On Saint Elmo to open in former Union Jack's space in Bethesda

On Saint Elmo, a restaurant and lounge, is taking over the vacant nightclub space formerly home to Union Jack's and TAPP'D at 4915 St. Elmo Avenue. This story has been developing since last May, when the space was leased to a mystery tenant. By July 2022, demolition of the interior of TAPP'D was underway, as well as what would be a lengthy interior fit-out for the new establishment. Now I can report the mystery tenant is On Saint Elmo. If you are familiar with any of the previous tenants here, you know the interior space is huge, so there is great potential for a successful nightspot at this location.

March 2023 construction progress

March 2023

Tapp'd Bethesda closed

Tapp'd Bethesda at 4915 St. Elmo Avenue has been closed for two days. No one is answering the phones, and no explanation is posted on the door or on social media. A Door Dash employee attempted to pick up an order that somehow was placed online Wednesday evening, only to find upon arriving that the gastropub was closed.

If Tapp'd Bethesda does not ultimately reopen, this will be the 17th bar to close in downtown Bethesda since the Montgomery County Council's disastrous Nighttime Economy Task Force initiative ended up tanking the nighttime economy.

Tapp'd Bethesda grand opening Wednesday

Tapp'd Bethesda, which has been in a soft-opening mode since Saturday afternoon, will officially open tomorrow, May 4, at 2:00 PM. The first 50 guests through the door will receive a ticket for a free draft beer of the 42 available. 100 bottled or canned beers are also sold at Tapp'd.

Samples of menu items will be available between 4:00 and 6:00 PM, and Tapp'd signature drafts will be $4 all day. Many of those beers are from the state of Maryland.

A pre-Civil War reclaimed wood bar top caps off decor designed to recall "the golden age of Bethesda and the nation," according to a press release. While dropping the DJ and dancing of predecessor Union Jack's, Tapp'd is keeping the state-of-the-art sound system and televisions for sporting events.

The target audience has shifted from college and recent graduates to "playful adults," with skee-ball, air hockey, foosball and pool providing entertainment. Late night happy hours will occur nightly, and live acoustic music will liven things up on weekends.

Tapp'd's logo incorporates the colors of the Maryland flag, and that is part of the establishment's branding. "We are excited to blend Maryland and Bethesda pride with great brews and food," general manager Robert Cousins said Monday. It will be one of the few nightspots to take advantage of the new 3:00 AM closing time in Montgomery County on Friday and Saturday nights; Tapp'd will close at 2:00 AM on all other nights of the week. 11:00 AM will be the opening time daily.

Signage installed at Tapp'd Bethesda (Photos)

Yesterday, I gave you a sneak peek of the beer list, menu and interior of the new Tapp'd Bethesda. Later in the day, the craft beer pub and restaurant installed its signage. Expect an opening in the coming days.

Tapp'd Bethesda could open in a few days (Photos)

Workers putting the finishing touches on Tapp'd Bethesda said they hope to open in as soon as a few days. The new craft beer pub and restaurant promises to carry 100 bottled beers, and 40 on tap. Inside, the new interior has a traditional feel that reflects the throwback imagery on display.

Among the brews in stock right now are Dogfish Head Romantic Chemistry, Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat, RavenBeer The Cask, Oskar Blues Old Chub Scotch Ale (Nitro), Jailbreak Big Punisher, Denizens Macadocious Maibock, Manor Hill IPA, Orkney Skull Splitter and Terrapin Rye Cubed. As you can tell, local craft beers are well-represented on the list.

Interesting menu items include the Old Bay-seasoned Chesapeake Brat, horseradish-stuffed and bacon-wrapped Bayou Shrimp, and Beer Can Chicken Pie. Finish your meal with a Bourbon Peach Cobbler or Spiked Root Beer Float.

Sounds like a good beginning for a fresh start at the former home of Union Jack's, at 4915 St. Elmo Avenue.

Banner posted at Tapp'd Bethesda

A banner was put up outside the future home of Tapp'd Bethesda, a taproom and restaurant opening soon at the former home of Union Jack's on St. Elmo Avenue. As I reported a few weeks ago, Tapp'd is from the same ownership as Union Jack's.

Tapp'd Bethesda promising 40 beers on tap, 100 in bottles

Tapp'd Bethesda, the new bar taking over the recently-vacated Union Jack's space at 4915 St. Elmo Avenue, has unveiled its logo. The owners are also making an ambitious promise, in light of the outdated and troubled Montgomery County Government liquor monopoly system. There will be 40 beers on tap, and a selection of 100 bottles.

The tap house expects to begin interviewing prospective employees in the next two weeks.

Logo design courtesy Tapp'd Bethesda

Tapp'd Bethesda to take over Union Jack's space

Tapp'd appears to be the new tenant taking over the recently-closed Union Jack's Bethesda space at 4915 St. Elmo Avenue. A source tells me that will be the name. After some investigation on my part, the new bar appears to be related to the ownership of the last one.

Union Jack's co-founder Gary Ouellette has indeed registered a domain, tappdbethesda.com. The website is not yet active as of this writing. As I reported yesterday, some parts of the interior are being demolished, but you'll notice that the bar remained untouched as of that evening.