The beer selection is impressive, though the service is not. I would of liked to try more beers, but on two ocassions I've either been completely ignored at an empty bar, or it took 30 minutes to get a beer after ordering it. I like the idea of Barrelhouse, and I will try it one more time. Though I must say with Yardhouse opening they need to step up the service.
Review Source:First time here so here it goes:
Service: Our waitress was really friendly and knowledgeable about the beers on tap and the menu. I did find it weird though that you could just seat yourself. But that was not a deal breaker.
Food: We ordered the onion rings as an appetizer. AMAZING!!! HUGE onion rings with this barbecue ranch concoction dipping sauce that was equally as intriguing. I wish they would have given us more, but I don't recall asking so no big deal there either. I ordered the chicken sandwich and it was good. A little heavy on the foliage and light on the seasoning or moisture in the chicken which made it a little difficult to eat. The bacon in the sandwich was crisp and fresh so no real complaints.
I will definitely go back and try the beer next time!
This place is awesome! If you LOVE beer and great bar food then this place is for you. The service was great, came here on my birthday and our server brought my cake (that my party brought in) but she took the liberty of putting candles in it, popping a streamer on our table, put a hat on me- the whole bit. We had a great time, the beer selection is unlimited and to die for, with some very specialty and hard to find brews, and the food was awesome. Some people have said the food was just okay- it is only bar food here pretty much but it's AMAZING bar food, burgers are awesome, truffle fries are pretty good, tacos are huge and very tasty, sausage platter was great just to name a few. The wings looked great and I will definitely be back to try them, and of course, more beer!
Review Source:I love trying new beers as does my boyfriend and my family, and we all love the California coast...so naturally this place--right by the 101 as the name suggests, and with 101 beers on tap--is kind of the perfect pit stop.
We got beer samplers--every beer on the menu corresponds with a number and they write the numbers you order on a long card that also functions as a beer coaster, so you know what you're getting. Â Happy hour runs all day Monday with a dollar off all the samplers and other food and beer specials. I think with the dollar off the three-taster sampler was 7 dollars. Â
Didn't try the food, so can't comment there.
Protip: If you aren't from the area, try the Surf Brewing porter on nitro if you want to try something local!
I have been to the BH101 probably 10 times and I'm a big fan. Â Of course, I also am a beer connoisseur and what's to hate about a place that has 101 beers on tap?!? Â The service has always been helpful, prompt and friendly for me; though most of the times we end up sitting at the bar. Â They have plenty of TV's to catch a game and it brings in a pretty good crowd.
The food is good, like the Short Rib Melt and Garlic Truffle Fries, but it didn't really blow me away. Â But for pub fare it's above average.
The ONLY complaint I have about this place, which really has kept me and my friends from going there and choosing another location on more than one occasion, is their furniture. Â Their bar stools are TERRIBLE!! Â I don't even know how one can find such ridiculously uncomfortable stools?? Â I've heard the same thing from literally EVERYONE I've talked to about this place. Â The back on the stools lean forward and it feels like you're being pushed out of your seat the whole time. Â And that comes from even my punitive compadres! Â So management, let's do something about that ok??
All in all though, it's a great place and if you get a table then you're all set with no complaints!! Â We'll be back again and even more frequently if the allow us to bring in our own stools!!
To be clear, this is a great place to try beers and a decent place to eat.
First the not as good: The garlic truffle fries were actually really good, the burger (and my wife's bbq pork) were both serviceable but didn't blow us away. Judging from the other food I saw around I'd say that's par for the course; pretty good food, not a lot of risks on that menu. The garlic truffle fries are worth another mention though.
Now the very, very good: The beer selection is fantastic. There is a wide array of different styles, and they're well organized on the beer menu. I don't know how often they rotate beers out but I'm hoping it's fairly regularly. They have a really fairly priced sampler system and if you get the three sampler package (get the three sampler package) they bring out a little placemat with the beer numbers on them so you can keep the beers straight, even when you're on your second sampler pack.
There are a ton of beer selections and they're really cool about letting you try a few samples to figure out which one you want. The food was pretty good and they have reasonable prices. The parking kinda sucks, but they have very friendly and attentive service, too. I'd go back next time I'm in the area.
Review Source:So many beers on tap! What an amazingly fun place to come with a fun group of people!
Came here this weekend with a group of friends and man, was I impressed!
I ordered the Bleu Cheese Burger and my husband ordered the Chorizo Angus burger! Man was the food DEEE LICIOUS!!!
I am not a huge beer drinker and I was so thankful that along with their 101 beers on tap, they had a nice wine selection as well as mixed drinks selection!
