Groveland Tap
1834 St. Clair Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55101
(651) 699-6058
www.grovelandtap.com
map
The Parking: Parking can be tough on St. Clair. The restaurant is located a couple of blocks from Macalester College and not far from Snelling Avenue. There is no dedicated parking lot; however, you should be able to find a spot within a block or two.
The Beer: Groveland Tap has at least 40 different beers on tap. The beers are all listed on a giant chalkboard behind the bar. There is an extensive selection of local and foreign beers on tap, as the name suggests. The selection changes often and you can explore every time you are here.
The Old Fashioned: While no Wisconsin fish fry is complete without a brandy old fashioned, there is no need for brandy at Groveland Tap. Quite frankly, I don’t think they even serve liquor in this place. With the beers available, it has never occurred to me to order an old fashioned here.
The Wait: This is a popular spot and the wait can easily be 45-60 minutes. Do not despair though. The beer selection will keep you busy…
The Service: Service was good. The waitress was very friendly and quite attentive. Had we needed any more fish, she would have brought it quickly. The wait for drinks was minimal.
The Atmosphere: The restaurant has two eating areas separated by a long and narrow bar. The front area looks nice and seemed more “restaurant-like.” The back area seemed more like a bar (high tops and bar stools). Both areas are suitable for a fish fry. Weather permitting there is also a nice outside seating area on St. Clair. The bar is crowded, loud and a great place to hang out while you wait.
The Sides: The fish was accompanied by a large basket of fries and a side of coleslaw. The slaw was quite good and so were the fries. I must admit that I do prefer a baked potato or hash browns with a true midwestern fish fry.
The FISH: The fish fry was $10.50 and was an All You Can Eat. The fish was good. However, this fish fry reminded me more an English style fish and chips. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a good fish and chips. The fish came in the form of huge pieces of beer battered pollock. While sampling a couple of beers I saw the cooks fill up containers of Grain Belt to be used in the batter. The fish was flaky and tasted good but the pieces were thin and seemed rather batter-heavy for my taste.
The Score: Overall, I would rate Groveland Tap a 7 out of 10. While I would recommend this place, I would also note that there is room for improvement.
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