I had never been until a friend challenged me that they have the best espresso martini and of course it being called a tavern I did not believe her; however, she won the bet. Jake the bartender that afternoon made a wonderful espresso martini as well as a delicious lemon drop shot. He is a great bartender that I highly recommend. It is well lit during the day with a very long bar and plenty of comfy stools or tables and booths. I always thought of taverns as smelling like stale beer, but this one definitely did not. We very much enjoyed our time, company, and the drinks. I look forward to going back. read more

The Loaded Barrel Tavern - Espresso martini made by Jake. - Bars Near Me - Bradenton, Florida

Had a good pizza here a few nights ago. Sauce was good and dough was good (thin crust). There was no service (had to order at the bar). Ambiance was ok for a bar. read more

Stopped in here while bar hopping and I'll be back ! I had beer, a martini, and an old fashioned. Later I had pizza and it was good. read more

The Loaded Barrel Tavern - Bars Near Me - Bradenton, Florida

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Wandering around Bradenton on a Sunday evening looking for a lite bite when everything seemed to be closing brought us to the loaded barrel. Bartender grabbed us a couple drinks and we looked over the menu. Ended up ordering a pepperoni pizza while we sipped our drinks. Pizza came out and the cheese was molten hot. Pizza was served on a stand at the bar with shakers of parmigiana and crushed red pepper. Bar is nicely lit and adorned with some signs for your entertainment. Bartender top notch and they're open to 2:30. read more

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THIS WOMAN IS A ROCKSTAR! It's my first time at this restaurant and the only place open late with food, and she is running the show by herself. 5 stars for miss Alyssa! So impressed with the bright smile and hard work ethic. Keep rocking girl, we WILL be back. read more

The Loaded Barrel Tavern - customers at the bar - Bars Near Me - Bradenton, Florida

Fast service, friendly bar tender. She was helpful and kind. Bar was cute, loved the decor, looked well organized. They serve pizza but we were in the mood for burgers; however they had an extensive variety of pizzas to offer! read more

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Pizza is great. Bartenders are always friendly and service is timely. Great local bar

This is a great bar with a nice layout and almost a dive bar, but just a bit nicer during the daytime. Definitely a dive bar night time. You wouldn't expect it, but the pizza is amazing and made from scratch. If you're going for an IPA and Pizza definitely do it. read more

I am 100% a pizza snob and this hidden gem may have the best pizza in Manatee county. They have nailed the perfect texture in crust and the ratio of sauce and cheese. This taste is very NY. I was beyond satisfied and would put their pizza in my top 3. read more

This is a pizza review. Excellent bar pizza, clean establishment, and good service. Found out about Loaded Barrel from the Harold Tribune Pizza contest. They certainly deserve the ranking. Great bar pizza and a large selection of adult beverages. read more

Taylor is a Rockstar! The best bartender you could have! She really keeps the energy alive and positive!

Taylor is awesome. She took great care of me and my family. The pizza is good, too.

Definitely definitely a wonderful place for an adult evening out, awesome live band and good bourbon. There is a restaurant next door you can order food from while you sit and sip and relax. Definitely a must do every time we are in Ft. Myers. Great on a weekend getaway. read more

Great late night snack + fabulous weekly pizza special! Quick service and nice attitudes from the bartenders as well! Hence the name there are barrels incorporated everywhere, nice outside seating. read more

Waited 30 min for one slide of pepperoni pizza. If you want horrible service and to be ignored all night stay here . If not just order dominos and save money on shitty over priced pizza read more

Great clean bar/tavern with nice prices BUT, pizza is terrible. And service is good if you sit at the bar and it's slow. Once the regulars arrive you are hard pressed to get service. We just wanted to pay our tab and trust me when I say we were interrupting their regular routine all the rudeness came out. I won't return here. Head to Motorworks Brewery or one of the many other downtown Bradenton bars who appreciate their customers. read more

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Me and my friends though it was the best pizza we had and $17 is a good price for this quality of it pizza

Awesome pizzas, ice cold beer, great service and a nice selection on the back bar. 10/10

Terrible service go across the street to the o bricks and get treated right. Didn't have food wasn't worth the wait - too loud of music of ghetto music that didn't even match the style of bar - read more

Took forever to just get acknowledged...then after that served 4 drinks to people who already had drinks....underwhelmed bartender....only pizza if you are reading reviews read more