WILL BE BACK! My husband wants to try all 101 beers!!!!
I love the amazing selection of on tap beers! The atmosphere is nice. It can get a little loud the later it gets. The food is great too. I've had the ceviche which was good, a little too small of a portion for me and it was almost more like salsa then ceviche. Last time i had the Grilled Cheese and added tomato and basil which was very delcious and came with fries or your choice of soup or salad. It was plently of food for me and only $11. The beer samplers are my favorite. And the prices are pretty nice for happy hour also.
Review Source:Do you like warm beer in a warm glass? Â Then this is the place for you! They have over a hundred of them...
   Didn't even bother ordering food after both our beers came out warm, and besides, I had a peek at the "kitchen" on the way to the men's room  :(
 I had asked the (young) server a few questions about the place and got a deer in the headlights look. She said she would ask someone for the info, but never did.
 $15 bucks for a couple of sips of warm beer.  I told the server they gave us warm beer in chilled glasses.  She said "We don't chill our glasses"... Â
  How hard is it to pull out a frosted glass?
THIS JUST IN...... Â So I've been reminded good beer should not be in frosted glasses. I should have said "chilled" rather than "frosted" in the review.
 I felt that I should maybe give them more than one star, but after reading the rest of the reviews, I'll stick with my gut.
Beer selection: Five stars. You name it, they have it. Both times I was there, the waitstaff seemed to be pretty familiar with the beers, and they have a truly impressive selection.
Food: Three stars. Average quality for pub fare, with some somewhat-interesting options like shrimp tacos. The salmon sandwich with avocado was pretty impressive despite being impossible to eat without a fork (protip: blot the salmon or the oil will make the bun fall apart). The veggie sandwich was also pretty good.
Service: Mixed bag. I've been for lunch twice; once the service was great and once I got completely forgotten after ordering a beer. I was drinking slowly and had nearly finished it by the time anyone came to get my food order, and the place wasn't busy at all. Ironically, the time with good service was when there was one employee working the bar and waiting tables, and she kept up with the few of us in the place.
Ambience: Mixed again. Inside has some cool decorations and custom metalwork; someone had some serious cash to start this place up. But it's two blocks off Main St and doesn't really fit in on Thompson next to a gas station and across the street from a tire shop. One time when I visited, despite being open for business, all the lights were off as was the heat, and it was "cold" for SoCal--I needed a sweatshirt inside.
The meh factor: prices. Seriously. If I wanted to pay $15 for a sandwich and fries and $7 for a pint of local-ish beer, I could drink it in Santa Monica where there's more to do. Or, I could pay less, drink similiarly good beer, and eat better food on the Ventura Pier upstairs at Ericsson's (though, admittedly, Barrelhouse has WAY more options beer-wise).
Three stars because though I don't want to bag on any business that's helping fuel downtown Ventura's revival, this one is one I probably won't be back to. If I lived here, I might stop in for a beer every now and then.
tl;dr: Go here if you want to try beers you never see on draft in Ventura. Otherwise, take a pass.
The best comparison to this restaurant would have to be YardHouse.
Like Yardhouse, this restaurant has a large selection of beers on tap. Some very unique beers others that are the common everyday brand.
It's a small restaurant so don't plan on bringing a large party to this place. It's very crampy, especially on the weekends there are times you are bumping into people. Good for the business owners, but bad for the customers just trying to get to the bathroom.
I remember the food being over priced. I was with a party of 4 and we orders light appetizers. The cheese platter was okay, the price made it blah. It was almost $20 for 5 small pieces of cheese, some crackers and olives.
WIll probably think twice before choosing to bring friends to this joint.
The first time we tried Barrelhouse for dinner we left without eating. They had just opened and it took about 25+ minutes just to get beers and potato chips. Â It was nothing personal, we knew it just takes some time for a new restaurant to get on it's feet...
We went back for lunch last week and it was great! Â Honey had a steak sandwich with fries and I had a steak salad (bacon, blue cheese, and cherry tomatoes). Â
I ordered a 3 beer sampler: 1 that I knew I loved and 2 that I wanted to try, $9. Â That is what will keep us coming back to Barrelhouse - tasting and trying all the different brews!
Service was really good, the food smelled great and the vibe was crowded and busy, but friendly. We didn't order any food, but the pints showed up promptly and the food we smelled at other tables smelled good. (My friend was having some unrelated stomach troubles, so we didn't order snacks.)
Next time, I'm hitting that appetizer menu...
I went here with a couple of my friends while visiting Ventura. Â I didn't have high expectations, because in the past when I've visited places with many taps, I've noticed that they fill most of their taps with 2nd rate beers.
