Billiards & pinball in Trolley Square? Popular Wilmington bar undergoes major makeover.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the middle event room that acted as a buffer of sorts between Catherine Rooney's and Trolley Tap House in Wilmington hosted private parties and bands, but oftentimes got lost in the shuffle.

These days, it's a whole new ball game with a heavy emphasis on the game part.

Joe McCoy Jr., who purchased both properties in recent years following his parents' retirement, has transformed the stuffy, low-ceilinged banquet room into a bustling game room with more headroom.

Sure, Rooney's and Tap House are still drawing their regular crowds, but the new game room is already a draw of its own.

In addition to the games, the now-completed, yearlong project also took down a temporary wall that cut off the Tap House from the game room.

Now, a beer drinker sitting on their Tap House barstool can peek into the busy game room from their seat. And if they like what they see, they can now easily head over there using a newly opened connector.

With a new food menu and beer tap system as well, the 9-year-old Trolley Tap House has transformed into one of the more lively spots in town.

When the Wilmington bar arcade 1984 closed in the early days of the pandemic, McCoy mourned the loss, but also thought social activities like bar games would be in demand once things return to normal.

"I felt there was a gap left," McCoy says. "We lost a lot of that social interaction and it's a fun way to get people to come back out."

We spent some time at the new Tap House in recent weeks and here's what we found.

Play

The game room has had many uses over the years ranging from a private event space to a room for live bands, hosting everything from amped-up cover bands at night to more lower-key traditional Irish acts on afternoons and evenings.

Even so, it always seemed underutilized, considering it was a buffer of sorts between two bars with the same owner.

That was then. This is now.

The room, which has not been branded with its own name just yet, is now a man cave of sorts, jam-packed with throwback games and a blue-and-gold Tap House mural by Wilmington artist Francesco Iacono.

Among the activities:

• Bar-sized pool tables (2)

• Full-size shuffleboard table

• Foosball

• Half-court hoops

• Led Zeppelin pinball

• Arcade games including Golden Tee Live, NBA Jam Tournament Edition, Big Buck World, Mortal Kombat 4, Target: Terror, Ms. Pac-Man and Galaga.

In addition, a 120-inch drop-down screen is used on some nights, allowing patrons to play classic video games such as Super Mario World, Mario 64, Donkey Kong Country and Mario Golf 64, on the big screen.

Eat up

In addition to new games, Trolley Tap House has an overhauled menu under new general manager Ryan Terch, who first worked there as a bartender nearly a decade ago before returning last year.

During the warmer months, dogs are allowed on the outdoor patio that overlooks Delaware Avenue and there's a menu item just for the bar's four-legged fans. It's called Frosty Paws: a $3 "ice cream cup for the pup."

Here's a tasting of their main menu (for humans), which includes salads as well.

APPETIZERS:

• Chili Bowl: House Texas-style chili topped with cheddar jack and scallions $8

• Tipsy Trolley Mussels: Tossed in a roasted garlic butter beer broth and served with bread $14

• Pierogies: Potato and cheese filled pierogies with stout butter and caramelized onions $11

• Pork Belly Pincho Skewers: Marinated and seared pork belly glazed with blackberry Dijon $11

• Peel & Eat Shrimp: A dozen steamed jumbo shrimp tossed with either garlic parmesan butter, Trolley Tap House IPA, buffalo, Old Bay dry rub or Chesapeake Bay hot $18

• Trolley Tap House Crab Dip: Topped with candied bacon and frizzled jalapeños with soft pretzel rods $16

• Macho Nachos: Choice of smoked brisket or chili-dusted chicken, beer cheese, pineapple salsa, jalapeños, green onions and stout barbecue sauce $15

• Bavarian Pretzel: Giant Bavarian pretzel with a side of beer cheese, IPA mustard and sweet goat cheese cream $12

• Waffle Fry Boats: Your choice of regular or sweet waffle fries with various toppings $13-$15

• Wings: Ten wings per order tossed in your choice of Trolley Tap House IPA buffalo, stout BBQ, garlic parmesan butter, hot honey, Chesapeake Bay hot or "devil's sweat." Smoky spiced wings ($14), boneless wings ($12) and cauliflower wings ($11) are available.

