McMenamins Barley Mill Pub

We went there for a quick burger. We were able to get in right away. The burgers were fantastic. So we’re the tots, salad, and beer. The service was great; fast and friendly.

Had a large party tonight. Very accommodating. The food came fast and they were crazy busy. Our server was lovely. The food was good. They really get it right here.

I work just down the street from this McMenamins. Love the décor and the fact that it is the first McMenamins. Food is always great and the manager is a cool dude! All the wait staff has been exceptional too. I come for lunch, someday I’ll check out dinner and late night.

Always love taking the kids here. Very easy family dinner or lunch. Cool atmosphere, they only play jerry or grateful dead music ²⁴⁄₇. Great beer… decent grub… we go here instead of hopworks all the time!

Came here for lunch and a passport stamp. Had no idea that this was the OG McMenamins. The décor was wild and eclectic and I dug tooling around and noticing little weird quirks. Intriguing to see how they’ve taken the décor and ambience and spread it around to all their other locations.
The service here was surprisingly good. This chain offers notoriously bad service, but this location featured a great waiter who was charming and chill with our brood of kiddos ranging from 13 years old to 11 months.
Our food was quick and pretty tasty. I forgot how much their fries suck and ordered them with my pulled pork sandwich. Regret that. Their side salads are pretty damn good.
Ordered a specialty beer off the menu — Fuzzy Bubble. It was a rich wheaty peach beer and had a nice taste, with just a touch too much hops. Would probably not order again, but it was a good summer beer choice and I don’t regret trying something new.

I was visiting portland last week and it wasn’t busy at all I sat down while my mom used the restroom and the waitress came over and asked me if I wanted anything to eat I wasn’t sure so I told he two iced teas for now. She walked past us a few times to help the table next to us. We waited over 10 mins and watched her as she chatted with her coworkers filled up people’s drinks at the bar and waited on the table next to us. We tried to get her attention multiple times but she never brought us our iced teas. over 10 mins for we waited! The worst service I had on my trip! We ended up leaving!

McMenamins Barley Mill… I feel like I should give you 5 stars for being the original McMenamins, but our experience today was pretty lackluster. It was the last stop on their scavenger hunt today, so we wanted to relax and enjoy a pint and some tots to end our afternoon. We found the right picture for our passport stamp and ordered our drinks and tots. The bartender was not energetic at all and seemed overwhelmed by the extra visitors from the scavenger hunt.
We thought about sitting at the bar, but it was kind of dirty at cluttered. The whole restaurant had that feel too. It is an older McMenamins, but it felt like we were at a McMenamins garage sale with crap from the last 30 years lying around. We sat outside instead and it was nice. After about 15 – 20 minutes, I checked back in with the bartender about our tots since they hadn’t arrived yet. She said there was just 1 cook in the back and was trying to get everything out as soon as possible. Ok, I get it. But I don’t get why McMenamins wouldn’t add some extra staff on a day they do a special event like a scavenger hunt. The cook eventually brought out the tots and and looked irritated like I had asked her 10 times already where our food was. I know she wasn’t irritated at us, but clearly the lack of staff that day took it’s toll on what I saw as only 3 people running the whole place.

Love the Ruby beer and purple haze. Can’t go wrong with spinach artichoke dip or Cajun tots. Black rabbit red wine is pretty good. Bacon burgers are good and so is the hummus plate. Service is average and don’t expect to be greeted in a jovial fashion but more of a «Hello. You can sit wherever you like». I do like the ambience of the candles but I really wish McMenamins was a friendlier place. It’s not like it’s a group of rude workers but more of a «I have to say hi and get through the shift». I guess there’s always Disneyland if you want friendly.

My husband and I come here every once in a while. The service is always ok and the food is decent. During our most recent visit I asked if they had a soup of the day and the server responded, «we have some beef stew but it doesn’t look very good, and an African chicken (or maybe chickpea?)». It was very strange. I ordered a veggie sandwich and a side salad instead.

This is where it all began; the first McMenamins, 1983. A tribute to Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead. Great brews and a lot entertainment. Take time to look at all the stuff on the walls.
And as always; great brews!

Loved the décor of the pub and the staff was great.
Wish I could comment on the beer the selection, but it was what I’ve come to expect from a McMenamins location — really good beers on tap!

