7 West Tap House: Photos, Menu, Reviews

Paul Lundgren Oct 15, 2012 32 Comments

7-West-Tap-House-Exterior

7 West Tap House
7 W. Superior St., Duluth

7-West-Tap-House-Duluth

7-West-Tap-house-Menu 7-West-Tap-House-Menu-2

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32 Comments

Paul Lundgren

about 12 years ago 

Although it's called a "tap house" and there are nearly 40 beers available, I'd say it has more of a burger-joint atmosphere. I look forward to trying one of the burgers. This should make for a good lunch place.

Weird thing: While I was there on opening night all of the music on the sound system was from the 1990s -- Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, Temple of the Dog, et. al.

Alyssa

about 12 years ago 

Their chips are amazing - home made, crisp & light, and not greasy.  I enjoyed their philly burger along with parmesan fries - all in all it was good.  One odd thing is that they don't offer tap water, only bottled.

adam

about 12 years ago 

It doesn't seem to say it anywhere, but the kitchen is open until 10PM, and they are open until 11PM.

Adem

about 12 years ago 

The website says it's open until midnight. Kitchen til 10 is unfortunate. I was hoping this would be a good late-night food opportunity.

I haven't tried it yet. Bottled water seems strange. Not even a self-serve water station? (Every bar should have one, says me.) $1.50 is way too much for a can of soda. I understand it's to offset other things but ... 600 markup seems like a lot.

Anyway I'll check it out regardless.

wskyline

about 12 years ago 

The water thing really bothers me; we have some of the best tasting water in the country available at our fingertips, and instead of serving that they are going to create unnecessary waste by only using bottled water? That's disgusting, at least offer a choice.

-Berv

about 12 years ago 

Agreed. You don't mess with a Duluthian's water.

Swan

about 12 years ago 

Burgers, how original. Too bad they have a television in their bar; it is a conversation killer.

Paul Lundgren

about 12 years ago 

The guy next to me seemed surprised there was only one TV behind the bar. There are two more on the opposite wall. The sound was down, so it wasn't distracting. The Pickwick, for example, has 72,000 TVs, give or take a thousand. One is fine ... at a certain point it gets ridiculous.

jhatcher

about 12 years ago 

OK, but how were the burgers? And no pictures of the burgers? Are we talking a competitor to Anchor or what? I guess I could just go and find out for myself.

emmadogs

about 12 years ago 

The Pickwick ruined itself when it installed all the TVs.  That bar used to be so great for a quiet drink and conversation.  I wonder if they'll crank up the volume at this new restaurant.  If so, too bad, that really is a good way to ruin an otherwise great bar.

Herzog

about 12 years ago 

Here we go again suggesting Anchor's cafeteria assburgers are anywhere near best in town.  Actually, the best burgers are probably at Midi, but none of you would have any way of knowing this. 

What do you suggest they do to match Anchor's burgers, use the world's worst wonder buns?  Spit on the grill to make sure it's hot?  I know someone who knows someone who owns the Anchor, and they said it's amazing it hasn't been shut down.  Enough on the fucking Anchor already.

Looks like they're borrowing from Clyde's playbook too.  And no tap water is a sign of mental retrograde.

TimK

about 12 years ago 

Had lunch at the bar. Enjoyed the cream cheese and olive burger. Similar in flavor to 5 Guys, but not as greasy. Serviceable bun. Service was really fast, though the place was less than half full. Only had the burger and a soda -- no fries, so it was a pretty inexpensive lunch. Would go again without hesitation. Forgot to take a picture, though.

Nate Minor

about 12 years ago 

The menu (and even the layout, to some extent) looks a lot like JL Beers in NoDak and NW Minn. It's a favorite for burgers, but I don't think they're anything special. They only have bottled water too.

[email protected]

about 12 years ago 

It seems unconscionable to not offer tap water.  Tap water is how I pace myself when drinking strong beer so I can still drive safely home.

Charging me to drink bottled water means I'm going to drink fewer beers, too.  And drink there less frequently, all around.

Goodbye, hangout;  hello quick bite to eat.  Maybe that's what they want, though.

wskyline

about 12 years ago 

So... I wrote a comment on their facebook wall earlier tonight about my disappointment at their bottled water, and they deleted my comment. I won't be patronizing a place that won't even have a discussion or take some constructive criticism about a wasteful practice.

Mr. Nied

about 12 years ago 

Enjoyed the BLT Burger. Crisp bacon. Ordered the fries, had my handful of seasoning choices of which I chose Parmesan. Delicious. The place is small with a good-sized bar, along with window-lined bar seats that face traffic. Who else has that? The west wall is lined with bar-height tables seating up to six.  I drank a Two Hearted and Summit Saga. Very nice restroom. Very nice. The staff all wear a 7 West T-shirt. Service was quick. Well placed TVs which don't overpower the atmosphere. If you're listening Tap House, your place would be sensational as a bar-close meal in the dead cold of winter.

