Dec. 14, 2023

Approaching its 10th anniversary, a Sioux Falls bar known for burgers, beer and bourbon has expanded its menu and made a few cosmetic improvements.

At TapHouse 41 on the north side of the Western Mall, burgers are “still our jam,” said supervisor Brent Abdouch, who has worked for the WR Hospitality bar since it opened in January 2014.

“We took a few of our burgers off and added a few new burgers,” he said. New offerings include green chile, jalapeno popper and crab mornay with an added fried crab cake.

A “stack your own” section lists the ingredients customers can pick to customize their own burger.

And no worries: The popular duck fat fries haven’t gone anywhere.

For the first time, chislic is on the menu. “Being that everyone comes to South Dakota and wants to try chislic, we added that,” Abdouch said.

Other new menu items include calamari, birria grilled cheese, a chicken queso sandwich and mac-and-cheese with a Fat Tire beer cheese sauce.

Since it opened, TapHouse 41 has offered only one salad: the Burger Salad. Now, there are several options, including fried crab and falafel salads and petite Caesar, strawberry spinach and simple, which is actually more gourmet than it sounds with mixed greens, roasted tomato, sliced apple, brie and a vinaigrette.

While chef specials have become less frequent while the kitchen crew gets comfortable with the new menu, diners still will find occasional treats like chicken and waffles or an Old-Fashioned creme brule.

The drink menu also was updated to highlight cocktails that use liquors other than bourbon and the bar’s wine options – offerings that have always been available but got little attention, Abdouch said.

That little change has led to more sales.

“We’ve had to order more glassware,” he said, noting that offerings like the Lemon Drop martini and Cosmopolitan “aren’t revolutionary … but they sell.”

The signature bourbon selection at TapHouse 41 includes top-shelf offerings and some that are rare or antiques, Abdouch said. A chalkboard lists the more unusual ones.

The bar has 24 taps for beer and hard cider, and offerings change frequently.

“We try to represent as many styles of beer as we can,”Abdouch said. “There’s aways something on the menu that should appeal to a beer drinker or something new that they haven’t tried.”

While there are some beers made by breweries in places like California and Michigan, most are regional, he said.

The bar was closed for a couple of weeks in the summer for the remodeling project, and “then we were still doing plenty after we reopened. We just didn’t want to be closed for too long,” he said. “Everything is done now. It took a little longer than expected, but it’s done, and it looks great.”

The overall atmosphere of the bar is still the same, Abdouch said. The tables are new, and the booths and barstools have more comfortable cushions, he noted. The concrete floor has been covered with wood-looking tiles.

The wall behind the bar is new and features improved lighting.

An added half-wall partition that also serves as a banquette between the kitchen and dining area provides better separation, he said.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Customers must be 21 or older.