Barley’s Sports Bar & Lounge

We visited Atlanta in December of 2012 for a weekend getaway before Christmas and I found a good deal on Barley’s Sports Bar from Groupon so I purchased it. It was at a good location (downtown Atlanta) but the service was horrible. We weren’t seated by the servers, they mostly spend their time talking to each other than helping serve us. When our server finally came up to take our order she suggested we order the Surf and Turf and so we did. After waiting for at least 45 minutes she comes up and tells us that our entrées are on the way. Another server came up to us 5 minutes later and tells us that we had to change our order because they have ran out of the Surf and Turf, I was very disappointed. Not to mention that after 2 servers came up to us to tell us 2 completely different stories another one comes right after and gives us another different story. It aggravated my date but we wanted to use the groupon that we spend over 40 dollars buying. I felt like this was a «bait and switch» on their part just to get customers on their door. We had to change our order and get something else. The atmosphere was very uncomfortable, the décor was in very poor condition, most of the guys there were drunk and kept throwing weird looks and unnecessary flirty comments at the women which made me very uncomfortable. I wouldn’t suggest this bar/​lounge to anyone and I was very disappointed with the service I received. Never going back again.

I like atmosphere… live music n food ok… you can play pool, there great first date spot.

I just recently heard that this spot got shut down. Hopefully they will re-​open? Great times were had in there!

It’s really hit-​or-​miss here. I’ve gone and had a fabulous time listening to old and new school hip hop and R&B with its mature, hip crowd. I’ve also gone on nights where it was just dry. Make sure you pay your parking fee! Parking enforcement is notorious for booting here! Overall a great time on most occasions.

Decide for yourself. Been about 8 times in 9 months. GREAT staff that changes monthly. Unlikely true brand liquor pours. Something is off in the taste. I know my Vodka (sadly?). Band is great Thurs-​Sat. Problem is you can’t see them unless you’re at a table (read: minimum tab/​cover/​RSVP). If you are at the bar or upstairs, good luck enjoying the noise. Place gets packed. No competition in the area for those wanting live cover r &b band downtown. Hello, investors? Open something else! If you drive, there’s a lot behind the place on West Peachtree. Think it’s $ 5 or $ 10. Also, gratuity is included!!! Review your bill!
Look at the dates of these posts. Not much recently?

I decided to go here for a friend’s 30 Bday party. We chose this spot because she was tired of the club scene. First, off I called ahead to make rsvp, but the waitress on the phone told us to come at anytime, and they open at 930. So, we get there and they didn’t have anywhere for us to sit. So we waited and waited. Once we sit down and ordered, the waitress took forvever to bring our food out. Then the DJ didn’t play any update music. No, one dressed up at all. One guy had on a t-​shirt and winterbreaker pants .The place is big and full of a lot of pool tables. The place is nice for a Monday Football game, not for a Bday party.

Second time going in about 3 yrs. the place is under new management and you can tell. I really really enjoyed myself there on Sunday, that is their «gaming night.» You can play any game from Spades to «Jenga» lol. Not crowded at all. The staff is nice and the atmosphere is really cool… They also had different drink specials throughout the night. Btw the food was great and not prices. I got there around 6:30p and didn’t leave till around 11:30p. Go here on Sundays for a change of pace.
Music was hip hop

As our party was leaving Barley’s I had to wait to get the birthday girls’ birthday cake from the back so a friend waited with me. Our server gave me the cake and as my friend and I were leaving out the door my friend was held up. I thought he was just moving aside to let four people enter. What actually happened was that the hostess had held him there. Apparently she was trying to get my attention because I had the cake.
So I am standing outside with the security guard chatting with him for a second and wondering what was going on. At that point the hostess comes outside and she says, «Don’t you know our policy. It’s policy that the hostess gets a piece of all birthday cakes.» So I am thinking she is joking and she is like, no she is for real. So I am like, oh ok you can have a piece of cake, sure.
I was going to cut her a piece at the front hostess area but there was nothing to put the cake on so the hostess said that she would take the cake to the back to cut a piece for her and bring it right back. Before she left with the cake, this cake had only missing. There was of the cake before she took it including the very important part that said,
Happy
Birthday
Melanie
When the hostess returned with the cake, the entire portion that said, Happy Birthday Melanie, was missing. She only left the left end part of the cake, the parts with all of the icing. The entire right side of the cake was missing.
I looked at her and said, «Why did you cut the cake like that? Half of the cake is gone.» And she said, «Oh, I’m sorryyyy.» And she continued to make this face with her lip poked out. I continued to tell her that she cut the entire Happy Birthday Melanie section. She continued to make the same face. I just looked at her. Like for a few seconds I just looked at her. I honestly didn’t know if she was joking or if she had been drinking.
I actually wanted to speak with management at that moment but I doubted whoever I really needed to speak with was there at that time. I was not interested in being taken to one of her «friends» and being told that he or she was the manager that night.
I’ve been to Barleys a couple times in the past and it was always crowded and that night the scene was over pretty early. Another friend said the same thing.
When your hostesses behave in such a way, people are not going to continue to come and return. There are just too many other options. Like I said, I’ve been there a couple times but I know now that I will never have a birthday party there or recommend a birthday party at Barley’s again.
I did leave a voice message and email to management but I guess replying to customers service issues are not a priority for Barleys.

