Barley Mac — Restaurant in Arlington

This one is rough- after 20 years in the restaurant industry I almost never leave bad reviews, but I feel so bad for the servers that maybe if the owner knows how bad the management is it will help. The food itself was fine—nothing particularly memorable, but decent enough. Unfortunately, the entire experience was marred by disorganization, poor communication, and unprofessional management, making it absolutely not worth the price.

To start, our non-alcoholic drinks didn’t arrive until halfway through the meal—only after we had to ask twice. That alone was frustrating, but the real issue was with the so-called “happy hour.”

We specifically asked about happy hour items when seated, only to be told after the meal that it wouldn’t be honored because we were “in the wrong section.” There were no signs indicating any such rule, and we were never informed. When we questioned it, the manager was dismissive and rude, acting as if we should’ve known better. While he eventually said he’d adjust the bill, he only applied a partial discount—and even that was wrong.

I actually had to write out the correct totals and show them to him, yet he still brought the bill back with the wrong numbers. At that point, we just paid to get out of there. It felt like we were being punished for asking for what we were originally offered.

What made it worse is that the wait staff, who were doing their best, ended up missing out on our usual 25% tip. It wasn’t entirely their fault, and I genuinely felt bad, but after being treated with that level of disrespect, it would’ve been irresponsible to reward the experience as a whole.

Bottom line: food was okay, but absolutely not worth the hassle or the price. The servers were nice but clearly overwhelmed. The manager was rude and incompetent, and apparently struggles with basic math and has no grasp on customer relations. The one silver lining of the evening was that as we stood out in front of the restaurant when we left, I let a few people who were contemplating going in know that it was not worth their time or money and they left, so at least we saved a few ...

Pretty shoddy service. May have been because there was one server for the bar and restaurant both. Sat there and waited 45 minutes after our initial food & drink order, then paid the bill, and left. Wings were overdone & $20. Would highly recommend checking out Thai Select or Auinn’s sports bar instead. Happy thanksgiving!

Edited to Respond to Manager’s Comments:

Dear Sam,

Thank you for responding. Thank you also for letting us know you review security footage on your guests while they visit your establishment.

You had 1 server and 1 assistant manager during lunchtime, you may want to check your staffing considerations and make sure that they can adequately cover the floor and bar area. It may have been the day before thanksgiving, and if your restaurant isn’t able to cover the amount of patrons who come in, you may want to close down shop until another day. I understand business and generating a profit, however when customer service and your product suffers as a result, you may want to take a minute for introspective thought and self-improvement instead of accusing customers of making false and misleading remarks.

Your server paid attention to everybody seated at tables in the restaurant proper, she was also seating people, additionally she took care of another family at the bar while we were there. We tried to flag her down, but to no avail. We were trying to order a full lunch, but didn’t get a chance because your restaurant was understaffed and the service was poor. Nothing I’ve said is false or misleading.

My friend was wearing an American flag t-shirt. This may be the reason your servers paid attention to everyone else besides the two of us. We felt uncomfortable and ignored based upon this. We paid our tab and left.

I’ve been to your establishment before. The food is decent. The service, staffing, and attitude of your employees needs to be looked at in more detail. These are just suggestions as it’s your business, not mine. I still hope you all have a Happy...

My family and I recently visited Barley Mac last night for a special occasion – my sister's military promotion ceremony. What was meant to be a joyous celebration turned into a nightmare, leaving us deeply disappointed and concerned.

Firstly, the service was subpar. The wait for our food was equally frustrating and the food was refrigerator cold after receiving it at our table. It seemed as though our server was nowhere to be found when we needed assistance.

To make matters worse, the quality of the food was incredibly disappointing. My husband ordered the wings, which had an unpleasant aftertaste that hinted at spoilage. This was concerning, to say the least.

However, the most distressing part of our experience was when my 14-year-old daughter fell ill during the meal. She complained of a stomach ache and, before we knew it, she was rushing to the restroom. What followed was a distressing scene – she ended up vomiting, leaving her clothes and our vehicle soiled after departing the restaurant last night.

This incident completely overshadowed my sister's promotion ceremony and left us deeply unsettled. What should have been a memorable family gathering turned into a nightmare, with not only my daughter falling ill but three other members of our party as well.

Overall, our experience at Barley Mac was profoundly disappointing. The combination of poor service, questionable food quality, and the unfortunate incident with my daughter's illness has left us with no desire to return. It's regrettable that such a special occasion was marred by such a negative experience.

Update: Thank you for contacting me yesterday regarding our service. It sincerely...