Barren Hill Tavern & Brewery

Had a really great experience here last Saturday night. Busy as heck. Sat in main dining room. Place looked good. Good was really good. Had the Chef’s special — a mako shark on a skewer. Delish. Had two tulips of Saison Sauvage. Great beer from Barren Hill.

We like it here. The wait staff is always friendly and the atmosphere is great. Lunches are good and reasonable. The restaurant is much bigger than you think; in fact, the parking lot is way too small for the place. And that’s a big problem when they are busy.
I gave three stars though because they do seem to have odd portions. Don’t know if it’s one of the cooks, or if it depends on what you order, but the fish and chips is all chips and 2 finger-​like fish pieces and that’s for 15… But my sandwich was overly huge. So we couldn’t figure that out.
But we will be back.

I’ve driven past this place for years. I finally stopped in last night for dinner and was pleasantly surprised! The food was delicious and reasonably priced! Our waitress was extremely pleasant. I will definitely be going back.

**Beer review only.
Considering how close Barren Hill is to my job, it’s silly that it took me so long to make a proper visit. Sure, I’ve had their beers at the PHS Beer Garden + beer events, but their in-​house list is phenomenal and begs to be explored more.
On my first visit, I tried the Gingerbread Jesus, Good English, and their wild saison collab with Oxbow. Gingerbread — a deep Belgian Dubbel — stood out as a beer I’d love to drink on the regular during the colder months. Their saison was also excellent. Good English was maybe a bit too dry for me, but it fits the style well.
I was here midday on a Tuesday, so the place was understandably sparse of fellow humans. Later on, the bar area started filling up a bit more.
I can’t end this review without mentioning their Temporada De Negro. This is an all-​around stellar brew and a must-​try if you’re in the area. At Drink Philly’s 5-​year anniversary in November, I had probably one too many — along with their Black Ale. Ah, well.
Ayla’s Berlinerweisse is also a favorite refreshing blueberry sipper from the beer garden. Hope they bring that pretty back next summer! But also, it’s on their list at the brewery right now.
Expect a large list, as well as other good craft choices, and a full food menu. I am absolutely going to head back soon for dinner and to check out more of their great brews.

A lot better than expected… unsure why this place has 3 star. Burger was good… get the bacon it’s really nicely done home cut fries were really good for sharing!
Beers good too especially their own ones.
Recommended and will return… shame no outdoor space

How can you not like a bar that not only has their own high level brewery, but features a very nice rotating guest draft list. Barren Hill beers just keep getting better and better as well. In their early days they were a major work in progress, so I’m happy to see the strides they’ve made. Half price happy hour is great! 5 – 7 M-​F on all drafts. The food at Barren Hill is really hit or miss. Love the salmon BLT. Mussels were far too salty. Falafel was not crisp at all and was a really poor offering. While I rarely discuss or care about a physical building, it’s been too cold in Barren Hill both times I’ve been.

Got appetizers and drinks from this place. Ate at the bar. Stopped eating the food when we realized that there were ANTS crawling on the plates and napkins that the waitress pulled from under the bar.
We pointed it out and they said they would comp one of the appetizers… and then they didnt come back. Asked to talk to a manager. Manager never came. Asked to speak to a manager again. Waitress came back and said she comped both of the appetizers and that she cleaned up where the ants were. Except that we were there the whole time and they never cleaned up anything.
I wouldnt recommend this place and I’m definitely never going back.

Just left here after meeting for a birthday party for a friend. At the bar everything was great, but the service while eating dinning room was below subpar. The pulled pork was smoked to the point I actually choked it was bone dry. Friends were missing parts of their orders. Asked to speak to the manager about it and our waitress just told us «she said she’s busy but we’ll take it off the bill.» If your going here for drinks it’s fine, but I wouldn’t recommend the food to my worst enemy.

Had dinner here Saturday night with my wife’s parents. Her and her mother drank the water and me and her father did not. They’ve had flu like symptoms and diarrhea since early Sunday morning. Way to go Barren hill, you cant even serve clean virus free water.

The beer is great and the good is better. This brewery is in the same category as folks like Tired hands and Dogfish in that they are quirky and different. These folks take a Belgian approach to beer. The dubbels and trippels are wonderful. The saisons are tremendous. Add the IPAs and its a well rounded list that everyone can find something. The food is unctious and heavy and home cooked and makes you think of a Sunday living room with a fire. By the way the place has like 5 different rooms two of which have the aforementioned fireplaces. Make the journey but make sure there is time for a nap later.

