Barley John’s Brew Pub

We have gone to this place many times because it is so close to home. Service has always been terrible. Does anybody ever smile at this place? Today was the last time, for good! Weekday, 1pm, 2 people at the bar, 6 other people in dining room. Again, this guy is such an ass! Seems you are really bothering him should you choose to stop in for lunch. Got upset when we asked what the lunch special is, too afraid to dare ask what kind of soup. Unfortunately, the ham and pea soup was very good, but cold. Fries were cold too. FYI: the new Pizza Luce in Roseville has many excellent options besides pizza and the service is outstanding! Saying goodbye to Barley John’s.

Hippy atmosphere with craft beers that are no very tasty. If you like bitter beer with way too much hops and pay too much for it? This place is for you.
Life is too short to dance with ugly women and pretend to like crappy beer because you think it’s somehow trendy.

This place is the perfect spot for a great beer and great food. I have been coming her for over 5 years and have never been disappointed. Their IPA is my favorite beer, and it’s probably the best IPA I have ever had. If you like craft beer and you like good food, this is your place.

I’ve been coming to Barley John’s for years. The beer rotates often, so if you didn’t like the selection, chances are it will be changing soon. And if you don’t care for any of their beers currently available, they have some other MN brewery guest taps to choose from.
The food is a bit pricey, but generally speaking it is always delicious and I’ve never had anything cooked improperly.
The beer there is strong and flavorful, but as it’s a small microbrew, they run out some of their more popular beers now and then. Also as it’s made in house, sometimes the flavor changes a little. Maybe a change in recipe, maybe a new distributor for ingredients, but I find that there’s always a few beers that I enjoy, at all times. (I’m not a fan of dark/​stout/​smokey beer, but they have a lot of solid dark beers throughout the year.)

Found this place completely by accident. Recommend by a local. I had the build your own burger — delicious. The house waffle fries are exceptional too. My wife went with the chicken club — good choice. But wait, this is a brew pub, what about the beer? Stockyard IPA baby. I am a Brit so ‘warm’ beer is ok for me. Cellar temperature is 54 degrees F. This temperature allowed the full flavor to come through. Amber was our waitress and made the entire visit great. I lost my job today, so this experience really picked me up..

We had a really bad experience here, as did many of the diners around us. The patio was full of beer drinkers, so we sat inside. It’s tiny, noisy, and all our food was under cooked and nasty. They were very busy, so the slow service and chaos was somewhat understandable. I wasn’t drinking beer, so I can’t speak to that — everyone seemed to be enjoying it. And all I could think was, maybe you should get drunk before you eat here.

Good little place with solid beers on tap. The «Pils the Void» is fantastic. So is the «Warriors Passage». The food is great too. All veggies are grown in a garden on premises tended by a well versed employee and most everything is run on solar energy. Great gem in New Brighton!

I’ve been here many times and always had a great experience. The food is delicious and the beer is the best part. The staff is friendly and helpful. I learned the true meaning of the wild brunette and had the best egg salad sandwich I’ve ever had today!

Great food and service, the burger was juicy and I had a great mead. Will definitely recommend!

Good service. Friendly atmosphere.
My friend and I both had beers (which are made by Barley John’s), and were not very good. In comparison to all of the other amazing craft breweries, Barley Johns’ beers seemed flavorless.
I had the soup of the day, a creamy wild rice mushroom, which was very good with the egg salad sandwich, also good.
My friend had the burger and added a few items, at 1.85 for each topping, the burger price added up very quickly. The burger seemed pre-​made or frozen and was cooked unevenly. She had the waffle fries, which were good, but again, seemed to be pre-​cut and frozen.
The total for two lunches and beer came to just over $ 40, but worth about $ 20. Next time I’ll try their pizza and re-​review.

Barley John’s is a wonderful little bar and restaurant. They have really great beer that is brewed in house. They rotate the varieties based on the season. They also have a full bar to choose from. If you need a drink you really can’t go wrong. Go and try their beer. I promise you will not be disappointed.
They also have great food to choose from. They have burgers, sandwiches, pizza, and appetizers. There food is solid, but not amazing.
The staff is also great. They are friendly and easy to talk to.

Closed when it says open 24 hrs??? I’ve heard good things but may never know. It is 12:20 on a Sunday afternoon?

Went here last Saturday ight with another family. 4 adults & 3 kids ages 2 – 5. We were seated promptly. The place isn’t big, but it is cozy and the inside is pretty cool. I was only able to sample 1 of their beers, the Honey Amber Ale (?), but it was pretty good. Other beer choices at the table received good reviews as well.
We ordered appetizers and dinner. The appertizers were garlic cheese bread and hummus. The hummus was fantastic. Would definitely order that again. I’m not a huge hummus guy, but this stuff was excellent. The cheese bread was also good, with a great marinara sauce for dipping.
For dinner, I ordered the catfish & chips (waffle fries) with the BBQ pork with 3 bean soup. The soup was OUTSTANDING. Fish & chips was also very good. Nice batter on the fish… not too think, not too light, plenty of flavor.
All said, this place beat my expectations with their food options. Very good food, not your standard bar fare, coming out of this place. I will definitely be back. Very glad it is only a mile or two down the road from our house.
My only complaint was that the place was HOT. The furnace didn’t have a thermostat, so it was either on or off. Holy cow was I warm. But the good food and beer made up for it!

