I went here for breakfast and like the other reviews I was pleasantly surprised. The portions were huge and tasted just as great the next day! The server was attentive and the atmosphere was cozy.
There seems to be a cute little outdoor bar out front that I can't wait to try in the summer!
Believe it or not, we just had the best fish and chips of our lives....and we are at the MOUNTAIN, not the COAST! Portions are huge and yummy. I would skip the chef salad next time, nothing great, but those cod fillets were crispy and light, not too much batter, not greasy, and good tarter sauce, too!
Review Source:Great breakfast in HUGE portions. We had no idea and each ordered our own plates - embarassingly..I couldn't finish even half of my omlette. The biscuit and gravy was delicious and the fries were super fresh.
Service was friendly and no b.s. Definitely a great place to stop in if you in the area.
My husband and I have been going to Barlow Trail for breakfast a LOT! They have the best chicken fried steak and eggs I've had, and I usually don't like that meal because it's too greasy. Not here! Don't get me wrong, it's still a bit greasy, but that's the nature of the meal. However, their steak is great, the gravy is delicious and their hashbrowns are out of this world! I'm also super picky about biscuits, and theirs are nice and fluffy. Plus they serve real butter with them, which some places don't.
Try it on a Saturday morning in the bar area and ask for Bonnie. She'll hook you up!
Best breakfast on the mountain. Â The portions are generous and the gravy is homeade. Â I have only eaten at the bar for breakfast with a bloody mary, coffee, or beer. Â Their staff seemed like they'd been working there awhile and it felt like they have a lot of regular patrons. Â One thing I hated while I was sitting at the bar, is they always had the weirdest channel showing on the TV (like a weird drama---that didn't make sense to me).....at least put some sports or news on.
Review Source:Let me clear things up. Â Barlows is the best restaurant in the Mount Hood Communities. Â Does it serve the best food? Â Oh maybe foodies, in which we could be included, may say NO, Rendevous does, but really, what better gravy are you going to find anywhere? Â Comfort food is king, and if you don't like it, yeah, go get a burrito. Cold beers? Â Check. Â Clean surroundings? Â Check. Â In fact, you are doing a disservice if you don't have breakfast, lunch, or dinner at this historic place. Â We don't live here full time, but we go to restaurants all over the world and when it comes to a place you can depend on, Barlows is it. Â Texas toast fan? Â Mashed potato fan? Â You won't find better. Â Want a brandy Alexander? Â Go elsewhere.... Â Â For the person who wants a real meal, go here.
Review Source:THIS IS A RESPONSE TO CHARLIE L. OF SEATTLE, WA Â ON 7-3-12
Are you SURE that we're talking about the same place? Â The old-fashioned log & stone building next door to the Hoodland Fire Department -- about 1 mile east of Welches Road? Â Based on some of the things you said, I'm not convinced. Â
We are all entitled to our own options, but your review was seething at best. Â Let's see if I can address some of your concerns:
"WHAT AN UTTERLY ABYSMAL PLACE: Â DIRTY, DINGY AND DARK ...."
The first time that I walked into that building 10+ years ago, I got a similar feeling. Â Probably because of the dark-stained log walls, large stone fireplace and very high ceiling. Â When I started looking at the historic photos on the walls, I discovered that the exterior of the building had changed very little in over 100 years. Â Kinda cool, actually!
If you had ventured into the bar area, you might have liked the decor a bit better. Â It's still rustic, but the knotty pine walls are a lighter color, which makes it feel much bigger and brighter.
From the sound of your review, you weren't inside the restaurant for very long so I'm not sure how you determined that it was "dirty". Â Did it have a foul stench? Â Did you do the white glove test? Â Granted, the dark-colored logs tend to show every speck of dust that gets near them, but I've never noticed anything "dirty" per se. Â
Also ... I can tell you that The Barlow is one of the few businesses of any kind in the entire area that has their carpets professionally steam cleaned every 6 weeks. Â Most restaurants only clean their carpets 2 - 6 times per year! Â I know for a fact that Rick & Susan are fanatical about keeping the floors as clean as possible. Â The next time you're dining at your favorite haunt, check out the carpets. Â Are the colors vivid or masked by layers of grease? Â Do they appear to have been vacuumed or is there trash strewn all about? Â Hmmm - I wonder!
"THERE WERE A NUMBER OF PEOPLE STANDING IN THE HOSTESS AREA WAITING TO BE SEATED (AS INSTRUCTED BY THE SIGN THAT SAYS "PLEASE WAIT TO BE SEATED)".
You didn't indicate what time of day you visited. Â During the typically slow periods, The Barlow often runs a skeleton crew. Â When that happens, there's a note attached to the sign that asks guests to notify the bartender of their arrival. Â Personally ... I just go into the bar area and seat myself in one of the booths. Â But, if you're new to the Barlow, you wouldn't know that little trick.
I don't know any restaurant, from a tiny hole in the wall to the Ritz, that can claim they consistently have the best wait staff in the world. Â Every restaurant and every person that I know -- regardless of their profession -- has good days and bad days. Â Maybe you just hit them on a bad day. Â Don't really know!
