We were traveling through on our way back to NY and found this place with friends from Illinois....what a find!! A table of 5 young (intoxicated) people were seated next to us but Mike (I think they said Reed) saved the day. Mike is a true asset to the place - thank you for making our experience a pleasure (and the soup was GREAT). highly recommend this place. Food was excellent and beer was cold! read more

Love the Barrel House, but it can get quite crowded, nonetheless their burgers are pretty good. The beer selection is outstanding! If you are in Dubuque, Iowa and you are hungry, go to the Barrel House. read more

Love Barrel House!! Great atmosphere, good music, LOVE half price apps after 9!! I recommend their moscow mules or the Pink Bikini! and the chicken sandwiches and shrimp are amazinggg. read more

Food was really good. Quick service. Felt special especially when our server meowed at us. Would go back. Maybe we can find out what sound a cow makes next time. read more

There was a lot of hoopla with this place opening. The burgers were ok, mining company has way better burgers with fun toppings, with a cheaper price. The wait was long, no where to sit and wait, and I'm not 80 years old but the music was too loud and obnoxious to have on when tables and tables of people are trying to scream over it. Created a really loud platform for dinner for two. I wanted to eat fast and get out. read more

Stopped here randomly when driving to Madison. Food was excellent. Had the lunch special, burger and fries were very tasty. Wife had a wrap and soup of the day. Good price, nice beer selection, excellent service. Definitely recommend for lunch. read more

We stopped in for dinner on Saturday around 4:30. There were many tables open. We stood at the door for 10 minutes until we were approached and told the servers and kitchen help were backed up and the wait would be about 15 minutes so they could get caught up. Then they left us standing in the doorway and walked away. In the meantime several other guests arrived. They also stood and waited without being greeted and after about 10 minutes turned and left. The same worker returned and again told us it was going to be about 15 more minutes as they still were not caught up. Instead of having us sit at a table, offering us drinks, they continued to have us stand in the doorway with guests coming in and leaving without any customer concern. The employee who continued to ignore seating any of the patrons including ourselves acted as if he was more concerned in cleaning tables and ignoring the rude treatment of the 10 to 15 people standing and waiting that could have been seated with at least drinks until they were caught up. I understand short staffing, it's everywhere but when you have people, paying people in your doorway treat them like they matter! Rude and disgusting and we will not be returning! read more

After a short wait, the server called our name to seat us and then just walked off without greeting or even acknowledging us. He then gave us an exasperated look because we hadn't followed him to the table. He left us at the table without saying a word and without providing us with menus or any kind of information or acknowledgement. After about five minutes of sitting at a bare table with no service and watching other parties be seated and taken care of, we decided to leave. We shouldn't have to fight to feel like we are wanted as customers. read more

This place was overall great, the service could be better. But it's all worth it once you get the food! The food was so amazing. It took a little while to cook but they cook it well. So other than the few waitresses not getting off there phones, a great place 9/10 read more

I ordered takeout, using the online option. There was no obvious place to pick it up, no greeter to ask. I interrupted one of the Wait persons and they said I could just sit at the bar. After a couple of minutes, one of the bar tenders very graciously checked, told me it would be about 10 more minutes, and offered me a drink while I waited. When my order arrived, she even offered to make my drink (coffee) to go! The fries were delicious. The mushroom sandwich was fabulous, albeit a bit messy for driving; I was grateful for the large styrofoam box in which it came, to capture the escaping excess. I might even order, again, when driving through there. read more

Love the food and the atmosphere. Mac Attack burger is to die for! 10/10 would dine again.

Great food, server was great, manager had a attitude from you know where. She was rude and rolled her eyes at me. Went on November 20th at 10pm. Will be back again. We come quiet often never had a bad experience until tonight. If it wasn't for the great server's I would never come back. read more

The food is pretty fantastic: diverse, flavorful, large in quantity (if that's what you're looking for). And they have pretty good deals during the week (my favorite is 1/2 Martini Thursday's ;). The atmosphere is nice. It's not too crowded, not too loud, lists of television screens. However, each time we have gone it's been about 3/10 chance that we will receive good, fast, polite service. And the only reason I believe we had 3 good encounters is because they've caught on that we tip well. Pretty sad, regardless it's still one of our favorite restaurants! read more

Great food and drinks! Super chill atmosphere, solid location in downtown Dubuque, and the staff was extremely friendly. I'm knocking off a star because our table was super sticky and so was the menu... I'd definitely go back though! Hi Joe! read more

Barrel House - Southwest eggs rolls and sin-gria for the win! - American Near Me - Dubuque, Iowa

