Tuesday, November 8th, 2011

Beer lovers rejoice — you have a new mecca on the Upper West Side.

MUW reader Jillian (photo above) reports that “On Tap” at the Columbus Circle/Time Warner Center Whole Foods is now open.

To be clear, this isn’t just a fancy retail beer shop. It’s a full-blown bar (with wine too) inside Whole Foods — the first of its kind at any WF location in the country.

On Tap officially opened last Thursday. Hours are from 11:00 am – 11:00 pm Monday through Saturday, and 12:00 – 11:00 pm on Sunday. It features ten beers on tap, 100 more in bottles/cans, eight wines, and seating for 45.

BrewYorkNewYork.com had this to say (and also has a photo slideshow):

Our first take? Holy crap, we’re in a beer bar in a grocery store! And it’s so well-executed that you kind of lose perspective that you’re in a Whole Foods. The vibe is a bit like a gastropub, with treated wood and shelves full of growlers. The service is a bit like a beer garden, with communal tables and food and beer ordered only at the counter, which doubles as a bar.

TappedCraftBeer.com adds this (along with their own photos):

It’s like a great little beer bar in the middle of Manhattan… Prices are within the expected range, but there are three great things that make this one of the best deals in Manhattan:

1. Four 5-oz pours are only $12
2. Any of over 100 beers in bottles/cans are for sale for consumption at the retail price. That’s right – no markup to order a 750ml The Bruery’s Mischief (at $12, it is A STEAL)
3. The staff, which was super-friendly, does not take tips (saving you at least $1 a beer)

It sounds odd, but I could actually see myself hanging out at Whole Foods for a few drinks. Perhaps On Tap can be added to the Upper West Side “Cheap-Ass Foodie Date.”

Speaking of booze… Thrillist just put up a post today (with photos) about the recently opened gastropub Slightly Oliver (511 Amsterdam, between 84th & 85th) — thanks to my sister and Kat for the link.

Per Thrillist:

Meet Slightly Oliver, an all-the-way-on-the-UWS bar that’s using an in-house chemistry set to create the cocktails of tomorrow, now open.

If Einstein were alive and actively playing the field, this is the kind of cozy workshop he’d do his courting in. Lots of brick. Lots of candles. And a glass-enclosed wine cellar/laboratory way in the back where every elixir, infusion, reduction and rum punch gets synthesized.

Here’s one of the Slightly Oliver interior pics from Thrillist — they’ve got five more on their site. Looks like a hipper version of the Bar Luna space it took over:

Filed under: Bars, Columbus Circle, Food & Drink, Going Out, Manhattan, New York City, News, NYC, Openings/Closings, Restaurants, Shopping, Things to do, Upper West Side, Upper West Side Blog, Upper West Side Date Stuff, Upper West Side Review, UWS 2 Comments »
Tags: 511 Amsterdam, Beer, beer bar, beer hall, Craft Beer, gastropub, New York City, NYC, On Tap, On Tap At Whole Foods, Slightly Oliver, Time Warner Center, TWC, Upper West Side, UWS, Whole Foods, Whole Foods Columbus Circle, Wine