I frequent the Barley Mill, usually around three nights a week. I go there for a few drinks and a bite to eat. The service is always great, the food is consistently good, and the prices are reasonable.
I notice there are some negative reviews on the service, which I attribute to one-​time patrons without a background in service. On occasion the bar gets really busy, but it is not staffed for busy (because McMenamins wants to turn a profit). If you are thinking about being one of these posters or patrons, I’d invite you to think… is there anything at your place of work that you catch flack for that in reality is completely out of your control?
Everyone there has made an effort above and beyond what I expect in general from a chain bar. The regular staff all knew my name within a few visits, and remember my drink order.
If there were one thing I would complain about its the music; although, truthfully it’s difficult to classify the dead as music. The grateful dead are perhaps the worst sounds to have ever been inflicted upon my ear holes. That being said it’s still my bar, I put up with the dead because the staff is so awesome.

Prior to moving here in 2007, I made a visit to Portland with some friends, and the first place we stopped was the Barley Mill. I’ve been here a number of times over the years living in SE, and it’s always been a good experience.
The lighting is very low-​key and colorful, which is perfect given the theme of the bar (Grateful Dead). Their staff has always been very friendly and helpful, despite the times when they appear to be under-​staffed. Just a warning: if you sit upstairs and it’s busy? The staff can’t see you, and you’ll probably wait. Just a fact. In my experience, it’s been useful to tell one of the staff members that you’ll be sitting up there… just a pro-​tip.
They used to play an eclectic mix of classic rock, indie pop, Grateful Dead (of course), and a variety of other fun and interesting kinds of music. Now they only play Grateful Dead… what gives? I like the Dead. Just not that much. Ease up on it.
The food is typical McMenamin’s fare, which is pretty decent. The sliders they recently introduced are really good! Then there’s always the classic tots, or cajun style. Nice for a snack with a pint.
Which brings us to beer: I will admit outright that McMenamin’s beer is not my favorite. However, this place always has 2 rotating guest taps, as well as stand alone taps for PBR, Coors Light, and kombucha… which is a lot for a McMenamins. I feel like a lot of the McMenamins I’ve been to don’t have guest beers. Their beer was really good back in the day, but something changed. I’m probably more discriminating than I used to be, having had 7 years in a place people have called «Beervana». Trust me, I drank a sh*t ton of their beer back in the day, but not much anymore. Which is why I applaud them for having guest taps!
A while back, they added some pinball machines and got rid of their pool table… why? I miss the pool table! That was rad! Free pool is always a bonus feature when you come to a bar, but I don’t understand why you’d replace that with pinball.
The Barley Mill is a really low-​key, hippie-​esque, fun lil’ spot to chill in southeast and have a pint at. If you need a quick bite, their food is good, and the service is some of the better you’ll get at a McMenamin’s.

Another great pub by the McMinn… Brothers … And the original first location. Theme: Greatful Dead ! Food and drink selection is excellent. I especially like Africian chicken curry soup only on Thursday ! A neighborhood favorite, and destination place too !

If you’re a Deadhead, this is your place. Came here for dinner and a passport stamp and though it was great. Not only is the amount of Grateful Dead memorabilia and décor pretty impressive but the lighting is pretty awesome! I walked around the place just because I thought looking at all of the unique chandeliers was interesting in itself. Full bar here, good (not exceptional) food, and friendly waitstaff. Per usual McMenamins fashion, beverages here are a little steep if you’re not visiting during happy hour. Fun place… will come back in the future and recommend you stop by if you haven’t been or would like to be serenaded by Jerry and his gang during your entire visit :)

Not going to lie, I’ve only been here for passport stamp collecting. I wouldn’t ordinarily choose to come here on my own, especially with all the other bars around here. But I must say, it wasn’t a bad time! Very, very quirky. That’s saying a lot for McMenamins, which are already usually on the quirky side. It sure fits in with the hipster scene in the area. I was very surprised (in a good way) with the service also. We were well attended to and the server was really friendly. Bonus points for having a juke box, I LOVE them! Except the tunes themselves were kind of slim picking. But hey, anytime I can pick the music in a bar I am thrilled.

