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.
Review Source: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. Â 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. Â
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). Â 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. Â 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.
Review Source:The Barking Dog takes over the old George's space, which in turn took over an old bank building. This makes the setting for the main bar and dining area quite airy and unique.
If you come here for a beer, you won't be disappointed from the 35-40 ales on tap (depending on what's available and when). The selection is wide-ranging and includes the blah (Guiness nitro) to some extraordinary local brews. Had a Lagunitas Wilco Tango Foxtrot one night and it was delicious.
However, the food -- as with many local bars who want to seem like something more -- is where the Barking Dog Ale House unfortunately falls down. Go on a busy night when the regular cook is on duty and you'll likely have a good experience, as long as you stick largely to the pub and "comfort food" items (like Shepherd's Pie).
Try something along the more standard dinner far, like short ribs, and you'll likely be disappointed. Dry and lukewarm went served at our table, they were inedible. Short ribs should melt your in mouth; these were more like a hunk of cardboard on the plate. Disappointing.
The meatballs & risotto came to our table also lukewarm. The risotto was like paste. I mean, any ordinary chef (or even a line cook) worth their salt would be ashamed to serve a pile of warm paste and call it "risotto."
Here's the thing -- pick what you're good at and then do it well. Don't put dishes on your menu that you can't produce at near 100% quality 7 days a week. Because this is what happens when your usual chef isn't on duty and someone is serving up just barely-warmed up leftovers. That's what it felt like -- leftovers night. But at $20/plate, it certainly isn't a "leftovers" price.
As a bar, this place is easily 4 stars. Sit at the main bar, enjoy the game on one of the flat screens, and have yourself a pint or two. Order something off the Pub menu if you get peckish.
But don't come here for dinner, expecting a quality meal. Haverhill has plenty of choices for a good dinner at $20/plate -- this isn't one of them.
Could be a four or a two depending on if you are there just for food/comfort/service (2) or there for the beers (4). For two guys having a sandwich each and four premium beers each an 88 dollar tap (w/o tip) is a little steep but not bad. For my money Grill Next Door is much more welcoming and friendly but I'd still go here to change up. I've also heard that they can be quick on the trigger for shutting you off here. Not that I'm looking to get over served but have heard a few stories of people getting turned off here after a long life of never having had that happen. Not really positive or negative but something to keep in mind
Review Source:This was the first time here, although I've been to the Amesbury location which I also enjoyed. Came here with my husband and brother. I had the risotto with meatballs. Delicious! My husband had a burger which he liked. My brother had the short rib shepherd's pie which he said was awesome. We ate on the third floor at the bar. The atmosphere is nice and the waitstaff are friendly. Will definitely be coming back!
Review Source:Very unique building set up. You have to take an elevator up if you're seated on the third floor. I saw a set of stairs but they were closed off and had signs saying they were for the staff only. Might be an issue if you're afraid of elevators. Service was good. Our waiter was very nice. They have a huge craft beer list. My partner had a hard time deciding! I asked the waiter if medium meant pink or red and he said it was red and to go with medium well. yeah... well, medium well was charred and way over cooked so that really took away from my meal (steak with pub fries). My friend got the salmon and it was good. I thought the food was slightly overpriced for the quality and quantity. Although very busy, the noise levels weren't too bad and you never felt crowded by other tables. I'd recommend going just to check out what they have on tap!
Review Source:I really like this place! Â It is very cool inside. Â Big square bar downstairs - lots of seats. Â Then there's booths along one wall and high top tables along the other. Upstairs there is a balcony section that overlooks the bar downstairs with booths and small tables. Â One tip - don't sit in the back room. Â That room is painted a different color and is really bright. Â I think it's where larger parties would be seated too. Â I didn't like that room - feels different than the rest of the place. Â
There was a really good crowd and the place was bustling. However, I don't think it's going to be taken over by all super young people or trashy, because frankly, I don't think they can afford it. Â Not that it's expensive, but def more expensive than say Lasting Room or Chit Chat. Â Also, it's like the Amesbury one in that it's definitely a restaurant more than a bar.
They have a pretty good menu - I HIGHLY recommend the BLT. 40 different beers on tap and over 100 different bottles. Â On Fridays and Saturdays they open the third floor, which also has a great bar and really cuts down on the wait for tables.
Great overall!!
Tonight was our first experience at The Barking Dog Ale House in Haverhill. We had Chris as our waiter and he was awesome! He was super relaxed with a great sense of humor and down to earth, which paired well with the mellow atmosphere.
There was quite a variety on the menu so I had a hard time making a decision, but I chose well! I went with the Pub Steak (with bleu cheese crumbles & carmelized onions) It was incredible! A little undercooked, but I'm not that picky on meat temps. I subbed the fries for mashed potatoes which were also very good! My fiance got Short Ribs, which were tasty, but I guess he'd had better.. We were with my future in-laws too. Sandi, Robbie's Mom, got a burger (said it was deelish!) and Roy (Stepdad) got the Pub steak as well. Everyone was happy with their meal!