This place had a good beer selection, which was laid out very well on their menu. Â My friends who didn't know a lot about beer were able to find a style they liked and pick their beer from there.
Our waitress was fantastic, and our appetizers were pretty good. Â I'd give this place a solid 4 stars.
Cheers!
101 beers on tap!! I AM IN LOVE ALREADY! The beer selection is great! I couldn't decide what to have first and ended up having 2 more than planned to try everything I wanted. The Sour beer selection was a bit lacking but I can deal.
Our waitress was super sweet and knowledgable ( thought a sour beer hater!! BOO!).
WE got a few appetizers on happy hour which were all pretty good/ typical bar food.
Next time I am in the area I will definitely be back!
Not just throwing out 5 stars like some kind of noob... this place deserves it. Â The beers were fresh and numerous. The appetizers stand out from other ho-hum bar food. Â Best of all our server was knowledgeable about the beer menu and had some great suggestions. I appreciated her taste in beers especially since she shared my disdain for sours.
Looks like they are getting a lot of negative reviews because of poor food service, but when we were there, it seemed that they had that problem solved. Â
I left THREE SHEETS TO THE WIND!
Best beer in town. Awesome food too! Great for large groups or small. Friendly staff.
There are few places in Ventura County that can rival their beer selection. You'll find everything from hoppy IPAs to fruity Belgian beers.
Food is good. Burgers are tasty & the newly expanded menu has a ton of great food on it.
Don't eat here! You've been warned.
I would come here for the beer, but satisfy my hunger somewhere else. For the price you would expect a better burger, it was pretty bad and overcooked.
My biggest complaint was the catfish po boy. They should be ashamed to even call it that. Fish is disgusting first off, way too much batter and super greasy. To top it off they ran out of rolls and brought it out on regular bread! They didn't bother to tell me this until I asked why I received a fish sandwich.
After noticing I only took two bites and ate almost all the fries because I was hungry, they did remove it from the bill and even brought out a dessert. (I don't eat dessert) but it was a kind gesture.
I gave Barrelhouse an extra star just for the beer selection. Other than that, I never leave this place in a good mood.
We came in on a Monday night. Not busy. Ordered happy hour burgers, but they brought out $12 burgers instead. Instead of coming to the table and saying they made a mistake, don't worry about the extra amount, they gave us a "discount" for their mistake and asked if that was OK. What if we said no? They would have just wasted the food anyway.
To top off the experience, we waited 20 minutes to get our receipts back to leave.
I'm not sure where all the hate comes from, but this is really one great craft beer bar/brewpub. It's got it all when it comes to beers. I mean, literally, it has so many different types of craft beer that you will have a tough time making a choice...
Which is especially nice that they do offer the ability to do small tasting flights. You got everything from Bear Republic, Firestone, Lagunitas, Fat Tire, Sierra Nevada and so much more at your finger tips. I can't really say the food is good, but with a beer tap line up like that, you really can't go wrong.
Well, I guess you can when it comes to the service. It's slow but after a couple of drinks it's just whatever. I can see this being a problem if you're here on an important date or what not. But if you're just relaxing, like I was on that fateful day, then it won't be a thing.
One of those strange mixtures of good beer, slow service, but it's all good if you're just in the right setting.
Not nearly as sh!tty as people say!
I'm not really sure why people are having such problems here. Some of the reviews are down right mean. I went here with a lady friend, we ordered a burger and wings, both were great. The wings are REALLY good, and make sure to get some of their fancy jalapeño ranch stuff. Of course the beer is great, but really, they can't take credit for that, but the huge selection sure is nice. And no one had any problems answering any sort of beer related questions, especially for the less beer-experienced lady friend.
The beer selections were fine and we did enjoy them. Â However, the food and the service was not up to the standards you should expect for the price. Â We've tried the place just to say we have and I don't think it's worth going back to it. Â Who knows? Maybe we will but not for a while.
The food had very little flavor and needed seasoning. Â The waitress tried to be funny about the sun shining in my wife's eyes the whole time we were eating. Â No shades??? That wasn't funny. Â The wait staff looked like they did not want to be there at all. Â It showed in there faces and attitude. Â I hope it improves and then we'll come back, but now it's just so so and pricey.
I'm updating my review and totally disappointed. Â I had been here awhile back and gave it a break because it was so new. Â I actually really enjoyed it before and thought "wow, the service can only go up from here" only it didn't.
