I still think about the French onion burger I had this past summer. We will definitely be going back - especially for the live music!

Visiting from out of town; saw good reviews and decided to give the Barrelman a try. The smash burgers were awesome. Make sure you get the tater tots-unbelievably good. The waitress and the chef were so friendly, it's like we were eating at their dining room table. On our way out the chef handed us a to-go box-an ice cream sandwich. Get the idea of the vanilla ice cream and chocolate cookie out of your head. This ice cream was SO, SO good: chocolate ice cream between 2 chocolate chip cookies. Just the right balance of ingredient. This is a very unassuming bar that packs a punch. read more

The Barrelman - Ice cream sandwich - American Near Me - Marblehead, Massachusetts

The beer is fine and the drinks not too bad, but stay away from the food. The tater tots taste like they came out of a bag from Costco and got dumped in old fryer old and the place is far from clean. read more

The sandwiches are huge! I felt like half of one of my Bubba Slye was the equivalent of my sister's burger. But not only was it huge, it was amazing! I am so excited to have these for leftovers. Definitely coming back! read more

Four stars for the burgers and three stars for the ambience- dark interior. Our burgers were cooked to perfection and the fries were tasty. A good sour pickle accompanied the plate. Beer and wine 4 stars as well. Good for families and street parking available. Waitstaff friendly but only one waitress to handle sit down area. read more

A lively bar Jamming bands at night Accommodating bartender Large MENU with gourmet selections (NOT typical bar food) Delicious grass-fed burgers (specialty burgers to choose from) Healthy salads and many other choices for food The food was so good, we ate here 2 days in a row. I really liked the burger without the bun and specialty salad instead of fries (salad was arugula and other amazingly healthy greens). And the barkeep listened very well and got my order just right. If only restaurants had food as good as this fun bar! Way to go Barrelman. read more

Interesting spot; unpretentious comes to mind. The food is decent if unremarkable; service is prompt and the atmosphere has that lived-in feel to it. read more

Aw man...I don't want to write this because I don't want this place to become too popular! After an afternoon of swimming in the harbor at Fort Beach I headed to the Barrelman for a bite to eat. First time since the pandemic that I've been there. The menu has changed, very limited but man...it is top notch!! I had the Dirty Burger and IT IS MY NEW FAVORITE THING ON EARTH!! (I don't want to oversell it!!). It's a "smash" style burger. I little flat looking but this was, without a doubt, one of the most tastiest burgersI've eaten!! LOVE the shoestrings fries (I think they are different from before). I hope they don't change this menu! It's limited but fantastic. I also had the the chicken fingers with fries and man they were some of the BEST fried chicken I've eaten in awhile! Light & crispy! I was served promptly at the bar, again a limited selection of beer, but I found a good Lager. Also a great place to watch a Red Sox game. read more

A bare bones local that features three surprises: live music, an Asian-inspired menu, and grilled cheeses on... ciabatta?! The burger rundown looks amazing, so if you're in the market, give 'em a go. We, a bit pressed to our dinner reservations, opted for lighter fare - or so we thought. Her gourmet grilled cheese (yes, on ciabatta) came with a mountain of skin-on fries, that hit the tongue rich in Russet flavor. The bastardized sandwich itself (I had a few bites) was more of a baconwich with cheese. Rasher after rasher of excellent quality pork, salty cheddar and a roll (?) that could have used a bit longer on the press - a bread crunch was non-existent. I went for the fish tacos ($10) and a Caesar salad ($10), both of which floored me in sheer size. A serious portion of haddock in a super crunchy coating sat atop a lightly dressed slaw in two gigantic tacos. Side sauces, on this plate - a smokey salsa verde and a sweet and sour number, are house made; the former had me digging in with a spoon. Unfortunately, the Caesar was a big miss. All the seasoning came from capers, and the citrus completely overtook the more subtle ingredients. It tasted like reasonably crisp greens tossed in salted lemon juice. The stale croutons added nothing to the plate. Service was solid, and 16 oz of Bantam will run you a paltry $6 bones. Line up at the bar, order what's fried (or griddled!), and chat with the locals. Friendly environment, and for you fams, kiddies are welcome during the day. read more

The Barrelman - Fish tacos! House made salsa Verde - American Near Me - Marblehead, Massachusetts

