Barley's Kitchen + Tap — Restaurant in Overland Park

So, let me begin by saying I flew in from Texas and was visiting KC for work. My coworker recommended this place, saying it’s usually pretty decent.

We arrived around 6 p.m. on a Saturday. The place wasn’t packed — maybe 6 or 7 tables were occupied inside, and the patio was decently full.

We were seated quickly and greeted promptly by the hostess. After that, we noticed several employees walked past our table without offering water or checking in. About 10 minutes went by before a waitress finally came over.

She seemed a bit out of it and asked what we wanted to drink. I ordered a Coke Zero, which she acknowledged. We were starving, so we went ahead and ordered our entrées, and I added the white chicken chili. A few minutes later, she came back and asked me what beer I had wanted — which confused me. I repeated that I had ordered the chili. She said, “Oh yeah, that’s right,” and walked off. My coworker asked for water, and I excused myself to use the restroom.

When I came back, there were two waters on the table — still no Coke Zero. I waited for our server to return, but she never did.

Another server eventually brought out our food, but instead of the chili, he gave me the beer cheese soup. My coworker and I exchanged a look. I started on my pesto pasta, which was delicious, and tried the soup anyway. It was fine, just too cheesy for my liking — especially since I hadn’t ordered it. Still, our original waitress was nowhere to be found, although we could clearly see her attending to other tables.

Near the end of our meal, I asked the guy who brought the food, “Is this the chili?” He confirmed it wasn’t and immediately went back to the kitchen to bring me the correct soup — which, by the way, was also very good. I also asked him for a Coke Zero, and he let me know they didn’t carry it. Again, I looked at my coworker — why didn’t our waitress mention that earlier?

So I asked for a lemonade instead, and he brought it out promptly.

Finally, when we were finishing up, our original waitress returned. She said, “Sorry, it’s been busy,” and asked how everything was. At that point, I had already decided that if I ever came back, I’d either get food to go or make sure she wasn’t my server.

To wrap things up, my coworker placed her credit card on the table. The waitress saw it, then walked off again. After another 10 minutes of waiting while watching her help other tables, she finally returned to take payment — by then, we were late getting back to work.

Overall, the experience was disappointing. The food was great, and the other server who stepped in was helpful and kind — definitely the saving grace of the night. But the lack of attention from our actual waitress really left a bad taste. Not sure if I’ll give this spot another shot when I’m...

My wife surprised me tonight by taking me to the "Snow Globe Christmas" at Barley's for my birthday. I was indeed surprised at how pathetic the decorations turned out to be.

It looked like the owners at the bar had gone to all the Kmarts in the metro area 10 years ago and snatched up all the Xmas decorations from every "Blue Light Special," dragged them out of storage a few weeks ago, and crammed as many ugly, gaudy lights and decorations into the bar and dining area as was humanly possible to "dazzle" their customers.

The hideous and frightening life sized Santas reminded me of the one that my Great Aunt Helen used to put on her front porch each year to terrify the neighbor kids.

Onto the food. In an infinitely ridiculous bait and switch, their online menu, which is diverse and extensive had been swapped out by some "holiday themed" shadow of the actual menu. The food was subpar at best. To add insult to injury, their prices are outrageous relative to restaurants that actually provide good food and atmosphere. For instance, one of us had a chintzy Caesar's salad, about which there was nothing special, and it was $17. I had a Margherita pizza that was essentially cheese on a cracker, and that was in lieu of any of the many vegetarian options that were presented on the online menu that had been stripped away. What restaurant doesn't serve an impossible burger or a black bean patty these days? Hi, you are a couple of decades behind.

We will never eat at Barley's again, as the "Christmas Extravaganza" that they touted so heavily so on their website as "a magical, unforgettable, and over the top Winter Wonderland," was rather a dark, dingy, dank, depressing and disastrous attempt to create an atmosphere of "holiday cheer."

My wife is sitting next to me as I write this and just said their website presented this utter disaster as something that would make for a great birthday celebration. Instead we overpaid for a pitiful meal while surrounded by decorations that weren't even up to the standards of a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree.

I encourage you to check out the photos that I posted, and then go to their website that presents their Yultide display as something one would see at Disney.

The lucky ones tonight were the people we saw get turned away because they didn't have reservations! Next time, skip it and go to the Golden Arches. Better food at far...

I had really looked forward to trying out a new restaurant for me. My daughter had come home from college and we hadn’t seen each other in over a year. I wanted things to be perfect, so I made a reservation and explained I wanted a quiet table so my daughter and I could catch up. The lady on the phone seemed excited to help me.

I arrived and was seated at the perfect table. Before my kids showed up, I asked the server to bring one of the desserts at the end of the meal to celebrate. At that point, a lady came and introduced herself as the one who took my reservation. I thanked her and reassured her the table was very nice.

Then she told me she had discussed it with the manager and they had decided to give me 50% off of the bill to honor my reunion with my daughter. I was very surprised and appreciative because I hadn’t asked for anything. But the lady seemed happy and I thanked her again for her kindness.

When she had stepped away, I ordered an appetizer for my kids. They are college age now so they soon joined me. We each ordered a drink and a sandwich with fries. I was a little surprised when the server presented the dessert while we were still eating our meal. I should note this was a Wednesday, and not particularly busy.

When the bill came, there was no discount. I explained to the server I was told by the lady (named her but won’t post here) I was getting 50% off the bill, and if she could fix that I would appreciate it. She returned with the manager who insisted I was only promised a free appetizer. I’m confident that was not the conversation I had with the lady. I hadn’t even ordered an appetizer when we spoke. So I said her name and explained she had told me in person that we would receive 50% off. The manager returned again and said she had checked with that staff member and all that was promised was a free appetizer.

I’m just really not sure what to think. I know I didn’t imagine the meaning of my conversation with the lady. Had she promised before checking? Did the manager change her mind?

I truly have not been put in such a situation before but it really put a damper on our night. I wish they hadn’t offered anything at all and let us eat our dinner in peace. I won’t be...