The Barrel House

I was pretty disappointed in this place.  We went on a Friday night for a birthday party.  Called ahead to discuss reserving a specific area but I'm so happy we didn't  it would have cost $250 just for the space and to have a bartender.  We were told the music started around 9:30p.  A large group of us arrived around 30 and there was plenty of room. The place was nearly vacant.   We had our pick of seating but the music didn't start until 11:30.  Are you kidding!  There was only 1 piano player, 1 guitar player and 1 drummer.  We had several requests they didn't know and they quit playing and closed down at 1:30.  Seriously, who closes at 1:30am.  
We will never go back.  This is such a fun concept and I've been to several piano bars int he past that are so fun.   Too bad this isn't one of them.

I've been to this venue three different times.  It's a fun time when you go with a group.  You can reserve a balcony with friends for a fee.  Somehow every time I've been there our group has gotten the luxurious private space for free.  Up in the balcony, waiters will come up to you to get your drink orders, so that is nice to really feel like your not claustrophobically shoved in a corner.

All three nights I've been there, there have been three pianist who rotate through.  Occasionally one will play another instrument or percussion which adds to the mix.  They songs they play are fun and seemed rehearsed.  They always take requests of course.  Sometimes they're good, other times, okay.  They use an app on their phones I think to pull up music if they're unfamiliar.

The pianist are usually a little dirty so be prepared for their corny side show humor.  I love the mirror messages.  For the starting fee of $1 you can have the bar write a message on the mirrors on stage.  The price goes up a buck each time it's changed.  It's fun to watch the different messages go up and get a feel for who's in the crowd celebrating what.  

Overall this is a place to have a good time if you're wanting to stay at one bar for most of the night.  I have no complaints because I've been well entertained here.

The good: the bar is well stocked, the bathrooms are easy to find, and the balconies are a cool idea, so your group can hang out without worrying about your stuff. Prices were fairly normal for Lawrence and the servers were friendly and quick.

The bad: There was only one piano player (and band), which for a dueling piano bar on a Saturday night was a let-down. In addition, the piano player could only play older music, nothing modern or up-beat. Also, the women's bathroom flooded and was left a mess. There were puddles of water and toilet paper all over the floor the entire night.

I am sure this just happened to be the one night that things were not running smoothly, but there are better places to go. For my money, I'd just go to Ernie Biggs in Westport if I really wanted to go to a great dueling piano bar.