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A favorite neighborhood haunt, though have only eaten here a few times. The burgers are great, the cook and servers are the best--do yourself a favor and visit! read more

"The Barrelman" is a very straightforward bar. The only problem about the scenery was that the booths were just wooden seats. I would prefer to have nicer seating, demoting a star. Now the food itself, I had the Shrimp Po'Boy and it was very well made. The shrimp was good, the bread was very very good. A lot of pickles there, chopped pickles, relish, and a dill spear on the side, lucky for you I LOVE pickles. The burgers they had were not anything special. The fries were crispy, needed to add salt and it was good. Overall I'd give The Barrelman a 3.5 if I could, I would recommend. read more

Cool place to grab a beer and a bite to eat. We stopped by after spending the day in nearby Salem and it was exactly what we needed! The currently have outdoor seating on picnic tables and even though the menu may be limited right now due to COVID they have all the important stuff. We enjoyed the philly cheese steak and the cheeseburger, washed down with a Shipping Out of Boston from the tap. Special thanks to Ben who made a couple of LSU Tiger fans feel right at home a long way from the bayou! read more

Short sweet update. The staff is phenomenal. The apps are amazing. I'm in love with the grilled cheese. Best beer selection in Marblehead, including the shops, and they aren't all 50 shades of hoppy bitterness. Go. Drink. Save me a seat. read more

This is a tough review. The Barrelman is a really cute little dive with nods to bands I'd never expect to see in Marblehead, MA (The Descendants picture above the bar was fun to see). Service was attentive, prices were okay, beer selection was good, but the lobster roll killed it. I had no idea I was going to get shredded up lobster salad. Maybe I should have said something, but couldn't bring myself to. I had no idea this execution would even exist and be conveyed as a lobster roll. Literally, shredded lobster and mayo. The texture ruined everything I love about lobster... a $21 mistake, but the fries were awesome! read more

The Barrelman - Mushy shredded lobster salad :( I have never seen a "lobster roll" like this. So disappointing. Fries are amazing though! - American Near Me - Marblehead, Massachusetts

The food here is amazing the burgers are cooked perfectly and the fries are crispy and salty. All the drinks are good. Personally the chicken sandwich is very good. The takeout is ok.. They got my order wrong once. The outside seating is beautiful it feels very marblehead. The service is great everyone is friendly and kind. Overall great restaurant. read more

The food was ok, some items were very inventive like the avo fries and green goddess sandwich. However a general lack of seasoning seemed to be the theme of our meal. That said it would have been a 3 star meal, a nice place to grab a nice burger and beer. Our service was the star breaker. As a ex server myself I am very undestanding and generally lenient. That also means I am very well trained in what should and shouldn't be expected. We were at the door and the time between seating and our 1st tabletouch/drink order was 12 MINUTES! During our 1hr 15 min meal we recieved 2 checkbacks and finally to pay my check I had to go to the bar and find someone to pay so I could leave! 3/5 for decent food 4/5 for atmosphere 2/5 for service read more

Great music. Great selction of beer. Very good food. Love the Turkey burger! Staff is very good. Nice crowd although towards the end of the night most people are pretty hammered. read more

If I could give no stars I would. Myself and three friends stopped by one weekday night. The place was not very busy at all, we ALL provided valid state issued photo identification and were denied service. We asked why and the bartender said I needed to provide a credit card. When I said I was paying cash she told us we had to leave. Another individual in our party offered to put a card down, but she said she wouldn't accept it anymore. We again asked why and she yelled from behind the bar. "I 'm not serving you." It was very clear there was no reasoning behind this, as the bartender was talking to other patrons and pointing and laughing while we stood there trying to get a table. We had just gotten into town after a long drive and were hoping to grab a quick bite to eat before checking into our hotel, sadly it was made extremely clear we weren't welcome in this place. read more

Decided to try the newest restaurant in Marblehead tonight. The Barrelman took over from The Hurricane. Interior layout and bar haven't changed which is good because the flow is nice. Great selection of American fare - burgers, chicken sandwiches, salads. All with a 'gourmet' twist. Solid beer menu. Food was very good and reasonable priced. Will come again. *see photos of our meal posted to Yelp read more

