Iron Barley

Dogbrick

Ohio

3.56/5  rDev -17%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | $$

Stopped here after reading an interview with Adam Richman in Draft magazine where he mentioned it. It is located on Virginia Ave right off I-55. Street parking appears to be the only option in the vicinity.

The inside is rather rustic looking with table seating on the left and the short bar on the right. The decor is kind of like an old five and dime, with antique-looking knickknacks tacked up all over.

Iron Barley's beer selection is on the small side but has some decent selections. There are 10 taps with offerings from Six Row, Left Hand, O'Fallon, Cathedral, Goose Island, Boulevard, and New Belgium to name a few. As for bottles there are 10-12 with a few of the same brewers plus some of the standard stuff you see everywhere.

Service on a weekday early afternoon was decent. The place was slow and I didn't get the sense that there was a lot of beer knowledge, but then again that is not the focus here.

I did not try any of their famous food but the menu was definitely unique enough that I want to go back sometime.

Overall this place is a little out of the way from downtown but the eclectic decor and local brews should be enough to warrant a visit for someone visiting the city.

08-10-2010 20:44:18 | More by Dogbrick

86sportster883

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev -12.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

The Iron Barley is a cozy, small neighborhood bar/restaurant in St. Louis with a character all its own. It's a simple two room place with one room serving as the bar area and the other as the dining area. The bar area was mostly full on a mid week evening when I stopped in, so I seated myself at a small table in the dining room. There was a sole guitar player strumming an acoustic guitar and drawing applause from the patrons.

On tap (3.50 + tax):
O'Fallon Smoked Porter, New Belgium's 1554 Black Ale & Blue Paddle Pilsner, AB's Bare Knuckle Stout, Schlafly's Hefe, Goose Island's Honkers Ale, and Griesedieck's Golden Pilsner.

In bottles:
Tucher Hefe Weiss, Coopers Sparkling Ale, Hoegaarden, Bell's Two Hearted, SN Pale Ale, Ayinger Celebrator, O'Dell 90 Shillings & Cutthroat Porter, Sam Smith's Nut Brown, Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzen, Guinness Draft bottles, Huyghe's Floris Apple, New Belgian Abbey, Monchshot Kellerbrau and your usual domestic macros from AB.

The barley salad ($8.95) was very good and was just what I needed to take the edge off my hunger as I waited for my entrée, the seafood risotto special ($22.95). The main menu offered Soup, Salad, Dogs, "Sammiches" (to include the Ballistic Elvis) and Entrées that included chicken, pasta, roasted pork, schnitzel & spaetzle, NY strip, prime rib (oak roasted), barley paella, salmon and trout.

The O'Fallon 5 day IPA on cask went very well w/the barley salad and I had a pint of Blue Paddle with the seafood risotto (scallops, mussels, little neck clams, shrimp and calamari w/sun dried tomatoes in a red cream sauce).

The food was excellent, the service was friendly and the beer list offered a wide range of choices. The Iron Barley is definitely one of the better places for food and beer in St. Louis.

03-29-2008 20:29:27 | More by 86sportster883

Vancer

Illinois

3.9/5  rDev -9.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3 | $$$

Not a bad place, hit it on a Friday nite around 6pm – plenty of space and the service was exceptional, almost to a fault. Our waitress was very pleasant, and not only did she know the menu, she rattled on for 5 minutes with all the specials. Sheesh, I needed to take notes, no way could I remember everything she said.

As the previous reviewers mentioned, only 7 brews on tap, but good locals. Pretty good bottled beers to back up the taps. 5 Day IPA on cask was excellent.

The roasted ½ chicken was my entrée, and it failed BBQing 101. They left the skin on, so all the smoke and rub was wasted when I peeled the nasty skin off, leaving the plain jane chicken underneath. I’ll give this place another chance down the road, but I’m in no hurry to return.

07-01-2007 18:32:19 | More by Vancer

orbitalr0x

Illinois

4/5  rDev -6.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

Stopped by here last time I was in St. Louis after searching Beerfly here for good places to check out. Farily unassuming place off the highway that's easy enough to find if you keep your eyes open. Looks like a classic old time roadhouse restaurant once you enter. Lots of old wood and memorabilia on the walls. Long bar on the right with seating on the left and a window to the kitchen straight ahead. Nice and homey...everyone was very friendly the minute I walked in!

The brew selection wasn't huge but it was a nice variety of locals including Schlafly, O'Fallon Smoked Porter on tap and 5 Day IPA on cask (which was unfortunately out when I went), along with some New Belgium taps as well. Our server was very nice and quick to refill drinks and place our order. My girlfriend attempted to order the crazy Elvis sandwich with bacon, peanut butter, bananas and more...but they were out of something and had to 86 it. She ended up going with a reuben and I went with the veggie reuben.

The Smoked Porter went well with my meal and I enjoyed the food. Good roadside grub that satisfied both of us before our journey back to IL. Overall, I enjoyed this place. There was fun live music as well. If you're in St. Louis it's worth making a stop here and enjoying some good local brew and grub!

07-13-2007 01:38:23 | More by orbitalr0x

Jason

Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev -5.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

This bar made me feel at home right from the start. Or was it the prime rib the size of my head that seduced me to think that way? Little road house, a little beer bar and a lot of American bar comes from here. Seven beers on, all craft at the time and they even had some O'Fallons BA Smoked Porter in the bottle ... oh yeah and a cask ale on as well. The staff treated us like family in a way, very casual and friendly. Come here with an appetite and thirsty or don't come at all. Beef and beer, what else do I really need?