I was actually trying to go to the place next door, which was closed, and came here instead. I am glad we did! The food was great, had some interesting touches on every dish, the beer was pretty good too, and the service was great. My husband and I shared the hummus, which was a huge portion served with hot pita. I had the roasted turkey sandwich for my entrée, this was great with actually turkey and not lunch meat.
I would give this place 4.5 stars, it would be amazing if it had some more entrée selections and some actual décor. We will definitely be back.

I read the reviews before I met a friend here for dinner. My expectations of the food was very low given all the reviews on Unilocal.So I wasn’t surprised that my «brisket» sandwich tasted like paper. I’ve never seen brisket sliced paper thin. OBVIOUSLY the brisket was some frozen item they heated on the grill (or microwave) and stuck on a piece of bread. I think my favorite thing about my meal was the bread.
Although the food was awful, the service was great and we enjoyed interactions with our server.
On the bright side, my dinner with tip was like $ 14. And that’s exactly the kind of quality food you will get.
I am disappointed because the owner also owns my favorite dive bar, Old Eagle, in Manayunk which serves amazing gourmet sandwiches at the same price. CHECK THEM OUT.

My husband and I wanted to check this place out and glad we did. I had a good hamburger and great beer selection. The service was friendly and it was pretty busy for a Friday evening. Next time we will need to try and make it for happy hour!
Oh and the french fries were great!

Overall I would say the dining experience at Barren Hill is above average. It’s a very unique establishment in that they offer both their own brewed beers but a variety of other breweries’ beers as well. That being said, the Barren Hill beers are definitely decent. If you’re into pumpkin beers try Mel’s Pumpkin Pie, it is good! One of the better pumpkin pie flavored beers brewed in the Philadelphia area, anyway. It has just the right amount of spice and almost no artificial after taste. The other beer I got to try was the rosemary pale ale. While it ran a bit to herbal for my tastes, I give them credit for trying something different. It’s definitely one of those beers you’re either going to love or hate.
The interior is a bit sparse and what many would call ‘rustic’. Perhaps they could improve with a bit more decoration, but at least the food speaks for itself. Their duck fries are phenomenal. Phenomenal! I shared it as an appetizer but couldn’t stop munching on them. They are fried, fatty goodness covered in cheese and duck confit. I can’t really describe how good they were, it’s something that must be experienced. I happened to also get the mac and cheese, which while not as good as the duck fries, was still edible and done well.
After my experience I would like to come back and enjoy some more of their beer and food offerings. I think if you really look over the menu you’ll find something for everyone, so you can please even the toughest palate here.

My husband and I signed our marriage license here earlier in the month, and they did a fantastic job! We rented out the upstairs ($ 25/​hr), picked some food platters, and had a great time. The building is over 200 years old, so it is a unique place. The food options are great, definitely something for everyone. Our favorite thing was the chocolate ganache cake. It is made in house, and absolutely amazing. We couldn’t get enough of it! The woman who took care of our party did a great job, she was a pro at working with groups. I would definitely recommend!

I went here last summer with four other people, and was very pleased with the experience.
Food: I had fish and chips (they were fantastic), and the rest of my group had mussels and a salmon sandwich. All were great, and no complaints. I typically don’t like seafood, and I thought the mussels were great.
The beer was five-​star when it comes to theirs and the selection they had. Two of us had the Columbus India Belgian/​IPA crossbreed and ended up having another because it was so good. They had sours, local beers, west coast beers, etc. Very pleased with their selection.
I took off one star because Barren Hill was just that — barren. We were the only people in sight in an enormous dining area, to the point where we echoed: It was kind of strange having the groups there seated so far apart that it gave it a strange atmosphere. I’m sure if we caught it at a busier time it would have been much better. The only other people who ended up in the same area were staff hanging out at the bar. Our waitress was very friendly and was very willing to give opinions and suggestions.
I’ll be there again, especially to try out some new beers!

