Tapville Social self-pour taproom, restaurant opens in Strip District
Be your own bartender at a new drink and dining destination in the Strip District.
Tapville Social opened Monday, offering 32 beers and 16 wines lining a wall offering a self-pour tap experience.
The nationally franchised eatery offers plenty of food and a full-service bar for those who don’t want to pour their own and a variety of “flights,” small tastings of various alcoholic drinks, like the Lemonade Flights of mini-margaritas.
Advertising a “socially-driven dining experience,” the concept encourages trying different drinks and mingling among other patrons while pouring your own libations.
“We had been looking for a while to do something like this and I came across the Tapville Social in Wexford. We visited the one in Chicago and he and his team were very welcoming. We loved the concept,” said co-owner Sheila Durmis of Irwin.
Sheila and her husband, Denny Durmis, were looking for another restaurant opportunity in the Pittsburgh region.
The high school sweethearts spent a lot of time scouting leasing options around Pittsburgh to find the best fit for their second restaurant venture.
The couple owns Moe’s Southwest Grill in North Huntington, Westmoreland County.
“Growing up, we loved visiting the Strip. I would go to get flowers at the terminal and go to see the Regatta and now it’s truly a totally different atmosphere, so that was attractive to us,” said Sheila Durmis.
Seating is available for almost 240 patrons and there’s an outside patio.
The pour-your-own concept for customers is made easy with a “pour pass” issued to each customer via their credit card tab. The patron can self-pour using the card and is charged per ounce of beer or wine.
Servers wait on the customers seated at dining tables, but if a customer wants to get their refill themselves, they can just visit the tap and avoid any delay.
The Tapville Signature Burger ($18) is made with a half pound of fresh ground sirloin, chipotle mayo, monterey jack and pepper jack cheeses, smoked applewood bacon, crispy onion straws and a side of Tapville sauce.
Bites include crispy avocado ($12), beer-battered pickle chips ($11) and Wisconsin cheddar curds ($14).
The Cajun pasta ($25) is a Tapville specialty featuring Gulf shrimp, Italian sausage, red peppers, red onions, poblano-cream served over cavatappi.
Salads, handhelds, desserts, entrees (served after 3 p.m.) and shareables round out an extensive menu that includes Pittsburgh menu-must-haves such as The Pittsburgh Salad ($15) and Guinness-battered fish and chips ($18).
Denny Durmis said the busy Strip District is ideal for their business plan as customers can just walk in, although reservations are accepted.
“We’re getting a lot of walk-ins and we are getting out-of-town traffic because we are near hotels,” he said. “We chose the Strip because of its rebirth. It’s up and coming and we’re excited to be a part of that.”
Tapville Social is located on Smallman Street in Vision on 15th, a new mixed-use commercial building.
A second Tapville Social under different franchise ownership opened in 2022 in Wexford.
Joyce Hanz is a native of Charleston, S.C. and is a features reporter covering the Pittsburgh region. She majored in media arts and graduated from the University of South Carolina. She can be reached at jhanz@triblive.com
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