YEAH YEAH YEAH It’s got Grateful Dead stuff. The bric a brac store must have been out of alligators wearing sunglasses. Putting a bunch of hippie band junk on the walls does not make one clever– it’s just a Chili’s decorated by stoners.
BUT…In honor of the Grateful Dead homage that permeates this place, I have structured this review around some of their Greatest Hits. And by Greatest Hits, I mean songs you may have heard once on the radio.
It’s very clear that «Casey Jones» was not drivin’ this train, let alone whilst in his signature state of being high on cocaine. Cocaine, as we all know from Miami Vice (and some of our uncles) is a stimulant. Our waitress was as stimulated as a sloth who drank 3 margaritas with rims of crushed barbiturates in lieu of salt.
I would have called her «Sugar Magnolia,» but she moved like Sugar Molasses.
The food? Think of carnival fare, only slightly lower quality. As I attempted to plow through my greasy/​generic/​«look at the walls, not your food» burger, I found solace in chanting the mantra-​like words of «Touch of Grey»:
I will get by;
I will get by;
I will get by;
I will survive.
Tangentially speaking of surviving, I think Gloria Gaynor had it right when she sang in her anthem of Womanhood (and possibly food tolerance):
It took all the strength I had not to fall apart
Kept trying’ hard to mend the pieces of my broken heart.
In my situation, it was my stomach’s pieces I kept tryin’ to mend. With Pepto.
My stomach felt like I had eaten Jerry Garcia’s post-​mortem beard dipped in Olestra.
After a long wait for our check, the ordeal came to its end (the meal, not this review). Leaving, one could not help but hum the immortal words from «Truckin’»:
Sometimes the light’s all shinin’ on me,
Other times I can barely see.
Lately it occurs to me what a long, strange trip it’s been.
And at the risk of pointing out the obvious, did you notice the first letters of this chorus spell SOL? That’s how I left leavin Jerryland (AKA Barley Pub Mill).

I have been going to this place for some time now. The drinks are great, especially if you come for hard cider. The service can be a bit slower if you come in and sit in the corner area as you are less likely to be seen in the first place.
So far every time that I been here, the service has been quick, friendly and overall good. The food is good also. I have not had any problems with this place at all.
It is really nice to sit outside during the warmer times and the whole place has an interesting decoration about.

My friends and I used to jokingly refer to this place as the Grateful Dead Memorial Pub and Eatery. Musicians are weird, y’know.
Then, Jerry Garcia died and we all decided the healthy choice would be to STFU about that for awhile.
A lot of folks find it stylish to disparage McM’s in general. While some are better than others* (and I think this is one of the better ones), I think the McM brothers have done a lot as trailblazers to put both their brand and PDX on the map. Not that long ago, if you wanted a craft beer you had 2 choices;
a) mcM’s
b) nope
In my mind, the food in general could be a skosh better but I think their beer is just fine. I also think that all the local craft brew houses around here owe these folks some love.
Say what you will, think what you will. I think these guys are the Lewis and Clark of the PDX brewpub scene. I salute you. You can take my Communication Breakdown burger from me when you pry it from my cold, dead hand.
* Fess-​up time. This place used to be called The Rooster, or maybe The Little Rooster. Got one of our first ‘city’ gigs here in 1978. Or was it 1878? Anyway, I guess I am pre-​disposed to like this place.

McMenamins now runs 80-​some bars, theaters, and hotels in Oregon and Washington. My experience with them has been that the more historic a venue is, the better the overall experience. It isn’t even fair to compare places like the Bagdad Theater or Crystal Ballroom to the McMenamins pubs you find speckled throughout the suburbs. Their bars that are just bars aren’t really that interesting.
But Barley Mill Pub is a glaring exception. This is a McMenamins bar without any particular historical value that nonetheless has a lot of character and will show you a good time. It’s located on a fun, convenient part of SE Hawthorne. There is plenty of space (both indoor and outdoor, bar and otherwise) plus a small game room with some pinball machines. Every inch of wall and ceiling is covered with character-​giving décor.
The staff is great, the food is fine, and the drinks are good (also cheap if you come during their 3 – 6 happy hour). Bring some friends and order some tots. You’ll have fun.
If you don’t already have a McMenamins Passport, you should probably get one. It’s like a treasure hunt for grown-​ups, but instead of treasure you get beer and food and swag.