Reviews The Barley Neck Inn

My sister and I dined on a September evening. It was such a find. We so enjoyed our waitress who made some solid recommendations. It’s off 28 in a spot you could miss.

Nice and cozy place, food is good in general. Fish and chips was pretty good. The only negative thing was that the chicken was way way too salty.

Visited for dinner in our quick stay in Orleans. Even though it was quite crowded, they put us on the waiting list and in twenty minutes we were seated. We chose burgers, tasty and well served.

Update for Fall 2022…. We still have not had a bad meal here, and still love the warm vibe of a New England upscale tavern. Even this past summer during the busy vacation period, the service this year was better than the COVID years when every restaurant seemed to be understaffed. On the very rare instances of food delivered to us not ro our liking, the staff quickly resolved the issue. With the couple of dissatisfied reviews that I noticed, i winder if the diner thought to talk to the manager, who we have always seen to be both present, approachable, and accommodating. Matt and his new culinary team hit it out of the park (again) today with a wonderful Easter Sunday dinner (take out, for now). We both had the roast leg of lamb, beautifully prepared and seasoned. It came with a to-die-for potatoes au gratin (so flavorful but not at all salty) and wonderfully roasted carrots. We are so happy that the Barley Neck is still cooking during this pandemic crisis, and so grateful that they dedicated their Easter morning to work for those of us lucky enough to be nearby!

Under new ownership. Chef is from nearby breakfast place (the Rail). $1 shuck, ribs and wings until 6 is a great deal.

Good pub restaurant great entertainment with live music Very clean bar and restrooms, Food was ok. Entrees were better than chowder or appetizers. We ordered from the nightly specials list. A good selection of local draft beer that was cold and served in 20 oz. Glasses. Make a reservation they had a wait list that was an hour long.

The Barley Neck is “back”! We were greeted by the new manager this week as we arrived and had a great chat with him. The new vision is to get back to the Barley Neck’s former approach of a great bar with a restaurant, but with a new upscale vibe. This restaurant in an old sea captain’s home (and no, this is not an actual “Inn” with rooms to stay) and the atmosphere is casual and welcoming. Many if not all of the servers are new and clearly experienced, super friendly and just the right amount of attentiveness. They set the stage for us for a really fun evening including a really awesome acoustic band with a great repertoire of classic rock and modern pop rock, at a volume that was not intrusive. The new dinner menu was a welcome sight, with the restaurant returning to upscale American classics and comfort food (unlike the prior few years where the former kitchen seemed to over-reach with high end dissapointers). We started with a perfectly prepared and fresh roasted beet and chèvre salad (the preparation of the beets, to me, is always the make or break part of this dish, and the chef excelled here!). The wine list has a really nice variety of quality and affordable wines by the glass. For dinner I had the lobster risotto which was so good that I had to be careful not to stuff myself on what was a perfect size plate for leftovers (or for a hungry appetite). My wife had the Wasabi Panko Cod which was a moist and expertly cooked super-fresh cut of Cod, with just the right amount of flavor (she was initially a bit worried about too much wasabi!). Saving space for dessert, we roped the night off with a wonderful piece of key lime pie. All throughout the evening I noticed the manager was fully engaged and walking through the dining area, chatting with the guests. A very positive sign for what may be a great revival of the Barley Neck!

If you great food and drinks with a local flair. This is the place. It was loud, not the music.just every one having a good time. music was fantastic. Wish I could have heard more.