Love the beer. The food was excellent. The menu has something for everyone. Service was Johnny-​on-​the-​spot, in spite of how busy it was. Cribbage board built into a couple of the bar tables made for some pre-​dinner fun. The only complaint I have is the size of the joint. We were elbow to elbow in there for a little while. But it was busy, and for good reason. I dig this place and I will definitely be back.

The saga continues I go back to get my kabob that were the replacement, and then I thought I’d ordered 2 more for me and my lovely bride of 35 years. So upon returning home I prepare a meal and find I got the correct replacement but the ones I ordered were the wrong ones and they charged me for the more expensive ones, it’s no big deal its only 50 cents apiece. But its just the fact that they can’t get an order right.
I called the manager and she offered me a free beer.
Not really satisfied

This tiny little pub knows it’s stuff.
Great beer (Little Barley Bitters is my fave), excellent food and a really low-​key casual atmosphere.
Inside space is very limited (cozy) and can be hard to get a seat if you arrive during a busy time. In the warmer months, they have a great outdoor seating area complete with a fire barrel. This is an excellent neighborhood gem to meet up with friends.

THINK GLOBALLY ACT LOCALLY
Barley John’s owners get it. Let me explain :
Solar Panels — Every business that has the room should have some. Sure they cost some bucks, and it will take time for them to pay for themselves. But in the long run the earth benefits.
Tree Trunk Tables — How clever to just slice off a piece of tree trunk and drill a cribbage board in it? Minimum cost, labor of love. Can I buy one on Etsy ?
Dining room décor — How smart to hand paint the ivy on the walls instead of buying odd things for the walls made in China !
On site brewery — It doesn’t get any fresher, and no shipping costs. This is a small operation, and they can only make so much at a time. So quit whining that they ran out of a particular beer. Next time come earlier, duh.
Menu — A very well thought out and healthy menu. We only had pizza, but it was perfect to my taste buds. A thin crust with perfect proportions of cheese and meat.
I have seen other restaurants with the option to upgrade to grass fed beef. Yeah, it does jack the price up, but well worth it. Better, I think, then that kobe beef burger I’ve tried. There are other items I am looking forward to trying.
So, in a nutshell, an environment friendly establishment. Now, I wish I could give the service the same rave reviews. Not bad, but could use a lot of improvement !
And yes, it is L O U D in here, and there are kids screaming. That’s life people.
I HOPE THAT SOMEDAY THERE ARE MORE BARS LIKE THIS…

The Old 8 Porter is a highlight among highlights as far as the beer is concerned.
I had a burger which was pretty good. It all seemed a little overpriced though. You have to do some pretty amazing things with a burger to justify getting $ 14 for it in my opinion. I tried the Borscht and it was fantastic.
The service was great and the ambiance was very inviting and comfortable. I’ll be giving them my business often.

The décor is pretty «small town restaurant-​ish» but the food is great! There are plenty of organic and high quality ingredients that are well prepared. The menu has something for everyone. Our whole table enjoyed their orders (chicken club, tai peanut salad & mushroom stroganoff) I ordered the burger, which came with a side of waffle fries. I was tempted to order the grass-​fed beef but the $ 3.50 up-​charge was a turn-​off. The regular beef still tasted really good. The waffle fries were really fantastic and super crispy.
I don’t drink beer but everyone I was with enjoyed the ones they ordered. I saw some pretty great pours (to the brim!) for wine and martinis. I would have loved to order one but had to stay sober that evening.
The brewery takes up most of the building so the bar and restaurant are much smaller than you would expect. If you’re headed here, you may want to call ahead or make a reservation. Also, this place is LOUD! Don’t come here for an intimate conversation.
BONUS! They have cribbage boards carved into the tables near the bar or you can request one if you’re in the dining area.

Best patio in near north burbs, great brews, and tasty food. This is the gem of all restaurants in 55 112.
Barley John’s was making great beer years before the microbrew & taproom fad caught on locally. Their food is tasty, original and often locally sourced. Some ingredients are grown in the garden right next to the solar panels next to the restaurant. Yes, that have a solar garden.
Inside is cute, cozy, and small. When weather permits, outdoor seating almost doubles the space and on indoor days it can be crowded. The fire pit is used to gather on the outdoor patio year around.
And the beer. There are 4 – 5 original regular brews, my fav is Little Barley Bitter (not too bitter), and an ever fresh assortment of seasonal and other unique brews made right there. And a small but select assortment of guest taps just to keep it fresh. The bar area in particular is small, you have been warned.
Come for the beer. Come for the food. Come in the spring, summer & fall for a seat on the patio. Come in the winter for a great meal and brew inside. Cheers!