MANITO TAP HOUSE, located on the South Hill, celebrated their sixth anniversary this past fall.
Opened by owners Patrick McPherson and Denise Hanson, this 4 Star Certified Green Restaurant has
been treating patrons to the best beers 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.
Guests will find 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. In 2017, CraftBeer.com (the Brewers Association’s website) named Manito Tap House the
Best Beer Bar in Washington State. Manito offers patrons a relaxed neighborhood vibe while serving
upscale pub food, made from scratch, utilizing local and regional purveyors whenever possible. The
menu changes seasonally, with a new fresh sheet offered every two weeks.
With the success of Manito Tap House, Patrick and Denise decided to open a second restaurant in
the summer of 2015, The Blackbird Tavern + Kitchen. Like its sister restaurant, The Blackbird is a
Certified Green Restaurant with a 4 Star rating. After nearly three years in business, The Blackbird is
reinventing the atmosphere and cuisine to offer Spokane a truly traditional taste of the South. “We
said from the start we wanted to change concepts every few years,” says Patrick. “[We] have the energy
and expertise with our team that we want to take [The Blackbird] to another place and try something
different.”
With a love and passion for barbecue, both Patrick and Executive Chef Molly Patrick, a native of
Macon, Georgia, the new menu will offer traditional smokehouse barbecue from the South (including
brisket, pork, jackfruit, hot links, spare ribs, chicken and more), and wood-fired smokers will run at
The Blackbird 24 hours a day. To complement the new menu, guests will still be treated to more than
150 rare and imported bottled beers, with the same standards for beer service as Manito. In addition,
guests will walk into a louder, less formal, casual and fun restaurant.
Patrick, who is a certified cicerone and publican, is in charge of the cellar as well as writing the beer
menus at both locations. Beers are cellared at both locations as well as an off-site temperature-con trolled cellar. “We have so many great beers—some of which we had to drive to the breweries to pick
up. We also are cellaring a firkin (cask beer) from Great Britain that will be 10 years old on Manito Tap
House’s 10th birthday. We can’t wait to crack that in four years!”
“Our knowledgeable staff and our beer selection certainly sets the Manito Tap House apart. At both
locations, we require all of our servers and bartenders to be Cicerone ®Certified Beer Servers. At the
Blackbird, some of the things that help differentiate us are our cocktail program and our new wood-
fired Southern cuisine. Our bartenders infuse about 20 different liquors, anything from strawberries
to cardamom.” He adds, “We’re most proud of the fact that we try to not cut corners, whether it’s with
food or beer. Integrity is paramount to everything we do.”
What are you waiting for? Head to Manito Tap House or The Blackbird Tavern + Kitchen for the best
beer—and food—in town.
Manito Tap House
South Hill
3011 S. Grand Blvd.
509.279.2671
The Blackbird Tavern + Kitchen
Downtown
905 N. Washington St.
509.381.2473
