The Barley Mow — Restaurant in West Reading

Had a good expierence most of the time until we went to the check out and there were three guys who stayed at the front counter the entire time who were obviously friends with someone who was working there. I noticed on multiple occasions that these particular guys were making fun and judging all people who were coming in and out. This stuck out to me before it effected me. Before I left my boyfriend was cashing out and these three guys started laughing and making fun of my boyfriend. Then proceeded to google images a particularly offensive person who doesn’t even remotely resemble my boyfriend and they kept laughing and making it noticeable that it was about him. Now, my problem with this particular situation is that I shouldn’t have to go out with my friends and walk into a place and feel completely judged and objectivefied. I’m a bartender myself and found that this behavior was being condoned and also laughed about by the staff. That’s what bothers me. It’s one thing when it’s a group of people on there own. But these were friends of the employees if not employees themselves! I’m not a person who writes reviews this is my first one. And I will no longer continue a spending my hard earned money at a place that thinks that high school bully humor is funny. Totally not the typical “ west reading vibe “

But on a good note, the beer selection was great. And they also have blankets for chilly nights Which was totally rad. The crowd...

Great beer bar in West Reading! If you haven't been to Reading, Penn avenue is the place to go. Four breweries, two beer bars, a whiskey joint, and a bunch of restaurants packed into a three block area. The highlight for us was definitely Barley Mow. 20 beers on tap was great but the hundreds available in cans and bottles in their beer coolers was amazing! Lots of different beers from some of the best breweries. But best of all was the food! So many unique dishes in one place. We had three appetizers- the mushroom Bao Buns were savory and spicy with a nice fresh crunch from the cucumbers and crispy onions. The South Philly spring rolls were like mini Italian hoagies deep fried and served with chutney- crazy good. Finally, the Crispy Thai Pork ribs put us into food climax. The sweet ginger sauce was cooked to crispy perfection, locking in all the juicy flavor of the pork ribs. There was so much more we wanted to explore on the menu but, alas, we were completely stuffed. We'll definitely return again soon! There was plenty of outdoor seating between the front deck, side tables, and rear beer garden. We ordered everything at the bar and the food was delivered to our table. Know before you go- this is a beer bar- no liquor or even wine. They had a few canned cocktails, which is...

This place certainly has a nice vibe when you walk in. Cute, chill spot. Food/apps are good. Nice drink selection.

However, myself and a group of friends have now encountered rude bartenders here on two occasions. The first was a male during the local Santa bar crawl. It was extremely busy, so based off of that, I tried not to judge...I'm sure bartending in that busy of an environment is not easy!

However, this second time...I can see the bartenders are just plain rude here. Not only rude to myself and the group I was with, but rude to other customers as well. Heaven forbid you're unfamiliar with the establishment and don't know that you have to provide the menu number for the drink you want off the screen. They'll stand there and look at you like you're an idiot, making it clear you're bothering them. If it is so incredibly important to say "beer #2", etc....maybe post signage of this requirement. The icing on the cake during this second rude experience was the female bartender filling the two beer cups only 3/4 full, on purpose I'm sure.

We'd love to go back, but if you have to be scared to order in fear of pissing off the bartender and them clearly letting you know it, there's plenty of other nice places within walking distance...