The Barn - Bar and Dancing — Restaurant in California

Me and my family used to be regulars here. We loved the Thursday night dance nights and we would show up every time to buy food drinks and dance. We went regularly and would get a table, some food and drinks, but we stopped ordering drinks when they began charging 3$ for a tiny glass filled mostly with ice and no refills. The food eventually became underseasoned and then they began charging for entree after 8pm. This was understandable considering most people would only show up to dance after 8pm, so we would show up around 7 to eat, then dance after 8, however, unlike any place that I have ever been before, they added 5$ per person to our tab when we were done with our night, despite showing up for dinner an hour earlier than the charges began to apply. The service is an entirely different story now. The service was always mediocre, but it was okay because the atmosphere of the other guests and food made it bearable. But once we began getting charged for entree and not served anything that we paid for, it was no longer worth anything to us. We quit going a few months ago. Recently, it was my birthday. Since I live in ramona, I didn't want to go anywhere, and the barn is quite literally the only place that has anything even mildly interesting going on, so I invited some friends and hoped for the best after not attending for months. We paid the 5$ entree and ordered food and drinks. The waiters were non existent but we could ignore that. Then we were informed that they began charging 2$ for non refillable water 😭 One of the friends that I brought has a condition where she needs to mix medicine into water and drink it in between bites of food or else she will begin feeling very ill. But of course, after ordering her steak, paying the 5$ entree fee, and asking for permission, she was denied her water bottle with her medicine. We asked if she could buy one of their 2$ water bottles and pour her medicine into there, but they said no to that too. They accused her of using drugs next. The staff here is ridiculous and humiliating. She was very hurt by this and left my birthday party. She didnt even get to finish her food. She was basically denied entree after paying about 60$ to be there. She even showed them her prescription bottle and was utterly humiliated. This ruined all of our moods, then the staff began some very annoying behaviors. One of my other friends ordered a sprite and was handed a half full cup of ice and watery sprite. The waitress came up moments later, when we are clearly not done with our meal, and told my friend to pay her bill (of 3.23$) immediately. She then proceeded to stand the bill holder up in front of my friend, blocking her off from the rest of the table. After putting the bill flat on the table and discussing how rude this was amongst ourselves, she came back and did it again. Now 2 of my friends have been blatantly disrespected and I'm sitting there feeling like a fool for going back to this place in hopes of a good time. We paid our bills and walked towards the door, when our waitress walks to the door and begins waving in our personal space and saying "Bye! Bye! Bye!" In each of our faces as we walk out. Nothing about this place can redeem it now. The drinks are underdone and overpriced, the food is a hit or miss and overpriced either way, the dancing is fun but also overpriced, and the staff is beyond disrespectful. I warned everyone beforehand that the staff are nightmares and to be extra kind and gentle to avoid messing up our experiences, and they still harassed us despite our heightened manners. The only polite and kind staff member was Luz. Thanks for being a gem Luz, you made our night better truly. Avoid this place no matter how bored you are. We had more fun on the car ride there than...

We used to love going line dancing at the Barn every Thursday. I always order food and take care of my servers. Tonight, we were seated at a table while my kids were deciding what to order, and I was dancing with my mom friends. A server named Kelsey approached the table, and when my daughter asked for a minute to decide, Kelsey rudely told her that if they didn't order soon, they would need to leave the table, and that they couldn't order sides, only full meals. My daughters are all 14 and under, and this made them cry. It was completely inappropriate for Kelsey to talk to my children like that. She should have spoken to me or another adult.

Apparently, the new policy is that everyone at the table must order a full meal, or they can't sit there at all. I always order food when we come, but tonight my friend, who has celiac disease and can't eat there, was told she couldn't sit at the table even though she buys food for her daughter.

We waited over half an hour to talk to the owner, but he ignored us, even though he looked right at us and knew we were waiting. The food has never been impressive, and the service has always been subpar. The owner clearly doesn't care about customer service. I'm sure my review won't make a difference, but I wanted to share my experience. Everyone who works there looks unhappy, except for the sweet hostess and the only server we like, Shelby.

On another occasion, I was seated at my reserved table and put my jacket on the chair before going to dance for a minute. When I looked over, I saw my table had been pushed together with another table. I moved it back to its original spot, but the lady who had moved it came over and yelled at me, claiming it wasn't my table. I pointed out my jacket and explained I had just been seated there, but she insisted it wasn't mine. I asked Shelby for help, and she assisted us in getting another table. This rude lady, who was a bartender at the time, never apologized. I don't think she works there anymore, as their turnover rate is high.

I just don't understand how an establishment can care so little about its...

I will lead with the less good, because that list is short:

1. The steak knives are a little flimsy.
2. The chocolate cake was on the dry/dense side.

Now for the good:

We called to see about a table for a birthday celebration. The staff indicated things were filling up fast and that normally they needed a reservation, but assured us a seat if we got there in a few minutes.

We were greeted by a friendly hostess who promptly sat us at our table. The Barn has a large and very open dining area that feels both modern and country at the same time.

Our server was with us quickly to take drink and appetizer orders. We had the bruschetta crostini and french onion soup. Both tasted great.

For entrees, I ordered the ribeye, medium rare. My Wife ordered the filet mignon medium rare. The steaks were brought out promptly and cooked to perfection with a very decent sear and crust on the outside.

During the whole dining experience, our server and the rest of the staff were friendly and attentive without being intrusive.

The food was great, the service was perfect and the setting is just a lot of fun. The Barn is a wonderful addition to the town of Ramona and should make anyone's must-try list that finds themselves in the area.

Updated on May 22, 2021:

I have now dined here a total of three times. Everything mentioned above still applies, but today's experience was a little more underwhelming and as such a total of four stars instead of five.

Vegetable portions on on two of the plates were very small (three pieces of asparagus on one, less than a 1/4 cup of sauteed spinach on another. Potatoes with the salmon were supposed to be garlic mashed, they regular. Potatoes with the filet mignon were supposed to be fingerling (they were out), then substituted with lobster mash, but they served regular.

This place is still getting its legs underneath it and as a whole is still a worthwhile dining experience. I hope they make the small improvements necessary to knock it out of the...