As much as I loved Handlebar in the past I'm glad to report that the new owners have kept the same craft beer pub feel but are adding some features longed for by Handlebar lovers...like more predictable hours and even a patio in the future!
I was not happy to hear that Jeff and Alec were selling but my fears were unfounded as they chose the perfect new owners and AJ gets to keep its local treasure!
Love and Godspeed to Jeff and Alec and WELCOME to the new owners!
Best burgers, bar none. Â Best quality meat. Â Bar none. Â Incredible blue cheese potato salad and the greens are what you would want - no iceberg in this place.
Beers galore and plenty of wine to choose from.
My husband and I LOVE this place. Â The music is also great.
Unique, unusual and one of a kind.
I will start with why I am giving The Handlebar 5 stars...because there is absolutely nothing in Apache Junction that can compare to the food and drinks that are offered here. Also we are regular visitors and have literally been going since the first day they were open and my husband and I Â were riding by on our bikes. Not only have Jeff and Alec brought something much needed to Apache Junction, but it has been received so well here in our community, a glimpse that we are constantly improving and willing to be better, even I was worried.
A few tips if you have never been, do not show up here starving, the food often takes time and to get a drink you may have to approach the bar and order, really not much of an inconvenience being that the place is about 20 ft wide. If your not sure what you are in the mood for, they are always willing to let you sample a few beers that caught your attention. As far as food goes, I love the burgers, they are juicy, made with quality ingredients and large enough for 2 adults to share. I can't wait for them to bring back two of my favorite salads, the Panzanella and the Watermelon-Feta, fingers crossed.
Go check it out Thursday-Saturday for GREAT live music (when they are most busy) and anytime for the yummy brews and eats. One of my favorite beers: Kasteel Rouge, a sour cherry Belgium.
I'm not sure how to rate this place. Â We tried on several occassions to go but they never seem to be open or they weren't serving food so we started calling first and we caught them open and serving food! So we rushed over as we only live a few miles away. Â The place is much nicer than the old Cactus Club but it is still very small. Â It has about 6 tables at the most and 7 or 8 bar stools. Â The cook was grilling out back and it smell wonderful! THe tables were all full except one...perfect.
We ordered 1 Budwiser  ( we are not beer drinkers) 1 wine and 1 water.  We got them about 10 minutes later.  We ordered 1 pulled pork special, 1 green chili burger and 1 peppercorn burger.  It's been 25 minutes, drinks are gone and we are still sitting without food. If the waitered hadn't been so funny I would have been upset.  He was the bright side to the wait.  Finally we got the food about 35 minutes later. The waiter was very apologetic.  THe menu says everything is from local growers and ranchers so maybe they had to go round it up. All the burgers are 12 dollars and the pulled pork was 12 dollars, you get either a spring mix salad or bleu cheese potato salad.  There are no condiments on the table, no salt or pepper.  The pulled pork was wonderful! But it said it came with a wonderful sounding cole slaw that I never got.  That's ok it was great without it.  Nice bark yet tender and not something that sat in a crock pot all day.  Left a wonderful smoky after taste.  Best I've ever had.  My son liked the Green Chili burger, my husband said there was nothing that made the peppercorn burger worth 12 bucks and he said he didn't taste any peppercorns at all.  So 3 sandwiches 2 drinks (domestic beer Moscato wine) 52 dollars. Â
Ok ...so they need to get it together and be open when they say they are. Â They need to be able to cook and serve more than 1 table at a time. Â (their grill is the size of one you might find in a back yard.) If they are gonna charge those prices for a burger it better be a damn good one, served in a timely manner and with a decent side dish. Â ANd they need to leave the pulled pork alone, it's excellent. Â
I understand their beer collection is fantastic, but we aren't beer drinker so I'll just take their word. Â
I'd have to say this place is a mixture of yuppie vs. dive bar vs fine dining  vs. Burger King
This is a great pub. I was waiting for the guys to finish up work so I went in to kill an hour after dark. There was a musician playing some SRV and sounded great. I was surprised to see all the micro-brews. I think everything was 5 bucks, Â at least mine was.