The Loaded Barrel Tavern - the menu - Bars Near Me - Bradenton, Florida

Downtown Bradenton isn't booming with night life, but I enjoyed my boozy state at this dive bar, primarily due to their variety of craft bottled beers and some righteous late night pizza. Not only was I intoxicated, but the hunger pains were real. The gigantic pizza pie was served piping hot, to the point where I couldn't wait for it to cool off. Yeah, I'm sure someone with nothing better to do was staring, but whatever dude, duty calls. The pizza had a great char, but to the point where it was riding the line of burnt. Still, a mean pie! Like I said, it's a dive bar. Which is nearly self explanatory in its own right. Loaded Barrel strikes me as a bartender's bar. If you don't set the bar too high, you'll probably get a kick out of this place! read more

The Loaded Barrel Tavern - Pepperoni Pizza - Bars Near Me - Bradenton, Florida

5=stars for Cheyenne and atmosphere. Some decent pubs in the area, but many still lingered of smoke from 1975. This place was clean. Smoke free. And the pizza is very good. Will definitely be back! read more

I feel like I was taken back in time. Walked in and the bar had a haze of smoke in it, because people were smoking IN THE BAR. There were ashtrays all over the bar. Walked in and walked out. Gross! read more

My neice and I absolutely love this place . Atmosphere is amazing and pizza is actually really good!!!

It's a good dive bar. The service is usually good!!. The pizza is fantastic and the kitchen is open late! So when you need to soak up some alcohol after bar-hopping, stroll over to this place. If you aren't a smoker, you will definitely be overwhelmed by the smell and thickness of the smoke. read more

Ok, so this is definitely not my kind of place, BUT, I'm going to give it 4 stars because, for what they are . . . they do what they do Well. Basically, it's a local Bar, and by bar I mean a place where people smoke and drink. It definitely helps that they have really good pizza and a decent selection of craft beers. The slices they sell are basically ¼ of a pizza (Big). If I'm not mistaken, you can get a few different toppings on your pizza but only if you order a whole pizza. If you just want a slice or two, you are relegated to having cheese, pepperoni or whatever the special house pizza is for that day. Since I don't smoke (and can't stand being around it) I sat at one of the outdoor tables (they have 2) and enjoyed my pizza slices ( 1 cheese & 1 pepperoni) along with a cold Cigar City Jai Alai to wash them down. I was pretty surprised that the only food offered was pizza or garlic knots. End of menu. The servers were friendly and definitely seemed to be having fun. If you are looking for a traditional "Bar" then this is your spot. I definitely won't be a regular but I might stop in occasionally for a slice and a cold beer. read more

Great fun Great staff We specifically came for their famous pizza and it didn't disappoint. Fresh ingredients and a super delicious marinara paired with a thin crust made this pizza scrumptious. Drinks were strong and fairly priced. We will be regulars for sure! read more

We came here for the food (saw pictures of pizza) and we are very impressed (still here!). THE CRUST. honestly one of the best pizzas we've had. We got the blackened chicken pizza and the flavor is good, but the crust is awesome! Our bartender, Cheyenne, was also awesome. A great time all around! read more

The Loaded Barrel Tavern - a half eaten pizza - Bars Near Me - Bradenton, Florida

There ain't too many place worth seeing in downtown Bradenton, but this is an exception. Dragged down here kicking and screaming for a birthday party and bar hopping, I was not a happy camper. I've been down there before, and nothing really made an impression on me. It was many years back when I last visited, so I was hoping for some hip and modern indie spot revival, and I am happy to report that there was some decent spots. Of them, this was my favorite. Not too big, slightly smoky, good TV coverage, a Touch Tunes machine and amazing pizza. Walking in, we were not even hungry, but the smell was intoxicating, so we couldn't resist trying a slice; so glad we caved in! Should I find myself in the area again, I will make it a point to grab a whole pie from here. Oh, go into the men's restroom, and tell me what you smell. It wasn't what I expected, let's just say that! read more

The Loaded Barrel Tavern - Bars Near Me - Bradenton, Florida

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Pretty cool place and decent food. Everything was great and I will go back again soon

What I like best about this Bradenton stop is the brick oven pizza. Absolutely delicious and reasonably priced, a slice of cheese is only $4, and it's 1/4 of the pie! Regular drink specials and plenty on tap for the beer coniseur. The wooden atmosphere is nice on the eyes. Always friends around, or ones you just haven't met yet. :) read more

