The Barley Hound — Restaurant in Prescott

We had been very excited to try out this restaurant! But we got there a little bit early on a Sunday morning so we were asked to just wait outside and sit where we would like for a few minutes. We decided to sit at the table in the shade while we waited since we had two children with us - and my sister who’s going through chemo and very sensitive to sun. The bartender Rebecca was incredibly nice and welcoming and came to just talk to us. The hostess, Anna, was a different story. She came outside and asked us if we had a reservation and we said oh no, we were just waiting. She then proceeded to talk to another couple (who had gotten there after us, but no issue) and seated them. She came back out with their waters and I approached her to apologize for any confusion but she blatantly ignored me. I tried to get her attention once more and was again ignored. So I went inside to tell Rebecca we were just going to head out since we have apparently irritated the hostess, by doing exactly what we were told. Rebecca was wonderful and would 100% be a reason to stay. Anna completely ignored us. I approached Anna and apologized if we irritated her and that we would just go somewhere else. She said okay without looking at me. We (a party of 6) left and decided to go elsewhere. I did go back in and ask for names since we were all a little shocked about the treatment we received. She was again rude. I don’t normally complain - and I understand everyone has bad days. But even after I apologized, Anna was utterly rude and her behavior was unwarranted and made us all feel unwelcome. It definitely does not make me want to go back to your establishment which is a total shame because we were so looking forward to it, and would definitely be repeat customers. I reached out to the owners to inform and was not responded to. I’m not sure if it was the children or the obvious chemo patient we had with us that made Anna treat us horribly, but I would never recommend this place given the owners didn’t even...

The Barley Hound: Lovely Setting, but Disappointing Dining Experience

I was excited to try The Barley Hound, drawn by its beautiful location in an old house with a welcoming patio that sets a cozy, rustic tone. Unfortunately, the experience didn’t quite live up to my expectations, especially when it came to the food and service.

Having checked out the menu online beforehand, we arrived with a few dishes in mind. However, we were disappointed to find that two of the items we’d planned to order were either unavailable or no longer on the menu. This kind of menu inconsistency was a letdown, and we had to scramble to find alternatives.

We decided to start with the charred Brussels sprouts, but they arrived with an overwhelmingly burnt aroma that immediately signaled something was off. I’m not sure what method or ingredient was used to “char” these, but it completely overpowered the dish, making it inedible. Even my date agreed, which confirmed it wasn’t just my taste. We told the server and she seemed a bit clueless about the entire thing and did nothing to rectify the situation. Thankfully, at the end she did remove it from the bill.

We also ordered the pickled beet salad, expecting a flavorful, tangy dish with vibrant colors and textures. Instead, it was uninspired and surprisingly sparse on the beets, leaving the salad feeling plain and unexciting. Lastly, we tried another dish that turned out to be equally forgettable and didn’t leave any lasting impression.

While The Barley Hound has an inviting ambiance and is located in a charming space, it falls short where it counts: the food. With a menu that doesn’t deliver on its promises and uninspired flavors, this visit was a letdown. I genuinely hope they can make adjustments to better reflect the lovely setting they have, but based on my experience, it’s hard to recommend The Barley Hound as a top dining option...

Great place to go if you want to sit for 2 hrs before you get any of your food. The food was good, but not great, and the staff was friendly, however the wait after we ordered was rediculous. To start out, we waited about an hr to be seated, & had to ask if we could be seated because there were 5 empty tables but hadn't called for us (we were the only ones waiting to be seated). The excuse for the evening was a group of 15 people had everyone busy, & that carried through for all delays that evening. Most of the other tables consisted of couples, with maybe 3 or 4 tables with 4-6 people, and they seemed to have plenty wait staff. If a wait staff of 1-2 cant cover a table of 15, then you arent training them appropriately. It should not take all of the wait staff, plus the person sitting folks to care for them. The underlying problem seemed to be a management one. When you have a large event in town, staff appropriately. The only person we witnessed using a tray of any kind was the guy bussing tables, thus it took ~2-3 people or 2-3 trips to deliver drinks to a table of 5 or a table of 2 if they order alcohol & waters. Huge waste of time! Not sure how the kitchen was staffed, but based on waiting over 1.5 hr for our food after we ordered it, I'd say understaffed is probably the case. To top it off, the place isn't cheap, and they charged us extra for more chips for the hummus while we were waiting 1.5 hrs for our food. If you are overwhelmed & your tables are discussing leaving, be proactive & drop off a cheap appetizer or something for them to snack on while they wait nearly 2 hrs to eat after waiting an hr to be seated. It's a cheap way to improve a bad situation. Will not return & would...