The light pollution is pretty minimal out by the Superstition Mountains. It is very cool to see the stars and the Milky Way.
This place is awesome! I finally checked it out today, and now that I have a job in the area, I think I will become a frequent visitor. My dining partner and I each chose a beer from the great tap selection. They have a lot of unique taps, things that you don't see everywhere. I chose the Fox Barrel Pear Cider. I am somewhat of a hard cider snob, and so many places just play it safe and have Angry Orchard or Woodchuck on tap. I love that they have something a little different for us cider drinkers. My dining partner chose a Belgian beer, of which they have many, and he really enjoyed it as well.
We weren't planning on eating, but after seeing the food menu, we had to try something. I was really impressed with the different ingredients they use and the choices in local products. We chose the bruschetta, which was delicious. It was like a caprese salad on slightly toasted bread. It was slightly expensive, at $10 for three medium sized pieces, but it was very tasty.
The service was great, too. I'm guessing our server was the owner, and he was handling the dining room and bar almost entirely on his own. The service wasn't slow at all... we barely had to wait for service, our drinks, or our bill. He was holding his own, for sure!
We will definitely be back to this place. I'm thinking next time we will try some more of the food, maybe get a full dinner. I would highly recommend this place.
I have a friend that drives from Tempe regularly to visit Handlebar Pub and Grill. He claimed that they have one of the best burgers he has ever had!!! After finding the place and parking outside my wife had plenty of reservations about going in with our kids. I have to say that  once inside it was such a comfortable and friendly place. The owner made sure he checked on us through out our meal. Some of the beers on tap were limited release and hard to find in bottles. The burgers were among the best if not the best I have ever had. We will definitely be going back!!!
Review Source:What can I say...we love this place! Â Service can be slow, but the brews and food are really great. Â While the exterior doesn't scream "great place", the inside sure is cute! Â And, if you're lucky enough to be there when Ron is bartending, you're sure to have fun! Â Our favorite stop in AJ!
Review Source:Heard about this place from a friend. For AJ to have such a treasure is a real treat. Food is excellent, with use of local ingredients. Extensive beer and wine  list that will take awhile to get through them all. Small place with music starting around 7ish (this was on a Friday). Everyone is friendly and looks like a total family run operation. Not a place for much conversation after the music starts, however. Doesn't look like much from the outside but don't let that stop you from experiencing this gem in AJ.
Review Source:The dishes here are very well thought out, with fancy, unexpected specials being refreshed fairly frequently, and much of the food being sourced locally or at least grass-fed/organic. Â The beer selection is fantastic, as well - especially for a little dive in Apache Junction! Â 18 taps, a cooler full of bottles and cans, and many local options are always available. Â
The owners, Alec and Jeff, are passionate about what they're doing and it shows in everything they do - from the wonderful beer dinners to the flavorful food to their inviting personalities. Â I am only giving 3 stars because of the wonky hours (occasionally they're closed when the hours state they should be open - but it is a family business, and things come up sometimes) and the inconsistent service late afternoon/early evening when the owners aren't around. Â
Other than that, if you're in AJ or Gold Canyon, this is well worth a stop, for the beer, food, and cozy atmosphere!
This is a roadtrip type of place for sure. Â Met the owners at a different place and they seemed nice so decided to check it out. Pretty good selection of beer, not as good as taste of tops or papago but better than 98% of the other bars out there. Â Didn't try the food, just there for beer. Service was so so. Â Wish the owners had been there and if they are when you visit give them a shout.
Review Source:There I was. IN AJ, I did not expect it...but here is a place with great beer! Awesome.
Actually I did expect it. A couple of friends told me I should check it out if I headed out in that direction. We hiked the Peralta Trail in the Superstition Wilderness and then found the place a little distance away.
From the outside, I was unsure. It looks like many other places seen from the road in AJ, like it might be open...
Inside it is a nice spot! Well crafted bar with craft beer promotional schwag in full abundance. A cooler full of excellent beer selections, a chalkboard beer list and menu. Nice setup!
The draft selection is phenomenal! I was blown away at some of the choices. I settled on the Rye Wine from Four Peaks, a buddy had the Lagunitas Pils, and Sarah had the Crispin cider (which they did pour on ice without having to be told to!).