Pizza is worth trying. I have had the pizza. Ambiance is what is to be expected, good by my standards. Service however depends on who is tending the bar. It was St. Paddy's Day and I asked for a Guinness. I watched the bartender pour the Guinness and noticed that the end of the pour differed from most places and was described by Guinness as the correct way to serve the beverage. I asked politely if he knew what I was referring to, and he became upset. He then asked me for the immediate payment of cash, or credit card. I explained I may have another Guinness and order food to go. It was his way or the highway. I refused to accept the glass of Guinness and left the bar, only to get back to a normal customer/business relationship across the street at O'Bricks Irish & Martini Bar, where they knew how to treat customers. At O'Bricks moments later I ordered a Guinness and the bartender served it said thank you and started a tab. To sum things up, the outrageous attitude of the male bartender was unacceptable. His reaction to me ended up losing my business for food and drink that day and in the future, not to mention what I would tell friends about my experience. I need to emphasize that the girl working the other end of the bar was very courteous and went out of her way to ask if I needed help. The last thing we need today is to support a local business only to be treated badly. read more

Found this bar on Old Main Street. Reminded me of local bars at home. Server pleasant and prompt. We actually had the very first whole pie out of their brand new pizza oven and some garlic knots. Me being a past pizzeria owner, the pie was very good! Bottom was lightly browned with that little snap and the rest of the dough was perfect. It was a six (6) cut sixteen inch (16") pie, nice big slices. A good amount of sauce, toppings and plenty of cheese. Very tasty indeed and the garlic knots were too. Your very own parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper shakers are supplied for you so you can use as much as you like. The locals here were friendly and the place was clean, even the bathrooms. I would definitely recommend this place and when we're in town again, we'll be getting some pizza and a beer. read more

The Loaded Barrel Tavern - Bars Near Me - Bradenton, Florida

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Keeps over cooking my garlic knots. Knots are supposed to be soft, not hard like pizza crust.

Wow. This just might have been the best slice of pizza I have ever had. Staying nearby at the Hampton Inn.... was incredibly pleased and surprised with the Loaded Barrel tavern. Barkeep was awesome and so was the food. So good in fact... this joint was recommended to me by a bouncer from a bar across the street. A must stop for a beer, 'za and watch a game if you have the time. read more

I've been going to the Loaded Barrel for over a decade (it used to be over by the big mall on US-301 and a different name). I thought their "White Trash Wed" was a funny idea. But last night (Thursday, 4-18-19), I saw the nastiest behavior by a bartender I've ever witnessed (worked in bars/restaurants for 12 yrs). I didn't recognize the female bartender but she was outright rude to a lot of people in there last night. She refused to take drink orders, refused to take food orders and looked like she was having an angry meltdown about something. Not sure what her deal is but I watched people to try to buy food/drinks from her for 30+ mins and just get ignored. People who were trying to spend $ just walked out in frustration. That woman is useless. read more

Great pizza. Even better when they have their weekly specialty. In fact, the only reason they don't get 5 is because their specialties should always be available. read more

Not sure how it works when you have awesome smelling pizza, cold beer and liquor but you allow smoking inside your establishment. Well this is the answer: It Works! It only works for this place because the pizza is so damn good. I ordered a slice of their specialty pizza while out on the town and received a slice so huge I had to cut it in three and share it as a snack. I asked if they could cut it for me, but some dude who looked like Jesus behind the bar just smiled and handed me a plastic knife. Okay I guess. This slice had dollops of goat cheese, scattered arugula and large triangles of crispy cornered ham. The building is gorgeous and historic looking although the doorman admitted he had no idea about the building's history at all, but he was nice, and welcoming. The drinks were great, and the beer options expansive. I'd be back! read more

The Loaded Barrel Tavern - Pizza is legit. - Bars Near Me - Bradenton, Florida

A little whole in the wall with AMAZING pizza and my FAVORITE beer. I love this place to unwind after a stressful day. Bartender Kaylen is wonderful, ALWAYS taking care of your liquid beverage needs with a SMILE. They are all good, but Kaylen is my FAVE!!!! read more

The Loaded Barrel Tavern - Great place to meet up with friends. - Bars Near Me - Bradenton, Florida

Pizza was outstanding!!! Was recommended by Rachel at "The Doctors Office" and was not disappointed. Also the area is pretty cool for walking around, listening to some live music and having a couple drinks. read more