Barley's Brewhaus & Restaurant

Bar, Eatery

16649 Midland Dr
Shawnee, Kansas, 66217-3042
United States

(913) 268-5160 | map
barleysbrewhaus.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.23
Reviews:
9
Ratings:
14
pDev:
9.22%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Rio:
Photo of Rio
Reviewed by Rio from Kansas

4.58/5  rDev +8.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
The second of three Barley's in KC I've visited. Made it up there for our company Christmas dinner. Much like the 119th location in selection and food, really. Great selection of micros, brewpub beers on tap, really nice place to grab a beer.

Atmosphere is still good. A little better location, I think, but the layout of the place is a little more broken up. It seemed to me like there were three different dining areas (one raised up above the bar), and a bar area. Makes the whole place seem a little more broken up, almost segregated, but a little more 'intimate,' I suppose.

Service was good here, but we had some problems with getting orders out while they were still good and hot, and a few problems with incorrect orders. We did have about 30 people in our party, but the restaurant wasn't packed other than us. Still, the manager did come up and apologize, made sure the orders were corrected, and did offer a bit of a discount for the problems.

Overall, an enjoyable expeirence. The 119th location is closer for me, and a little more of a comfortable feel, so I'll probably stick with that one for the most part, but if you get a chance to visit either location, it's worth it for the beer selection, good food, and friendly people.
Jan 26, 2005
More User Ratings:
Photo of Suds
Reviewed by Suds from Missouri

3.58/5  rDev -15.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 1.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
I visited during Kansas Craft Beer Week. There were lots of brewers and free samples. I then sat at the bar and had a pint and burger. The food was excellent, and the beer selection is astounding. Service was a little disinterested, slow, and seemed annoyed by the patrons. They no longer brew their own beer, but, other than the service, the establishment was worth the visit. .
Apr 27, 2017
Photo of Bosoxfan20
Rated by Bosoxfan20 from Missouri

3.94/5  rDev -6.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5
Visited on a Vanilla Rye tasting night. One of the better selections in the area (KS side).
Feb 07, 2015
 
Rated: 4.52 by tyalan from Kansas

Dec 03, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by IrishTank from Kansas

May 28, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by Rachel_McCulley from Kansas

Jan 20, 2014
Photo of irongator
Reviewed by irongator from Kansas

4.79/5  rDev +13.2%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.75 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
Good food but that's not why you are going there. Beer selection is amazing. Bartenders have PhDs in beer. Service at the bar is incredible and they will let you try most everything if you talk the talk. They also have regular keg openings of rare beer. Great place to discover great beers.
Dec 22, 2013
 
Rated: 4.75 by Ahkaine

Nov 25, 2013
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Reviewed by HOPPYKC from Kansas

4.08/5  rDev -3.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5
I dig this place. They offer great beers and have daily specials. They are also part of the MUG-CLUB which is devoted to craft brew lovers. If you go in they have 30+ taps on at all times. They have Special tastings; not too long ago Avery brewing did a tasting at this location. A private room is available for reservations. The food is a bit pricey and is nothing special, but the beer alone is great. If your in the Kansas City area this is a must stop if your wanting to get a taste of what the Mid-West has to offer in selection, and even a bit outside of that.
Jan 20, 2011
Photo of FLBeerGuy
Reviewed by FLBeerGuy from Florida

4.24/5  rDev +0.2%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
I took the 20 minute drive from downtown KC to meet a fellow BA to discuss the local beer scene, BBQ and Royals baseball. Strong smell of mesquite in the parking lot, kind of wets the taste buds.

99 beers on tap and there are a lot of quality beers here. This place reminds me of the Yard House because of their vast selection, but I think it is a step up. Their selection contains more quality than the Yard House as well as a better selection of local beers than the Yard Houses I've visited. But I must admit, I haven't visited the one in this area.

The staff appeared to be knowledgeable in their product. I had a Boulevard Octoberfest and their Tank 7 farmhouse ale, both which were decent. Prices are reasonable, 4.5 - 5 for most pints and 6-6.5 for their Belgium's, which is very reasonable. I did not have any of their food, but I heard they have good pizza.

If you are in KC and can make the 20 minute drive, I would highly recommend this place.
Sep 08, 2009
Photo of hwwty4
Reviewed by hwwty4 from Missouri

4.35/5  rDev +2.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 3.5
Finally made it over the state line to give this place a visit. It's pretty easy to find, right off I-435 with a big sign that you can navigate to off the off ramp. This bar is really divided between 2 different places. As you walk in to your right is the actually restaurant and to your left is the bar, with very little mingling of the 2 clientele, which, at least for me, is nice because it means that there are no screaming kids running through the bar. My biggest problem with the atmosphere of the place (if you want to call it a problem) is that it seems like they are going for the "Applebee's" kind of look. I don't know, it just kind of turns me off. But on to the more important things. The selection here is probably the best selection anywhere in the state of Kansas. It is really amazing that they were able to bring all those beer together. I enjoyed a couple different brews on tap including GD OA Yeti, Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence and Hennepin, and an Abita AndyGator. I had never seen 3 of those beers on tap even in MO.

