Barley House — Restaurant in Akron

TL;DR We’ve loved Barley House in the past, but this visit was disappointing. Slow service, inconsistent food, and an overall frustrating experience. Hoping it was just an off day?

Location One thing I’ve always loved about Barley House is its spot—right next to the Rubber Ducks stadium! It’s a great place to grab food or drinks before or after a game, which is why I was excited to come back.

Service This was the most disappointing part of our visit. When we walked in, no one was there to seat us. After waiting, I had to flag someone down to get a table. Our first waitress seemed uninterested in helping us (maybe because we had three toddlers with us?). A second waitress eventually took over, but things didn’t improve much.

Despite the place being nearly empty—on New Year’s Eve of all days we went around 4:30 to avoid the crowd —the wait for food was super long. We were one out of two tables. The restaurant didn’t seem understaffed since the other table had their own waitress, but our service still felt neglected. Toward the end, I even had to go to the bartender to ask for boxes and the check because our server was nowhere to be found.

Food A mixed bag. My Kickin’ Club and sweet potato fries were good, and my brother liked his beer. But the nachos were underwhelming, the burger was overcooked and salty (the server didn’t ask how it should be cooked), and the beef on the salad wasn’t appealing. The pizza was fine, though—it’s hard to mess up pizza.

Ambiance The place has a nice vibe, especially if you’re there for drinks and bar food. We’ve always enjoyed it in the past for that. This was actually my first time sitting down for a full meal, and it didn’t live up to the great experiences we’ve had before.

Other Comments I really hope this was just an off day. I know Barley House can do better because we’ve had awesome times here before. But the slow service and underwhelming food made this visit frustrating, especially since the restaurant was...

We were there on Memorial Day for a quick lunch.

The poor waitress told us there wasn't a supervisor/manager on duty. Which was such a failure of management. The owner should be ashamed.

The waitress came to our table 6 times. Ten or so minutes after we sat to get the water and beer order.

The second stop was delivering the water. The bartender needed to run my beer to the table since it sat so long after being poured. The Third was at least ten minutes after the water was set down to get our orders. We ordered the mac dishes. Pulled pork and a shrimp one.

The fourth visit was an HOUR later. One whole hour. With the food. Mine was only still warm in the middle. She never did a "drive by" to mention the wait or update us. Not once did she refill our water either. We couldn't even flag her down, it was like we were invisible.

Fifth and sixth visits were to drop off the check and pick it up to run it.

She comped some of the bill. But we were there from about 2:15pm to around 4pm. Almost two hours.

The patio was full when we got there, most people had their food though. The place was pretty cleared out by the time we left.

The "team" here didn't seem to care that the waitress needed help bussing tables or doing anything really. The tables that left soon after we got there still had plates after we left.

I don't know what the kitchen was doing, but they sure didn't try to tell the busy server when our food was done.

Also, the food was bland, cheese was wattery, the pulled pork was dry, and the shrimp might as well not have been included. There were only 4 or 5 small breaded shrimp.

We would have walked out if we weren't so hungry from being out all morning. Still might have walked out had we known how long it was going to take.

This whole experience should be an embarrassment to this restaurant's management and ownership. The waitress also needs learn to be more attentive or at least more upfront and communicative about...

I was surprised to find the place quite empty for a Sunday evening. Nonetheless, the hostess and our server were very friendly, which made the experience enjoyable. The drink menu offered a decent selection of cocktails and IPAs. However, I must admit that the food felt rather basic considering the prices charged.

One aspect that dampened the experience was the extra charge for credit card payments. In today's world, credit cards are a widely accepted and convenient form of payment, and penalizing customers for using them could distract from an otherwise pleasant dining experience.

As a restaurant operator, recognizing the benefits of credit card payments, such as convenience, security, and the ability for customers to track expenses and earn rewards, is crucial. Removing the additional charge would demonstrate a commitment to customer satisfaction and create a more seamless dining experience.

Moreover, eliminating this fee could attract a larger customer base, as many people rely heavily on credit and debit cards for transactions in the digital age. Adapting to this trend is essential to ensure customers feel welcome and appreciated, remaining competitive in the dining industry.

Additionally, I'm concerned that imposing an extra charge for credit card payments may inadvertently affect the gratuity amount left by customers for the servers. Some patrons might reduce the tip to compensate for the fee, impacting the hardworking staff who contribute significantly to the overall dining experience.

I strongly urge you to reconsider this policy and prioritize customer convenience. Embracing the benefits of credit card payments and removing the extra charge would enhance the overall dining experience. You also need to work on improving the quality of the food to be more in line with the prices you are charging. Until these things are corrected, we...