The Cask & Barrel

We liked it… a lot. Great service and unique atmosphere. Great after work/​evening spot!

Do not go here for food. In the time of gastropubs CB is a complete miss. They have 3 microwaves. Thats it. Why they cant at least think up more creative food, i do not know.
Service is friendly.

Cask and Barrel disappoint on their name sake.
Went for drinks with some friends and had a hankering for some scotch. From their name I supposed that is was something they would do well. Unfortunately our server didn’t seem to know much of anything about scotch. I ordered it on the rocks and when I ended up getting my drink (which took way longer than it should have considering there were only 3 tables in the whole place) it had crushed ice in it. For anyone who actually drinks scotch you would know that crushed ice melts far too quickly and waters down the scotch. Also in no universe do rocks equate to crushed ice. My friends’ dirty martini also had crushed ice in it. Which is equally ridiculous. Maybe it was just a new server needing a little education or maybe it was a bad night. But the whole experience was so disappointing that I don’t think any of us will be back.

An all-​around «alright» place.
The décor is nice and there is a lounge section with couches, which is great but they are usually occupied. There is a patio which is awesome in the summer; it’s located just south of all the traffic and noise on Jasper so it’s part of the action but still with some reasonable distance. Very pleasant.
I’m normally a beer drinker and Cask & Barrel satisfies there, but I must admit they have some delicious cocktails. My group of friends tried the «Follow Amanda» because they claimed it tasted like red skittle and we were cynics who wanted to dispute that (to each other, not rudely to the staff there) but it was absolutely spot on.
The music they play is varied but consistently great… I hate using the term «indie» as a genre, but that pretty much describes it… Grandaddy, Arcade Fire, Peter Bjorn and John, and so on. They nailed the volume; you can sit back and enjoy it if you’re digging what’s playing but you can still have a decent conversation if you want without having to raise your voice.
The downsides…
Service is inconsistent. I really don’t want to slag off their staff as I’ve gotten some great service there, but other times I’ve felt totally invisible there… and it’s not a large bar.
The menu is weak, none of the typical bar staples like wings, nachos, etc are to be found. Sure I guess they are trying to project more «class» than places filled with greasy and fried options, but unless you like paninis there is just not much there. I travel with a crowd that has some diverse tastes in food and it is unanimously agreed that Cask and Barrel is a place to drink but not to eat. This alone is why it must lose a star compared to comparable places with more in the way of food offerings.
Overall it’s a nice enough place to go when I’m not feeling hungry.

We came here a couple nights ago for dinner and drinks. The waitress got every single food order wrong. My friend and I both ordered meatloaf paninis but we both got meatball paninis. We thought «meh, whatever» and tried the paninis anyway. We both agreed that these were the worst paninis we’ve ever had. It was obvious they skimped on the meat and the buns were very very dry — c’mon, would it kill you to put some mayo or something on that bread… The other members of our party ordered a chicken salad and a garden panini. The chicken came cold and the garden panini instead came as a salad.
Finally, there drink special was super lame. Buy a double and get half off on your second shot… that has got to be the worst drink special I have ever heard of. I usually turn the other cheek but this place needs to be shut down…

Service is a bit slow. But staff were very polite. Can’t beat chilling on the patio. Nice off the path place for a drink.

Cask & Barrel is fairly decent… Not bad, not great, just an average neighbourhood place.
What I like about Cask… The décor is unique and cozy. They also have a fairly decent patio for the warmer months. There’s also a sunken lounge area with couches. The menu, which has recently been updated, is not loaded with greasy, fried options. The paninis are usually what I go for, or the CB Mac n cheese. If you are overly hungry, you might want to order an appie.
There’s nothing that I really dislike… It’s just an average place.