Extremely slow service. Unfriendly bartender. Good pool tables. Very light handed pours! Watch your tab! A few extra drinks were on mine and it’s hard to argue you didn’t get them at the end of the night. The also have a mandatory 15% gratuity on your tab and don’t «say» anything about it. So tip accordingly!

This is a cool spot. I visited recently during a trip to Atlanta & I really enjoyed myself.
We went on a Saturday night when they normally have live entertainment. I don’t even know the guy’s name but he was an amazing singer. He performed old school R&B songs from the 70s, 80s & 90s by artists like Usher, Tina Marie & Prince. Again, no clue as to what his name was but he was good. From the way he talked it seemed like he performed there often.
We had food & drinks too that were fairly decent. Not the best I’ve had but OK for typical bar food & for the type of establishment it was.
The pool tables in the back on both levels are pretty cool too. We played a few games & had a great time.
The best thing about it was that you could reserve the tables per seat for $ 15. That money then went toward any food or drink that was ordered. That sure beat a money wasting cover charge that only benefited the restaurant. (There is a $ 10 cover after 9pm)

Location:
Located in Midtown Atlanta on Peachtree Street (like there’s ANY other street name in Atlanta)?! Parking to right of the lounge is $ 10 (CASH ONLY), but I was able to find street parking (on a Friday night) approximately 3 blocks away for free.
Atmosphere:
Intimate-​like seating area in the front of the establishment with a stage-​area in the front of the room for live bands. High ceilings and brick walls give it a warehouse-​like feel. Pool tables, bars, and tvs are in the rear and upstairs. A jeans and nice top kind of place. The live band we saw that night was great, covering many R&B hits (both past and current).
Service:
Service was pretty decent. A couple of times we had to search for our waiter for refills on drinks, beverages, etc. However, since he was covering the «lounge» area that had the live band and the rear of the restaurant with the pool tables, I could understand why he may not have been available as quickly as we’d like.
Food:
The food left me wanting more… from another restaurant. I ordered their medium Buffalo Wings (with bleu cheese dressing) and a Long Island Iced Tea. The wings were cooked a little too long and were crunchy to the point where some were overcooked. The «medium» sauce was not «medium» at all. The bleu cheese dressing was nothing more than ranch with a couple of bleu cheese chunks. I would think that a pool hall and lounge would be able to make something as simple as buffalo wings; guess not. The LIIT was not strong enough and felt like it was watered down due to the excessive amount of ice.
I didn’t get to play pool (because I do not know how to play), so based on my initial visit with the food and live band, I probably will only return to see a live band.

Used to go to Barley’s all the time before Park Atlanta had their way with the place and there was NO possiblity of free parking. Now that I work closer to the vicinity, I selected Barley’s for my birthday luncheon with co-​workers. We went in a group of 10 for lunch. I will admint that going to such places in large groups makes me nervous, that was not to be a concern at all.
We got there, it was not a large lunch crowd. I have no idea why not, for the same price as a take it and go meal in Peachtree Center Mall, you could get a nice little sit down lunch with some quality ingredients (and a drink) for just a tad bit more with a chance to sit down and relax.
They have a lovely salmon sandwich, their caesar salad is attractively priced and the charge to add meat is extremely reasonable. The waitstaff was attentive and accomodating, even when we had a few folks in our group who were behaving badly.
I’ll be back to see you, Barley’s…