06-05-2007 04:56:43 | More by Jason

Realale

Missouri

4.08/5  rDev -4.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5 | $

Why did it take me so long? With the recent loss of Bastante, I decided it was time to hit some beer-friendly restaurants that I've just not taken the time to visit. Number one on the list was Iron Barley.

The location isn't convenient for my home or office, but honestly, it only took 18 minutes from my office in Clayton. Ditto my house. A bit less coming back. Well worth it.

I've now been for a couple of lunches and a dinner, and this place is firmly in my regular rotation! The space is divided into a restaurant and a bar area, neither of which is large, but both seemed comfy. Let's just say the focus is definitely on what's on the plate and in the glass. Hurray for that, in my book.

The menu was compact, with a selection of salads, sandwiches, and entrees. There were at least four specials each time, all of which sounded delish. The menu was sparse on details, but our waitress was more than happy to fill them in. My sandwiches and entree have been terrific, and the selections made by the others looked damn good, and got excellent reviews.

Beer selection is also compact, but it's quality through and through. Lots of local micro representation in the form of Schlafly, O'Fallon, and Griesedieck pilsner. A couple of New Belgium taps, and a couple more in bottle. A smattering of imports rounds out the interesting selections. Oh, and one of the Schlafly's is CASK!! That's right. True cask beer at a restaurant. Selection today was Schlafly's APA, and it was in fine form. On a steamy St. Louis night, the cask was a little too warm, but I suspect they might have just turned on the A/C. I'll update on a revisit.

Service was excellent. Informative, helpful, and not obtrusive. Well done.

05-01-2006 18:49:36 | More by Realale

phaleslu

Missouri

4.1/5  rDev -4.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 5 | $$$

Went here for dinner on my brother’s birthday. Grabbed a pint in the bar area and headed out to the back patio, where a band started playing. Great summer patio. The inside isn’t big but has a lot of character, a great old south city bar. Nice selection of locals (Schlafly, O’Fallon, Six Row, etc.), regionals, and other micros. Most of Boulevard’s Smokestack series available, though pricy. The food is amazing, huge portions, hearty, just perfect. The service is good- friendly and attentive enough, and plenty of staff on hand. If you’re a meat eater and beer drinker, this place is a must visit when in St. Louis.

05-18-2011 20:24:25 | More by phaleslu

lightbulb

Missouri

4.15/5  rDev -3.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

ATMOSPHERE- bar side entrance, left side dining. Bar area is how I like it- small, cozy, and a picture of "the soup nazi". Cask and drafts at the bar, folk band up front, and a straight shot into the kitchen. The dining area is separated and is plainly seated.
QUALITY- All beers enjoyed were in good condition and the food was excellent. Beers were served at a warmer temp than nearly all other establishments would dare. Regards.
SERVICE- our server knew the menu up and down, including an array of specials. She also knew the beer very well and was very friendly.
SELECTION- A very tight beer list, that is outshined by the food menu. I appreciate the inclusion of cask beer and a couple of local breweries, but considering the great food of the kitchen I would like the chance to pair with a few more beers. Schlafly, OFallon, Griesedieck, New Belgium and some AB products are present.
FOOD- I will go back for the food. The chef and owner at Iron Barley under-promises and over-delivers. The written menu is plain to the point you must ask what particular dishes are, but once informed they sound exciting and the items we selected were all excellent and daring. The menu offers something between Homestyle and fusion and the restaurant smells great. I can recommend the oak smoked chicken.
VALUE- Iron Barley is worth the visit and then some.

08-05-2006 17:18:39 | More by lightbulb

JoEBoBpr

Missouri

4.18/5  rDev -2.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 5 | $$

Went here with a couple of buddies on a saturday night. Got there around 7 pm. Should've gotten there earlier. This place gets crowded! but one look at the small wood bar with the cozy dinning room area and you'll understand why. Just on atmosphere alone this place fly's high. The decor is very cozy almost like an old hunting cabin. They had live music with a guy on sax and another on vocals and guitar. Very nice background for the noisy bar area and dinning room. They seemed to blend in so well that you would never know it was a live performance. Very nice.

I ordered the lamb chops, cus-cus with spinach and onions. The chops were done perfect and the grilled spinach and onions was a great surprise. Service was excellent with servers knowing everything about their specials.

I tried the Boulevard Nutcracker Ale which turns out to be one of my favorites from Blvd. They also had Left Hand Milk Stout, GI Honkers Ale, Blvd. Wheat and some other taps that I didn't recognize.

Price is reasonable for what you are getting. Some might consider it a bit pricey though.

Overall great little cozy place. Very unassuming but hiding some great food and beer inside.

12-06-2009 18:48:24 | More by JoEBoBpr

brewintheLou

Missouri

4.2/5  rDev -2.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5 | $

Stopped by on a Friday evening around 7:45/8:00. Place was packed so I just stood next to the bar and had a couple of 5 day on cask (yummy) at only $3.50 a pint. I took a look at the beer list and they had some very nice beers, not alot, but very nice selection.

Seemed to have several locals to the area that knew each other and the staff, nice vibe. There was a guy sitting on a bar stool with a guitar playing some tunes which really set the mood. Most people at the bar were just waiting to be seated so they could eat. It is a really tiny place, so if you don't get there early you will have to wait a while.

01-30-2008 21:13:22 | More by brewintheLou