Twenty Tap Reopens After Fire
Writer & Photographer / Stephanie Duncan
Your favorite SoBro taproom is back and ready to serve. After a minor kitchen fire closed Twenty Tap for about six months, owner Kevin Matalucci was able to remodel the kitchen and add a few updates to the main taproom. With the reopening, people were itching to get back inside.
“The support has been overwhelming,” Matalucci says when describing the over two-hour wait on the first day of reopening and said how he would have people stop by daily to check if it would be open soon.
“The attitude [on Twenty Tap closing] went from sympathy, empathy, to anxiousness, to anger” he laughs. Matalucci even had a handful of regulars take the day off and have coffee outside so they could be the first ones through the door when it opened.
Twenty Tap has been booming ever since reopening on Aug. 22, people are waiting to dine to show their support. Thanks to loss-of-income insurance, Matalucci was able to bring back all the staff.
“What I heard most when we were closed is that people missed the staff,” he says. “We are truly grateful for our staff and happy they are all back working with us.”
When you walk into Twenty Tap, you won’t notice any major changes, but they made some minor updates to freshen up the main dining area and bar. A fresh coat of paint, new sound panes, and the more noticeable new mural that was painted by an employee gives the bar a nice update. Along with the cosmetic changes, the real work was in the kitchen. The kitchen got a complete remodel by removing the drop ceiling for better airflow, moving some walls for more space and updated appliances.
Matalucci has been in the beer business for more than 20 years, formally being a brewer over at the Broad Ripple Brewpub.
“I’ve always loved the beer business and wanted to do something of my own and this bar is it”, he says. You can see his handiwork all over the bar, including all of the woodwork that was crafted by him.
So, let’s celebrate the return of a neighborhood staple with a brew. Located at 5406 N. College Ave, Twenty Tap has more than 20 beers (38 to be exact) that are constantly changing to fit the season. You can stop in for a beer, and their food is worth trying, too.