Something had happened with our entrees (took longer than expected or something) which wasn't a big deal at all, Chris came over and let us know in a very honest & nice manner, followed by another girl (manager?) who offered us free desserts.
We aren't usually dessert people, but we didn't get salad or bread or anything so we actually had some room and since they were free.... haha. Sandi got some kind of Irish dessert I can't remember the name of... she said it was pretty good. Roy and I both got the Missisippi Mud (Great minds think alike!) and  Robbie got the Cornbread Sundae. Mine was really good! But, Robbie's was so much better! I hate when that happens!!
We had a great time! Everything was excellent and we will be back, hopefully Chris is our waiter again and maybe by then they will have his dessert idea on the menu!! ;P
My husband and I went here this past weekend and were pleasantly surprised. The outside is very unassuming and we might not have even noticed it if we werent looking for it. The inside looks similar to the Amesbury Ale House with an open bar area and seating upstairs. We actually sat on the third floor and enjoyed our experience. Tables were amply spaced and there is another bar and bathrooms upstairs, it'd be great if you're looking to host a function there too.
Beer list is impressive and they had a lot of great selections. As for food, it was what I'd expect, nothing too noteworthy but it was good. Service was great and atmosphere was really relaxed and had the true feel of an ale house with brick walls and beer signs everywhere. We cant wait to return with friends. Great addition to Merrimack street!
My wife and I had dinner there last night.  We don't usually frequent downtown Haverhill, even though we live in town, just because there has never been a place we  thought was worth going back to.  Well, I have to say up front that we'll definitely be going back soon.  Finally something good coming to Haverhill!
The Barking Dog is interesting because they use multiple floors of an old building on Washington Street. Â We were sent up to the 3rd floor, where there is a separate bar and dining area. Â Nice atmosphere! Â The beer selection was good without being overwhelming. Â It would be nice if they offered half pints, especially for some of the beers in the 10+% alcohol range. Â As an appetizer we got the kielbasa, which was terrific. Â Our entrees were good, but not great. Â We'll be going back, and bringing friends with us!
Great addition to downtown Haverhill!
Barking Dog Ale house is where George's used to be- and its kept some of George's restaurant charm. Its 3 floors- first floor with bar and a couple booths, second floor has a few tables and overlooks the bar (where I've sat a few times) but I wandered up to the third floor and that seems to be the nicest of them all. Â There was a bar- several tvs and more seating- seems to have the best atmosphere. I want to sit there from now on!!
As stated in the other review- beer list is amazing- on tap and in the bottle- there are just pages of beers, and even a cider or two... girlie drink menu is not too shabby either (Sangria is very good). Â
Food menu is a combination of the Amesbury Joints- both the Barking Dog and the Ale House (Hmmm, imagine that!?) with several other novelties thrown in for good measure. Â There is a decent selection of sandwiches, several types of Mac and Cheese, good selection of salads and several entree type dishes: Fish and chip was okay-nothing spectacular, But salads I've had are pretty wonderful. Â Meatball appetizer (comes with warm, gooey cheese for dipping) was amazing! Â Food comes out super fast.
During the week, No wait, but on the weekend there was a 30 minute wait or so- nothing tragic. Worth the wait for the beer and service
lunch recently....didn't even know it was here as it apparently opened last tuesday...big open place in what must have been an old bank building and where george's restaurant used to be, Â great beer selection and good food as at their other places...nachos were very good, place not that crowded but is big and hard and therefore noisy....upstairs has additional seating and they are working on a third floor which will have it's own bar....nice place, lotsa beers, good food!!!!
Review Source:Ate there on Saturday night. Arrived about 630 (parking space on the street, yay!), was told the wait was about 20 minutes. Nice horseshoe shaped bar in the center of the room, some hitop tables around the outside. The place was quite noisy with bare wood floors and bare walls and high ceilings. Two seats opened at the bar as we got there. Looked over the extensive menu of draft beers (more than 50!); I had a porter and my wife had a Pinot Grigio. The porter was Outstanding! As we were sitting there the place was filling up... Two standing deep at the bar. Finished the first beer and just ordered the second when the hostess let us know our table was ready. We were shown to a very small table upstairs that was cozy and much quieter. We were looking for pub food so I just ordered a burger and my wife ordered a salad. The burger was large, juicy, and cooked to perfection with a side of shoestring french fries that were delicious. My wife said the salad was great, too, with apples and walnuts and goat cheese. The waitstaff was very attentive as well.
There were only two drawbacks: No onion straws, and the noise. But they were far outweighed by the terrific beer selections, the waitstaff, and the food.
All in all, a great experience and we'll definitely be back!
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