It was a stormy Friday evening when a friend and I went to Barley’s Smokehouse, located at 1130 Dublin Rd., but we still dined on the covered patio.
The service was kind of terrible. We waited for about 10 minutes until the waiter came and took our drink orders. There was no beer list, so I asked for a stout. I opted for a Tyranny Stout that was sweeter than the other stouts I had tried, but still delicious.
For an appetizer, we ordered the house starter, which included the restaurant’s famous Mildred’s sauerkraut balls, onion strings, chipotle hummus, house wings and riblettes. It also came with Texas City and Texas Smokedip barbecue sauces and a creamy chipotle dip.
The chipotle hummus was really good. The consistency was a little grainier than I am used to because the chickpeas weren’t ground as finely as most places do.
The barbecue sauces were amazing. The Texas City was sweet and tangy. The Texas Smokedip was spicy and sweet at the same time, which I was a bigger fan of because of the spice.
The highlight of the meal was Mildred’s sauerkraut balls, which were tangy and crispy on the outside, dipped in the creamy chipotle sauce. The contrast of the crispy and soft texture was amazing.
One thing that alarmed me about the appetizer was that the wings looked pink inside, so I only ate half a wing. The riblettes were overdone which brazed a black crust on them.
For an entree we decided to share the Old Havana Cubano with garlicky green beans and red peppers. The Old Havana came with smoked pork, ham, Swiss cheese, mustard and pickle slices pressed on the flattop between two slices of brioche.
The sandwich was good, but all the meat was piled up in the middle, and although misplaced, it was moist and flavorful. The pickles were sweet and added a great crunch to the sandwich. I even added extra pickles that came on the side of the sandwich.
The green beans were pretty phenomenal. They had just the right amount of crunch to them, and were seasoned and flavorful, which I liked.
We decided to pass on the dessert because we were too full.
Though Barley’s Smokehouse is decently priced, I was disappointed there was no beer list and the service was not up to par. I would, however, go back for more sauerkraut balls and hummus.
Grade: C+
