I went here a couple weekends back with my friends to enjoy watching some basketball and have a few beers. The atmosphere was very casual, and while bustling with some activity it was not too loud for conversation. Sitting at the bar the service was prompt and quite courteous. They even had a Jameson rep running around giving out free samples.
From my one experience this place seemed like a decent joint to grab a beer. The prices weren't too steep and it had an average selection of drafts and bottles available. There were a decent number of screens available to watch things on, and the seating was decent enough as well. If I find myself in the Akron area I would probably stop by again.
Stopped in for lunch with friends on a Friday afternoon. Â Wasn't very crowded, staff were all polite and laid back while our group trickled in. Â Menu selection was alright, about what I expected in content and price. Â I had chili (surprisingly good!) and house salad. Â One thing I liked about the house salad - they didn't throw the entire kitchen sink into it. Â When I get a small salad, it's a good bet I don't want a 1500 calorie meal. Â Most places don't seem to understand that; these guys did.
If I have a complaint, it's that there are just too many TVs. Â Seriously, they had every sports network known to man on at least two screens, many on three or four. Â The reason I don't care for it is simple - it's very hard to converse with anyone without you, them, or both being distracted by a screen. Â It's just a bit over saturated for my taste. Â But all in all, I had a good time.
The beer selection was pretty good, but they were out of my first two selections. Â We ordered some burgers and appetizers and they were just average. Â The venue was nice and we could sit outside and people watch. Â For an upscale stripmall area it isn't too bad but I wouldn't race to get back there.
Review Source:I went here for lunch, which I'm guessing isn't how they get most of their business. Â However they have a pretty extensive bar food menu. I ordered the chicken and spinach quesadilla and damnnnn it was GOOD. Like one of the best quesadillas ever good. It had bacon and tomatoes and all sort sorts of yummy things in it.
The place is huge of course and it started to fill up a little more for lunch as we were leaving. Our service had just the right amount of attentiveness and friendliness. I'd go back here for lunch or dinner.
I have no idea what the Akron bar scene is like, but this place looks like it'd be a fun enough place to go. Reminded me of college. It had two levels which was kinda cool and it's just huge. I can't speak on the night time aspects of it though.
We had a horrible experience at Barley House. Â The food took too long for not being a busy day and all we ordered was an appetizer and chicken salad. Â We sent back the salad (spinach was old) and didn't even want it replaced at this point. Â The manager ended up taking care of us since there was a bartender shift change. Â He had an excuse for everything and after we paid the tab, he didn't even say thank you. Â That was our first and last time in that place.
In addition, the prices are much too high for a what it is- a college bar. Â There are plenty of other great establishments to hit up in this area. Â I highly advise avoiding Barely House.
I should preface this review with a very, very important note: I usually only go to the Barley House on Tuesdays with the student organization I'm a member of, so my experiences have been somewhat different than those who come on the weekend.
Our group has a regular waitress, Jessica, and she's always amazing to us. She's a great server, very prompt, and courteous. She's never disappointed us.
However, on days when Jessica's been off, the other waitresses (there are no male waiters, by the way) have been HORRIBLE. Jessica is a blessing, and fortunately she's scheduled to work every Tuesday because of how much we like her. That said, they're terribly understaffed even though they know that we bring in a group of 40+ every Tuesday. Jessica usually only has one other waitress (if that) there helping her when we bring in a group that big, but service is still decent considering.
I've read a lot of reviews on Yelp about the cleanliness of Barley House, but I've never had a huge problem with that. Granted, I'm sure people are less sloppy drunk during the week, so take that as you will. During the week, it's relatively clean and the environment is fun. Tuesdays is karaoke / Barley Feud night, which always makes for an eventful evening. The DJ panders to our group and plays music that we enjoy, which is greatly appreciated.
As for the food, it's decent for bar food. They have inexpensive options that fit into any college student's budget, and even have a $2.99 burger and fries deal with the option to substitute a veggie burger.
Over all, my experience with Barley house has been generally positive.
However, I came on a Friday once. My favorite drink at Barley is called the "Lucky Leprechaun." It's $5, but completely worth it. One of my best friends was in town, and knowing her taste in beverages I convinced her to go with me to Barley to try the drink. We got there and, as many other reviews here state, the bar was filthy. Every surface was sticky, we couldn't get service aside from the bar, and the music was excessively loud.
Barley doesn't feel like a dance club to me, but apparently the owners disagree. On Tuesdays Barley is a chill sports/karaoke bar, but on the weekend it takes a teen werewolf-esque turn for the worse. If I wanted to go to a sleazy dance club I would go to the Interbelt or the Lux down the street, so I was pretty surprised to find out that Barley turns into a horrible hybrid of a dance club, a sports bar, an Irish pub, and a urinal/puke bucket on the weekend.
Instead of sitting down to eat, we decided to just get some Lucky Leprechauns and get the hell out of there before the smell of skank, vomit, and garbage on the air absorbed too deeply into our pores.