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New favorites are the salads. arugula, pear, blue cheese, bacon. Get it with a steak tips. What a combination of flavors : sweet salty bitter sour blue cheesy meaty. Always a good saison - farmhouse on tap. read more

Best burger and fries I've had in years. Awesome beer selection. Reasonable prices. If this was in the South End, Brooklyn or Santa Monica - perhaps it would warrant 4 Stars. But there's nothing around here that rivals this place for this genre of food. Can't wait to go back. read more

Good place to drink, safe for a burger or the mac n cheese but not really where you want to go for food. Have a couple drinks then eat something drunk here and youll walk away thinking "that was a good experience" read more

The food was decent but the service was not great. Had our grandchildren with us and waited quite some time for food. Food was delivered at different times so we did not enjoy our meal together in order for those who got theirs first was not cold waiting for the remainder of the order to be delivered. Perhaps we will go back and try again and hope our first visit was just an "off" night. read more

Stopped by again with the wife on a Sunday afternoon and tried the daily special again. This daily special was not as successful as the last, unfortunately. I had the tacos, because I could seriously eat tacos every...single...day...of the week. Unfortunately the tacos just weren't really edible. The tortillas were horrible and tough. The Barrelman continues its hot and cold streaky tendency read more

Worst place to eat in town. Loud and crowded, kitchen is filthy we had bugs in our food.

Went for burgers on Father's Day. Good basic burgers. (A bit overcooked.) good beer list which made the husband happy. Kids menu was typical...starch and no veggies. My dark and stormy was just so so. Waitress was really nice. Seated by the open French doors which was a plus. Good reggae. Restaurant was nearly empty. All in all, just okay. For that kind of meal, we'd probably head over to Jack Tar next time. read more

I went to lunch with my boyfriend last weekend. We were the only ones in the restaurant (it was early on a Sunday) the bartender/server was very nice and attentive. I had the black bean veggie burger with a gluten free bun and my boyfriend had the barrelman burger. My bun was dry, which is VERY common with gluten free (so i won't hold it against them) but the inside of my burger was cold :( I also had the daily special of asparagus fries with truffle sauce. the asparagus was good but the truffle dipping sauce was more like a cup full of plain mayonnaise. My boyfriend liked his burger and his fries were cooked PERFECTLY. I would go back for the fries and maybe give it one more shot. read more

You'd be missing out by not stopping into the Barrel while visiting Marblehead. Fantastic burgers. Ever-changing draft beers. Live music. Stellar service. read more

So, i can only review this place based on their service. My fiancé and sat ant the bar and waited for the bartender Christopher to take our order. After about ten minutes, the girl he was talking to said "should'nt you go wait on her?" To which Christopher replied, "She can wait." Maybe he didnt think we could hear him, or maybe he's such a db that he just didn't care. Needless to say, when he sauntered down to us we let him know we were all set and left. Calls and messages to Ben (Christopher said he was the manager) were never returned. Even tried to leave a note on Facebook. There are more than enough options in Marblehead to grab a bite and a drink. Skip this place. They'll likely be changing names soon enough too. read more

This place is phenomenal. I went on a semi-busy evening. The beer selection was outstanding, ever single draft was a craft beer. The menu had a number of different options, salads, sandwiches, burgers etc. I was aware of how many tables sat when we did so the extra ten-fifteen minute wait for our food was acceptable and well worth it! (My boyfriend and I actually heard a women at the table before us complaining about her wait, this ain't McDonalds sister!) I got the lola burger with tater tots, and my boyfriend got the special fish and chips. Both were delicious and filling! The service was wonderful, with one waitress on the floor she pulled it off quite nicely and was genuinely polite to everyone who stepped through the door! The bartender was also very attentive and polite, sitting tables for the waitress when she did not have a minute to. I'll most definitely be back! read more

Best burgers in town! Great menu selection of apps, salads, sandwiches, etc... They often have live music later at night which is also fun! Also a great spot for the family. They never answer the phone which makes it difficult for takeout, but staff is really great. Their pickles are BOMB. read more

Love it. Been here twice now, once for just drinks and the other to test the menu. Staff is always kind and friendly. Beer selection on tap, probably the best place in Marblehead. The other best in Marblehead is the Fried Fish. Honestly, had it at Barncl, sail, and landzing, and while those were good, The Barrelman was best. It's a giant piece of crunchy fried haddock with fries and spicy cole slaw. Great atmosphere and so glad the food is awesome too, because this place rocks. read more

