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Barney's Limited
Categories: Restaurants American (New) Restaurants Burgers Restaurants Sandwiches American (New), Burgers, Sandwiches [Edit]
93 W Colorado BlvdPasadena, CA 91105
Neighborhood: Pasadena
(626) 577-2739
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Garage, Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Drive-Thru:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
134 reviews for Barney's Limited
Review Highlights
"I would def go again if I'm ever in Old Town."
(in 25 reviews)
"3pm to close happy hour on Sundays and Mondays."
(in 30 reviews)
"They've got a great beer selection and tasty (yet heavy..."
(in 6 reviews)
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134 reviews in English
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Review from Raquel I.
Diamond Bar, CA
12/27/2011
You must try the fried musrooms they have as an appetizer!! I'm still craving them, they are delicious!
Prices are great if you go during happy hour, which is usually till' closing time.
Different variety of beers!! It's overwhelming, good atmosphere not too expensive nor too crowded.
I highly recommend the fried MUSHROOMS!! :o) -
Review from ellainne v.
Los Angeles, CA
2/7/2012
At first glance this spot looks small, but they do have a dining area in the back, which has tables for large parties and seems to fill quickly with fumes from the kitchen. Can someone please turn on the vents in this place? Good location right in Old Town Pasadena, but that's about it. They have a big menu, but everything seems to be fried or almost fried. I got the french dip and the roast beef was overcooked and the dip was salty. Two negatives definitely don't make a positive here. My only salvation, ordering a Mr. Pibb. I rarely drink soda, but this made my lackluster lunch more bareable. I came for a co-workers good bye lunch and everyone seemed to be happy with their orders. Maybe it was just one of those days for me. Here are a few tips to know for this place:
1. large portions so sharing is caring
2. don't get the french dip
3. if you don't like your dish, you can order another or no charge (not sure if that's always the case)
4. make reservations for lunch if you have a big group
5. the back room doesn't get good ventilation so you leave smelling like food
Good luck. -
Review from Jose A.
11/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
Came on a pub crawl of Old Town last weekend and Barney's LTD was one of the stops. We saddled up to the bar and were immediately taken care of by the bartender. We each had a beer and were on to the next joint.
What i really liked about Barneys LTD is that if you are able to drink everything they serve at the bar (not at once obviously), then you are rewarded with a name plate on the wall. Not sure of the time frame you have to finish all the drinks but it seems like a cool little gimmick and would definitely be fun to take part in.
Next time we are in Pasadena we will stop in for a drink and get some more info on the program. -
Review from Brittany B.
Santa Clarita, CA
2/6/2012
Hubby and I stopped in after taking in a great film at the Arclight, so we were in a pretty good mood already by the time we arrived. We had been determined to avoid the Super Bowl during our date night, but I wanted to eat at a gastropub/pub and unfortunately didn't see any bars on Colorado that didn't have the game playing. There was no escape; it was less intrusive here. Anyway, we had the $2 beer special to start, which didn't even get me buzzed (and that is saying something); then I had some Wyder's Pear Cider (they didn't have peach), and that was mighty tasty, indeed. As for the food: I believe their menu is way too expansive for a pub of this size; it seems to me to necessitate a certain amount of long-term storage of food. The Samuel Adams Beer-Battered Halibut had decent batter, but the fish inside was dry, indicating to me that it was frozen. Hubby seemed to like his pastrami. Fries were fine; my dinner was also served with some fruit. The service was great; we had two different servers come to take our drink orders soon after being seated; food was served quickly. An okay option for a friendly meal, but don't expect anything spectacular.
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Review from Anna S.
La Jolla, CA
1/27/2012 1 Check-in Here
Food is great but service was really slow. We had to wait 15 min til we ordered and then waited another 30 min til our food came out.
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Review from Neen H.
Temple City, CA
11/17/2011
I come here for lunch every week. The staff doesn't change too much and they have memorized my group's regular drink orders.
The Good:
Great portions. Most dishes are very shareable.
Consistent quality. Since I come weekly, I order my favorites regularly.
Drinks. They serve Shangrila Iced Tea products. Their passionfruit iced tea is great!
My favorites: Fish & Chips (w fries & fresh fruit), Santa Fe Chicken Sandwich (bread is thick toasted and buttery yum!), chili (great, but make sure to hold the raw onions that it comes topped with).
The Fries. I order them well done and dip em in ranch.
$5 off coupon on their website. Print it and use it!
The Bad:
The prices. I feel that their prices are a tad bit high...but that is definitely correlated with their generous portions.
One one occasion, I found a chicken bone in my chicken sandwich. I complained to the manager and he proceeded to blame their food supplier. They said sorry but did not credit my meal. They gave a 10% discount. Pretty lackluster management on their part. I give them credit though, in the 2 years I've been coming here, this was the only time I had an issue.
A good place for lunch or dinner with the friends as well as family. -
Review from Heather N.
Los Angeles, CA
1/19/2012
I am currently working on the Beer Challenge.... About 65 beers to go. This bar is inexpensive, and chill... Even more important it is far less douchey than the Barneys down the road. Awesome bartenders!
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Review from Gerard I.
Pasadena, CA
11/7/2011
Had never been here before until a couple of weeks ago. It was a Sunday and to my surprise they had a happy hour going. Cool! Partook of the $3 pints of Newcastle along with some of their sliders. The sliders aren't little pieces of crap either, they might as well be full sized burgers. They run about $1.49 (during happy hour) each, so I grabbed two and killed two. Very tasty.
Our female bartender was the bomb and she even knew who Werner Herzong was. I happen to be wearing T-shirt that has the Danzig logo, but Herzog's name on it. I was stunned, because women don't generally know who Herzog is. This lady was on it!