-Berv

about 12 years ago 

No tap water, no visit.  That's too bad because I have a lot of money burning a hole in my pocket.  It's a matter of principle.

digit3

about 12 years ago 

Enough about the food, it's a "tap house" so how are the beer offerings? Standard run of the mill stuff that everybody has or perhaps something special that would warrant a visit?

nicolai

about 12 years ago 

You can check out the beer list on the website.

It's kinda sad that the first three beers on the list are Bud products even though the state they have 40 "craft" beers on tap.  Also I don't think I've ever been to a bar that has not served a glass of tap water.  Kinda weird if you ask me.

BadCat!

about 12 years ago 

That's so bizarre that they don't serve tap water! It's not like they'd have to pay extra to have plumbing installed, presumably it's already there. Also, Duluth tap water rocks. The only thing I can think is that they're getting better deals from their distributors to push their brand water.
Agreed on the thought that it's responsible to offer free water in any bar.

Zeito

about 12 years ago 

I always ask for a glass of water whenever I order an IPA, and always get a pint glass of ice water.  The idea of being charged for a bottle of water irks me enough that the stubborn Scandinavian in me won't bother with this place.

in.dog.neato

about 12 years ago 

Heh ... should be illegal not to. Perhaps they won't mind me bringing my own.

edgeways

about 12 years ago 

The beer selection sounds decent, but not exiting enough to draw me in for that exclusively. (Saga on tap sounds nice though, anyone one else have it?) The menu looks a little too limited in anything but burgers (and you have to pay for lettuce and tomato? that's kinda lame). There is not a lot of choice for someone not on the beef kick and the bottled water only keeps me away -- it's penny-pinching stuff (as is charging for lettuce and tomato). I always finish up a bar visit with a glass of water and frack if I'm going to tack on being charged for that in addition to dropping money for all the other drinks as well. I'm not too inclined I gotta say.

Hot Shot

about 12 years ago 

Good selection of beers. But nothing you can't order elsewhere. 
I'm yet to try a burger, but the atmosphere is kind of neo-pub style. 
I'm posting this from my phone so I have no clue if my Surly is ridiculously overpriced. But the lack of water is bad news. That'll be a determining factor in how often I end up there.

Claire

about 12 years ago 

Looks like a cool place, but I don't like the idea of paying for a bottle of water -- not to mention, the wastefulness of bottled water... we may hit it, but may not. Is it teenager friendly? The teen in my house likes burgers.

Funkenschutz

about 12 years ago 

Had a philly burger and BBQ chips today.  Good stuff.  The place is teen-appropriate, as long as you don't mind bringing your teen to a place that serves beer.  I brought a Nalgene full of water and sat it conspicuously in front of me at my table.  Server made no mention of it.

vicarious

about 12 years ago 

The bottled water is now free (they haven't changed the menu to reflect that, yet). Apparently, they don't have an ice machine...thus, no tap water offered. I can only guess that will be remedied soon.

As for the food, my opinion are that the burgers are average, at best. Nothing special. In fact, the beef had a bit of a "school lunch" flavor. The fries were soggyish...the chips were quite good.

The music was way too loud and the speakers were tinny.  The server was very friendly. 

It's a decent place for a quick, average burger. But I wouldn't linger there for much more than that.

IdggyB

about 12 years ago 

Have you heard what fish DO in water?

Emerickson

about 12 years ago 

We tried this place out last night before going to the UMD hockey game. My husband and I enjoy a good burger, so we had to give this place a whirl. While the atmosphere was quite spiffy and the inside of the restaurant had a good dose of character, due to the age of the building and the way they renovated the space, the food was not great. 

The bar was packed, but we were able to find an open table (for some reason most tables seat 6). We saw another couple come in and invited them to share our giant table, since it was just the 2 of us. As other reviews have noted, the selection of tap beer was great. However, the burgers were pretty blah. I had a hamburger and my husband had the Taphouse Burger, which features 2 patties, jalapeno beer cheese and beer onions. We also shared an order of the cajun chips. Our chips were dark brown and tasted over cooked; barely a hint of any cajun flavor. The burgers were seasoned, but did not have the flavor or texture of a great burger. I agree with whoever said they are like school cafeteria burgers. For 2 burgers, 1 order of chips, and 2 beers it cost us $24. Totally not worth it.

mattwix

about 12 years ago 

I've been here twice. The beer selection is the second best in the Twin Ports. That's a fact. Most of the beers are MN craft beers. They had issues with equipment and beer availability, but these are common issues for new places. Beer prices high. Food prices low. The burgers are fantastic if you like flavor, grease, and value. Personally, I find them much better than Anchor, Big Daddys, Five Guys, other chains, etc. The chips are very good too. Extremely friendly staff. Convenient downtown location. BOGO text deal. We will return.

Paul Lundgren

about 12 years ago 

I've heard that 7 West has added a water cooler to appease those seeking complimentary H2O, but I haven't been there recently to confirm this.

adam

about 12 years ago 

Confirm. They have a space age machine that dispenses water.

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