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    Barrel and Fork

    4.1 (207 reviews)
    ModerateBars, American, Seafood
    Closed • 4:30 pm - 10:30 PM

    Barrel and Fork Photos

    BARREL AND FORK ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Classy
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Barrel and Fork

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    Reviews With Photos

    Scallops
    Andi M.

    I have visited every restaurant in this location in the last four years, and Fork is inarguably the best. The food is upscale - carefully prepared and made with the expertise of a chef who knows what he is doing. We sat on the porch and while we didn't enjoy the pop music they had playing somewhat loudly, we enjoyed just about everything else. You will have to resign yourself to paying separately for your sides. That makes their prices a bit on the high end if you like to have a side with your entree, but the food is really good. I do wish they had offered bread to start, as most restaurants of this caliber do. My hubby started with the feta salad, served warm with olive oil, olives, and toast. He enjoyed it very much. I had the scallops for my entree. Here's what is interesting about their menu - the meat dishes come prepared at the chef's selection, but the seafood dishes come with several sauce options. I chose the basil, butter, and shallot preparation, which was really good with the scallops. I also had the kale/bean side, which was a reasonable $3.50 and had incredible flavor. My hubby had the lamb, served with an olive tepanade. He said it was the BEST lamb he has ever had. Boneless, the lamb was perfectly medium rare, and had a ton of flavor. His spinach side was a bit of a smaller portion than mine, and wasn't as tasty. Service is upscale and matches the quality of the food. Our server was knowledgable about the menu and attentive. We will most definitely be back!

    Kim S.

    BRUNCH wins the show at FORK! We love dinner too, but we LOVE LOVE LOVE brunch. They change up the menu every so often, adding new items to love. My absolute favorite is their ham & pesto benedict (which isn't on the menu anymore, ***bring it back!!). Hubs loves the prosciutto & crab benedict. Their french toast is pretty amazing with the perfect balance of bread, marscapone & berries. Lovely beverages too. Dinner is a very different experience but one that is enjoyable with friends or an intimate date night out.

    Pork dumplings! Delicious!!
    Stephanie M.

    Came to Fork! For date night. The ambience is intimate at night with candlelight and dim lighting. The menu is all ala cart and changes daily. They have a semi consisten menu that stays throughout the year. The restaurant is farm to table which makes the menu fresh and delicious. The menu is also ala-cart which means all their dishes don't come with sides but there is a range of different sides and small plates to choose from. We ordered a salad that came with apples and goat cheese with a vinaigrette, goat cheese Mac and cheese, duck wings, short rib dumplings, short rib, and Parmesan fries. The food was delicious and savory! We enjoyed every bite. The short rib dumplings were out favorite--there are 3 in an order and perfect for sharing. Our second favorite was the goat cheese Mac and cheese. It was savory with a crispy top. We enjoyed all of the dishes and the service was impeccable and friendly. They took the time to explain everything and were patient with us!

    Hanger steak
    Eduardo F.

    Not quite what we were expecting. The ambience is nice, the service is really good, the menu features local and in season meals/ingredients which is great. They source the beef from one of my favorite farms in the area - Mills Family Farms. The dishes were decent sized and priced as any other fine dining restaurants in the area. Nothing absurdly expensive but priced right. The wine list is really interesting and the server was great in suggesting the pairings. She allowed us to taste several ones and the tastes were very generous portions. The food was very well presented but the temperature was not right. I have to say that this was probably the only restaurant I have ordered a Hanger Steak that hasn't burned it. You order one at BLT Steak in uptown and it is burnt and extremely seasoned. The Hanger Steak here at fork has flavor and it is perfectly cooked. The duck was good as well but again the temperature was a big disappointment. The side risotto was just okay, we were expecting a lot more. All in all it is a okay place, for this price I would go somewhere else. If you are spending over $100 in a dinner you expect high standards. We got great dishes but temperature was a big turn off.

    Oh S.

    Delicious ! My friends brought me here for brunch and I had the crab & prosciutto eggs Benedict with mustard seed hollandaise sauce. My friend had the biscuits and gravy and her husband as well as mine had the chicken and waffles. I took a bite of each, all of it was delicious. I definitely recommend, at least for brunch. Hopefully next time we can go for dinner.

    Michael H.

