Tapas & Beer

This place has truly stepped up its game. As somewhat of a secret find in Southern Orange County, Tapas and Beer scares many folks away by having a strip center location with a smoking patio on the front of the building. Once inside the vibe picks up as the small establishment features a few tables and bar across half of the restaurant. Music is usually uptempo and there are TVs with sports on. The beer selection is limited to about 12 taps and is a balanced but rotating mix of IPAs Stouts and Belgians. The food is excellent and the chef (yes not a cook) prepares a variety of moderately priced and highly flavorful options.

This is a local place but is growing in popularity as people discover it.

The specialty of Tapas & Beer lies in the name itself. Parking is plentiful within the strip mall that it is located, and the place itself is small. A funky zigzag bar winding to the right, several booths on the opposite end, a small gated patio in front of the restaurant, and a well organized liquor shelf behind the bar. Near the ceiling at the point between dining room and kitchen/bathrooms is a hand written list of available draft beers, listed with name, alcohol, and in some cases IBU's. No listed prices though!

A cozy selection of 13 taps run with beer. Among the breweries pouring were Flying Dog, Strand, Left Coast, Voodoo, Clown Shoes, Anderson Valley, Allagash, and Rough Draft. The list does rotate, which freshens the selection on separate visits. I ordered an Allagash Saison (first time that I can recall running into such beer). The good news was the value for money wasn't bad for said beer ($7 for 14 ounces is fair for any draft Allagash) ad tasted fresh. However, I received a cheater pint glass, no tulip or any alternative glassware which I may have expected.

It's known as Tapas & Beer, but I only stopped by for the beer. I'll have to give the tapas a try on a future visit.