International Tap House will open new spot on the Delmar Loop in 2021

International Tap House (iTap) has closed its Central West End location at 16 S. Euclid Ave., but a new location at 6217 Delmar Blvd. on the Loop is in the works for April 2021. 

Sean Conroy, co-owner with Brad Lobdell, noted a combination of factors led to the Central West End location’s closure in mid-April. “About a year ago, we were approached by the [new mixed-use development] Link in the Loop to open [an iTap at] Skinker and Delmar [Boulevards]. At that time, we were also trying to keep the Central West End location alive.” 

Rising rent prices, conflated with the sweeping effects COVID-19, ultimately caused the closure. “The road to recovery for bars and restaurants is a long and immense one, and even with our landlord eventually offering to stabilize rent prices, we knew we couldn’t [recover] at that location,” Conroy said. 

The pandemic was the final nail in the coffin. Conroy and Lobdell have always been interested in opening an iTap on the Loop. Conroy cited the Loop’s amount of foot traffic, its proximity to Washington University and the Pageant, and its established reputation as an entertainment district as enticing reasons for opening in the area. 

 “I think we’d add to the ambiance of the Loop,” Conroy said. “We love to partner with as many bars and restaurants as we can, and the Loop’s density of those establishments is something we’ve always looked for. When things get back to normal, we would be honored and humbled to enter into business there.” 

Much of the furnishings and decor from the Central West End location, which are currently in storage, will be put to use in the Delmar location.