This gem is definitely worth traveling up the Blue Route for, Philly peeps.
Beer selection was pretty magnificent, lots of crafts, lots local, with their own brews shining through. I think I had their pale ale, and had my hoppy cravings satiated.
We ordered a wedge salad to start and loved their homemade blue cheese dressing. Entrees included the brisket sandwich (horseradish on point!) and bratwurst platter (so many potatoes! only the super hungry should apply!)
Where I felt really impressed, though, was dessert. We got this amazing fruit cobbler with local vanilla ice cream and a lime cheesecake with blood orange glaze. BOTH were tremendous. I couldn’t decide what to take my next bite of, even with a belly full of brisket and bratwurst.
Props to the chef here, for a delicious selection, varied menu and perfect timing. I will also commend our server on her timing, her smile and her witty banter as she served us. First time here, and we felt right at home.

I cannot tell you the last time my entire family (me, hubby, our 2 kids, & my parents) ate at a restaurant where we ALL liked our food. And OK – we did kind-​of do a When Harry Met Sally job of ordering, but the food all came out as ordered! My (very picky) 10yo daughter asked if we could eat here every day… what better review is there?
We went for brunch, at noon, and it was practically empty. There’s tons of parking anyway, so I’m sure that’s not an issue even when crowded. Our server was very friendly and attentive. It’s a nice space, pretty large, with some good light (in daytime) in the main dining room.
My parents arrived first and snagged the last 4 remaining homemade sticky buns of the morning, so they were on the table when we got there. Warm, doughy, not so sweet that you choke, with pecans on top (but not inside so the Team No-​Nuts-​On-​Sticky-​Buns people can remove them). (Wait. That sounded bad. Please remove minds from gutter and continue reading.)
I had an omelette with bacon, sausage, mushrooms, onions, & cheddar cheese, which came with breakfast potatoes, well-​done & nicely crispy. Omelette was fluffy and not at all undercooked, and the sprinkling of chopped fresh parsley added a fresh burst of spring.
My husband and 14yo son both had brioche French toast with warm mixed berry compote and honey crème fresche, which they agreed was delicious and which, miraculously, filled my teenaged son’s teenaged appetite. Like he was *actually full*.
My parents both had the Croque Madame (which was made with ham, not turkey, which I believe makes it a Croque Monsieur, but… c’est la vie, n’est pas?); double-​decker dipped decadence with homemade Hollandaise sauce. My mom was surprised to find what the menu described as «…with a fried egg» (no mention of where the egg would be located) to be 3 sunny-​side-​up eggs on top of the sandwich. (My dad doesn’t eat eggs so he ordered his without. And by the way, our movie-​worthy order-​placing, with the many substitutions and «on the sides,» did not phase our server or the chef.)
Last but not least, my daughter had the chicken tenders from the kids’ menu, 4 big crispy pieces, and a big mound of hand-​cut fries that she said were amazing.
And prices are super-​reasonable, especially when compared to other brunch offerings at restaurants of similar quality.
It was nice that it was so empty, but slightly suspicious as our first 3 choices had been booked when I tried to get a reservation. I hope people will give it a try so they can stay in business!

The previous home to the General Lafayette Inn, this beautiful location still feels haunted both by revolutionary ghosts, and the challenges of being a good brew pub. The current management produce 14 in house beers, which range from forgettable to quite good. My current favorite there is their English Mild, (Less than medium) which compares favorably with session beers like Yards Brawler. On the other hand the ordinary bitter was just that. ordinary. The Russian Imperial Stout (Love Juice) had alcohol notes, but was just lacking the depth of flavor I expect from such a big beer.
The food was hit and miss too. I had the dog wraps to begin with, their version of pigs in a blanket made with a ¼ butcher hot dog, wrapped in pastry and baked. Served with a nice brown mustard. On the other hand the burger was ok, lacking beef flavor and served on a brioche roll that had seen better days.
So Barren Hill will remain on my rotation but definitely go there for happy hour not for dinner.

Great beer menu to start off. Had an excellent Russian Imperial. Also had GoUdenband great Imported sour. The Place has a great ambiance and a very antique FeeL of a centuries old taproom. Delicious food menu: had the Pork belly Reuben, it was amazing with house made russian dressing. Their black pepper ranch was also incredible and really good with the fresh cut fries. the wings were a little disappointing, didn’t seem confit and sauce a bit plain. we will definitely be going there again soon!