Barney's Roadhouse — Restaurant in Gadsden

Would suggest updating the online menu for those like me who like to "order ahead" by browsing on the way. You get set on something then get told it's not there which as someone who works in the food industry I understand the constraints on getting certain ingredients ATM. That's why updating the menu should be important for guest experience. Sweet tea needs more sugar (don't worry you're not alone there but we are in the south). We started with the fried pickle basket {basketful not certain number} (not pictured) light battered and bottom of basket filled with grease, suggest getting some metal bowls to drop from fry basket to before serving so drips some off. Good but could be better. We also had the mozzarella sticks{8ct ate before we got the pictures so snagged a picture from another review seems they gave more then but charge more now thanks 👍 } nothing spectacular but was hot and the dipping marinera was sweet and tasty. For entrees we had the kids Alfredo, portion size enough for 2 kids, the chicken tender platter (chicken was breaded nicely and good crunch but under seasoned for fried chicken you gotta season the batter and the chicken before and after cook) , avocado bacon burger {not pictured because it wasn't pretty} the avocado was requested on the side which was a teaspoonful, if wondering, with steak fries ( had to trade for reg fries as the steak fries were gross tasted like reheated fries) (the burger was dry and the bacon {I like crispy} was rock hard and didn't break apart but would break a tooth if you let it, Barney's burger my son loved it loaded with everything and jalapeno peppers, the last entree we had at our table was the 14oz ribeye cooked medium rare with the bacon brussel sprouts (ate before pictured speaks for itself) and broccoli. The steak if compared on a scale waffle house (low) to longhorn (generic steakhouse) not going to list a tip tier because it's no where to that level here. I'd say fell in the middle not the best but not the worst. Wouldn't go out of the way for. If you advertise prime steak you should have better than choice. Prices on some items were over exaggerated but family of 5 with 2 appetizers, 5 entrees, and 5 sodas $97. Had a selection of TV's going basketball, ant man, abc, music channel (thankfully muted) and next leve chef {with the volume because everyone sitting at the bar was watching it myself included}. Patrons were quiet us prob being the exception as my kids shouldn't go out. Atmosphere was rustic downhome yes and the service was better than most places, food wait wasn't that long given what was being prepared. {Sad face above the loss of the turkey club though that bacon would've ruined it} 3/5 entrees ate completely 2/2 appetizers. They do have options though from soups and salads, burgers and sandwiches, filet, ribeye, ny strip, shrimp sev ways, pastas, and country fried chicken , hamburger steaks & pork chops. But for the picky eater if burgers are your go-to...

This place is hard to review. If you wanted to come here after church on Sunday you would probably not be out of place.

Atmosphere: would be better if not for the fact that the music is way too loud, could not even place my order with the bar keep, and way too Christian. Three tvs. One playing that garbage music. Two playing a Billy graham show… perfect for church people. I intended to stay longer and would have done so, spending more money, if not for the horrible music. I even had headphones on, as did other patrons, and couldn’t stay longer due to this.

Food. I ordered fried green tomatoes. Tomatoes were undercooked, breading was decent, just barely over breaded. Seasoning was average if not slightly below average. I also ordered blackened catfish with shrimp. Basically it was a few pieces of jumbo shrimp and a few pieces of catfish fillet, you know, the prices most restaurants throw away, drowned in cheese and grease. Seasoning was very absent. Unless you consider cheese to be seasoning. Fries were inconsistently cooked, read various levels of overcooked, and over salted.

Service. Barkeep was good. I’m not a fan of bars that require the bar keep to also be a waitress, but in this case the place is so slow that most of the staff wasn’t near busy anyway. Despite that, she was attentive, and efficient.

Housekeeping. This alone is enough to make me reticent to come back. The bar was built poorly, with deep grooves that aren’t cleaned on a regular basis. If I were employed here I’d refuse to work the bar for this reason alone. If you do choose to eat here I would strongly recommend a table. Though admittedly, I didn’t inspect a single one on my way out.

Overall. If this were a church I would give it three stars. Two deducted for the lack of hygiene and seasoning. For a bar, I think giving it one star is being generous. That might be different if I had gone to the restaurant side of the house. But it was a poor enough experience that I’ll refrain from returning. I’ll just have fast food next time and save myself about $60.

Alcohol selection. Beer. Average selection. Liquor. Slightly below average selection. Scotch. Well below...

This used to be a warm welcoming place. Now it feels stifling and isolated. I heard some kind of incident happened and now they got it locked down like Fort Knox. I guess they’ve got PTSD over whatever the incident was. Maybe should get counseling, stop living in fear, claim the Christian music that plays in the background there. My food wasn’t as good as it normally is either. I ordered one of their specials of the day which happened to be catfish. The top was nice and crusty and done, but the bottom was soggy, and I don’t like it when I get some of that fishy tasting gray meat. And the dessert I was told I was gonna get wasn’t in there. When finally greeted in the foyer which they don’t even have monitored, the waitresses really seem unhappy and need to be retrained on what customer services. Instead of offering what they have, they just asked me what I was there. Would you like a glass of water? Would you like to sit at the bar and have a drink while you wait for your food? Would you like to add anything to your order? Typical things customer service people do to make sales and make their place inviting so people want to actually spend their money. Maybe they’re just going through a rough spot right now. I hope it gets better. I’ve noticed a steady slow decline ever since they put the bar in. Not saying there’s anything wrong with serving alcohol or having a drink every now and then, but it does attract people with addictions and people with addictions cause problems just saying. My husband and I are not inclined to bring our business there anymore because of the experience that we last had just wasn’t pleasant at all praying for everyone there in the establishment. Oh, and when my husband called to talk about the change in the atmosphere. The “manager“ was not able to have an adult conversation. She immediately went on the defense and ripped him a new @$$hole so he’s definitely not going back. If an establishment manager cannot take constructive criticism than that person does not need to be in that position they need to find somebody else who can better handle their emotions and deal with facts instead...