We got our drinks pretty quickly, and I prepped my friend for a party in her mouth. Unfortunately, there was a party but everybody had violent stomach flu. The Lucky Leprechaun on Tuesdays and the Lucky Leprechaun of the weekend are completely different things. While Jessica makes her Leprechauns with love and fairy dust (and generous amounts of liquor) Â the bartenders on the weekend make it with abject hatred and goat piss. Maybe a little bit of lime juice, too. I don't think the recipe was followed at all, because I've made Leprechauns for myself and they've tasted more or less how Jessica prepares them.
Something else that should be stated is that Barley attracts the lowest common denominator of human being on the weekend. On the Friday that I was there I actually saw a man with a shirt bearing the text, "I (Heart) Vagina." Way to go, douchebag frat boy, that's just super good for you.
Conclusion: Barley on Tuesdays is wonderful with a fun environment. Barley on the weekend is a piss and vomit-filled clusterfrak and you'd be better off going pretty much anywhere else.
Even though the latter experience was terrible, my good experiences with Barley greatly outweigh the negatives. I would give it 2.5 stars if I could, but I'll give it three since Yelp doesn't like decimals.
I don't have any anecdotal evidence to back up this theory, but I'm sure that their veggie burger is still good on the weekends...
This place is always overcrowded, except maybe during the day. Â The food and beer are pricier than at most other Akron bars, if not all of them. Â I remember the food being very average, although there is a bit of an Americanized Irish flare I could taste.
The place isn't all too clean. Â If you go late enough, you can smell and see puke and urine in the bathrooms. Â This is to the Barley House in Cleveland as Carlos Mencia is to Bill Hicks. Â
I'd recommend not going here unless you're with friends and there's a sporting event, such as an Akron Zips soccer game or (until they started sucking) a Cavs game; even then, I'd still consider going someplace else. Â Go someplace that isn't always packed and consistently smelling of bodily fluids, such as B-Dubs, Rubber City Grill, or even 69 Taps.
UPDATE: I was forced to go to the Barley House this past Saturday for a birthday celebration.
While most of the group was very drunk, I was waiting for my wine buzz to kick in when I was nearly knocked over by the overwhelming smell of VOMIT that was in EVERY corner of this place. Â I couldn't even bear the thought of opening my nose or mouth, let alone get a drink or dance the night away!
It was explained to me that this smell occurs when the keg barrels are not cleaned properly. One of the bartenders even acknowledged this by spraying her area with perfume, somehow miraculously combining the sent of a frat house with the scent of a whore house.
I nearly had to beg my "friends" to leave so I could get some alcohol in me and try to salvage the night. It didn't get much better than that, but at least my thirst was quenched at a decent smelling crap hole down the street.
I will avoid this  place like the plague FOREVER!
I have only stepped foot in this pub/bar in the downtown Akron area for sporting events. This football season I have become a regular along with other friends for Sunday football. For all you guys (or ladies) out there the Barley House seems ideal for the need to watch several football games at one time. They have dozens of flat screen tvs throughout the bar each playing a football game. For all those fantasy football managers out there it seems like the perfect place to drink beer with the rest of your league and see who is going to crush who this Sunday.
My favorite part of Sunday football? The veggie burger. Most of the food on the menu is typical pub food, which is surprisingly decent for bar food. Not a 10 but definitely satisfies the afternoon cravings. The veggie burger is one of the best veggie burgers I've had in any restaurant. The first time the waitress put the burger in front of me I sent it back because it looked too much like a real burger. However, imagine my surprise when she brought it back claiming it to be the real thing (or not real thing..)! So, either every week I am getting tricked into eating meat, or they really do have a delicious pub style veggie burger.
The only downside to the Barley House is the restrooms. No matter what week the bathrooms are always awful and I hate having to use them. Other than that, the Barley House is a perfect establishment to enjoy all your Sunday football fun! Go Browns!
Its an ok place to get some sports bar food. After 10 pm it gets annoying. Â Staff is average. Â Some of the staff is very good, but that is the luck of the draw. Â I will be going back though. Â
WARNING: There is a new burger there. Â It is a spicy one. Â I can take heat, but I am not a regular fire breather. Â This is an unnecessarily painfully hot burger. Â You want to eat hot acid try this burger!
This is a great place if you are a college douchebag. From what I can tell, the only girls who go in here are a) dating a college douchebag who insisted they go there; b) too drunk to care (disclaimer: these girls only only appear Thursday-Saturday); or c) wearing a pair of "jeggings" so small, one should fear an imminent slingshot-like experience upon any attempt to remove them.
The service--if you want to call it that--is terrible. I've stood, staring at the bartenders for up to 15 minutes while they chat, and nothing has happened. If you go for lunch, may God have mercy upon your soul. Waiting for your food will make you contemplate if they're bringing the special Thursday tacos in from Mexico.
