The Handlebar Tempe

Handlebar was a fantastic experience for us newly weds. They quickly and comfortable served us local beers/​ciders for $ 4 (happy hour starts at 3pm)…then we continued with a crispy, sun dried tomato grilled cheese paired with loaded beer-​cheese and bacon French fries. Yes, it was a mouth full metaphorically and physically.
Overall a very fantastic meal!

Oh my gosh! I’ve been here several times, and now to find out they are featured as worst offender on channel 5’s dirty dining. Be very careful where you eat and drink

Stopped into this place yesterday on a beautiful afternoon in Tempe to meet up with two clients and go over some paperwork. Gail our server took very good care of us.
Been here in the past, the liquor selection, beers on tap and the food have always been great. This trip included an order of their Fish & Chip, and the tuna, and one of their chicken sandwiches, all with their awesome seasoned fries.
I paired my meal with a Kilt Lifter (I know, I’m boring, but I like it) while the girls ordered Ballast Point Sculpin, and a Oskar Blues G’Knight respectively. Seems I’m the odd one out without an IPA…
All and all a good place to pop in for lunch. I have noticed like any other place located on Mill, parking can be a problem from time to time.

Handlebar is a nice combination of good food and a great alcohol selection, all at a decent price. Their atmosphere is what truly sets them apart, they take a much more laid back chill kind of scene rather than the typical noise of mill, and because of this has become a staple visit each time we hit the bars.
Their food is very reasonable, and their kitchen is open late (midnight, I believe) so it’s a great stop for food and drinks later in the evening. Even at later hours they are still full service, so you can get a table and be waited on which is pretty awesome.
Even though you can get waited on, don’t expect amazing service on these busy nights. Of course it’s hard to manage on mill on a Friday night, so I consider it no major fault of their own, just be prepared to have a few extended waits between ordering and getting your food/​drink. Also, on these busier nights (Friday, Saturday) they tend to focus more on a «clubby» kind of scene and pump up the music and rearrange the tables. It feels like they don’t quite know what they’re going for when the bar is in this mode, but all in all it’s still a classic stop if you’re looking to go to somewhere a little more laid back.

Handlebar is our usual place on Mill. The atmosphere is a little less ASU-​y and more chill with a great patio with picnic tables. The bartenders have been there a while so that’s a good sign. Tasty beer and cider and snacks and we sometimes play jenga if we have a group of friends with us. The service is prompt and always fun to interact with the bartenders when there is a game on.

Neato, bike-​themed, Hipstery pub in the heart of Mill Avenue. Some tasty brews are to be had (Stiegl is wonderful, though they tend to run out fast, so Krombacher has become a favorite), as is some way-​better-​than-​your-​average bar food. There are some nice veggie options, including the Quinoa Burger, which might be one of the best damn sandwiches on the planet. They have a savory grilled cheese sandwich as well, and their «bakery fresh pretzels» with beer cheese are the best I’ve had so far. The place is never dead, even on Sunday nights. Good atmosphere — a bit heavy on the sports (not my thing at all) but better than a lot of places. When there isn’t some important game on, they’ve always got good music being piped in (classic alt favorites like Smiths, Talking Heads, etc., mixed with contemporary alt/​indie rock). Good times indeed!

Cool place to chill and get a nice beer, compared to some of the other places on Mill. The décor is very modern and hipster. Great patio and location for people watching.
We ordered the pretzels with beer cheese which were nothing special. The beer cheese was fine, but when asked about the stone ground mustard that the menu boasted… the server gestured sadly to the Heinz, Grey Poupon, and Gulden’s on the table. Um, that’s not stone ground, Handlebar. My grilled cheese (which was reportedly nominated for some best grilled cheese award?) was meh as well. I used a good amount of stone ground mustard (jk, it was Gulden’s) to make it more interesting. I’m still trying to figure out why they charged so much.
They have some very classy beer selections available. I ended up requesting the Noche Dulce vanilla porter. The server accidentally brought out a strawberry ale, which was surprisingly tasty. A really great summer beer. When I got my Noche Dulce though… perfection. Deliciously hearty and great flavor.
All in all, I wouldn’t flock here for food. I wouldn’t flock here for the service. I would stop in for a beer at the bar before a date and then gtfo with my bearded, glasses adorned date on his tandem bike.

Just had their California Wrap BLT, really good !! Would have given them 5 stars but they ran out of chips? And Caesar dressing ?? Erin !! Best server ever !! She gets 10 stars. Helped me find a great selection after my 1^st and 2^nd selections were not available… Great outdoor patio and atmosphere !! Will definitely come back for the chips (with black pepper ranch dipping sauce) & ERIN

Service has gotten considerably better the past few visits. Now worth visiting.

Good place to meet friends and have a drink to catch up. good service, great location in Tempe. I did not eat, but had a couple drinks.

First time here. Great service, cool atmosphere. Can get noisy when it is crowded. Nice patio out back.