It's also very possible that whoever was tending bar was being held captive by a long-winded chatter box. Â I spend my days working on the phone and there are some people that won't quit talking long enough for me to get a word in edge-wise. Â I can't imagine how difficult it must be to break away if you're staring them in the face. Â :(
"THERE WAS A STAFF PERSON IN THE KITCHEN ..." Â "I STEPPED IN A LITTLE DEEPER TO LOOK AT THE STAFFER ... " Â "... NOTICED THERE WAS NO ACTIVITY IN THE KITCHEN ... "
I am very familiar with the layout of the Barlow Trail Roadhouse and there is NO WAY that you could tell what was on the stove (boiling, frying or baking). Â The actual cooking area is separated from the rest of the kitchen (dishwasher, pick-up area, walk-in freezer, etc.) by a 5-foot wall.
Besides ... have you ever been to a restaurant where the kitchen staff greets and seats the guests? Â I've worked in numerous restaurants, cafeterias and other food-related venues throughout my life and I can tell you that the actual dining room is strictly off-limits to everyone who is not assigned to wait or bus tables. Â Should this "staffer" have notified someone else? Â Maybe. Â But everyone makes mistakes!
I read your original post that included here-say about the Barlow Trail Roadhouse closing down due to lack of customers. Â Again, I've been frequenting this location for 10+ years, first when the original owners were in charge and now with the not-so-new owners. Â I can tell you for a fact that NOT ONCE has this restaurant been closed because of no business. Â
I don't know who you were talking to, but my guess is that it's someone who is jealous of the success of the Barlow. Â They are one of the few restaurants "on the mountain" that hasn't switched owners like a revolving door. Â Rick and Susan have poured a lot of time, energy and money into making this a clean, family-friendly restaurant that serves good, wholesome food. Â I think they're on the right track.
Like I said earlier ... everyone is entitled to their own opinion and this one is mine! Â The next time that you decide to visit Mt. Hood, give The Barlow Trail Roadhouse another try. Â Who knows -- you may actually like it!
[updated per yelp instructions]
What an utterly abysmal place: dirty, dingy, and dark.... and that's the good part.
On a recent roadtrip, we were starving and stopped at this "roadhouse" hopeful that this would be one of those unexpected treats since I've had great luck with roadside diners (despite yelp's categorization that it's a bar, it's really not).
Unfortunately, that was NOT the case.
There were a number of people standing in the hostess area waiting to be seated (as instructed by the sign that says "please wait to be seated")... but no one came despite the chatter, so I gingerly stepped in further.
There was a staff person in the kitchen who turn to check us out and turned right back around without any hint of acknowledgement.
The place was empty except one woman sitting in the corner. And I stepped in a little deeper to look in on the staffer who should be at least greeting people who might be bringing good business.
I made eye contact briefly, and noticed there was no activity in the kitchen (I could understand if the water was boiling or something urgent was happening).... and again no acknowledgement or any effort to seat us, just blatant, active, conscious ignoring of customers.
After probably 5 to 10 minutes, we decided to blow this joint. Two thumbs down. I can not stress enough how much you should NOT go in to this place.
love, love, love this place!! Â i live in beaverton where a comfortable, home town feel is rare but you get it at this place. Â the food is amazing with daily specials that are killer. Â the country fried steak was awesome.
the bar atmosphere is comfortable which is hard to find. Â not a bunch of drunks getting rowdy. Â and free pool!! Â you can't beat that :)
the service was wonderful. Â very friendly and attentive. Â i would highly recommend this restaurant and i stop by whenever i am on the mountain. Â i have sent many friends their way.
This spot really could be a real sweet fuzzy hole- Free pool, food was good, and I wanted prime rib it looked off the hook~ I LOVED the atmosphere, the decor was honestly fascinating and we found ourselves talking and gazing at all of the old school ski's, and gear on the walls..With that being said the not so awesome part that left a bitter taste in my mouth.. "the locals"  they were pretty rude and disrespectful. My super sweet, kind, polite, husband, Mr. Wallman saw that a "regular" had dropped his cigarettes on the floor, not just one but like four. He picked them up and asked the guy if these were his. The guy was like no and then turned back around to "his people" but the lady sitting next to him was like Earl (not really his name but it goes well)  those are your smokes, they are below your chair and those are the kind you smoke. He was like ohh yeah your right. NO "THANK YOU" & he DIDN'T pay attention to my kind husband what so ever who was still standing there with the cigs in his hand. Mr. Wallman  put them on the table and walked away. I am a little aggressive and I wanted to SNAP SHIT, of course I am not disrespectful and I am "visitor" in this community so I kept my mouth shut. BUT seriously ridiculous!!!! Treat others as you would want to be treated, even if you think you own the joint. I know up there in never never land they will never read this, but be welcoming and kind it will attract more business and maybe even a little cute snow bunny!
Review Source:This place hits right in the middle, however, could've been an easy 4 stars with a bit kinder service.
