Tap on Mitchell

Mitchell Street would have to be the hub of tourism in Darwin with the strip’s eateries regularly packed to the hilt. The Tap is a modern and funky new addition to the competition, and is proving to be the top choice for a beer and burger any time between 10 in the morning and nine at night. The layout is an aesthetically pleasing, expansive, split-level deck, shrouded by the enormous branches of a beauty leaf tree that has been respectfully considered in the construction of the venue.

Unobtrusive laid-back tunes float through the leaves, keeping customers shaded and cool as they gaze at passers-by from low or high-rise silver metal tables. Head chef Jo-Jo Felise has assembled a menu with dishes that tip the scales on both quality and quantity.
The salads, including tempura prawn, crumbed crab claw and tempura scallop, come presented in an enormous salad bowl that you'll be hard pressed to scrape the bottom of. It takes skill to balance the menu's favourite, the big Aussie burger, back to your table. Stacked with every ingredient a burger has known, the big Aussie burger stands almost six inches high, packed with fresh greasy goodness. In keeping with the oversized theme, Illusion cocktails are served in fish-bowl sized glasses, that you can drown your sorrows in, literally.

Belinda King