Stopped by a couple of days ago for lunch and the service was still bad. Â The hostesses were great. Â Our waitress was nice once she finally came over, but it took about 10 minutes for anyone to notice us----and there was only 2 other groups in the place. Â The bartender was the same girl that was working before and she still wasn't good. Â Maybe her drink making skills are good, but she's not friendly. Â We were sitting right by the bar, and I think the least she could've done was offered to get us something started until our waitress was available.
Our waitress was really friendly but the service just wasn't that great. Â I don't blame her at all, I think the place is just lacking structure or something. Â When the bartender was making a drink, for some reason there were 4 other employees standing right by her talking instead of tending the tables. Â It just looks kind of bad when the tables are clearly waiting for items and all the employees are standing around at the bar---especially when what seemed to be the owner was behind the bar working as well.
Waitress was friendly. Â Food was ok. Â Service was okay but I don't blame the employees because it didn't seem like any reinforcement of service was every being shown. Â
Definitely not excited to pay over $50 for a meal....maybe I'm cheap----but if I'm spending money, especially $50, I'd like to have a nice experience, not walk out and apologize for my restaurant selection.
Came back for the food and naturally the beer with a few out of town friends.
We ordered the pretzels appetizers and the entire table ordered various types of hamburgers with different works. The pretzels and burgers were BOMB ... food was great.
As with the beer, I ordered a Racer 5 and it was delivered luke warm to my table. Â I asked the busy waiter for a replacement and she did graciously and noted that it would not be on the bill.
This place is the real deal. Everybody was more then content.
Two stars for the beer selection. Â Unfortunately that's about all I can rave about when it comes to the Barrelhouse 101.
Stopped in here on a Monday. Â Mid-day. Â We're the only ones there. Â The bartender never acknowledges us sitting down at a table and it takes another 10 minutes for a server to even notice us. Â
Pretty typical bar-food menu. Â Nothing terribly original. And a bit overpriced. Â For being an establishment that only had two customers at the time (us) it seems odd that it would take 25 minutes to whip up some sliders, soup and fish n' chips. Â When it finally arrived, the food was pretty bland, and I found part of a fly in my girlfriend's soup. Â Yuck. Â Ick. Â Gross. Â
For a new establishment in town, you'd think that there'd be a little more effort to make a good first impression for your customers. Â
Unfortunately, our first impression of Barrellhouse 101 is that they need a class in hospitality 101. Â Not impressed. Â Seriously doubt we'll be back.
What to do for two wonderful daddy's to celebrate Father's Day? Beer and wings, of course!
So, on a Sunday afternoon with two daddy's in tow, we head on over to try out Barrelhouse 101, and try it we did!
Each of us orders a beer flight. From sour to light, stout to hoppy IPA, we have a proper beer taste showcasing the variety that is possible in a humble bottle of brew. The selection is eclectic with both imports and local selections. While the order by number is easy, it would be nice to have the beers arranged by style, location, or alpha. Of course, with this selection, what real complaint can we have? Besides, the helpful staff was more than happy to help us navigate not just the beer but the menu, too.
We're not just thirsty...we're hungry!
- The chile relleno is interesting, not traditional, but still fun.
- Fish and chips...just about as proper as I've had.
- French fries - Just what they should be. Sure, these weren't coated in truffle oil, but they were a solid accompaniment for the beer.
- Hot wings...I dare you...double dog dare you...the hottest on their list is full of flavor and you can feel each bite as it heads down to say hello to your gullet.
Now that we're full and no longer thirsty, the talk is dying down and we're feeling happy. But what about the dads, right? After all, it's their day. The dads look spoiled and in their element. One daddy says that he not only wants to go back, but he's ready to take those wings on again!
Thanks to the addition of Barrelhouse 101 in downtown Ventura, my interest in beer drinking has gone through a rebirth much to the chagrin of my waistline and dining-out budget.
As expected, they offer an incredible selection of beers from around the world, as well as a friendly, hardworking staff, and varied food options that give this place a heads-up over much of the local competition.
I have ordered different meals, including the 1/2 lb. Angus burgers ($12), chicken wings ($7), short rib sliders ($9), plus fries, chips, & monster-sized onion rings. All have been enjoyable except the sliders which have been too dry for my liking. They do have other food options, though, which I'll be sampling in the not-too-distant future.
I have a really good time at Barrelhouse 101, but I am starting to feel guilty that I'm not visiting other restaurants in town, including Dargan's Irish Pub, Anacapa Brewery, and Rookees Sports Bar. These businesses must be feeling the hurt based upon how amazingly crowded (and loud) this restaurant can be during the prime drinking/dining hours. That said, Barrelhouse 101 is doing all the right things to earn my business and that means the most to me.
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