Barley Creek Brewing Co. & Distillery

Reviews 5

HE

Heidi Rawson

Beer was actually pretty good, food was just good, but the server (Brianna) was very bad, which ruined the experience. My husband, who breathes craft beer, was happy with the beer. The food was middling - fish and chips was ok, portabella sandwich claimed grilled portabellas, but they seemed more steamed, and the roasted red peppers didnt taste roasted, which means they came from a jar. The sweet potato fries are more wedges and were just above room temp. But the real problem was service. Our server Briannas attitude was abrupt, short, and curt and she couldnt wait to get away from our table-like doing her job was bothersome. Her attitude was so bad we actually felt a little beat up after the first interaction at our table. We werent immediately ready to order when we were seated, when she returned to take our order we were met with more attitude. After she did take our order, we never saw her again to place another beer order or refill drinks unless we had someone hunt her down. Its a brewery, and we couldnt get a beer. We had to flag down other servers several times in order to have them send her over for service. With my husbands job, weve travelled through many, many states, and go out of our way to find breweries, brew pubs, or gastropubs. Visiting the Poconos area, we had several choices, and settled on Barley Creek. Had we known how our experience would turn out, we would have instead gone to the Gem and Keystone or Pocono Brewing. Final note, it takes a lot for me to do two things, post a negative review, and leave a tip that isnt at least 15%. Today I did both. But I felt compelled to post this review, and besides bringing our order, we did much of the legwork to get any remaining service done. She mostly stood at the bar gabbing, not earning the tip she was probably just expecting for just being there.

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MA

mark lamborn

The timber framed building is very impressive as is the entire restaurant. As far as ambiance, it was very comfortable and clean. When we first arrived, the bartender pulled a spray bottle of germicide and warned us to "hold our breath" which was good advice as he sprayed a liberal amount of the stuff onto the bar and proceeded to wipe down the surface like a cafeteria worker in between lunches. Very unpleasant. We choose two Barley Creek brewed beers, a Summerfest lager and an ESB ale. Both were served in slightly frosted glasses. The Summerfest was flat and headless and warm. The ESB was a little more chilled and quite tasty. Both should have been served cold. The last time I checked, I was living in the U.S. and not merry old England. We drink beer cold in the States, NOT ROOM TEMPERATURE! The bartenders were inattentive and harried looking. I was not impressed with service. We ordered an appetizer, a spinach artichoke dip served warm in a bread bowl and tortilla chips on the side. It was tasty but was served at the same time as our meal! A bleu cheese and bacon burger was served with a paltry amount of bleu cheese and the bacon was nondescript. For 12 bucks, it should have been a better presentation. Overall, it was a tasty burger but not what it should have been. Trying to get our bill, pay and leave took way too long as I was ignored about 4 times by both bartenders. We will not be returning.

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JO

John Smith

High prices, warm beer, and mediocre food. You can do far better elsewhere. We wanted to check out a local brewery and this place had the better reviews, but this could not be farther from the truth. If you like a European style warm beer then this review may not apply to you, however if you are like most beer drinkers you want a nice cold beer on a hot day. If they would let you know ahead of time their beer is close to room temp after finding out you are not local it would help greatly. When I brought up the issue to the waitress you could tell she has to explain this often. My wife ordered a Martini which ended up being $10 poorly mixed drink. I dont think I have been a martini at that price except when we were at a club in SC. For our meals we ordered the Salmon and the Chicken Cordon Blue with Cesar salads. Not sure how a restaurant gets a Cesar wrong, but they managed. The Cesar at this place gives you 50% diced tomatoes, 30% greens, and 20% onions. I have never had a Cesar with anything but cheese, cracked pepper, and greens before so this was a shock when it came out. My wife’s chicken was overcooked and dry while my Salmon was good, but tiny for the $19 price tag. So the beer sampler, Martini, chicken, and fish ran $55 which is a lot for such a terrible meal. I would highly recommend going elsewhere.

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AM

Amber Thomason

We had a good review from a colleague and decided to try it out when we went to Camelbeach. It says family friendly and we went with our toddler. It took us at least 10 minutes before we were asked for drinks. Then it took us an hour before we got our 2 burgers. While I waited I asked for another beer. I sent it back because the glass was dirty. Then when. I finally got my order it was cold. When I sent it back, the waitress said she would get a manager. My husband had to run out for something for our daughter and when he came back they had put his food under a heat lamp, but by then he was so upset he didnt want it. I had to ask for mayo as it didnt come back with my second plate and my husband asked for a manager. The manager said she wished she had known before so she could have expedited (the waitress said she was getting her, and came out twice to say our food was on its way) and compted my hubs meal and a small portion of the liquor. We ended up paying almost $30 for my daughters kraft Mac and cheese and sub par sliders that took us an hour and a half to get. My hubs is now ordering at Sonic for his meal. Worst meal ever, and we eat out all the time. Beer was the only highlight and even then my husband compared the ipa to a notch above Sierra Nevada

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CH

Christ Costanza

I really like Barley Creek, but there are too many flaws. Cons: The food is way overpriced and portions are often small. The vegetarian and vegan options are not great. For example, the salads are nothing special, Id rather get a salad at the local grocery store. Most of the veggie options are covered in oil. The appetizers seem like they are premade, as if they are pulled out of a package and heated up. Barley Creek is always crowded and hard to find tables and/or a seat at the bar. Part of always being crowded, the place is always super loud. I often find myself shouting across the table, sometimes shouting is not enough. If you care about talking while eating out it is best to avoid this place. Pros: Good food, they have a large selection food options including vegetarian and vegan options. If you dont mind your veggie options being mediocre and over priced. Great beer, they brew their own beer and each type is really good. Big eating area, there are two bars and a lot of other seating options. Thats if the place is not over crowded.

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