The Tap, a popular local sports bar and restaurant has a new owner! Elisa Laufmann, affectionately known as “E” to her friends, has recently completed the purchase of the property, located at 704 Nevada Way (next to the Best Western Hotel). We talked to Elisa about her business background and plans for her latest venture in the hospitality sector.
Elisa has, in her words, “Always loved Boulder City. The human connection here is lovely,” and when the opportunity basically fell into her lap, she simply couldn’t resist. Buying a restaurant hadn’t been a goal of hers, but when she saw the potential of the venue, she snapped it up. She does have previous experience in the food and beverage industry; she’d worked as a server and bartender prior to opening her insurance business in Henderson.
Elisa has lived a number of places – Washington, Colorado, Oregon, and California, to name a few – but settled in Las Vegas in 2004. Along the way she discovered Boulder City and has been very impressed with our city and the various events offered here. “I’m excited to be here,” she told us. “I’m thankful for the support I’ve been given and I love Boulder City.”
One of the first orders of business was revamping both the food and drink menus. On the food side, she and her general manager, Tony, have taken all the traditional offerings and and raised the quality level by using fresh ingredients only. Even the sauce for the pizza is made in-house. We had the opportunity to taste some of the new offerings and jumped at the chance to give them a try.
The kitchen produced some fabulous samples for us to try. First off, the pizza is to die for! We had arugula and prosciutto and can confirm it is amazing! Don’t be afraid to try the peach habanero wings – there’s a lot of flavor with just the right amount of spice that will dazzle your tastebuds. The third menu item we tried were the carne asada tacos, where flavorful meat is paired with lightly fried avocados and topped with purple onions and a perfect kick of spicy aioli. Everything we tried was perfectly seasoned and delicious. The menu will also include other bar favorites and items for children. There are a number of beers on tap (find a current list HERE), and the craft drinks are beautifully assembled and served. The food is available for pickup by calling (702) 293-0532.
The family friendly space was undergoing physical renovations at the time of our visit, but the “Back Room” will still host Open Mic nights on Thursdays. This space also offers an ideal location for gatherings such as baby showers or engagement parties, sports teams get togethers, birthday and anniversary parties, and other special functions. This room will also host various PPV events like UFC and boxing matches. The restaurant still offers family style seating, and is the place to be for Las Vegas Raiders and Vegas Golden Knights games.
Another renovation that was underway is The Terrace at the Tap, where customers can enjoy a lush patio dining experience. It’s especially popular for Sunday brunch (served all day), with bottomless mimosas from 11:00AM to 2:00PM. The wrap around patio area is undergoing a makeover to make it an oasis in the desert. Please do make a note of the daily Happy Hours from 1:00PM to 6:00PM, Monday thru Thursday. They will offer a different food special each day and $2 off drafts. They offer quite a number of draft beers already, with plans to expand that even more in the coming months.
Elisa says most of the staff under the previous ownership has stayed on, making her transition into the ownership role seamless. She feels very blessed to have the team on board. She’s brought in other experts to help her keep the restaurant a destination for both visitors and locals and she’s got some great plans in store. We can’t reveal the details yet, but watch that space upstairs with the floor to ceiling windows for something special! It’s going to be a really special venue.
You can see some of the new food and drink offerings by going to The Tap’s Instagram page HERE, Facebook page HERE, or their website HERE. We wish Elisa and her team all the best in their new venture and encourage our readers to go check them out soon!
Photo courtesy of Elisa Laufmann
