While in Columbus over the weekend I had one request and that was to have dinner at Barley’s Brewing Company. It never hurts to mix in a little beer with dinner on a family trip. Plus the restaurant appeared family friendly.

Outside

Fortunately one of my roommates from college, who now lives in the Columbus area, was able to join us for dinner. I asked him to meet us at 5pm for an early dinner and I’m glad I did. We actually didn’t arrive until after 5:15, but he was able to secure a table in the crowded restaurant for our group of 5. It seems there was a Columbus Blue Jackets game that night at the nearby Nationwide Arena and a good chunk of the crowd was obviously headed that way.

Inside

The inside of Barley’s is not very large, but they have managed to pack in a bunch of tables along the front and right sides, along with the back corridor.  There is also a large bar with plenty of beers on tap. I started with their Centennial IPA, which I thought was a pretty darn good beer. I also later sampled one of their Russian Imperial Stouts, which was also good. I didn’t enjoy the RIS as much as the IPA, but both are worthy of ordering again.

Jamaican Me Chicken

For dinner I went with the Jamaican Me Chicken sandwich which combines jerk seasoned grilled chicken breast with Jamaican relish and pepper-jack cheese ($9.99). The chicken was a double breast and was well cooked. I was hoping for a little more spice from the jerk seasoning, but overall the sandwich was good. For my side dish I chose their cheddar and potato pierogies. I think this was my first experience with pierogies. Unfortunately it might be my last experience with them though, as these didn’t really do much for me. Overall they were fairly bland and uninteresting.

The Wedge

My old friend had The Wedge salad – crisp iceberg lettuce wedge with diced tomatoes, smokey bacon bits, balsamic marinated cherry tomatoes, red onion and crumbled gorgonzola bleu, then drenched with our bleu cheese dressing and a drizzle of balsamic reduction ($6.29). This salad looked really good and from what I’m told it tasted great too. I’m intrigued by the balsamic reduction that is added to the other somewhat typical wedge salad toppings.

Turkey Nut

My wife had the Turkey Nut burger - ground turkey seasoned with parmesan and herbs, topped with pecans, and served with spicy mayo - Barley’s classic for nearly two decades ($9.79). She chose to have a side salad for $1.29 extra, but it was a pretty large and fresh salad. I didn’t try any of the burger, but again I’m told that it was a good sandwich. We also had orders of kid’s cheeseburger and grilled cheese (both $4.99).

Our service was actually much quicker than I was expecting from the crowded restaurant and bar. Overall the food was good and I enjoyed the two beers that I sampled. I would easily go back for more when in the area.