The Tap & Grape, Broadstone

Pub SignMan left this review about The Tap & Grape

Set in a couple of adjacent shop units on the main high street, this is a relatively new addition to Broadstone's underwhelming pub scene. The premises was last occupied by a branch of Costa Coffee and I suspect not too much has been changed in terms of general layout, with the entrance taking you into the left-hand unit which has the servery down the left wall and a row of pillars and sections of partitioning wall to the right, partly screening the second unit. The bar has a rough timber fronted counter and exposed brick bar back, with the unexpected sight of cask ales racked up on stilage. Seating here is comparatively limited, although there's enough to go around at quieter times, but the right-hand side of the pub offers plenty of options including high tables and stools and some lower tables fashioned from upturned barrels. The wall space is mostly bare, with a mixed colour scheme and some potted plants adding the only real visual distractions. We visited on a very warm afternoon and decided to take advantage of the pavement seating which was being set up on our arrival.
I was definitely not expecting to find any cask ale here, so the two Rebellion beers available on stilage came as a great surprise. I forget which beer I took, but it was in reasonable condition considering the method of dispense and what I assume would be a relative lack of throughput. Two other casks were also racked up, but remained untapped. The barman was very welcoming and had a little chat with us about the bar and some of Broadstone's other boozers past and present.
This was a bit of a bland, low-effort attempt at a modern bar, which probably will go down well enough with the suburbanites it's aimed at. Aside from the bonus of a couple of cask ales and the cheery welcome we received, I couldn't find much of interest here and would say it's the weakest of the three pubs in Broadstone.

Date of visit - 11th May 2024

On 28^th September 2024 - rating: 5
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