The burgers were excellent, the brussel sprouts were awesome! Crustini's are a cool little item, especially if there is a vegetarian in your group!
The only downfall was that there was no chicken on the menu. Apparently they are trying to stay local, grass fed and organic. But no chicken is rough!
We asked about wine, and were told there was wine...but never saw a wine list. Whatever, this place is sweet! It will be a regular stop when hitting the Superstitions!
Finally, a place in Apache Junction for the NON bud, coors and country music crowd. Â I love the place, its divey enough to be comfortable and the selection of beer is great! Â This is just what AJ needed. The music is great and there is $4 drafts on Tuesday... so grab the gang and head on over, if you are looking for a place with a nice neighborhood feel, this is it!
Review Source:Ok, Dont Laugh! Â I know a Craft Beer Bar in Apache Junction is Hard to Believe. Â Well, Better Start Believin!
The Handle Bar on Apache Trail in Apache Junction is the Real Deal! Â 18 draft handles & 100% Craft! Â Beers from Locals like Four Peaks, to San Diego brewery Ballast Point and even Belgians like SamichClaus can be had ON TAP at this liitle out of the way Diamond in the Rough! Â I know of no else in town other than The God Fathers, Papago Brewing that has ever had SamichClaus on draft! Â Very Very Cool.
I had a long converstaion with owner Jeff regarding his chosen location. Â He basicaly told me, "If I Build It They Will Come", Â he was right. Â The locals out that way are really embracing what Jeff & wife Alec are doing! Â Honestly, I cant blame them! This is one cool little hole in the wall. Â In addition to 18 craft handles, they had a brightly lit 3 door glass face fridge full of craft beer bottles & cans. Â I could have sat there all night. Â Imagine your Favorite Dive Bar then add Tons of real Craft Beer. Need I say More?
I was having far to much fun to ask about Happy Hour or Specials, but on my next visit I promise to get the low down. That next visit, by the way, will come soon. PS. Did I mention Steel Tip Darts?
This place has potential, but has a ways to go before it is a 4-star joint in my book.
We went on a Friday evening about 6pm. The place was fairly busy so I'm unclear as to why there was only one bartender. He was nice enough, but getting our first beers was a challenge. My husband went to one side of the bar and I went to the other because the bartender kept walking right past us on his way to chat with, I'm assuming, his regulars.
Beer selection was OK.
I'm not actually sure what the price per beer is, but I'm hazarding a guess that it is over $5. We bought a round for our group and a water for me so 4 beers and 1 water... the total was $24. Not sure how much I was charged for the water, but that puts the beers between $5.50 and $6.00 each. Ouch!!
There is room for improvement at Handlebars which is understandable since it is fairly new. We'll give it another try and hope with each visit that it gets better.
Quick Tip: There isn't a place on the credit card receipt to provide a tip so bring cash!
I LIKE it! Theres a good feel here. It reminds me of a bottle shop in Oregon. The owners are cool and their idea is on point. The bottle selection is great but you come here for draft! There is a good amount of cider on pull and a mead or two as well. I think once they have the food set up, these guys will have a GREAT spot out here. If I want a good beer and I'm in the E. Valley, this is probably where I'll be drinking it.
Review Source:If you're tired of the Bud/Miller/Coors/Amber Bock choices around here then you have a GREAT alternative! Â They'll have food soon and it'll be even better!! Â This place used to be Desert Liquors here in AJ and they took over and renovated what I've alwayes called the 'please burn it down' Cactus Club. Â Now it is a terrific place to hang out and has a superlative selection of beers and can take home whatever you like too. Â Everything they have on tap is top knotch! Â
I used to have to drive to Mesa to find this selection and could rarely find it on tap. Â I highly recommended it!
They have regular beer tasting and other events that they publish on their facebook page:
<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fpages%2FThe-Handlebar-Pub-and-Grill%2F413937897673&s=227dad942407ed3972b50811cde4b3c8bd0a18aacd657d5d93d38a79a9155dfa" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.facebook.com/…</a>
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