    First time, date night. No reservations so we sat in the bar area, which is small and super cute. Brandy the bartender was our server. Perfectionist at her special concoctions. My husband said that it was the best Manhattan he had ever had. The special made Jalapeñ-Yo Business was spicy goodness. She was a busy lady, yet super sweet & attentive as she could be. It was actually a lot of fun to sit by the bar and watch her make the drinks. Food Truffle oil deviled eggs, interesting and savory Lamb shank, tender Roasted Cailiflower was a small portion but very good flavor Calamari, salty but tender smaller potion for $10 Veggie risotto , good but could have used goat or parm. Cheese We would definitely come back and try this Sunday brunch.

    Seasonal menu
    Gretel Y.

    Our meal was forking good! We arrived on a Friday night, after 6pm. We weren't sure if they were open because the inside of this cozy restaurant looked dark from the outside. As we got closer, we could see people moving through the window, so we proceeded. Parking is available behind the restaurant. The old house the restaurant took the place of is adorable. You can tell it's been preserved through the years. Although they have updated it, they have managed to keep its charm. It also has a nice, romantic ambiance. We didn't have reservations, but were seated immediately. The place was busy, but not full. The host was friendly. Our server was Toni. She too, was friendly. She was also knowledgeable and helpful throughout the entire meal. She made great suggestions. Started with drinks. I told Toni I like sweet wines, but even their sweetest wine wasn't sweet enough for me. She suggested a fruity drink. The name started with "Winter." I failed to take a picture of the seasonal drink menu. It was strong yet sweet. It was composed of rum, prosecco and cherry juice. I enjoyed it. My SO ordered a Boulevardier and was pleased with how it turned out. He ordered a second one halfway through the meal. We tried: North Carolina Cheese Plate - $9 Pickled Beet & Romaine Salad - $8.5 Oven Roasted Mahi with Caper Aioli on the side - $21 Pan Seared Sheepshead with Orange Herb Vinaigrette - $22 Roasted Celery Root - $4.5 Roasted Red Turnips - $4 Risotto (broccoli, baby carrots, kale) - $4.50 Goat Cheese Mac & Cheese - $7.50 Chocolate Oblivion, white chocolate crumble - $6 Vanilla Pot de Crème - $6 Cheese plate was good. It came with three different kinds of cheese. We liked the local jam that it came with. It must have been apple butter. I didn't try the beet salad, but my SO seemed to enjoy it. He finished it. The ingredients looked fresh. The mahi and sheepshead were excellent! Cooked to perfection and flavored well. I'm not usually a fan of orange flavored sauces, but my SO ordered the orange herb vinaigrette with his sheepshead and I must admit, the flavors went great together. My mahi was thick. Cooked through, but opaque in the center. It had great flavor even without the aioli. I only used a little bit. I've always wanted to try a goat cheese mac and theirs did not disappoint. It was creamy, but not heavy and tastes just like what you would expect a goat cheese mac to taste like. The risotto on the other hand was a bit disappointing. Our server, Toni sold us on it. She was very confident we would like it, but it turned out being one of our least favorites during the meal. The texture was fine, the rice was cooked al dente. However, it wasn't creamy enough and the flavor was lacking. I don't doubt the other daily risottos are as amazing as she claims. The roasted turnips were hidden under a pile of mustard greens. They were delicious. I didn't think any of the sides could top the main dish, but the roasted celery root proved me wrong! It was ahhhmazing! I would come back over and over just for a bowl of roasted celery root. It came with a horseradish bread crumb and a delightful sauce. I couldn't get over how good it was. I talked about the dish the next day. My mouth is watering as I type this. For dessert, we tried the chocolate oblivion and the vanilla pot de crème. The chocolate oblivion was very rich. It reminded us of chocolate fudge. Not what I expected, but it satisfied our sweet tooth. The vanilla pot de crème was, as the name implies, creamy. It was light and not too sweet. I combined both desserts and liked them better together. Our total came to $130+. A bit pricey for two people, but the food was fresh and delicious. Plus, everything is à la cart. They are advertised as a farm to table restaurant. They even give credit to the farms and farmers they use on their menu. Service was great from start to finish. We will definitely return.

    Wedge N.

    Great old house with some well prepared dishes. The lamb shank was excellent. Seemed very similar to lamb shanks supplied to other restaurants I've eaten at around US - did not strike me as very "farm to table" but I could be wrong there. Billed as a "farm-to-table" place yet the menu was not as 'local' of a personality as I'd hoped. Farm raised Atlantic Salmon from "off the coast" and Scottish salmon were a huge bit of a reach also. The risotto wasn't as deep and slow/Long cooked as authentic Italian risottos are, but heck! most restaurants cheat on their risotto here in the US. Good quality rice, a bit too al dente gave away the shortcut. But it was kind of bland. I dumped my lamb shank sauce in it to jazz it up. The greens, mushrooms and 'trail mix' dish was too salty. Way! I still feel the salt as I write this, despite drinking two pints of water. The evening was nice. The patio is great. A friend of mine from Sant Barbara CA recommended this place and I had higher hopes.

