Work nearly finished on The Tap House's expansion in downtown Rochester
After several months of work, the expansion of The Tap House bar in downtown Rochester is nearly complete.
The bar's owners expect to have a new first-floor seating area open just in time for this week's Thursdays on First and 3rd. The space is located in the former Downtown Kitchen, which closed in March to make room for the expansion.
A second outdoor patio, located to the east of the original rooftop patio, opened to the public earlier this month. Combined, the two new spaces will give The Tap House an additional 100 seats, nearly doubling the bar's capacity.
The establishment, which first opened in 2012, is also in the process of adding a full kitchen. The new menu will include bar snacks like sandwiches, tacos, nachos and wings. The kitchen could open as soon as next week.
Both of the new seating areas are available for private parties. To make matters a bit more fun, the downstairs addition will also include a new photo booth.
The Tap House's expansion follows a series of changes to the neighborhood, including the openings of Grand Rounds Brewpub to its east and Half Barrel Bar and Kitchen to its west. Historic Third's newest restaurant, Terza, opened last month and plans to have its new rooftop bar ready by August.
But rather than view the new businesses as a threat, Tap House co-owner Christine Stahl told the Med City Beat that the new neighbors actually benefit her business by increasing the amount of foot traffic downtown.
"People always ask: 'When some place new opens, are you nervous?' But it's not that way at all," said Stahl. "Business brings business. The more people that are down here the better."
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(Cover photo: The Med City Beat)
