Barking Dog Ale House

This is the final time I eat at this place, third time and they clearly have struck out with me.  My husband and I came here last night, and right from the inception I knew I should have just kept walking.  It seems the people who work here, clearly do not like it and are not into "customers" at all.  Sounds strange but true!  When I arrived I asked if it was okay if we sat outside and seated ourselves, and the busgirl looked at me in disgust and rudely told me to "go ahead", no hello or welcome of any sort.  Then our server appeared agitated to have to serve another customer outside.  She dropped menus of and reappeared 15 minutes later to get our drink order. We then ordered and  our food was served by a male we had never seen before . However, after he dropped our food down, no one ever came outside again... I wanted hot sauce and another drink, but our waitress just disappeared.  I had to go inside and get a drink from the bartender, and our unhappy/miserable waitress never apologized or asked how our meal was.  I didn't think Haverhill was so lacking in competent help.

As you enter the Ale House you notice the high ornate ceilings (it was formerly a bank) and a big bar that offers that sports bar "feeling" with big screen TV's and dark lighting.  Someone did a great job setting this place up; it's attractive, classy, inviting and clean. I sat at the bar and it was nice to see that it was not populated with a bunch of testosterone induced sports fans but a mix of young and old. It's a good place to bring a date or watch the game with a buddy.  

They have an extensive beer menu that takes a while to read but is informative. I had an excellent Pale Ale that was delicious. The food menu is traditional American fare: salads, steaks, pasta's, chicken and fish. This was my first time here and I'm usually weary of brew pubs because the food is usually an afterthought. To be safe, I ordered the Angus burger and it was very good, cooked medium, perfect (it's kind of hard to screw up a burger).  My friend had the baked fish and enjoyed it, didn't rave, but it was good. Prices are what you would expect for Haverhill; two people with drinks and our tab was $63.00.

The service from our female bartender was lousy. After waiting quite a while our bartender finally noticed she had customers (the bar was only half full). She brought water and asked if we wanted menus and then disappeared for several minutes. Meanwhile a couple came in sat next to us and got served immediately other by the other female bartender. It seems if you are friends with a bartender you get served before others that have been waiting. It's pretty bad to do that so blatantly. Upon returning our bartender asked again if we wanted menus and finally took our drink order. No enthusiasm, no smile, no pleasant interaction.  Not someone that I would want representing my business.

Overall, I'll try it again. Maybe they need to train their staff better...

My husband and I go here for beer and drinks at least twice a week. The beer selection is top-notch, and we can both easily find something to please our palates. You must try the fries pickles...they are the best ever. If we eat, I usually get the southwest chicken wrap or the chicken salad wrap. My husband likes the pub steak and fries. The service is great. The third floor has bigger TVs than those o the ground floor if you are looking to watch the game.