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Stopped by for a late lunch and was not very busy at this time. The menu is massive and takes awhile to get through. My wife ordered the bacon avocado grilled cheese sandwich with sweet potato fries. I ordered the California burger with regular fries. My wife loved her sandwich and I really enjoyed my burger. The fries were very good as well. Service was good and the place very clean. The one con is the extra charge for the dipping sauce. We will definitely come back. read more

Stopped for lunch on our way home from WI based on YELP recommendations. Open seating. Greeted quickly but server failed to share beer, soup, etc. highlights (overheard bartender though.). We both ordered burgers but were disappointed we were limited to "medium"-well (I.e Very well done.) burgers. Good flavor in the toppings. Very good craft beer fries. Attentive service. read more

We enjoyed a flavorful dinner that included the best pretzels appetizer I have had at any resturant/bar. We came back the next morning(Sunday) for a delightful prime rib brunch that is definitely worth the price. The wait staff is very good. read more

Friendly service, great house made honey mustard dressing. Ask for grilled chicken - not offered on menu. Food is average.

Staff was rude and uninterested, and the place was overly noisy for having so few people in it. The first time we went everything came out dry or with the wrong items. I called and complained to the manager, and he sent me a gift card for the value of the meal, and asked us to try them again. Second time was even worse, food came out cold and bland, with small portions. read more

Too many other great places in DBQ to waste your time on this less-than-average, cookie-cutter brewpub wanna be. 45 minute wait for a vanilla lunch, ill-prepared service staff (from host to table service) and the ambiance of a strip mall coffee shop created a most disappointing of experiences. So much potential, so little in the delivery. read more

I had lunch at the bar here. The service was prompt and courteous ( that is why I tipped: the server shouldn't pay for the cooks faults). The food would have been good if not so so so salty. The fork was very dirty. Yikes! read more

Good selection of bar food and plenty of beers on tap! Come for the beer, plenary of local stuff on tap.

Only bar on Main Street Dubuque that essentially treats you like a criminal when you order a beer....they ask for your credit card up front so they can have it in their system. I've been to every other bar on Main Street and none of them ask for a credit card after you order a beer. They told me it was their policy to get that from you, well it's not my policy to have them store my credit card in their system. I have traveled the whole United States and places abroad and have never been asked to give them my credit card up front after one beer. They also charge differently for beer, anywhere from $4.00 to $3.00, not sure how that happens when you have the same thing? If you are in town and want a good place to eat, try 1st & Main, Skinny McGinneys. They treat you like a person and not a criminal!! read more

I probably had the worst server in the entire place. My girlfriend and I went for lunch and ended up waiting 40+ minutes for our meal. It was an average lunch rush, but nothing too crazy. Also, we ordered a burger and a quesadilla..those don't take 40+ minutes to make. Our server never once came and said anything such as "sorry for the wait." Instead she just kept looking at our table and walking away when we didn't have our food yet. When we finally got our food it was mediocre at best. The meat in the burger had zero seasoning on it, which made me not even care to eat the entire thing. My girlfriend said her quesadilla wasn't bad, but not great. The only good thing was the fries. Speaking of fries, our server asked my girlfriend what she wanted as a side and she said fries. When I come to look at the check she had charged us for an extra order of fries. Absolutely ridiculous. I wanted to call and talk to a manager after the fact, but of course there is no phone number available anywhere. I'll never go back. EDIT: I have yet to go back, however, I do appreciate that Barrel House was able to get in contact with me and provide a gift card due to the poor experience. read more

Just tried the Barrel House for the first time. I ordered a fish basket which got me 4 large pieces of BATTERED fish, CRISPY french fries, and SWEET coleslaw, a combination almost too good to be true for me. Nice ambiance, withTVs playing sports and amusing videos at the bar. Service was very good, too! read more

I had to ask three times for a glass of water and had I ask for napkins and ordered a second beer that I never did receive. Ordered a southern jack burger and menu states cheddar cheese and I assumed it would be melted on burger, nope comes as loose shredded cheese and was visually not appealing and texture eating was terrible. I was going to post as it was but as a bartender that prides himself in making sure the bar customers are more than taken care of this bartender was more concerned with side work instead of connecting with her bar patrons and I understand that glassware and pass drink orders have to be filled but bar customers are just as important. read more

Beer selection is solid by Dubuque standards. A good list of both Iowa beers and more popular craft options. Food is slightly above average. Real deal is when half priced apps kick in because those are solid. Real issue with this place is the service. Long waits for food and drink, and incorrect beers brought to the table diminished the experience. read more