SANDWICHES:

• Trolley Tap Tuna Tacos: Blackened ahi tuna seared rare with sweet and tangy slaw, banana peppers, scallions and sriracha aioli on corn or flour tortillas $14

• Pac-Man: Two 4-ounce smash burgers, Cooper Sharp American cheese, lettuce, tomato and pickles on a Conshohocken potato bun $12

• Donkey Kong: Two 4-ounce smash burgers, smoked Gouda cheese, thick-cut bacon, spicy pickles and stout BBQ sauce, Conshohocken potato bun $15

• Veggie Marsala Burger: Crispy house-crafted spiced chickpea veggie patty, power greens, tomato, lemon-avocado raita on a whole wheat bun $14

• The Wagyu: An 8-ounce Wagyu beef patty "seared not smashed" with candied bacon, Alouette spread, lettuce, tomato, sweet and sour onions on a Conshohocken potato bun $17

• Berry Gouda Chicken Sandwich: Blackened chicken, smoked Gouda, blackberry Dijon, pickled onions, lettuce, tomato on a whole wheat bun $15

• Big Dog: A quarter-pound all-beef hot dog, smoked brisket, beer-braised onions, IPA mustard and spicy relish $12

• Banh Mi Dog: A quarter-pound all-beef hot dog, banh mi vegetable “relish,” scallion chili mayonnaise, jalapeños, peanuts, cilantro and crispy shallots $10

• The Chill Dog: A quarter-pound all-beef hot dog, seasonal beer-buzzed chili, beer cheese fondue, tortilla hay ad hot peppers $10

DESSERTS:

• S’Mores Funnel Fries: Funnel cake fries, Fluffernutter, chocolate ganache, graham cracker crumbs $8

• Cheesecake Egg Rolls: Cinnamon sugar-dusted, creme anglaise, raspberry sauce, vanilla ice cream $8

Drink up

Trolley Tap House lives up to its name with a new 50-tap system with a rotating selection of 32 beers, cocktails and ciders on tap. (They have limited space in their downstairs walk-in cooler to fill all 50 taps, McCoy says, but could expand one day to use all 50 lines.)

Tap House has a featured local brewery each month holding down several of a tap handles, such as this month's beer-maker, Lewes-based Big Oyster Brewery.

Among their varieties currently on tap:

• Duckdive pale ale (6% ABV)

• Get Toasted Nitro s'mores porter (6.5% ABV)

• Schwarzbier (4.6% ABV)

• Fun & Games sour (10% ABV)

• For the Cookie stout (6.3% ABV)

• Solar Power Belgian blonde (5.9% ABV)

In addition, their signature seasonal cocktails this winter include:

• Skrewed Up Espresso Martini: Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey, hazelnut liqueur, Bailey’s irish cream, cold brew espresso, chocolate drizzle $12

• Tap House Brew: Jameson Cold Brew Whiskey, Kahlua, Smirnoff vanilla vodka, cold brew espresso over ice, topped with whipped cream $12

• Apple Spice Mule: Fireball Whiskey, winter spice simple syrup, ginger beer, apple cider $10

• Apple Crisp: Crown Royal apple, peach schnapps, apple cider served on the rocks or with warm cider $12

• Harvest Spritz: Bombay Sapphire gin, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, honey syrup, topped with champagne $12

• Winter White Shandy: Allagash White, fresh-squeezed orange juice, basil simple syrup $10

• Mack-Mosa: Smirnoff Vanilla Vodka, ginger beer, apple cider, topped with champagne and with a cinnamon sugar rim $11

• Rosemary’s Baby: Makers Mark bourbon, apple cider, rosemary simple syrup with a cinnamon sugar rim $11

• Cranberry Basil Margarita: Espolon tequila, triple sec, fresh-squeezed lime juice, basil simple syrup, fresh cranberries, splash of cranberry juice $11

• Trolley Seasonal: Smirnoff Citrus vodka, blackberry simple syrup, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, club soda $10

Live entertainment

If you want to see a cover band playing the hits to a party crowd, Catherine Rooney's is still your spot with bands playing from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. And when March rolls around, the traditional Irish bands will return, playing the main dining room as well.

It's over at Trolley Tap House where you have more interactive live entertainment options, drawing familiar faces week after week:

• Live Band Karaoke on Sundays. It's All Good, a local cover band, will back you up as you sing your lil' heart out.

• Music Video Bingo on Tuesdays. Newark-based Sightline Events tests your knowledge of music videos with video clips.

• "Geeks Who Drink" Trivia on Wednesdays. The popular general quiz night with sass is a big draw, filling just about every seat weekly.

Have a story idea? Contact Ryan Cormier of Delaware Online/The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier) and Twitter (@ryancormier).

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Trolly Square bar introduces game room, new menu to Delaware scene