Some old colleagues and I met at The Cask to catch up, compare jobs, discuss old grudges and basically talk about the things middle aged adults feel compelled to share with one another.
It was my first time at The Cask (yes I’m too lazy to type its entire name), and I was rather excited. I envisioned a cozy hub where people come to gather over a deep mahogany bar and sip only the finest of scotches. I could only hope Ron Burgundy would be sitting on the end seat, talking about how Baxter taught him to roll over.
Well, Ron wasn’t there, and the room wasn’t covered in large amounts of red wood. But it was cozy and there was booze, so I was happy.
Our server greeted us quickly and took our drink orders. They had a few beer specials that night, but the fancy in me wanted to guzzle a fine glass of Malbec through a straw. When our drinks were dropped off, our server didn’t seem too happy that we didn’t have our food orders ready. But that’s what happens when friends gather after months of seeing one another. And my wine was acting as an appy, so I wasn’t in a hurry.
We sorted our food desires and placed our order to another lady… the host or owner or maybe another server. Don’t get me wrong: Our server was still there, so we weren’t sure what was going on. It was slow, so maybe they both wanted something to do. Either way, she was lovely, and we were getting half cut. It was going well.
My friend and I shared some sliders and a dip made of artichoke hearts, spinach and cheeses that satisfied every part of my body that wants to get pudgy. The sliders were a wee bit well… wee.
When it came time to close up our mouths and our bills, our server was nowhere in sight. We scanned the room, but all we saw was another table and two ladies chatting at the bar. We casually carried on for about 15 minutes more before realizing the two ladies at the bar talking the entire time were our servers. Alas! We’d found them!
We high-​fived each other for our sharp investigative skills, then waited another five minutes before shuffling our stuff around to see if it would raise an eyebrow, head or any body part from either of them. It worked! We were on a roll! We paid our bills, quietly wished them happy conversations and exited to our next destination.
What’s the moral of this story, you «Cask»? Sipping wine through a straw is awesome. The Dip is divine. And servers should always serve first before dishing out the gossip, bar-​side.

The Cask & Barrel is close to my office, and makes a great stop for happy hour beverages.
The atmosphere is great. I love what these guys have done with their space. It’s fun and hip and cozy, with lots of comfortable cushions and throws to make guests feel at home. Their music selection is usually solid, too.
Service can be spotty. I’ve had some really great experiences and pleasant servers, but I’ve also had a few sour servers that failed to deliver or were inattentive. Little details that are fulfilled happily elsewhere (ex. change for a meter that could then be added to the bill later) are typically not provided.
Food is limited here (my understanding is that C&B doesn’t have a full kitchen), but what I’ve ordered I enjoy. Their hummus/​pita plate is good, and the soup of the day usually delicious. Their take on macaroni and cheese, and their sandwiches fell flat. Usually, I plan on having drinks at The Cask & Barrel, and go elsewhere for food.
The Cask & Barrel does have a great drink selection with plenty of daily specials and promotions, so be sure to check this cozy and fun spot out during happy hour!

Went for after work drinks. The group all seemed good with the drink side. The drink specials were well priced for sure. The food menu was a bit enigmatic. Really nothing to share. Only one in our party of 8 actually took the leap and ordered something. He said it was good, «a solid 6.»

This is a tricky one… Aesthetically this little scotch bar is adorable! I love the patio; I love the interior, like something imported from SOHO or the Meat Packing District of NYC. Including the fact that you have to walk down a creepy hallway to get to the loo (do not like that part, at all!)
Then there is the menu… It’s all a bit lacking: Good, not great wines, I won’t touch on the Scotch (I’ll leave that to my cuz Joshua M). The food menu leaves a little to be desired (why no charcuterie, no cheese plate, no fun sharesies??). Oh well, on the bright side that just means there is room for improvement.
Now, here’s where things really took a sucky and quite embarrassing turn… I had invited a gal pal out to talk shop, at the end of the ok night (we learned that when you need another round you must flag down the wait staff… ya!) I went to pay and realized I did not have my debit card on me. I figured 2 AMEX’s and a MasterCard should be fine. Nope! They don’t take AMEX and the debit machine did not «support» my MC. OMG, so humiliating having to have a cheque paid by my companion.
Despite all of this, I will still probably give them another go… this time armed with ca$h!

It took me three attempts to find a comfortable seat while I waited for a friend. I was on my Headset talking with him at the time. First seat was on the Patio & she brought a menu to me. I brought it to the bar area & ordered a sandwich. I then tried another table eventually ending up at the bar cause it has a place where your feet are elevated higher than on a floor which is good for my back. I don’t drink Alcohol). I was asked if I was going to get up again, reason being [Owner] expected the lunch rush. She acted & looked annoyed & asked if I wanted my food to go. I offered to pay for the sandwich which had not come, for it had only been 5 to 10 minutes. She said no. I felt she wanted me to go. I left after being there maybe 10 minutes. She was mean spirited & later shockingly aggressive.
I know what a nice establishment is & this is one. I know how a person should be treated as well. Courteous & polite is all.
Later on I was walking by with my friend & pointed to the place in question. As we passed the front door she came running out. Threw two punches & spat on me. A man came out of the restaurant & cautiously put his hand slightly in front of her in case (I assume) she attacked again. I said to her. «You hit me?» «You spit at me?» Her response was. «I own this place» I walked away saying I was going to ask my MLA Office in my neighborhood what to do & I did.
I was hungry too. Menu looked okay. Business is hard & I can appreciate this yet you can’t physically attack someone.

