Manito Tap House blew up the Spokane restaurant scene in fall of 2011. Opened by owners Patrick McPherson and Denise Hanson, their goal was to bring the best beers to Spokane beer drinkers, paired with a food menu featuring elevated pub fare to meet the quality and standard of the beer, all while aiming to maintain an eco-friendly gastropub. And they have done just that.
Manito Tap House was the first restaurant or bar in Spokane to clean their draft lines according to the Brewers Association’s Draft Quality Manual. They have 50 tap handles of which 80 percent are rotating, more than 70 bottles of rare beer, an entire serving staff of Certified Beer Servers and a Certified Cicerone. Beer is taken seriously at Manito Tap House.
Manito offers patrons a relaxed neighborhood vibe while serving upscale pub food, made from scratch, utilizing local and regional purveyors whenever possible. Their beef comes from Gebbers Cattle in Brewster, Washington, and is hormone and antibiotic free, while some of the produce comes from the local cooperative, Linc Foods, as well as from Manito’s plot at their neighborhood community garden. You can’t get much fresher than that! The menu changes seasonally, with a new fresh sheet offered every two weeks.
One distinct way Manito stands out against all area restaurants is the fact that they are a 4 Star Certified Green Restaurant. Manito Tap House and The Blackbird are the only Certified Green Restaurants in Spokane!
With the success of Manito Tap House, Patrick and Denise decided to open a second restaurant, The Blackbird Tavern + Kitchen, in summer of 2015. Like its sister restaurant, The Blackbird is a Certified Green Restaurant with a 3 Star rating. Everything on the menu is from scratch using local and regional ingredients as much as possible, and they have the same standards for beer service including draft line cleaning and staff education. The interior of The Blackbird is more upscale than Manito, with a mix of old and new decor utilizing materials from the dairy that came before it. The food is primarily based on Chef Molly Patrick’s Southern-Georgian roots, with traditional Southern food menu items and Southern-fusion creations. To complement the food, guests can choose from more than 150 rare and imported bottled beers.
Even with the growing success of both Manito and The Blackbird, Patrick and his staff continue to build their businesses on customer service, continually striving to do better and offer excellence! As he says, “I’m proud of our staff, our dedication to beer and quality food, and our Certified Green Restaurant status.”
Manito Tap House
South Hill
3011 S. Grand Blvd.
509.279.2671
The Blackbird
Tavern + Kitchen
Downtown
905 N. Washington St.
509.392.4000
