Tommy’s Tavern + Tap
This past weekend the hubby and I treated ourselves to a movie and lunch out. We went to the dine in theater in the Staten Island Mall, but decided to stick to popcorn there, as the food had been disappointing in the past. Instead, after watching our movie, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (which was pretty awesome, but definitely a movie to set up other movies), we decided to walk out of the mall and over to Tommy’s Tavern + Tap. It is located outside the mall, but still on the premises, at 2655 Richmond Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10314, there website is https://www.tommystavernandtap.com/staten-island.
This was our first visit, and after hearing mixed reviews we were not expecting anything spectacular. Which is great, because we were both pleasantly surprised. I will warn you, if you are as indecisive as I am this may not be a good place for you, because the menu and specials menus are HUGE. It got to the point where I just had to pick something or we would both go hungry sitting in the restaurant.
We decided to start our meals with a soup and a drink. I ordered the chili which was pretty good, however it was more the consistency of chili you would put on a chili dog, and it definitely needed a few splashes of hot sauce. It is served with a large piece of super soft sweet corn bread, and a large serving of chips. My husband went with the French Onion soup, it is really the only soup he eats, and he said it was in his top 10 for best French Onion soups he has ever had.
He ordered a Blue Moon beer, which was cold and great because it was on tap. I ordered a ginger old fashioned because I was still a little under the weather. It was the perfect old fashioned. The little kick of ginger from the ginger whiskey was a great addition.
After enjoying our soups we were excited to see if our entrees would be as good. Let me tell you they did not disappoint, and everything came out hot and fresh. He ordered a buffalo chicken salad (no tomato or celery, and swapped out the ranch dressing for blue cheese), and it was also really satisfying. The salad was crisp and not wilted from the chicken, the heat on the chicken was just right, and the amount of dressing was enough for my husband who usually asks for extra. Because he had the soup before hand he even had enough salad for lunch the next day.
I decided to go for one of my favorite sandwiches, a Cuban. Now, I’m a bit of a brat when it comes to Cuban sandwiches and usually have things I don’t like. My only complaint here is that I would have preferred a little more roast pork. That being said, the bread was chewy and crunchy, the mustard was enough to add a kick, the ham enough to add some sweetness, and the pickles were super crunchy. I’ve had plenty of Cuban sandwiches but this one is in my top five (5). I got it with a side of fried pickle chips and couldn’t be happier. They were crunchy and vinegary and not greasy at all. I also had enough to take home for lunch the next day because the soups were large. See the delicious sandwich below, please excuse the missing bites, clearly I’m terrible at remembering to take photos.
In case you were wondering we will absolutely be going back. Usually I’m not one for chain restaurants but the TVs were low enough that we could still have a conversation at normal volume. The wait staff was very attentive, and the manager was at our table twice to just check in and make sure we were enjoying the food and were taken care of.
I would suggest giving Tommy’s a try. From what I hear lunch time is less busy, but maybe take a Lyft so you can grab a great drink too.
Enjoy!!