Heading down the mountain, we wanted to have a drink to cap off the riding before heading back to the 'Tron. Â They had a pool table (FREE) and the atmosphere put off a cozy, grammas house out in the woods feel.
Lots of wooden furniture, old school skiing memorabilia, Large TV's, booths, benches, Video Poker, They had everything a bar should.
What they also had was their regulars who ran the joint. Â I understand that being such a small community up in welches, but still, you have to pay attention and act like you give a shit to the non-regulars.
The drinks were weak, and a touch over priced. Â We did order some buffalo wings though. Â They were very good I'll admit. Â We got 8 pieces (wings and drumettes) that were large in size and had a creeper type spicyness to it.
For 1 beer, 4 cocktails and some wings, it came to $30...I've paid similar prices for better drinks and better service.
We would stop here again with the sheer fact they have free pool, but one of the locals did tell us how they have a new sheriff in town that will cruise through the lot, familiarize himself with the cars and plates, then tag you when you leave. Â Either by riding your bumper or by brighting you. Â Apparently he racked up 40 DUI's in 1 month in the Welches area. Â So be smart, have 1 drink if you dare and head out. Â Not a spot to get your drink on and then venture back.
We ordered a manhattan in the bar and when they arrived they were in miniature glasses! Never seen such a small cocktail. Then when I was nearly done i noticed black sediment/foreign material in the bottom of my glass. When I mentioned it to the waitress she asked if there were bitters in the drink? How would I know I didn't mix them; if I had of they would have been much bigger! Nothing was done to compensate and so I ordered beer. The coconut prawns were tasty, but the baked potato was cold, hard and barely edible. The veggies were also cold. Being a local I've avoided this place for years due to past experiences, but decided to give it a try. Not going back!
Review Source:On my way up to Mt, Hood I waited way too long to eat, and as I drove through the clouds, and the Subways and Starbucks became less frequent, I started to worry I might have to kill and prepare my own meal, or worse, resort to cannibalism. So when the Barlow Trail Roadhouse appeared over the hill, and I saw the sign that boasted "HUGE OMELETS," I pulled off the road in a cloud of dust. Places like this can be scary, you never know, but I was soon comforted by the lovely waitress and the dark, rustic, log cabin interior. I ordered a "Barlow Omelet" which was excellent, as were the potatoes. The pancakes were big enough to take a nap on, which I would have needed after eating if it wasn't for the brisk trail coffee. I arrived at the Barlow Trail driving a rented Neon but left riding a horse.
I'm surprised there are so few reviews, but maybe that has to do with confusion about the address. The five digit number is daunting enough, but I've found the address listed at Welches AND Rhododendron, as well as Mt. Hood Village (which sounds like a place for either retirees or a group known as "The Family.") Welches makes me think of the dreaded Welches Fruit Snacks, so I prefer Rhododendron-- that's the kind of address I'd love to have, once I learned to spell it. Why the discrepancy over the address, I don't know-- maybe to confuse the Feds. Anyway, you can get up here in no time from Portland in a car, though I'm led to believe no one HAS a car in Portland-- all those people driving around are from Seattle or California. It would be a challenging uphill climb on bicycle, but you could probably get back DOWN into town in a matter of minutes. This place would also be an excellent first stop on the annual Hood to Coast Run-- the Barlow Omelete would be enough to take you the rest of the way.
We ate in the bar and had great service (a male bar tender/waiter) and piping hot food in a friendly atmosphere, Â We were hoping for chicken and dumplings, but didn't realize that is the Wednesday night special not Thursday.
The meatloaf with brown gravy and mashed potatoes melted in your mouth. Â The salad is how I like it - normal iceberg lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, croutons and yummy honey mustard dressing. Â The steak was cooked the way I asked for it...
When we were in we were the youngest there - most people were over 50 and you can tell they've been coming for years.
A group of us stopped by on New Years Eve before heading up for a late night of skiing & snowboarding at Mt. Hood. The bar, a completely separate area from the restaurant, was loud with drunken women celebrating before midnight but surprisingly the rest of the restaurant (where we were sitting) was quiet.
I ordered a pretty sad looking hamburger. That's what the name of the burger should be called because that's how it appeared. It was the usual lettuce, tomato, red onions (& plenty of them for those who love to eat & breathe red onion) & their special sauce aka thousand island. I removed the top bun & there literally was just a small squirt of thousand enough to cover the middle but not enough to spread to the rest of the bun. My choice of potato salad instead of fries lacked some flavor but it wasn't the worst potato salad I'd eaten. I sampled a few fries from another plate & they were just mediocre, skinny fries. Meh.
Just a heads up, if you opt for any of their salads, the leaves aren't the desired spring mix or of the nutritional value kind but rather the infamous iceberg lettuce! Who doesn't love chewing the water out of faded green &/or sometimes transparent &/or pink veined lettuce?!
Anyways, one ordered a "good" reuben, a few others ordered a more tastier burger than my traditional hamburger & the rest ordered fancy plates of iceberg lettuce with pretty colors thrown in the mix. Stop by if you want friendly service & a tasty meal. Just don't order what I ordered otherwise you're only getting friendly service.
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