Timberwood Tap House is Not Half Bad

Dylan Cox, staff writer

A quintessentially quintessential American restaurant, Timberwood Tap House makes for a surprisingly good dinner. Upon entering the restaurant, one cannot help but assume that this is just another typical franchise with nothing special to offer. The dinner menu offers cliché sounding dishes such as the Clint Eastwood or Al Capone burger. Such names disheartened me, thinking that I had stumbled into another Chili’s or TGI Friday’s. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Dinner starts at 4 p.m., and the menu is surprisingly small. I ordered a sweet tea and the Goat Cheese Custard for an appetizer. The service was polite, quick to serve, and the crowd was sizable which boded well. Once I was served the appetizer, I was surprised that it didn’t look or taste like something from those other carbon-copy chains. Since I was dead set on writing a negative review, I inspected that dip and found nothing wrong. In fact, I practically inhaled the dish and lusted terribly for another bite.

For the entrée, I wanted something that would punch me in the face, something that would be so bad that I would have to ask for my money back. I ordered the Chuck Norris burger which came with mushrooms, onions, swiss cheese, pickles, coleslaw, and all the typical dressings. Though I cannot stand red onions, I was disappointed that my taste buds fell in love with this burger. It was greased to perfection and assaulted my mouth in all the right ways.

Though I did not buy the Steak Frites or New York strip, because I am a poor college student, I was delighted with my outing, only having spent around thirty dollars. If you are a masochist like me, looking for a complete disappointment, don’t go here. You will keep coming back and keep tipping generously.

Timberwood Tap House is located at 245 Merchant Walk Ave, Charlottesville, VA 22902. They are open every day from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., except Sunday where they open at 10 a.m..