Darin T.
Yelp
I was initially drawn to Bara's due to the rave reviews and foodie influencers hyping them up on IG. Parking is pretty difficult, but they do have street parking if you can't find a spot in the lot. It's a good sign that it's busy, indicating the food is worth the hype.
I ordered my sandwich online, and when you go inside, there's really no indication of what you should do. There's a sign that says "Pick Up Here," but there is only one cashier manning a long line of walk-ins, making you feel awkward walking up to ask if your order is ready, almost like you're cutting the line of walk ins. When you ask and it's not ready, you feel like an inconvenience and just go back to waiting around. I would suggest they revamp their order system to a modern screen system that actually shows whose order is up, rather than having to interrupt the line. Logistically that probably takes some work but the current system they have needs work.
I don't fault them for being busy, but the way you pick up orders is just very antiquated.
The first time, I got a roast beef sandwich on Dutch crunch, which is my favorite. It was just okay. The roast beef was tender enough, which I liked, but the flavor was off--almost an artificial smoke flavor that I didn't enjoy. It was fine, super messy to eat, but not worth the wait.
Thinking maybe I ordered the wrong thing, I went again and ordered a grilled chicken sandwich, which is my standard for judging any sandwich place. Again, the awkwardness of the pickup. So busy, no idea where my order was, and asking felt like being a bother. It finally came out with an apology from the owner. The staff is trying hard, so I don't blame them; it just needs a revamp. Either more staff, an "order up" screen, or something. I've seen it done better at other places.
The grilled chicken sandwich was just average. It had chicken, cheese, veggies, and condiments, which is easy to get right, but it was again super messy to eat. I don't mind a messy sandwich if it's delicious, but this was just average taste-wise, unfortunately. I really wanted to love it, but I didn't.
I love small businesses and encourage any biz in this area, so it pains me to leave a less-than-4-star review. But I'm just not into this one and have to be honest.