The Barleycorn

So we love the food here and the atmosphere! Service is usually hit or miss. I am a native of Asheville NC, I eat out about every meal. We love Pubs, to upscale, to casual. We have eaten here since opening. Tonight’s experience was going good, food delish, our server was great too. So tonight the three of us had a beer before dinner was served, Then Half wat through dinner I order a second beer. When, after 5 minutes Chip the bartender not our server who come to find out was new and training from Chip. So Chip decides to ask if everything is good and could he get us more drinks, My friends say they are good I say I had ordered one more beer, and tell, him our server was getting it. Chip steps back as he is speaking claiming NC law will not allow him to serve me another until my last sip was taken! ?!? He continued to say NC law ! When we questioned was it new? Because in all of my 51 restaurant active years in Asheville NC Tonight’s news that I must completely drain the first pint before getting my second was one was done sadly as he was training our server incorrect or new or everyone else is breaking the law! Sadly it seems that Chip, was just putting on a power show even if the power was incorrect! It was off putting and probably will affect our next decision to dine here or to go elsewhere!

I love this place and can’t believe it has taken me so long to eat here. They have the best fresh dishes. The bangers and mas is good as well as the fish and chips are very tasty as well. Low lit setting with booths and a community table and bar. Great West Asheville spot I can see myself visiting often, tons of things on the menu I want to try… they have good brunch too.

First time here. Very pleasant waitress. Ordered the corned beef hash and the salmon Benny. Washing that down with a house bloody Mary.
Yum! A new «go to» breakfast/​lunch place. Definitely coming back here.

This place was walking distance to our Air BnB. We stopped in for a drink and ended up staying for dinner because everything looked so good. We had delicious salads — I had a kale caesar that was fabulous, and we had shepherds pie (topped with homemade tator tots). Friendly and efficient staff gave this place a good vibe.

Heck, the meatloaf alone is worth a five-​star review. The to go service is always on time and the bartenders are a good chat if you end up a few minutes early.

Great atmosphere, great beer, ok food. They have a unique menu, but the food wasn’t amazing. Chicken kabob was cold, NY Strip was over cooked, beef kabob was pretty good, but chewy, and service was slow. Fries with the chicken kabob looked like the bottom of the basket. Would go back maybe…

This place is amazing. We stopped here for brunch and were not disappointed. The bloody Mary’s was one of the best … And the breakfast was delightful. We ordered the cast iron egg cobbler and the duck confit and spinach omelette and they were to die for. The cobbler was full of veggies and had delicious eggs with goat cheese on top. The omelette was good. They came with yummy hashbrowns with homemade delicious ketchup!
Next time we’re in town will definitely come back — the service was outstanding too!

Unimpressed. While the ambience is great and the menu tries very hard, I just didn’t enjoy my experience. To begin, our waitress was TERRIBLE. It was a Friday night, not busy at all, and she couldn’t remember ANYTHING. I had the fish and chips, which weren’t terrible. They didn’t knock my socks off either. When our appetizer finally came (halfway through our meal), the mash-​potato tots were the jam. Others had bangers and mash (looked good) and meatloaf (yuck).
I mean try it or don’t try it, but I’m probably never going back.

Don’t wait in huge brunch lines at Biscuit Head and Sunny Point. Barleycorn’s breakfast is very good, inventive, fresh. And you can park.
I had delicious chilequiles and my wife has a dish she still talks about: two eggs over roasted vegetables cooked in a cast iron.
I know other places in West Asheville have bigger brunch reps. Give The Barleycorn a try.

Have I really not reviewed Barleycorn yet? I’ve been there twice…
Both times, it’s been great. We’ve been once for a nice dinner, and once for Saturday brunch. The brunch was good enough to hang with any other place around. I got the English breakfast, which was very close to (but not exactly) authentic. They put their own little twists on it. A full English absolutely does not come with chorizo… but maybe they should. My wife’s hash was also met with great reviews.
The dinner we had, though, puts the place on another level. I can’t remember what my wife got, because that was like 2 years ago, but that’s her fault for not writing reviews. I got some kind of meat thing that came suspended on a skewer, hanging from a hook. It was out of this world. Don’t even remember what kind of meat it was, but I remember wanting to have it again. I still want it again.
The drinks are definitely not cheap, a glass of juice will run you like $ 3.50, but it’s a good, reasonably upscale place in W Asheville to get a good meal.

The steak is awesome. Tots are different than you expect, but good. Stevie was our server and she was very attentive and friendly. Nice atmosphere. Never too crowded when I’ve been.