Our experience was a mixed bag. Beer selection was good, perhaps 50/50 craft/mainstream. The food overall was mediocre. The best dish we had was the spicy Asian braised wings. I ordered a second plate. The sliders came charred beyond acceptable. Burgers and turkey burger were good but not great. The fries were very good. A worthy highlight along with the wings. On the other hand, the cobb salads came without bacon and avocado as stated on the menu. We returned them. When they came back the bacon was burned. The server did take notice and then took them off the bill. The gourmet grilled cheese was less of grilled cheese and more of a warm cheese sandwich. Really missed that melted stretchy cheese part. Apparently no manager or owner on hand to address the issue. Food also took a long time. We had to ask if our order was coming soon vs. the server letting us know that things were going slow. The server mentioned they the kitchen was slammed. It didn't appear that busy. Perhaps it was understaffed. Probably wont be back. It's a shame because its just down the street. read more

Great neighborhood pub - friendly staff, good food, good beer. The place filled up after we arrived and everyone was enjoying themselves. The beer list was a little IPA-heavy; it could use more variety. We'll be back. read more

A cozy, intimate, and casual pub in the area with excellent food, drinks, and service. They always have a good selection of local beers and ciders, and the cocktail list is nicely crafted. The food itself is a step above your typical pub far, without getting too fussy. We came with a group of eight the other night and still received excellent service and quality of food, and have had great experiences sitting at the bar as a couple on multiple occasions. AWESOME bartenders. read more

Marblehead desperately needs a few more mid-priced casual restaurants with interesting, quality food. We were extremely pleased with the food, and terribly disappointed by the service and the ambience. Hope The Barrelman can step it up and succeed! read more

I've been twice in the last week; the first time to try it out and then returned due to convenience, reasonable price and good beer selection. Both visits have been a mixed bag. The quality of the food ingredients is excellent. The menu is very basic: Burgers, salads, appetizers such as fish tacos, sliders and wings. On Saturday night there were additional specials that weren't on offer during the week. On both visits, the burgers were "pretty good". My medium rare burger was more like well done, but the bacon onion relish was delicious. On visit number one, a weeknight, the fries were soggy and insipid, last night they had been pre-fried then re-fried so were at least crispy. The onion rings are too thick and doughy for my taste. The avocado fries are unique and quite delicious but very filling. The buffalo style wings were average. What put me off on both visits was the service. Obvious errors such as seating us without menus, long waits for food when the place doesn't appear to be busy, not bringing a glass with a bottle of beer, ordering a second drink and getting the wrong one, food orders coming out incomplete .... On the first visit the bored and unfriendly attitudes of both the bartender and cook made me swear never to return... now that I've been twice, I can definitively say that in a pinch, I'd return only when convenience and the desire for nothing more than a burger dictate... Otherwise there are a number of other places in town that take priority and put the Barrelman pretty low on my list. read more

Took my mom for a nice little bar dinner We sat at a table it was around 7 the restaurant was empty the bar had a few regulars I took my mom for the first time the food was delicious but listening to the bartender talking with her customers using vulgar language was very inappropriate . My mom was very disappointed with the language that was used . She told me this restaurant wasn't for her to bad the food was great the employees were extremely loud and talking inappropriately. read more

This place is a nice addition to Marblehead. Friendly service, solid menu, and a nice warm atmosphere on a cold winters day. Terrific beer list. Burgers are just want you would want, and the Asian wings are very good. Wish they would be a bit more consistent. read more

Came here to sit at the cozy 10 seat bar and watch the Patriots on the two big TVs on either end of the bar. They have a great selection of beers on tap, a respectable bourbon selection, nice staff, and an impressively tasty menu! We were tempted by the burgers and soup special and fish tacos, but with our upcoming dinner in mind, we opted for the well balanced arugula and pear salad with blue cheese and roasted pistachios. I overheard someone near me mention the pickles, so I asked for a side of them and was so glad I did! They are crispy, salty, and pleasantly spicy. If I lived around here I could imagine adopting this as my local watering hole. read more