Love the atmosphere here. Bar staff has always been friendly. Menu is small but has nice options. I love the quinoa salad and the hot pretzels. Great outdoor seating especially when large garage windows are open.

After a round of Disc Golf, I wanted a good beer at a new place. I’ve driven by here so may times I had to give it a try.
My friend had the Gruyère Burger and loved it. My granddaughter (7) had a Cheese Burger with nothing else. She is the pickiest eater I know. Amazingly enough she ate the whole thing. Her burger really smelled good.
I had the fish and chips. Which were also very nice. Wonderful fish under a thin layer of crust. Perfect. I hate to much crust on fish. I feel like they are hiding something. The fish and tartar sauce were wonderful.
We all had the fries with our meal. They have a wonderful seasoning on them. If they cooked them crisp like the Belgians do, they’d have the best fries in town.
The beer selection is amazing. You can even get obscure beers and ales in 22oz bottles. Some are not so cheap but if you want to say you’ve try this or that to brag to friends about your beer snobbishness, then this is the place.
My next trip will include one of those beers as a treat, though I’ve already had the best beer in the world. I’m not snobby, just lucky to know good brews.

Handlebar is one of those places that my friends and I just wind up at. I don’t really know the details of how or why this is the place, but everyone knows where its at, and getting an über to drop you off on university and mill and walking is usually super easy.
The drinks I’ve had here are pretty stiff, but there’s almost never any seating inside on a busy night, but move outside to the patio and you’ll find some seating there… The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable.
I mean it doesn’t blow my socks off to be here, but hey, its a bar on mill, what can you expect?

A fun chill bar with tasty bar food.
Parking: Street parking and meters. We had taken an Über to get to Tempe and walked over from the ASU Gammage after a show.
Atmosphere: Depends on the time. We went on a Sunday at around 2:45 PM. It was not too crowded but more people came later. There were sports on in the inside portion of the bar (none of us care). We sat outside on the patio.
Service: The wait staff are attentive but not annoying.
Food: I ordered the soft pretzels (what I order at almost every bar). They were delicious. We also ordered fries. My friend got a hot dog and seemed to relish it. My other friend ordered some veggie-​based burger.
Drinks: Cider per usual. Crisp, cold and I drank all of it.

The Handlebar in Historic Tempe on Mill is one of my favorite hangouts.
The Handlebar is a bike friendly American beer garden with 48 beers including local, European & American craft selected by self-​proclaimed «beer geek» Nick Nitz, a full bar, 8 wines by the glass & beer cocktails. (see pics)
The menu includes salads, sandwiches, pretzels, hand cut fries, vegetarian & various sausages, which I had. (see pics)
There is indoor/​outdoor bar seating & a 2,000 square foot patio with park benches, street lamps & a cozy fire pit.
Trivia: The wood in the bar is a reclaimed barn from the Midwest brought to Arizona piece by piece.
I love the diverse crowd that The Handlebar always brings. I have met my attorney friends here, locals, students & my pilot friends as well as some international exchange students from Switzerland.
The Handlebar is a fantastic place to get a beer and hangout with friends or meet new people.
Hours: 11am — 2pm daily
Happy Hour: 3pm — 6pm daily
My only complaint is that it is often difficult to get a bartender’s attention.
For more information:
I ⁴⁄₅ highly recommend The Handlebar!

Came here with some friends bar hopping after the ASU game. The bartender made a mean whiskey & Coke and the beer selection was pretty on point. I liked the rustic/​Old West design. You can’t go wrong with many of the bars on Mill, and I recommend this one to anybody who doesn’t want to walk the entire length of the street/doesn’t want to get smushed at El Hefe or Cue.

Had a lot of fun here for my friend’s bachelor party. The patio is really spacious and is a lot of fun. They also had this pomegranate cider on tap that was delicious! Seems like a pretty chill place to grab a cold one.

This is nice place, great for people to get a drink or hang out side. I feel like you wouldn’t go to this bar for dancing, or to get turnt up, and if you are looking for school of Rock crowd or a cultural mixing pot this may not be your bar on the average night.
The crowd, seems to be a mixture of college students and older (classic dad’s with teenage at home) age groups. Seems like you get college students who get dressed up to sit at a table and hangout with good friends. And on flip older folk doing the same but in shorts, hats and some relaxing running sneakers.
But I. Honestly feel like this bar does one thing great and that is space. They really do give every group space from each other. This isn’t a bar where you meet people, it seems like one where you bring you own group and live in your own space and this bar does a great job in creating that space. Tons of tables, and even more outside. Plenty room to move around but also plenty room to fit multiple big groups .
Didn’t try the food, and I actually went a little weak and had their ciders but good selection on tap.

Been here a bunch of times with my Tempe friends. Limited food. Burgers and dogs are good here, Their French fries come with assorted sauces, I recommend the spicy catsup. Their beer is really great, cold, super service and there is nothing better than sitting outside with the pooch. But they said they are limiting dogs because someone got bit. Badly, I guess. Leave Cujo home. Great place to hang with friends. Real chill staff. Never disappointed.