Barrel House — Restaurant in Davenport

I haven't been to a Barrel House in years. I remember when they first started establishing in the Quad Cities around 2009. Back then, they pretty consistently offered a variety of beers on tap, a good assortment of bar food, and a comfortable atmosphere to hang out with friends. I wasn't really feeling beer this Sunday afternoon and didn't really want to be around anyone else, but I was hungry. Maybe a burger from Barrel House would satisfy?

Upon entering, this Barrel House was pretty much as I remember it before leaving the area a decade ago. There's a bar right along one wall by the entrance, high top seating throughout most of the dining area, and a door to the patio out another door (though still closed due to the cold weather). After being greeted at the door, I took a seat at the bar, got a menu from the very nice bartender, and began pondering my lunch.

As far as chain bars go, Barrel House is clean and has a reasonable sound level. The floors are covered by a reddish 1 foot square ceramic tile, while the overhead is uncovered, displaying to all who would glance upward the black painted HVAC ductwork, structural supports, and conduit. Also present here are what appear to be some kind of sound dampening panels - these probably explain the manageable overall noise level in the space.

I ended up choosing a Barrel Burger, the Barrel House's version of the most basic of burgers. The bartender was good to let me know they had only one cook on today, so food orders may take a little while longer. Even with this warning, I swear my food only took about 15 minutes to get to me.

There's not much to say about the food. Barrel House makes a solid burger. The Brioche Bun has the requisite combination of fluffiness and richness and the burger itself was done but not dry. The fries were pretty standout though - thin and battered, they were crisp and fluffy all at once. I'd come back for these alone!

Not sure I'll be back anytime soon, as this Barrel House is a bit out of my way. I'd come back with a group in the future though, especially to share a dessert if desired (the cake looks really good). All in all, they make a good, quick lunch that satisfies. Thanks,...

My friends and I came here on a Friday night for some food and camaraderie. Overall, we had a great time. I know there are other locations in the Quad Cities, but this is the first time I had ever been to any of them. My first impression when we walked in around 7 was that it was very loud and busy. It was dimly lit with modern/beer sign styling and decor. There were many TVs with sports playing on the walls. I was glad we made reservations for a larger group, and the table was actually ready when we got there despite there being such a heavy crowd at the door. I thought this was awesome because I can recall many times in the past where I've been part of a large group reservation at other restaurants, and we had to sit and wait for them to prepare for us after we got there.

I thought the food was pretty good. I had the Carolina Burger with Sweet Potato Fries and thought they were tasty. I love when places get fries right; they were crispy, but not overcooked, and seasoned just right. They did cost an extra $0.99, but they were worth it. The burger was also good and devoured in a matter of minutes. Carolina burgers can be a mess, but this one wasn't too bad, yet it was still stuffed with plenty of pork, slaw, and an onion ring. We ended up hanging out there until about midnight. The waitresses kept checking on us to make sure we didn't want anything, even though we had already paid our tabs, which I thought was thoughtful as we eventually ended up ordering more drinks later in the evening.

The only thing I didn't like about the place was that it was VERY noisy and crowded. I think this location is too small for the kind of business I saw them bringing in. I had a hard time speaking without yelling at my pals, as well as a hard time hearing what they were saying. Some people absolutely don't mind this, and I guess it can be expected since this place was basically an upscale sports bar. Even so, still too loud for my liking. Perhaps it would be better Mon-Thurs. This is the reason for my knocking it down by 1 star. Great...

My G-d, this place was a real trip, as they say. First of all, I went with a few friends who flew in from Park Slope - one of whom is a Rabbi. They wanted “bar fare” without the seedy bar atmosphere and someone across the street recommended this place to us as we were standing in the driveway loudly discussing where we might go. We decided to try it and let G-d be with us. To begin, we grabbed a table in the middle of the restaurant - the only one open when we walked in - as quickly as we could, much to the chagrin of two very meaty athletic type fellows who seemed too intoxicated to win the race as we zipped right past them and snatched the spot. Next, we waited for about 1/2 hour before any service staff even approached our table - remember that we were seated right in the middle of the restaurant where the service staff that were working had to walk past us to get anywhere in the place. When the waitress finally came to our table - our Rabbi had to complain to the bartender about the lack of service in order to get anyone’s attention, she was rude and wouldn’t even look at us as we were trying to place our orders. We asked her for kosher options and she said they had pickles, she thought. Rabbi tried to explain to her what kosher meant and she wouldn’t listen. We asked for another server and she walked off. The next server came by a few minutes later and told us they didn’t serve our kind. We asked her what she meant and she said they didn’t have Amish food on their menu. We explained that we were Jews and she stood for a few moments, looking at us like someone had hit her on the head with something, and walked off. No one else came to serve us, even though we waited for another twenty minutes. I...