Tap House Grill - Westmomt

The Tap House Grill has 9 Chicagoland locations; I went to the Westmont location.

The Wing Joint:
The Tap House Grill; Addictive Food and Creative Brew is the slogan you'll find on the cover of this typical bar menu.  I hope its true, because the bar itself isn't much to look at.  That doesn't stop the family diners who take most of the tables tonight.  Must be about the food.  This laid back bar does try and class it up; a fireplace surrounded with couches and a wall mounted TV highlights the center of the dining area.  Large comfy booths along the wall with some small lamps and plants around to give it somewhat that homey feel.  Maybe I'm just trying to be nice.  Anyway, they have a ton of beer options and a even a beer club.  The beer of the month, Laginitus IPA on tap for $3.75, yes please.  In total, 36 draft beers, 8 bottles and 26 can options.  For $1 you can sample any of their draft choices too, except their featured drafts.  The menu is your typical bar fare filled with burgers, sandwiches, wraps, appetizers, and several side options including 4 types of fries.  But lets get to the only thing that brought me in, the wings.  With the 2015 Chicago Wing Fest right around the corner and there Sriracha Sweet Chili wings taking the crown in 2013 for best of festival and best exotic wing category, I had to try 'em...so lets order.

The Wing Review: 

Exotic (Sriracha Sweet Chili)

There are 4 wing choices: Samual Adams BBQ, Mild, Buffalo Hot, and Exotic (Sriracha sweet chili sauce).  So I went with Buffalo Hot and Exotic.  The plate of wings presentation looks delish and can't wait to dive in.  As always, the wings first.  The crispy breaded chicken wings are jumbo, meaty, and tender.  Nice and moist.  Temperature served was of course hot and right out of the kitchen, but not the steaming hot I like.  The sauce was coated on the wings nicely but that was all, hardly a drop of extra sauce on the plate, especially the Buffalo Hot.  More sauce please.  I would have asked for more, but the service was slow and didn't feel like eating cold wings.  Now for the flavors/sauce.  The Buffalo Hot is nice flavor and that's generous.  Its a little different then the average sauce and Ill give it an extra 1/2 star for going outside the norm.  The heat is low for a "hot" wing.  Sure the heat is there, but is it enough to be considered hot?  Not really.  Lets call them medium.  Additionally, all the tables do have Tap House Grill hot sauce you can add, but I didn't try it.  Maybe I should have, but I don't know, when the bottle looks sticky and like its been sitting on the table for awhile, doesn't look all that appetizing.  Moving on, to

Buffalo Hot

the award winning Exotic flavor is different.  The description is a Sriracha Sweet Chili sauce, its not to shabby.  I would describe it as a sweet mango sticky with a little bit of spicy.  The little spicy makes this a better wing flavor.  Not sure I would call these award winning but they are good.  I think if I ever came back, it would be for the Buffalo Hot.
Oh yeah, we also ordered boneless Mild sauce and its very average, but do yourself a favor and don't even order the boneless.  It was all breading and little meat.  Stick with traditional wings here.

Wing Night: Monday nights: Wings-Suds-Spuds 10 wings and fries for $5.00!


Side Notes:
+Another location with a great craft beer selection.
+Join the beer club for discounts.
- Service is a bit slow, had to ask 3 times for water and bill took awhile to arrive
-If a customer has had to much to drink, stumbling, talking obnoxiously loud and knocking his bar stool over multiple times, you may want to call him a cab and not serve him another drink.

Moment of Truth and Why:

Wing Order: Buffalo Hot (left), Exotic (right)

Overall: 3.5 Star Wings 
Temperature: 4
Size & Texture: 4.5
Sauce: 3
Overall Flavor: 3.5
Overall Heat: 3.5
Individual Sauces:
Buffalo Hot: 4
Exotic (Sriracha Sweet Chili): 3.5


There was a lot of hype walking to this joint, a previous Chicago Wing Fest winner for the Exotic wings, I expected something great.  Quite frankly I left a little disappointed.    If I was in a jury room, I can tell you these wings wouldn't walk away winning anything.  Wings clearly look great, but "don't judge a wing by the picture."  Buffalo Hot is the way to go.  Its not that the exotic was terrible, but does live up its award winning past.  I didn't have a chance to order the BBQ, perhaps next visit.  I live near by the Westmont location and drive by all the time, and this was still my first visit.  Does that say something about the appearance of a dark average looking bar on the outside?  Maybe...but like I said the only reason I came, was the wings.  Next time I'm on my way home from work and get the sudden wing craving, I would stop by again.  Sure, if I was on right street in the town of Westmont on Monday for wing night.  Hint hint, it would take a lot of circumstances for me to come back.  To harsh?  Let me know what you thing.

Join their beer club

Website: www.taphousegrills.com

Follow me on twitter @chicagowingman

Find me on the Untappd App "Chicago's Wingman to see what beers I'm drinking to wash down the wings I'm eating.

Always looking for a new wing joint, got a favorite wing joint?  Tell me about and I'll check it out.  Hope this helps and enjoy.  See you at Wing Fest 2015.