Food was good but the place could be a little cleaner. We were there on a Sunday afternoon and the service was not all that great and the tables were slow to be clean. Did have cold beers and the food was good too! It's in a great location of downtown Dubuque! read more

Tried the Barrel House for the first time, great hamburgers. Also has a large variety on the menu, including Mexican sandwiches and pizza. And on Sundays they offer a brunch buffet with prime rib. Definitely going back! read more

Barrel House - American Near Me - Dubuque, Iowa

Pizza would have been good if it was hot from the oven. Only reason I even got my pizza was that I had to ASK to see if it was done. Sure enough, was waiting on the warming rack. Inattentive bartender!!!!!! read more

I've been here a few times and haven't had a bad experience yet. This place is always hopping, usually with a wait, so come early. The menu selection is varied with alot of options. No matter what you get, add a side of boom boom sauce or firecracker ranch. The burgers are awesome, wraps are delicious, homemade chips are yummy. Parking sucks though. read more

I've been here twice, once when it first opened and once recently. I try never to judge a restaurant after only one visit, unless it was spectacularly bad. A newly opened restaurant, doubly so, so I am not going to discuss my first visit. Barrel House was obviously good enough to warrant a second chance. It was good! The chicken enchiladas were awesome, service was friendly and fast for a Sunday lunch. Prices reasonable. My girlfriend is a big fan of burgers and fries, and no doubt Dubuque has many great options for that, but she was very impressed as well. I had a couple bottle beers, can't screw that's up ha ha, so I can't comment on their drinks. I have a few downtown dwelling younger friends who make this a regular Friday or Saturday night stop for food before a night out in a lively environment, so they must be doing something right. Keep that in mind though - might not be the best choice for a quiet romantic weekend date night. I recommend you check them out. They seem to have the bugs worked out after a little while in business, and I think they're a worthy addition to the community. Coming from a much larger city previously, they also serve a very needed niche as a place to get decent hot food later at night. When I lived downtown within walking distance I would have been a frequent customer working the late shift and in need of dinner and drinks in the later hours after work. Paul's is great but you can only eat so many hamburgers! read more

Great food, great beer and drinks and good location. We have visited 3 times and have enjoyed the burgers, sandwiches and salads equally. Special shout out to the Firecracker Shrimp Salad and the Beef, Bacon, Mush sandwich. Local craft beers are plentiful, but I do wish the waitstaff were equally knowledgeable. We sat at the bar once and had a rockstar, but the floor staff were 50-50. Our server tonight Haley B was seriously lacking, and appeared new to serving and beverages. But the food and effort were worth the inconveniences. read more

Food is great and service is decent. There are so many options on the menu and is a great place to hit up for half-price apps after 9! Only downside is that the service is sometimes slow. read more

We were a bit apprehensive about going here based on other reviews and comments from friends. While the experience wasn't a disaster, it was a good ways from great. Our server, Emily, was prompt and smiley and she checked in often. But, she forgot our drink order until we asked about it. As for food, it was decent, but not great. I had the brisket street taco special with cilantro lime rice. The flavors were decent but everything was barely warm (and certainly a long ways from hot), our table also had a couple of the ranch chicken sandwiches and one of the burgers. The homemade chips were mostly crumbs and not very tasty but the burger and chicken sandwiches were ok. Most disappointing was our table - it felt like the floor of a dirty and old bar. Everything stuck to it, our menus, napkins, plates, AND SKIN. Simply, it was pretty disgusting. I checked out a couple of other tables near us and they were the same. I even asked the owner about it as we left and he told me that he knew about it and was ordering some new tables. While I get it that you need tables to serve customers, serving them on gross tables is just not right. IF we go back, the first thing that I will check out is the table top. If it's the same thing, we're leaving and won't be back. Mediocre food and service can't cover for bad facilities. read more

Stopped at Barrel House for a beer Saturday night ended up going back for Sunday brunch!! Nice options with omelet and eggs Benedict bar. Bloody Mary no to my liking but there are so many variations and ingredients no two are created equal! I would also love to see a smoother upscale coffee for brunch. read more

Very good thin crust pizza in a real pizza oven, I recommend the pepperoni.

Solid sports bar in downtown Dubuque. Their firecracker shrimp options (salad, tacos or quesadilla) are out of this world - be ready for a little kick! Great beer options. Fun to sit by the windows and watch the people strolling by. read more

Stopped for some refreshment after visiting the museum Large selection of beers and food items Had their signature club and would highly recommend it Staff was on the ball and didn't get lost. Manager stopped to make sure everyone was satisfied Pricing was good and portions plentiful read more

Good food, good beer, good atmosphere. The portobello mushrooms were especially delicious. I'll be back.