Distillery Tavern now Loaded Barrel in Bradenton, FL - Is that a good place, do they have food? - short review about our first visit

450  Old Main Street, Bradenton, FL  34205              Phone 941.745.TheD (8433)

(more photos at bottom of article)

We live close to downtown Bradenton and we actually picked our house for a good reason.

The fact that we can walk to restaurants and bars as well as the river, park and even across the river to Palmetto.

But because of lots of work and other obligations we really did not explore the new places and downtown in general lately.

So last week we figured we need to pick one place and check it out.

This time we visited:

The Distillery Tavern  on Bradenton Mainstreet.

I drove by there many times and it always looked nice and inviting. Not to big. Nice interior.

When we got there it was about 10 pm. Since it was a weekday we did not expect this place to be so full that we did not find a good seat on the bar.

When we entered we were greeted from a young lady who was helping customers on the other end of the bar. The bar is of good size and looks nice. The entire place is not huge. Just the bar and then some tables along the wall across from the bar. There is a couple games and a jukebox ( digital).  Also there were at least 3 large TV screens where they showed sports. It is nice to know that this place offers NFL, MLB and more.

We found a great spot right by the entrance. This side of the bar seats up to 4 people. A bonus from our point of view was the gaming machine, which Christiane loves to play. Card games and so on.

Couple minutes into our visit the bartender asked us what we like to drink after greeting us friendly. I opted for a Fat Tire ( a beer I always liked) , Christiane for the Angry Orchard Cider. Both were there in no time. Both were fresh, cold and good tasting. No doubt in my mind, they keep their pipes clean. We started playing on the machine and had a good time.

There was a constant flow of customers coming in and going out. Some stayed for longer. The patrons we saw when coming in were there for the most part of our visit. I saw people eating and then realized that there was a sign that this place serves pizza.

Not really hungry , but curious, I asked for the menu, which we did not need to order our drinks.

I was pleasantly surprised that they offered different pizzas, different sizes freshly made and you could pick toppings if you like. Best of all, they offered slices. Something I was excited about. A fresh slice is always good and rare in taverns, at least here.

The bartender checked frequently if we were OK and we ordered a second round.

When she came back again, she asked if we like some food and that the pizza of the day is a Polish Pizza with Kielbasa and Sauerkraut. I did not have to think twice for that one. We are German and I spend time in Poland and on top have polish friends.

Only about 7 minute later we got our slices. It looked great and was of good size. For 5 $ I thought it was great. We are very selective with pizza. Getting a pizza with a good dough here in the US is very , very seldom. Only few places actually know how to do it.

The great news: The Distillery in Bradenton knows!

This was the closest we came in a while to a good original Italian pizza dough. It tasted great. It was hot and the ingredients tasted fresh and not dry. Good tomato sauce and the cheese was perfect. Needless to say that the slice was gone fast.

If not on a diet at this point, I would have ordered a whole pizza, but I had to stop myself from doing that. Time was flying by and we needed to go home. We asked for the check and it took 1 minute to get. We spent about 25 $ which I thought was totally fair for the product and service. 

When we left we received a friendly farewell and it was done.

Summary:

The Distillery Tavern on Bradenton Main Street is a nice and comfortable place where you can sit and enjoy a good beer or drink, play games, listen to music and have a very good pizza or pizza snack. They have friendly service, good prices for what they offer and the place is clean and organized.

So if you like to have a drink, a beer or actually enjoy a nice pizza dinner without missing a tavern atmosphere, The Distillery Tavern in Bradenton on Main Street is a good place to go.

We will certainly be back. If you go there, share your experience or write a comment.

This view is from the inside of the Distillery towards the main entrance. We were sitting at the end of the bar by the gaming machine which is in the middle of this photo right by the door. 

They have a very good selection of liquor. We did not try any this time, but will and find out if they also can mix good drinks.