Is there any better feeling than walking through the doors of a local watering hole and seeing countless draft beers on tap, the smell of burgers, and NFL football flashing on surrounding TV screens? Not if you’re a football fan. Football season is here, and the place to spend the season is at Twenty/20 Taphouse, in Somerset, New Jersey.
And this is not just about Sundays. The establishment’s football menu includes discounted food and alcohol for customers anytime there is an NFL game.
“We also have a fun event for our Monday night guests,” said Nick DeLuca, general manager. “New Trail Brewing Broken Heels IPA donated football jerseys to raffle off for each Monday night game. So we have a jersey from all 16 teams—stitched, not screen printed. We’re raffling those to customers who order New Trail.”
Here’s a look at the Oktoberfest and pumpkin beers, here for the fall.
- Lancaster Brewing’s Baked Pumpkin Ale
- Southern Tier Brewing’s Caramel Pumkin
- Spaten’s Oktoberfestbier
- Torch & Crown’s Loreley Oktoberfest
- Ship Bottom Brewery’s Oktoberfest Lager
- Mighty Squirrel Brewing’s Oktoberfest Marzen
- Jersey Cyclone Brewing’s Dirndls and Lederhosen Festbier
Food Favorites
While many customers are satisfied with draft suds, hefty burgers, and sports on the tube, Twenty/20 caters to a wide variety of guests.
“We serve beers and great burgers. The menu is diverse and approachable. We serve a little bit of everything. It’s an American-style taphouse with vegan and vegetarian items, too,” said DeLuca.
We asked DeLuca to name his favorite menu item. “For me, it’s the Firestarter Burger,” he said. “I like the spice, with pepperjack, bacon, and jalapeños, on a fire bun that’s baked with red pepper flakes.” He noted that the best-selling burger is the Taphouse Signature, with bacon, gouda, BBQ sauce, onion straws, and an over-easy egg on a sesame brioche bun.
The eatery also serves double-fried jumbo wings, which DeLuca says the chef “knocks out of the park.” Since Twenty/20 launched its new menu a couple of months back, customers have also been loving the restaurant’s giant charcuterie board.
“It feeds four people for $30 bucks,” said DeLuca. “And it has the works: prosciutto, salami, soppressata, pepperoni, sharp cheddar, smoked provolone, goat cheese, bleu cheese, olive tapenade, cornichons, apricot jam, grapes, apple slices, honey, almonds, crostini, garlic naan, and flatbread crackers. It’s dynamite. Everyone who’s ordered it so far loves assortment and the value.”
The Bar
It’s time to belly up. Twenty/20 has a well-equipped bar with 15 standard draft beers and another 15 rotating drafts that change seasonally, like the pumpkin beers for fall and festbier styles.
At Twenty/20, customers will take advantage of the new beers on draft with opportunities to try $12 beer flights.
“We have a mini-Woodford [Reserve bourbon] barrel. So, we age it for 40 days in house. Plus, we have a tap machine that does espresso martinis with tequila. We make a batch and sell them—always cold, right from the lever.”
“We do some infused tequila and vodka bottles. We’ll change what we infuse it with every so often,” said DeLuca. Right now, we’ve got cucumber and jalapeno-infused Casamigos as well as Tito’s with apples. We’ll serve that over ice with club soda.”
The Team, The Place, The Community
DeLuca made sure to shout out the people he works with. He notes that they have created the Twenty/20 experience.
“They give great service,” he said. “We all know the regulars. But we make everyone feel welcome whether they come in from the hotel next to us or from the local community.”
The restaurant and bar have patios on the front and back deck as well as on the roof. During the warmer months, customers will see a bar truck outside next to games like cornhole, giant Jenga, and a lounge area with couches. The back deck features a smaller patio with fire pits for cooler nights.
Nick DeLuca and his team can also be seen representing the community at local charitable events.
“We do a lot with the Franklin Food Bank,” said DeLuca. “We donate 10 full turkeys with full dinner meals to five families of four people. And we do that every year. We also collect canned goods. Every year, we’re part of a big event at the hotel next door, where we serve food all day for a great charitable cause. We want to be present in our community.”
In the interview, DeLuca emphasized working hard, putting family first, and keeping tight relationships with the people he works with.
Getting There
“We are not off the main road,” DeLuca said. “Get off I-287 onto Easton Ave. and turn up Cedar Grove Lane to get to us. Sometimes, by the time you see us, you’re passing the entrance. But we’re in with the hotel, and we have plenty of parking spots with a lot that wraps around the bend here, too.”
Twenty/20 Taphouse
18 Cedar Grove Lane
Somerset, New Jersey
