Barley and Boar - Restaurant • Brewhouse • Distillery — Restaurant in Atascadero

Based on the reviews and what we had personally heard from others, we were anticipated liking this place, but honestly it literally blew away every expectation we had. You go to a place like this for the entire dining experience, not just to grab a bite to eat, and trust me, you won't be disappointed. From the warm greeting we received from host Albert when we arrived to the perfect dessert at the end of our meal, the restaurant left an indelible mark on us. I would highly recommend requesting seating at the chef's counter, where we had the pleasure of watching the talented kitchen team work their magic. By virtue of sitting here, you also may receive a little something special ;-) Both the head and sous chef were very friendly and happy to chat with us during our meal, and are obviously comfortable working their magic in front of an attentive audience. Our server, Darcie, deserves special recognition for her exceptional service. She was not only friendly but also helpful and went above and beyond to make our evening enjoyable. As new residents in Atascadero, her enthusiasm to share her favorite local spots made us feel welcome and appreciated. Her attentiveness throughout dinner was also much appreciated. The ever-changing monthly menu at Barley and Boar adds an element of excitement and surprise, so if you find something you love, don't hesitate to order it as it might not be available the next time you visit. We started our meal with the raw oysters from British Columbia, served with a house-made mignonette and a pickled spicy chili relish, and they were absolutely delicious. For our main courses, we ordered the pan-seared scallops and the slow-smoked bone-in beef short rib. The scallops were were cooked flawlessly and served over a bed of delicious grilled pork belly slaw. The short rib was fall-off-the-bone tender and incredibly flavorful. The restaurant's reputation for outstanding cocktails held true, as my "Fit For a King" Old Fashioned was hands down the best I've ever had while my wife thoroughly enjoyed her glass of the Sans Liege Rhone Blend white wine. We concluded our meal with the warm, homemade donut holes served with slices of fresh peaches and blackberries over top of house-made creme fraiche, an ideal sweet ending. Overall, our experience at Barley and Boar was outstanding, and as new residents, we are grateful to have such an exceptional restaurant within a short distance from our home. The food was delicious, the service was excellent, and the atmosphere was inviting and fun. While not an inexpensive meal, we left feeling the exceptional food and attentive service made it well worth the cost for a very memorable fine...

Hmmm. How best to summarize this experience? For starters we ordered cocktails—simple gin and tonics with the restaurant/distillery’s own gin. When asked what the tonic was that they used the waiter gazed off into the distance stumped by the question… fevertree I suggested? Yep. Cocktails came and were served with a weird crushed ice mix—think snow cone type mixture. I asked if that was typical, commenting that normally we would have thought a quality cocktail might come with larger cubed ice. Waiter seemed confused as well—“maybe the larger ice cubes we normally use got stuck together and they had to ice pick it apart” he said. Ok then! Prawn appetizer was solid—with the prawns nice sized and accompanying elements for the dish very tasty and complimentary. Next we ordered the “Black kale salad” which largely consisted of some gigantic sized spinach leaves (think brontosaurus sized) with some difficult to find kale bits mixed in—dressing was good. But seriously the spinach leaves were flying carpet scale) At that point we asked the person preparing the food how long he had been working as a sous chef—he said “2 weeks and before that cleaning dishes”. Okeydokey. Then we moved to the risotto. Now I know there is some precooking that goes on for risotto in the US but this was basically glop/with heavy dose of butter (2 spatulas) and lots of salt. Watching the prep (from the “chef table/counter”) that crossed the line and I called the “chef” out on it, and also commented on the poor quality of the risotto to the waiter—he agreed looking at our bowl of mush and said he would talk to the manager. Oh I asked—where is the manager—right there he responded pointing to a guy on the opposite end of the kitchen (15 ft away). The two ducked around the corner and the waiter came back and said they would comp us a dessert. Not the point—its about facing up to mediocrity and acknowledging a poor job/meal. That is how you get better. But this manager didn’t have the courage to even come over to discuss the issue and THAT is the problem. He’s a poser and so is this restaurant (look out for their next incarnation or menu rotation). Owners need to do a clandestine visit and check out what a rip-off they’ve created. ...

Last night was the second visit my wife and I have made to Barley and Boar. We did my 30th birthday dinner here in December '23 after hearing lot of great word of mouth locally and enjoyed that visit so much that my wife wanted to do her 30th birthday dinner at B&B as well.

Last night was consistent with our first visit. The service upon arriving was exceptional from the hostess, to our waiter, to the kitchen staff, and in between. The entire team here is super friendly and interactive. I highly recommend making reservations at the counter where you face the open kitchen and get a front row seat to watch the amazing group of chef's and sous-chef's that make all the dishes at B&B from scratch. Sitting here seriously makes me appreciate their craft with the attention to detail they display.

Food wise, we started by sharing the Bread and Butter, the Steamed Clams, and both ordered "The Beef" after it was recommended by our waitress. Everything was absolutely phenomenal. When it came to the entree, the meat fell off the bone and the jus it came with was exceptional. The side of potatoes and fresh seasonal vegetables were also a great touch. Also ordered the 'Fit For a King' old fashioned that was part of their expansive spirits/wine/beer list. It was one of my favorites in the county.

Special shout out to the kitchen staff for the incredible Amuse-bouche for the 2nd straight visit. This time it was a piece of tender steak with kimchi and habanero dressing. Second shout out to the staff for all the personal touches on our dinner. It meant a lot to my wife to have her 30th birthday recognized by your staff so sincerely and she absolutely raved about the chocolate mousse desert that had a strawberry chantilly cream & salted strawberry foam that you provided us with at the end. We seriously can't recommend this establishment more to locals and to celebrate a special occasion. Can't wait to go back...