    Healthy and FRESH!
    Tiffany H.

    I heard their brunch was poppin'! However, I'd have to say you can't go wrong with their dinner either. Everything is farm fresh, they use herb from the garden in the back. I had a view of the Chefs kitchen from my table and I could see the passion in each prepared dish. I love that the daily special varies so you may not have the same thing twice unless it's on their main menu. For our entrees, we tried the Soft Crab, Walu, and Scallops. I can't tell you which we loved most because we enjoyed them all! We were eating on one another's plates by the end of dinner. For a party of 5, our total was approx. $150-189. The quality and bill aligned appropriately. Perfect place for an intimate setting. You're inside a cute quaint Craftsman home. Parking is tight around back. I'd recommend parking next door if you're arriving for dinner or Sunday brunch.

    Eggplant mozzarella
    Denise B.

    I have been hoping that this location would become a farm to table for a while - so happy someone finally did it! Arrived around 430. We had our pick of seating outside. Everything appeared to be clean and tidy. The staff were very friendly but the greeting and seating situation was a little disorganized - too many people involved. The menu was a little confusing in that you have to choose which sauce you want with your meat (also made me twitch a bit because it was reminiscent of the ordering at this location when it was meatballs on main -- rest assured, this was the only a remote similarity). I wish they had more descriptions about their dishes -- its hard to soak in a description from the server and really decide. We started with a gnocchi appetizer, eggplant/tomato/mozzarella appetizer and spring rolls. They were all quality. Would probably get spring rolls again. The eggplant had a pretty presentation, a bit heavy on the EVOO a bit of balsamic would have been nice. We ordered two entrees, flounder and beef tenderloin medallions. The flounder had a good taste, slightly dry but didn't make the dish bad. The tenderloin had a fig sauce, it was robust but not too sweet. For sides, risotto and mashed potatoes, they were both good. I wasn't crazy how they served them in separate bowls from the entree (too many plates on the table). For dessert, we ordered the bread pudding. It was flavorful and had a wonderfully fluffy, yet dense texture -- and not too sweet. We also ordered coffee and they were right on it -- wasn't a situation like, "it's early" or "we just opened last week and we aren't setup for that" or something --- it was seamless. We were also happy to see a couple of our favorite farms on the list. I am very tired of eating factory food when we go out to eat. It's great to have a fresh, laid back option when I don't feel like cooking! Happy y'all are here :-) we will be back.

    Cocktails
    Sarah S.

    This was my first time for dinner though I've been for cocktails and brunch. The cocktails are really good and I Suggest having one on the front porch if you haven't. I just wasn't overly impressed with dinner. I appreciate that they use local farms and change the menu daily, but there's just not that much to choose from on the menu. Secondly, the portions are VERY small for the price you pay. They have $30 entrees that wouldn't even be enough for a kid to eat. The food is good tasting, but for the reasons listed above, not 5 star quality. Service was good. I will recommend the lobster or goat mac n cheese as a side!

    Beer battered soft shell crab
    Michael W.

    It's honestly probably as good as it gets in Cornelius. When they say 'farm to table' they literally mean it... there is a garden in the back with some of the herbs and greens they serve at he restaurant. The restaurant is situated in a house, so the tables are separated by rooms which makes it very intimate. The service was good and our server was knowledgeable. The food, they have a few staples that are in the menu permanently, but the majority of the dishes change frequently due to what's in season or what the chef is able to get for the day. I had a soft shell crab which was very good. Next time (and there will be a next time) the lamb shank looked very good as well. The best part of the meal were the fresh sides: turnips, kale, corn, radishes... all perfectly cooked and seasoned. Everything is made in house... I had a salted lemon ice cream that was out of this world. It wasn't for everyone, but it was definitely innovative and fun. If it wasn't so far from Charlotte, I would definitely go more often. However, it's definitely a place you need to try if you have never been, and go again, and again. The food is better and at times less pretentious that most of their Charlotte counterparts.

    $2.00 per drink for ice?!?! What? Not even special ice...c'mon.

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    Ask the Community - Barrel and Fork

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    The view off the patio

    Barrel and Fork - bars - Updated October 2026

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