Tap & Barrel celebrates eight years in Coal Harbour
By Brandon Yip, Senior Columnist
One unique trademark at all three Tap & Barrel locations is their library. It provides an aesthetic quality, which makes you feel like you are dining inside a high-class fancy book emporium.
Tap & Barrel first opened on August 8, 2013. Their official Instagram account posted a message to celebrate the anniversary: “Thank you to our friends and family for supporting us as we continue to push the boundaries in hospitality and showcase the best that our community has to offer. Here’s to you!”
The Coal Harbour location is close to downtown Vancouver, Canada Place, and the Convention Centre. In addition, the patio which is located north and south in Jack Poole Plaza offers incredible waterfront views of the Burrard Inlet and the North Shore Mountains.
According to the restaurant’s website, the Tap & Barrel Convention Centre has 36 BC craft beer taps and 20 BC wine taps. It also has free Wi-Fi and televisions for your sporting pleasure. The restaurant also offers a private dining room (The Barrel Room) that can be reserved for large groups.
Daniel Frankel is the founder and CEO of the Tap & Barrel Group. The restaurateur owns six locations including three Tap & Barrel restaurants (Olympic Village, Convention Centre, and Shipyards). He also owns Tap Shack, Bridges on Granville Island, and Brewhall with more plans to expand. “While we are very proud of everything that we’ve accomplished at our Convention Centre location, we are even more proud of the growth of Tap & Barrel as a whole,” he said in an email interview with the Other Press. “Since opening, we have become a favourite neighbourhood restaurant that brings people together to create meaningful and memorable experiences. We now have three Tap & Barrel locations in addition to two other brands (TAPshack [and] BREWHALL) and will be opening two new Tap & Barrel locations in 2022.”
Frankel takes pride in the preparation of the food. He states there are a few menu items that have remained since their opening and continue to be favourites amongst their guests. “These include our Tap Burger, PB&J Burger, and award-winning Famous Fried Pickles,” he said. “In addition, we have an amazing Hummus & Za’atar Flatbread that has evolved over the years but uses my mom’s hummus recipe. More recently, we have diversified our offerings and our Executive Chef of Culinary Development has really raised the bar, taking healthful comfort food to the next level with dishes like our Blackened Chicken Rice Bowl and Miso Maple Salmon.”
One unique trademark at all three Tap & Barrel locations is their library. It provides an aesthetic quality, which makes you feel like you are dining inside a high-class fancy book emporium. Frankel explains why having a library was important: “This came from my passion for and commitment to celebrating both art and education,” he said. “I grew up with tons of books in our house, and my mom always encouraged us to read. This comforting symbol made its way to our restaurants to inspire learning and creativity. Books also make beautiful art. The libraries allow guests to read while visiting our locations or take a book home and return it at a later date.”
Like the old saying: don’t mess with success, and Frankel does not plan to. He states that his focus will be on the opening of two new Tap & Barrel locations next year, and additionally he anticipates continuing to deliver top-notch food and beverages while providing customers with the best dining experience: “[We want] to continue to be the local’s favourite neighbourhood restaurant with the best waterfront views in the city, coupled with one of the largest local craft beer and wine lists, but most importantly, to push excellence through true hospitality; to inspire togetherness at a time when the world needs it most.”