Okay, this is a hard review. First off let me get this out the way, WHY OH WHY was there tile on the supposed (said with full on extra emphasis) carpeted dance floor. *insert highly confused face* Like for real, is that the new Martha Stewart jump off design that I was not privy too?! I’ll wait…
As for the service, it was horribly slow. However, I really only ding people if they are rude. With that being said our server for a party of 10+ was redunkuosly slow, but he was very pleasant so I can’t and won’t complain too much about that.
As far as the atmosphere, let me just say someone had have to been killed up in that place. Like, really. There was cops everywhere. No, no security but COPS complete with double holsters and pistols showing. So, this is no place for riff raff of any kind.
As far as the food, the mister’s fish was divine. My fake/​wanna be Philly Cheese steak, not so much. In fact, not at all.
Now, on to the music. Shout out olé girl that was with the band who kept repeatedly saying she was on drugs from the dentist. I mean that clearly explained why she sung her whole set with her eyes closed, or she was in a heroin nod. I try not to judge. *shrug*
The DJ, horrible. I couldn’t figure out what he was doing. Literally a HAM. But, to be fair he was very accommodating for requests.
So, my verdict is Barley’s is a cool little spot. Granted they are light on the liquor and heavy on the ice, service is slow as maple sap, and the DJ was boo boo… but all in all it’s not that bad of the pace. Yes, I’ve experienced better but it’s not that bad.

I have been here twice and enjoyed myself each time! The first time I went on a Wednesday which was great because their pool games are half off! They were also having karaōke that night too. I just went again on a Thursday to watch the NBA playoffs. There was a singer named Dawn Mc Clain who was performing and she was the TRUTH! lol. I could watch the game && jam to some neo-​soul! On Thursday, they also had drink specials which are always a plus.
I ordered some chicken tenders, on my first visit, which were decent (you cant mess up chicken tender too bad) lol. My martini was strong and how it was suppose to be! On my second visit, I ordered the fried chicken salad which was great.
Both times it was not crowed but they were busy. They have a nice size venue which will be good for sporting events. I will go there again, my kinda spot…

Pretty cool place. We have tons of spots like Barleys back in Washington, DC. The whole live music theme, pool hall, etc.
I like Barleys and it’s a place to go and enjoy some great music Fri/​Sat nights.
You can have a girls night out or a first date! If you enjoy mingling, watching the games, eating, cocktails, or hanging out to have a great time…
Then I believe Barleys is def your place.

One Friday night, I decided to go see a live band @ Barley’s. Indigo Sunset, heard of ‘em? They were great. Their performance alone, singlehandedly, transformed a mediocre pool hall into a sultry and rhythmic SOUL JAM!
You know… the type of music that makes you want to take your clothes off… Adam and Eve style! …(Kim Kardashian and Ray J style… ok maybe that’s a little watered down)
After the band left, most others did as well. But let me point out that the service is good — the waiters are very attentive. And if you like pool — there are plenty of tables.

My 3^rd ATL experience and I must commend this spot.
Went on a Saturday night mainly cause of the live band in which was actually pretty good. I was fooled cause I was told a female would be singing but oh well.
Talkin about females, a great assortment and number which is another reason why I love the «A».
The drinks were ok, wasn’t strong but good enough. As far as the food goes, I had the BBQ chicken sandwhich, plus some of my friend’s chicken tenders & fries. The sandwich wasn’t too impressive due to the sauce which was actually very weak. I could’ve easily went to the store and got some Sweet Baby Rays bbq and it would’ve tasted way better.
Upstairs there’s a large amount of space occupied by pool tables so that’s an automatic plus in my book.
The one thing I hated but I can’t completely blame them for is the parking. Being in downtown really does suck cause parking was $ 10 and it’s hard to find any standard parking.
Overall… I’ll definitely come back here, aside from parking non-​likement
I give this place a 3.5 realistically but had to round it up cause it’s that capable.

This was one of the first sportsbars I was introduced to when I moved to Atlanta. It was dark, it was loud, it was urban, and the wings were absolutely amazing. Aside from that the drinks were strong as hell.
I liked the place.
I know they do karaōke on certain nights, and if you have ever seen it, its hilarious here.
The bartenders are friendly in an abrasive type of way… it’s kinda hard to explain. Nevertheless, the drinks are always on point, so I cant complain.
I’d strongly recommend the wings. They arent as good as they used to be, but still tasty.
Havent been back in a minute, but I do like the spot.

Came here with a large group of friends on a Sunday night. It was game night and they had $ 5 long islands, long beaches, and blue m*fers.
We stayed there for almost 7 hours!!! It was so much fun. The music was great and the food was pretty good too. I had the turkey burger with a salad which in retrospect was good for my health but bad for all the drinking we did. lol
Our server was friendly but she was definitely slow. Over all we had a ton of fun and I’m looking forward to trying this place out again. Oh and the best part was their parking lot. IMO Parking always makes everything better.

Reading a fellow Unilocalers review I must add my own experience
The tip here no matter how large or how quaint the party
They automatically include a service charge, I want to say its like 18%
which isnt bad, but I feel like if you get the wrong server they leave you hanging when they already have a notion of their tip from you.
so if its just two just be prepared
I like the pool table set up and its nice in general
food served reasonably –u better ask for you check with
your order!