To eat, my wife and I split one of their Chicago style deep-dish pizzas, which was OK. The pizza was kind of a mess and just fell apart. It also seemed like it wasn't fully cooked either. I wouldn't let anyone be discouraged by the food. They have a full menu with what looked like some good stuff on it. I think we just got some lazy staff that really didn't want to make something really tasty. The best part about this place is that they are rather reasonable. I didn't think that any of there beer is over priced. If you're on the Kansas side, you should definitely give this place a stop in.
Mar 13, 2009
Photo of jokelahoma
Reviewed by jokelahoma from Missouri

4.4/5  rDev +4%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
I came in on a Wednesday at 5 PM. Somewhat crowded and busy. That makes a difference later in the review.

This bar is almost identical to the Barley's at 119th in Overland Park (see beerfly for that place). This place has a bit more room, yet oddly feels a bit more "corporate" and cold. Like the 119th Street Barley's, this one carries 99 taps. Many of those are macros, but a good percentage are either standard micros, standard imports, or even some harder to find beers, at least in this area (this IS Kansas, after all). There's a good selection of local brews, from Boulevard (pale ale, wheat, porter and stout), 75th Street (IPA, brown ale, Irish red, raspberry wheat and a seasonal), and Free State (Copperhead Pale, Ad Astra Alt, wheat, and oatmeal stout). Others on tap include Flying Dog, Goose Island Honkers and seasonal, New Belgium, Spatan bock, Optimator doppel, and ur-marzen, etc. Bottles include Chimay (red white and blue), many Sam Smiths, etc..

The food is actually pretty damned good for a bar. It's definitely not the frozen bag stuff. You can get steaks, seafood, specialties like pork osso bucco, plus a good number of sandwiches. The ribs (currently $17.95 for a slab, or 10.99 for an appetizer of a half slab and fries) are some of the best in a city already world reknown for its barbecue.

Service is usually fairly attentive. Tonight it was a bit slow, but they were crowded and understaffed, which can be blamed on management. The bartenders, as at 119th, almost always (with a few exceptions) have a good grasp as to the beers they're selling. The floor staff is hit and miss in that regard. Again, any lack of beer knowledge can usually be traced back to management. if you're going to sell it, folks, your people should know what it is. Fortunately, behind the bar, they almost always do. They're not BJCP, or even BA level, but they know enough to tell you what you're ordering.

Just like its sister bar in Overland Park, this Shawnee version is a good place for a beer lover in KC to go. There are almost as many taps as found in the highly overrated Yard House to the north by the track, with much better service, and much, much better prices. Regular prices on most pints are between $3.00 and $4.25. Specials reduce that even more. With a mug club membership (which unfortunately only works at one Barleys or the other, not at both), then draws are only $2.00 on Sunday or Monday for a 22-24 ounce pour (depending how much your hand made mug holds). Yes, that's $2.00 for roughly a pint and a half. That beats the living hell out of $4.75 for a pint of freakin' Budweiser up by the race track. Of course, beers like Delerium Tremens on tap at 119th street aren't available in the mugs, but you can only ask so much. If I could pay $2.00 for 22 ounces of DT, I'd have my mail delivered there, and never leave.

When in KC on the Kansas side, it's definitely worth the trip to either location, either here or at 119th Street, whichever is most convenient.
May 18, 2006
Photo of hoffman
Reviewed by hoffman from Nebraska

3.53/5  rDev -16.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 2
I had the opportunity to visit this resturant when in KC visiting family. My brother-in-law who, a pretty cool guy, who enjoys beer alot mentioned that we should go to Barley's "they've got like 100 taps". I was really excited....100 taps is quite a few so my expectations were up for this one.

The bar is located on the southwest corner of a strip mall next to a wendy's. Outside appearance is pretty standard for a suburb type bar. Nothing impressive but clean and well kept. The inside was also nice. A long bar with a large mug rack atop. Two levels. Nice lighting tons of TV's with sports on and a couple of pool tables. The tap rack is impressive to look at, but somewhat dissapointing in flavor. Most of the 100 taps are chewed up by about 30 or so macro and macro spin brews. There are the standard SA, Guinness, Bass etc. I found about 10 really outstanding pulls, Rogues Dead Guy, Some Fresh Boulevards, Paulaner, are still ringing a bell. They also served several local brews from Jayhawk and 75th street (which is owned by the owners of barley's, a very Rockafeller approach so kudos). The service was good seeing as how we were two of about 10 in the whole bar for around an hour.

As far a selection goes, you cannot argue with 100 taps to choose from but they could have been alot better in my mind.

The food was not this places shining point. Mostly pre-processed freezer bag stuff like you would find at any fad chian resturant. Not impressive but marketable to the masses. Overall the charge for beer was not terrible and the final bill was manageable.

I would visit again for the bar with a group of guys in a quest for really astounding beer this place is a nice pit stop on your way.
Jan 28, 2006
Photo of texascarl
Reviewed by texascarl from Kansas

4.25/5  rDev +0.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4
Great little brewpub with 3 locations in the KC area (check the website for address and directions). Tho' I'm most familiar with the Shawnee branch, each location has over 100 beers on tap, plus bottled offerings. Very fresh beer, good service and GREAT food, plus the best selection in town. I think I've found a new home.
Mar 02, 2003
Barley's Brewhaus & Restaurant in Shawnee, KS
Place rating: 4.23 out of 5 with 14 ratings