I hate giving negative reviews, but when I pay $ 25 for lunch, I want good eats!
Stopped in to The Barleycorn for a late lunch (1:30ish) and the place was moderately busy for that hour, but it is a Saturday… I had only been here once before for drinks and this was my first «Brunch» menu experience. The place is clean and well lit (of course, my pet peeve for daytime eating), and the service was excellent.
Let me first congratulate The Barleycorn for its WAVL location. How in the name of all that is good did you manage to find a parking lot! Bravo! Location well selected!
For starters, let me say that my Nantahala Noon Day IPA was superb… and at 5.7, it is an excellent «noon time» beer! First I have had and loved it.
I ordered the Morgan Farms Burger with cheddar ($ 1 extra… what kind of BS is this?) that came with fries and a dill pickle wedge. I ordered medium-​rare and the server acknowledged that I could do that (which means that they grind their own burger! Superb!). It came medium-well…big disappointment. I never return food unless it is simply not edible. The burger was indeed edible, but NOT medium-​rare. I really wanted to point that out to the server and I am sure he would have brought me another burger, but it already took them a bit of time to get me the first one what what the hell. I ate it.
The fries… oh, the blessed fries. They were cooked to perfection… nice and crispy… not oily… salted and peppered nicely… BUT WHAT THE HECK? I ate 5 fries trying to figure out what this funky hipsterish spice that had been generously added to my fries. It was a cinnimony-​sugarish flavor that had been added to my delicious looking fries. PEOPLE… there is an end to creativity in the kitchen! I want my fries straight, no chaser! I could not eat the 6^th one and left the mound of remaining fries intact for the trash bin.
I can say nothing negative about the pickle.
If not for the parking lot, the ambiance and the beer, this one have been a single star rating.
I will be back since I have heard so many good things from friends.

I wish, wish, WISH we had taken pictures. The food presentation was so impressive!
I went with a group of 6 (four adults and two kids) on a Thursday night at 7pm and got a table right away. They had crayons and coloring sheets for the kids and drink specials for the adults. The place was almost full and it can get a little noisy and hard to hear, but it was alright. We had the Tater Tots w/​horseradish sauce and Fried Pickles. Sooo good. Everyone’s meal was delicious and beautiful and portions were plentiful. Prices were great for the quality. Service was friendly and well-​timed.
We’ll be back, for sure!

When in Asheville, we usually head downtown to eat and roam, but The Barleycorn was suggested by a local so we checked it out on a quiet Wednesday night. We were very thankful for the recommendation.
I am not a big beer drinker, so I opted for one of their specialty cocktails: Port of Elder, which was an ingenious combination of Old Overholt Rye, Elderflower, Fernet Branca, and Tawny Port. I am always asking bartenders to suggest cocktails with Fernet Branca and the only thing I get is the Toronto, so this was a pleasant surprise — spiciness from the rye, menthol from the Fernet, and a hint of sweetness from the elderflower and port, all working together in harmony. Were it not for the price ($ 9), I would have had two. Not that it wasn’t worth $ 9. It was. And there were 3 – 4 other cocktails on their list I would have loved to try also, like the La Tormenta: Espolon Reposado, Ginger Liquor, Chile Syrup, Lime Juice, Ginger Beer, Hell Fire Bitters.
For food, I opted for the «duck pastrami» sandwich. (Note this sandwich is served cold.) Duck breast, fig jam, manchego, arugula, tomato. 5 of my favorite things all together. With a side of brussels sprouts, it was a terrific dinner.
My wife had the famous beef hanging kabob with the bourbon bacon jam. Also delicious, though the meat was cooked a bit unevenly because the different sizes of the chunks on the kabob.
Several items on the «twisted traditions» menu I would love to try next time around, including plays on bangers & mash and shepherd’s pie. Looking forward to another visit.

For an artsy town Asheville has no shortage of places to eat. My daughter has been here and wanted us to give it a go. We weren’t disappointed by the choice
The head chef actually came out, took our order and chatted for a few. We wanted some grub of the dinner menu but it was only 1pm. He obliged! (We kept it simple, beer battered cod, and fried pickles which uses the same beer batter)
The fish & chips kept one daughter happy, the fried pickles were a treat for the table. I had to get a burger since it had bacon jam! (Bourbon brown sugar onions & bacon reduced into a spread). Needless to say, I was a very happy camper and even had a side salad of fresh kale. My wife got the shrimp & grits, other daughter a Chicken sandwich with side salad. All very good. The wait staff were very attentive although it was kinda busy for a Saturday afternoon. We will add BarleyCorn to our list of return trips necessary.

