The Fat Tap has all the right ingredients for a simple, fuss-free American diner. It dishes out carb-heavy, greasy burgers, ribs and hotdogs at prices anyone can afford—a half rack of hickory smoked pork ribs clocks in at B450.

There’s a self-serve craft beer fridge in the corner packed with all the favorites Bangkok beer heads have come to know and love (from as low as B120), a 12-tap range behind the bar (from B130/half; B225/pint) and you can grab bottles of Asahi for a mere B75 during the 5-7:30pm happy hour.

The owner is a friendly American who loves to talk about their homemade cheese curds and spice rubs while cracking you a beer tableside.

The bare concrete interior, wobbly wooden tables, exposed Edison bulbs and wall of old kegs really does make it feel like the type of relaxed, hole-in-the-wall American joint we secretly love. But the busted-up diner vibe only works alongside fresh, simple and irresistible food. Sadly, The Fat Tap really stumbles here.

We were thrilled to hear they use homemade cheese curds in the poutine (B260)—the key to getting the obscure Canadian dish right—but we just wish the gravy wasn’t so sloppy, tasteless and stuffed with onions. The homemade hickory spice rub on the half-rack of ribs fairs better flavor-wise. The meat peels off the bone like it should, too. Too bad it’s too dry to eat without guzzling beer bite-for-bite—thank god for the delicious side of creamy slaw.

Most of the food falls short for two reasons: strange flavors and bad preparation. The taste of oregano and Italian seasoning dominates the otherwise bland mac & cheese (B180). What a shame—it’s one of our favorites when done right.

The Lord of the Wangs (a pork hot dog wrapped in onion rings and slathered in mustard and barbecue sauce, B210) is one of the better tasting hot dogs we’ve had, so long as you remove the crumbly, dry onion rings from the mix—go for the regular dog instead.

The Fat Tap was intended to be a counterpoint to Thonglor and Ekkamai’s increasingly pricey hi-so food—a place where anyone and everyone is welcome. That’s a homerun when done right. The skeleton is here, but the food needs a facelift if they expect to pull business away from other restaurants in the area.

This review took place in April 2018 and is based on a visit to the restaurant without the restaurant's knowledge. For more on BK's review policy, click here.