Oh, and let's talk about the "dancing." There is a sad dance floor which remains unpopulated most weekends. If you choose to dance, everyone in the bar will watch you because all the seating is arranged so that you can see the stage. This may or may not lead to a completely humiliating cell phone video of you doing the Cupid Shuffle the next time you see a beloved friend or colleague. Oh, and whether you are male or female, you'd better believe that there will be a college douchebag dancing alongside you in the video grinding against you with no provocation. Consider yourself warned.
Maybe I am just biased, but i really dislike this place. The music is always extremely loud, even during the day, so you can't even have a conversation. Service is aweful, almost like the servers and bartenders have better things to do then their jobs. And about 4 out of the 6 or 7 times i have eaten there, they have gotten my simple order wrong! Plus it feels so dirty in there i want to shower if i come within half a mile of that place. If your a college kid looking to just drink with friends, it may be great for you, but not if you want to hear each other or get any sort of good service.
Review Source:Well, I ate today at the Barley House with 3 business colleagues for lunch, who had told me about their excellent soup.
And they were NOT lying! Â
Today's special was Smoked Gouda and Broccoli, in a regular bowl or in a bread bowl (how I had it) with homemade chips. Â This was probably the best Cheese/Broccoli soup I have ever had. Â Seriously. Â It was amazing.
The salad I had with it was very good, but to be honest, I think I was still wishing I had more soup to eat (it was THAT good), so the salad seemed somehow less by comparison. Â But in reality, the salad was good.
Our server was friendly and accommodating (4 people, 4 checks), and the food was timely and as described above, excellent.
It is clear that this is a 'big bar' type venue, with a stage for live music and such for the night-life... but if you want a very reasonably priced, excellent lunch, you won't go wrong here. Â Have the soup. Â I'm just sayin'!
I have visited Barley House over 10 times, and like most of the other reviews said:
- Seating is a pain
- Servers and hostess don't have a clue
- It takes forever to get drinks at the bar
- Cost of drinks could be a little better
- Food is just ok
BUT
They consistently have good live music.
I continue to go here, but because of the issues stated above it's a once a month or less visit.
Yikes.
Went here on New Years, it was my idea, I feel bad that I actually encouraged my cronies to check it out. The Barley House in Cleveland is reasonably fun and not *too* slimy, but this place...well, lets just say that despite having been in clubs where people were doing cocaine off the toilet seats, this is the first place that has ever creeped me out enough to leave immediately.
My pal Taylor has many stories about why he won't go to this place, mainly due to the guys at his work bragging about their annihilation of drunken college girls within its walls. I thought "Well, it's New Years, it's First Night, the Cleveland version is okay, let's just try it."
Walking in (not recommended), you get a sense that a wet t-shirt contest would actually lessen the sleaze factor. There was a pile of shirtless humans up on the stage (dance floor?) writhing with gobs of drunken desperate hornification.
We took a look around, my other friend used the bathroom (also not recommended), and we walked out.
Pretty grodie.
Barley House is like the Jekyll and Hyde of Akron, Ohio. It's decent during the day, but at night...? Night is the potion. Night is when the monster comes out.
This place is a nightmare at night. You'll be lucky to find a place to sit, navigating the crowd is a bitch, and you'll have to wait at the bar for a VERY long time to get a few (standard fare) beers. The bouncers aren't exactly rude, but they give off the kind of vibe you'd get from the average prison guard: a bit dull, and itching for a reason to beat something.
However, going here in the afternoon or early evening is much nicer. The food is good, seating is easy to find, and service isn't anything to complain about. It gets two stars because, like the story goes, Hyde's atrociousness far outweighed Jekyll's mild-mannered behavior.
The food is the best. Get the appetiser (bar platter at $5.99) it is a combo of all the appetisers they offer for a geat price. It's enough food for two people especially if you are having a beer before a ball game or after or any time. The flat screen TVs are the best for watching sports. The people are amazing and there is always something to do from games to pool. Everyone makes you feel as if you are among friends. Cheers.
Review Source:Since moving into the main strip of downtown Akron, Barley House has been the rave. Â It is so popular that most of the other staples around there are much emptier than they used to be. Â
After going to Barley House for the first time, I easily understood why.
The place is absolutely huge. Â There are two bars in the place and tons of bartenders to serve people much faster and efficiently. Â The beers are super cheap - I think the last time I was there a 32oz (maybe 22oz, can't remember) Bud Light draft was $3. Â On a weekend night. Â Ridiculous. Â Amazing. Â Wow.
There are tables everywhere throughout the bar. Â To the right there are Cornhole sets. Â The speakers blare all your favorite Top 40 hits so loud you can hardly talk to the people next to you. Â It's like a huge frat party right in the middle of Akron.
Unfortunately, the party starts to get a little too crowded and a little too old pretty early and you eventually start fighting to get to the bar and fighting to walk a few steps. Â While I used to be able to do this a while ago in college, I'm finding it harder and harder to tolerate every day. Â A few times it was so loud and crowded that I lost my friends and my cell phone reception was bogged down too much. Â Not that I could have heard a phone conversation anyway...
So while Barley House gets 5 stars for the prices, the space, and the great bartenders, they fall a bit short of perfect when it comes to overcrowding.
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