The Barrelhouse

We had some friends come in town and we wanted to meet for dinner. They were staying at Georgia Tech so we decided to meet at The Barrelhouse after hearing good things. We weren't disappointed! The staff was really friendly and knowledgeable. I'm doing Whole30 and I had about 16.8 questions. Our waiter didn't get the least bit irritated with me and went out of his way to answer my questions. The food? Delicious. Every single person enjoyed their meal. I had the flank steak - it was cooked to perfection. It was tender and wonderful. And PLEASE get the Brussels sprouts with bacon - I promise that it will blow your mind. Top top it all off, they had 90s music playing while we were there. Total throwback. I loved it, and I loved it hard. We will most definitely be back!

My co-workers and I walk here for lunch at least once a week, and we always have a good time. Plus points are that the outdoor seating wraps around two sides of the building -- one side always shady, and one side usually sunny -- so you have some options if you wanna sit outside. The menu changes more frequently than I'm used to, so it's worth checking back now and then even if you got tired of your preferred dishes. The service has always seemed pretty friendly and expedient to me. Then again, I always go with good company, so it may be difficult for me to notice things "taking too long." ;P Their chicken tenders dish is amazing, and I love their sliders. Originally they served their burgers on a ciabatta-style bun, and I kinda miss that. It was unique. Now it comes on a classic hamburger bun, which isn't bad at all. Overall, the restaurant gets 4/5 stars from me. See ya sometime next week, Barrelhouse.

Mixed thoughts. The fried pickles were 'sweet' or 'semi sweet' which was strange. First time ever that this happened. The fish and chips and burgers were very good. As we were leaving I noticed a sign with drink specials. Wish we had known because we could have saved a lot of $$$$$. Otherwise great location and service was good.

There were fewer than 10 patrons the night I was there. Food and service should have been exemplary. The place smelled like rancid cooking oil, and it was noisy due to the hard floors, walls and ceiling, with no acoustic treatment. Fish and chips were unacceptable. Fish was soggy and mushy, oozing and dripping - seemingly either undercooked or a sub-par "fish product". Service was likewise. Two waitresses in-house - one behind the bar, the other sitting at the bar. Neither seemed interested in being there. Beer glass sat empty about 5 minutes before being noticed by either waiter, when I was the only one sitting at the bar (besides the other waiter). Not a welcoming atmosphere generally speaking.

Based on other reviews this place seems to have good burgers, but avoid the sides. I ordered a $5 beer and a $7 "pretzel" that just looked like a small breadstick that had been cut up. Tasted like it had been frozen and reheated. To make things worse, they added a mandatory 18% gratuity even though we were just a party of four. Ended up paying $17, the price of an entire meal, for a drink and a sad pretzel. I'm never eating here again.

So, so disappointed in our experience here. Truly, we should have known better because the eatery across the street had a line out the door of patrons gladly waiting for a table. We went there first but were too hungry and impatient to wait. Our first mistake. The second was worse. We walked to the closest restaurant, which unfortunately, was the Barrelhouse. We were literally the only patrons there from start to finish of our meal. Why didn't we see the signs? I blame my growling tummy. As we were seated, the grimy, smudged, crusty place settings screamed "Run!", but we didn't listen. No, we smiled politely and took our menus. As a brunch foodie, I was disappointed in the unimaginative offerings but made a selection. We scoured the water glasses trying to determine which was least likely to produce floaties or vomiting. My husband went without. The carafe of water was brought out, only to be spotted with black mold on the inside. Pass. Ordered a beer from a can instead. Once the plates of food were brought to the table, we both noticed a curly black hair on the table that had not been there previously. I don't know why but we ate our food. It wasn't great but really was the least worrisome of the whole filthy scene. There were two waitresses on duty, both of whom sat at the bar mist of the time staring into their phones. Ours was insincere and acted as if we were interrupting her chill time. Overall, the entire experience was awful and has caused me to take a vow to never again be unwilling to have standards in a food establishment at the risk of seeming rude.

The service was great. Our waiter was very helpful and full of knowledge. Sorry...I forgot his name (black guy, full beard, with black glasses). The food is just OK. The dessert (Red Velvet Brownie) was the best thing in the menu. The Bobby Dobb burger was OK but not worth the hype.

M'eh. I liked their drink specials, but for a not-so-busy night, the service could have been better. They seemed more focused on their private conversations than their customers. Food is mediocre, but the pimento cheese fritters were really nice. Overall not worth the stopover, you can find better food within spitting distance in this part of town.