An assortment of patrons sit around the dim pub on a Thursday afternoon. A businessman in a white button-down shirt and slacks. A table of four, including a couple of senior citizens. Two customers at the bar, realizing they both used to live near Portland. And as they sit, Tap-In Grill & Pub Manager Keith Moore and a waiter keep checking in on the patrons, making sure their drinks are full, their food is on time and their visit is pleasant.

Keith Moore has been the manager of Tap-In Grill & Pub in Grapevine for five years. Keith Moore has been the manager of Tap-In Grill & Pub in Grapevine for five years.[/caption]

Moore described Tap-In as a “European-style pub with a Southern menu.” One of the menu items the eatery is known for is the Tap-In Fish & Chips ($10.99).

“That’s probably one of our most popular items on the menu outside of our pizzas,” Moore said. “We do a Sicilian-style thin-crust pizza that’s really good.”

Moore said owners Anita and Ken Wiles got the inspiration for their downtown Grapevine pub from a visit to Scotland. Since it opened, the restaurant has become a gathering place, he said.

“We’ve been established for over 12 years now, and we have a solid regular base crowd that comes in on a regular basis,” Moore said.

He said the pub also benefits from international travelers coming in during their layovers at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

“They’re looking for a venue that, you know, serves ice-cold beer, which we have the coldest beer in town by far­­—I always keep it that way,” Moore said. “They love this pub-style atmosphere. It’s like being back at home
for them.”

The pub offers six beers on tap, which include Guinness, Shiner and Blue Moon. It also serves several Texas beers, including those from Rahr & Sons Brewing Co., Deep Ellum Brewing Co. and Grapevine Craft Brewery.

Moore said the pub is a “cigar-friendly atmosphere.”

“A lot of the business folks come in, and they’ll have business meetings and go next door, get a cigar [and] come back over,” Moore said. “They’ll sit there, smoke their cigars, have lunch, have a couple of cocktails and do business over [the] course of time that they’re here.”

There is something happening each day at Tap-In, whether it is Rock & Roll Bingo, in which a successful bingo wins one a free beer, or Sunday brunch. Moore said one of the biggest draws, however, is when bands
play live.

“When we have live music going, it’s 135-plus [people] because of the standing room,” Moore said.

Moore said Tap-In staffers try to make everyone feel comfortable.

“[Guests can] listen to music, live or otherwise, and watch sports, and have fun with great food and cold beer,” Moore said. “When you have all of those combinations together, how can you go wrong?”