical pub, which can make it feel like a restaurant if the place is full of diners, but a handy side room with drinking ledges and high stool seating provides a sanctuary of sorts for those just wanting a drink. The main room has tables and chairs to the front and high tables and stools through the centre, directly opposite the bar – each table furnished with a potted plant, whilst more greenery hangs from the ceiling, including around the skylight in the small side room. Ample picnic bench seating is available out the front, around two sides of the building, which we took advantage of on a warm summer’s day visit, only to be plagued by wasps for the duration of our stay. The servery has a pleasant bare brick bar back dominated by the long row of keg taps that run across it, all fronted by a surprisingly plain bar counter. The three handpulls provided differing returns, with one out of action, another dispensing a Seacider cider and the last offering a sole ale option of Twickenham Summer Sun. The craft keg range is where the real action can be found, with no less than sixteen taps churning out a mix of global brands and unheard of microbrewery beers, all detailed on handy beer menus. The barmaid here was really friendly – probably the best bar staff I encountered all year – and served up a good pint of the Summer Sun before popping outside to clear a table up for us. I think I might have caught this place at a good time, as there weren’t too many people eating, so it still had a good pub feel to it, although I can imagine this might not always be the case. The side room for drinkers was a bit basic but it’s always nice to have some sort of division and we were just as happy sat amongst the greenery outside. Couple this with a decent pint, plenty of craft beer and some of the friendliest service I’ve had in a long time, and you’ve got a decent package that works well for a last pint before heading to the nearby station. Date of visit – 23rd July 2023

Not often I disagree with the Good Beer Guide but I genuinely dont know how this made it in. Ignoring the clientelle - all prosecco and wine glasses left on the dirty tables - this had three cask pumps with only one operational. That beer was from Shrewsbury - not a crime in itself - but you would have expected something more LocALE. The rest was draft - served from a backboard - too far for my elderly eyes to make out what was on offer. I stopped the landlady at Stout - and a serviceable O'haras was dispensed in a funky pint glass. Then I was charged £6 for the priviledge. I headed back to Shrewsbury as fast as the train would carry me.

Ably described by Maldenman below, it's unchanged since his visit last summer. There's nothing traditional about it left now; it's totally modern but I didn't mind the copious use of foliage inside, including a palm wrapped around a pillar. Jars of various nuts are on the counter, and an enormous coffee machine is off to one side. There's also a bit of outside seating at the front, which is fine as this place is well away from the main road. There were three ales on when we visited - Twickenham Naked ladies and Wolf of the Woods, and Pig & Porter Wolflike. There can't be that many beers with "Wolf" in the name, but they've got a couple of them in here. We had two pints and three halves, with the cost somewhere between £16 and £17 - so not cheap. I also saw a "paddle" of craft ales advertised, which gave you four thirds of a pint for £7.80. We weren't tempted. The beer quality was good, even if a bit pricey. It's not really my sort of place, but OK for a swift one.

Inside there is a long sort of L-shaped drinking area with parquet flooring and with high tables and stools to the middle of the room facing the bar along a side wall. The area narrows to the rear where there are a few bits of modern art on the walls. It's a bit minimalist inside, some white tiling plus a bit of exposed brickwork around the bar back, not much on the walls. Some of the regular seating has old school chairs along with mismatched partners. The overall impression is partially but unnecessarily softened by posies of flowers and heathers in gin bottles ( there is a gin menu ). The target clientele is probably younger and livelier than me, the background jazz music in the afternoon was fine but there is lots of live stuff advertised too and the ambitiously priced keg taps, all 17 of them on the back wall made a statement. On the cask side there were two on, By the Horns Hopadelic and Tiger Hill Darjeeling Saison whatever that is. Food served, I didn't check it out. A board suggests they have occasional brewery tap takeovers but none currently listed. It's all a bit pretentious and hipster, the outdoor seating area which is on a pedestrian alley may be the best option when the weather permits.