Great food, friendly service, and a diverse tap list all at reasonable prices. I wouldn’t call them «cheap» by any means, but def worth the money.
I love what they’ve done with the place since this used to be the old Burgermeister’s. It just has a classier feel. There’s a couple booths off to the right and then mostly high-​top and bar style seating throughout the rest. After our group was quickly seated in one of these booths, I instantly ordered a Bloody Mary as I had quite a late night the evening before. A great deal at $ 5 on Sundays, I probably should have taken advantage of this $ 5 deal on a mimosa as well.
On to the food. I really had no clue what I wanted. After reading all the reviews touting about how awesome the bangers and mash were, I knew that that had to at least be a possibility. Then I heard that these guys won the wing war, so I to at least consider some wings too. Both seemingly great options, but once I saw that there was a duck breast prosciutto sandwich, it was all over. They had great sounding burgers, but some cured duck breast was exactly what I was wanting. I didn’t know how big it would be, so I grabbed the «barlotto» as a side, as it seemed to sound like the most filling option.
I didn’t have to wait long until this beautiful, meaty sandwich came out. Plenty of duck breast coming out the side, perfectly fresh and spicy arugula, awesomely salty manchego, a little tomato, and some fig jam. Something for all the taste buds. For $ 11, this would be a weekly thing for me if I lived close by. I wish I could give as much praise to the barlotto, it wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t that good. More or less a mushroom rissoto made with barley, it really just didn’t have that much flavor. Maybe they could go with a stronger stock or more veggies? Even a little sprinkling of color via parsley or orange zest might brighten up the drab look of it.
My counterparts got a burger and kebobs. They didn’t share much, but both had a nice char flavor and will be future options for me when I come back. I also need to try the meat and cheese boards. But all that will have to wait till my next trip up to Asheville. Which will hopefully happen sooner, rather than later.

I wish that I could give this place more stars, its that good. The Barleycorn provided everything I want from a dining experience. A well rounded rotating draft list, high quality, perfectly executed food, all in a beautiful setting. Also, they have a parking lot which is always a plus. I wanted to get one of everything on their perfectly sized menu…
I chose a DIPA from Appalachia Brewery. I have never had any of their beers and this one was perfect. I’m not usually a wing eater, but I was with two dudes and the menu boasted they were award winning, so we choose the Korean style as an appetizer. Sooooo good!!! I see why they won an award. We didn’t even touch the side of ranch-​ish looking stuff, although I’m sure it was lovely, the wings were amazing all on their own. I chose the beet salad and a side of carrots and brussels to share with my little one. The dressing on the salad was wonderful and the candied pecans were delightful. I love when brussels are prepared with balsamic, as these were, it makes a tangy, crunchy texture that is wonderful. My friend got the beef skewers that look like a popular menu item. Cool presentation on this heavy hanging skewer thing. I didn’t try the beef, he actually said it wasn’t that great, but I can’t speak to that. I can tell you the corn pudding side it came with was AHHHHMAZINGGGG!!! Seriously. I’ve never had this before. It’s like the best, most most sweet corn bread stuffed with tons of sweet corn kernals. Just thinking about it makes me want to call in a takeout order just for this. Yum. It also came with a side of those lovely brussels, and it also had a bacon jam dip for the beef, this was also unbelievably tasty. The other guy we were with got the beef barley soup, which he raved about and the most beautifully presented wedge salad that I’ve ever seen!
Everything was fairly priced, around $ 20 a person.
Thanks for such a great meal! You definitely have a new regular, I can’t wait to try brunch :)

Ah, to drink beer called the «Blood of My Enemies» out of a goblet whilst pulling grilled meat off of a metal skewer… it doesn’t get too much more masculine than that. No, really! Apparently an Asheville based brewery called Green Man Brewing Co. brews this wonderful malty beer and has given it such a perfect name. Kudos to the Barleycorn for serving it.
I ordered their Beef & Bourbon Bacon Jam Kabob. The steak was tender, smoky, and flavorful. The Bourbon Bacon Jam was heavenly… and they even served that entrée with pita so that you could make little Steak-​Bourbon Bacon Jam Pita wraps. Excellent. For sides, I opted for fries which were well seasoned and accompanied with curried ketchup and honey glazed carrots. Yummers.
My wife ordered the Michael Burger. For as good as my kabob was, the Michael Burger may have still won out as being the tastiest item that we ordered. A burger with melted pub dip and warm bacon jam? Yes, please. To accompany the burger, my wife ordered the roasted mushroom «barlotto» (barley risotto). Unfortunately, it was bland and there wasn’t much mushroom to speak of.
Awesome gastropub vibe and creative (yet vaguely familiar) menu. Very enjoyable experience.

Barleycorn is tucked away in a kinda sketchy strip mall; yet it’s a beautiful restaurant which was pretty crowded on a weeknight. We were instantly greeted by a super nice hostess and seated inside, and barely had to wait two minutes before our waitress was bringing us waters and menus.
We had the pretzels and cheese appetizer which was great (though we wish we had more pretzels with the order) and then the Duck Pastrami and Michael Burger for entrees. We both enjoyed our sandwiches and I couldn’t get enough of my side of lemon-​kale barlotto. Everything was so good and very filling for the price. The beers we tried were also very good, though I wish they had more than one cider option.
Usually i’m let down by ‘pubs’ but this one did not disappoint! I will definitely stop by next time i’m in town!

Bangers & mash Yummy!!!
KABOBS are excellent and fish and chips what more can you ask for
NOBEL CIDER classic dinner drink