Tap Tap Haitian Restaurant

09/24/09

Mixed feeling

by KenFelix

I've been going to TapTap for probably 4 years now. More so in the last 2 years. Decor, atmosphere and drinks are top notch. A sip of Le Rhum Barbancourt on the rocks or a tall Mojito makes the cut all of the time.

Where TapTap drops the ball, is with the food. Most dishes outside of the Griot or Spinach, is a gamble. I think they go thru chefs on a regular basis. Some days/nights you get a dish that's 101% great that you rave about and refer to your friends and relatives. Then next month, it taste about as lame & exciting as a cup of cold soup off the streets of Port-de-Paix.

The music is always A+, and the band really let loose when Manno is out of town. The place also has great air with little to no smokey feel. Never too hot or too cold.

Areas of improvement , would be to change up the menu, brings back some of the more ethic foods and keep the good chefs. Also bring back the taller stools.

• Pros: Spinach in coco sauce, grilled goat shoulder ,music
• Cons: slow food service, the chefs R not consistent

08/31/08

Wonderful stimulation for the brain and the palate !!!

by luvanursetoday

Extremely stimulating decor meets with luscious ,savory appetizers--pumpkin soup,bullion soup and special creamy spinach.Our meals included stewed chicken in which my 9 y/o son couldn't get enough of the broth--he dipped the crusty fresh bread many times over and by the way,the chicken was "falling off the bone".My husband had the oxtail which was just as tender and in a light barbeque flavored sauce.Plantains were fried ever so lightly with no hint of greasiness .Next time we go ,we will try the fritters as recommended by a returning patron who said they're the best !!( Even the ginger tee was so unique and very refreshing. )Well worth the trip----from ANYWHERE !!!

• Pros: Unbelievable artwork,delicious food , reasonable prices
• Cons: none found

11/12/06

Fascinating decor, avoid the fried goat appetizer, noisy and overall disappointing

by dpennsobe

We dined at Tap Tap on a recent Saturday evening. I see from the other reviews, and know from the raves of the friends we dined with who are big fans, that Tap Tap has a very loyal following. As a novice to Haitian cuisine, here are my objective observations:

1. The hostess had no idea if other members of our party had been seated or not when we arrived, although she did have a reservation book with their name. She also had no idea where we might park. Perhaps this is just a cavalier, unconcerned, shabby chic style that I'm not getting, but I've never encountered this anywhere before.

2. The decor was fascinating to me, as was the music. Both were very loud though. Again, culturally this is likely what they were striving for so I respect that.

3. The fried goat was disgusting, greasy, tough and without any flavor. I'm an adventurous diner but this was awful (everyone at the table agreed).

4. The whole grilled snapper was delicious. Everything else was mediocre at best. My blackened grouper was a very small portion, not very blackened and a bit dry, served with a mound of dirty rice and fried green plantains. The hot dipping sauce was the highlight on my plate.

5. The kitchen doesn't communicate with the servers and no one seems to mind. We ordered side orders of spinach in coconut milk (our friends raved about this side dish). When our entrees were served our server told us the spinach would be out shortly. It wasn't. Finally we asked a busboy and he said "oh, the kitchen is out of spinach." When we asked our server about this 10 minutes later, he said "that's probably right, if he said so" but offered no alternative! We coaxed him into two sides of okra. He informed us at the end of the meal (around 11pm) that the evening had been extremely busy and the kitchen had run out of nearly everything - including rice.

6. This place has tons of character, but I'm not sure we will give it another chance given the above. Disappointing.

• Pros: Interesting ambiance and decor; representative Haitian dining experience we?re told
• Cons: Goat was disgusting, skimpy grouper portion, kitchen out of everything, inattentive service