Review: Tappeto Lounge in Kidderminster
As someone who grew up in Kidderminster, I have seen first-hand the changes the area has been through over the past 20 years. However, I feel that in recent years, the food options in the town became a bit…boring.
Nothing new was opening and we were all stuck to our ways in the restaurants we had grown attached to. So, when I heard that a brand-new place was opening next to the river in the sought-after Weavers Wharf, I knew I had to check it out.
Tappeto Lounge is part of the Loungers group, which was founded in Bristol back in 2002. However, this isn’t your standard chain restaurant. Each venue looks completely different thanks to the incredible décor, with hand painted tables and walls covered top to bottom in quirky art and vintage prints, with the room dimly lit.
The décor is just one of the aspects that makes the restaurant so appealing, as it makes you feel instantly at home.
The restaurant itself is large, and on a busy Friday night was absolutely packed, with revellers enjoying food inside and others sipping cocktails in the sunshine outside. We started our night with a round of cocktails, with myself choosing a Cherry Bakewell and my guest opting for a Long Island Ice Tea, which were both delicious.
The restaurant has an impressive menu with very reasonable prices, with mains including noodles, steak and Mexican inspired dishes. There are also a wide selection of burgers and sides, and a noticeably large range of vegetarians and vegans. However, we decided to choose three tapas choices each.
I chose Roasted Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash, Spinach and Goat’s Cheese Croquettes and Pork Belly Squares, with a side of sweet potato fries and ciabatta. My guest opted for the Patatas Bravas, which are potatoes with roasted garlic mayo, Salt and Pepper Squid and Terriyaki Chicken Skewers. With us both picking at each other’s options, we were whisked away into a food coma. Our tapas dishes were cooked beautifully and were incredibly enjoyable, as well as filling.
The staff at Tappeto Lounge are really what make it such a warm and welcoming place. Each staff member we met knew the menu very well, the history of the company and were very efficient.
However, there were a handful of issues during the night. One was two of our dishes not showing up and us having to ask two different members of staff for them. The other was that you have to order at the bar, which isn’t the end of the world, but difficult on a busy night when you are waiting in a queue for up to 15 minutes to just order your food.
Despite the issues, my experience at Tappeto Lounge was wonderful. It was great to see locals enjoying the new venue and the chilled atmosphere of the restaurant made it just what I needed after a busy week at work.
Because of the clever layout, the restaurant is also the sort of the venue where you can enjoy drinks over a catch up and not feel like you need to eat – although I would thoroughly recommend giving the menu a go, as well as the cocktail menu which had a huge variety to try. The restaurant also has a kids’ menu and activities for children to do, making it a family-friendly place.
Tappeto Lounge is currently the talk of the town in Kidderminster, but it is easy to see why. If you live in the Wyre Forest, it is somewhere you must try immediately before everyone hears about it!
Rating: 8/10