Ok, I don’t know if the service we received was typical, but we had really bad experience. I think there was too many people for the waitress to take on in the restaurant, which created delays. Our party of 8 kept reordering as the waitress would acknowledge what we were asking for, then forget the moment she walked away. It was painful to ask for the bill more than once at the end, or to order our drinks more than once.
The décor and atmosphere were really well laid out, but the service is what really hurt the ratings here.
When I go back I’ll give it another go and update my review.

The lady who owns this place is often seen behind the bar or waiting tables. She’s super friendly and I appreciate her hands on ownership. They have really great drinks and their mixed cocktails are unique and fun. Their food is super delish! I recommend the homemade Mac and cheese! Sooo good!

It was a very snowy cold afternoon in Edmonton. We spent the morning shopping and of course built up quite an appetite! Not wanting to venture far away from the hotel I fired up my handy Unilocal app and found this gem: Cask and Barrel!
We walked into a cute little space with booths and tables/​chair combos. The décor was shabby chic and it worked really well.
Our waitress was amazing; she really made the experience for me since she was laid back, friendly and sweet.
The drink and food menu has many options and is decently priced. After choosing a drink of our choosing we ordered a dip to share, which was called «the spin» and consisted of: sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, chopped spinach, garlic and cream cheese alongside many grilled pita chips. (Amazing)
For my meal I had a tomato basil soup and garden salad. The soup was beyond. Very hearty and delicious, it was exactly what I wanted that cold day. The salad was a salad nothing too special.
All in all, it was fantastic!

I only went for drinks so I cannot speak to the food. But the service and atmosphere were great!
While I was there they had a wine tasking on, who doesn’t love showing uo for a couple drinks and ending up participating in a wine tasking.
waitress was very attentive and kind.

At first I was pretty unsure of The Cask and Barrel. I had a friend recommend it and I had never heard of it or really even seen it. I was a little skeptical because the server said they were out of a beer that they later served to someone else, perhaps not a good start. There is an eclectic group of people at tiny pub/​lounge and I was really unsure if I’d love it. That being said the ambiance, décor and friendly servers won me over. My heart melted a little when the bartender bought an old man that stopped in his beer. He was so happy and seeing that just made my day! The food we had was really good and I’m always skeptical of food at pubs the tomato soup was unreal and I would go back just for that! I feel like Edmonton doesn’t know about The Cask and I feel like they should! It’s really great!

Cask and Barrel is a great place to stop for drinks on the patio after a long day at work. The patio is small, but that’s what makes it nice– it’s an intimate setting where you can hear what your friends are saying, while watching passersby on the street.
Although the service is a little slow, the menu has a nice selection of drinks including several happy hour or daily specials.
We’ve tried the food here before, it’s nothing fancy, with no frills. The food was tasty, but probably not filling enough to count as dinner.
I’m not sure how I’d like this restaurant in the winter time, as it’s quite small inside. However, in the summer it’s great. There aren’t a lot of patios in the downtown core, and this one fits the bill!

Not sure what’s with all the bummed-​out Unilocal reviews, because I thought this place was great! It’s a small venue crowded with furniture, but in a cozy way. You can have your choice of wooden chairs or comfy couches. They boast a lot of local brews and happy hour is until 7pm on weekdays, which makes it the perfect stop for an after-​work drink. I ordered their Aurora pasta for dinner and it was fantastic. I wanted to top it off with their Bailey’s cheesecake for dessert, but they didn’t have it in stock. Sadly, they were actually out of quite a few items when we came here, so that’s why they’re only getting 4 stars today. Our server Andrea was great though, which almost makes up for the missing menu items! Furthermore, music was awesome which also goes against other Unilocal reviews. All in all I had a really great time here. Looking forward to my next visit =)

The Cask and Barrel is a cool place, but it has the potential to be a really cool place and falls a touch short.
Our waitress was great. i think she was the only one there on Thursday night and she handled it like a pro. Really friendly and chill. Me and my dates started our night outside, which was pretty bland. It was like I was sitting on a sidewalk on some random side road in a totally dead city… oh wait. We moved inside and the atmosphere was a lot better. The décor is great — beautiful walls and, actually, beautiful floors — but the loud music was a bit much for a week night.
The beer list was pretty good, but I can’t quite understand why the prices were so high. $ 8.50 for a pint of Strongbow is higher than anywhere else I’ve seen it (usually $ 7.50ish), the cheapest bottles were $ 6.50 — and I“m talking for Kokanee and the like — and it went up from there. Oh, they did have Lucky for $ 4.75, ha. I suppose high price is all relative, but their prices are clearly higher than pretty much every other bar.
I really liked the vibe and staff at Cask and Barrel, but I think they should lower their prices if they want to be competitive at all. They have a lot of potential. There’s just really no reason to go there when you can head down the street and get the same beer for a lower price.