The prices are great during happy hour, so I may return someday soon. I also know of people confusing this place with Barney's Beanery, but so far, I can say that Barney's LIMITED rocks harder than the beanery. -
Review from Sarah H.
11/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
Came here for lunch a few times.
It was fast, and I loved their chicken hoagie with sweet potato fries! YUM! -
Review from Dorothy R.
Los Angeles, CA
First of all, let's set everyone straight - this is Barney's Limited, not to be confused with any chain restaurant on the same street with the same first word. They are totally different.
Barney's Ltd. is Old Town Pasadena's version of Cheers. It's a quaint neighborhood bar, where if you show your face often enough, they know your name and your usual drink.
They have a great happy hour! It runs Sunday & Monday all night, then until 7:00 until Friday, and late night HH on Friday & Saturday. (You got all that?)
Their selection of beers is pretty good... Many are bottled, and they have a good variety on tap, too. They have a varying beer special of the day for $3. If you're a light beer drinker, Bud Light & Coors Light are always $2 during happy hour!
To accompany the HH drinks you're having, the HH menu has around ten appetizers to choose from all under $5... Most are typical super-unhealthy-but-tasty bar food like chili fries, fried zuchs, sliders, etc. I recommend the popcorn chicken and the veggie plate (to balance it out).
If you're really dedicated to Barney's Ltd., you should attempt to get on their Bonafide Beer Bragger Board. It requires drinking every one of the 92 beers they serve, including the non-alcoholic ones (which I don't agree with, so I'll never complete that challenge). The list is pretty random, but obviously doable because so many names are posted up there! There are some repeat alcoholics, too, with their name up there five times!
Overall, it's a great place to stop by after work with the guys to unwind and watch MNF, or pre-party before tipsy shopping in Old Town. I won't be finishing their challenge, but I will be specializing in my favorite alcoholic beers - let me tell you! -
Review from Che L.
Altadena, CA
12/27/2011
The quality has gone done tremendously. First, the place is FILTHY. We had to sit in the back because we had a party of 5 and in the front they could only accommodate four. The carpet is old, torn, stained. There were gnats flying around/over our table, and IF you are forced to go to the restroom, for god's sake do NOT look up to the ceiling. I hosetly felt a bit queasy sitting there waiting for our food to arrive.
Our waitress was very friendly, but brought me a Sprite with some food debris in the glass, and since she didn't come back to check on us after we ordered, it sat there until we received our food. After ordering, our food took 30 minutes minimum, which is unacceptable for 3 burgers and a salad. My sister-in-law enjoyed her salad, and my mother-in-law enjoyed her veggie burger, but my wife and I were very disappointed. The menu says "100% Fresh Ground Beef", but it was painfully obvious that the patties were anything but fresh. They were the typical thin frozen patties that would come on a $2 burger at a local hole-in-the-wall hamburger joint.
Considering we decided on this place to eat as our last holiday outing before sister and mom went home, we were thoroughly disappointed in our choice. Barney's used to be good, but no more. -
Review from Jon M.
La Crescenta-Montrose, CA
7/18/2011 2 Check-ins Here
This place is so close to getting 1 star it's not even funny. The food being solid to great most of the time is the saving grace.
I can't say enough bad things about the service at Barney's Limited. First, let me speak about the food. Generally solid to great. I really like it overall. The service on the other hand... generally horrifying to barely ok at the best. (except for ONE server who's great, but this is a rarity)
Me and my coworkers frequent this establishment and every time one of them mentions this place I go "eeeeehhhhh... the food is tasty, but I don't want to wait 50 minutes for it and only have one drink that never gets refilled during lunch". That's basically the story. The server comes up, takes your order, delivers drinks, then disappears until the food comes. The food comes and when it does - if you have ANY more requests, get them in THEN AND THERE, cause you WILL NOT see that server again until you have to hunt them down for your check.
One time we sat, party of almost 10, not one of us had a drink. Every single glass on the table was just ice cubes. That's how long it had been since they'd been by. That same visit, I got so upset and we were running late on getting back to work so I went hunting for our server. Walked around the kitchen door to find ALL THE SERVERS and ALL THE COOKS hanging out in a little circle bullshitting with a restaurant FULL of people! I said "Uh, excuse me, we'd like to get our check." They went into a frenzy like when you lift up a planter and find a bunch of bugs underneath it. It was that "Oh crap, we're busted... UH, QUICK! Look like you're working!" moment.
Two things I will mention in their favor. One - the California steak salad and the buffalo chicken popper things - AMAZING. Two - they do have ONE good server. It's a woman in her mid 30s with brown hair and skinny. Sorry I don't remember her name. She's awesome. The few times we get her - she rocks. Everyone else sucks ass. She must whip the cooks into shape as well cause the food is timely when she's there too.
Bottom Line: The tasty morsels (however greatly delayed) are the only thing that saved this place from being my first ONE star review. Avoid it, unless that one girl is working. If I find out her name, I'll update this. -
Review from Emily S.
6/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
Don't get the chicken gyros here. It's not really a chicken gyro. It's just diced chicken breast, lettuce, tomatoes, and tzatziki sauce in a pita.
The macaroni and cheese is good. It comes with BACON in it.
Their fries are good too. They're big and thick. And crispy on the outside. -
Review from Jessica M.
Simi Valley, CA
6/11/2011
This place brings good memories from culinary school a few years ago when I lived in an awesome place called Pasadena, ca. We became a huge fan after we ended up at a random bar only 21st. Being a culinarian I have high standards, but sometimes you just crave a cold beer and some hot dripping greasy food. Anyone looking for a BAR n good food, n nothing more... This is the place. Tad is a cool casual bartender who knew what we liked. This place is beer n wine only keep n mind that means your not gna get a shot here. We were fans of the tasty cowboy burger, happy hour specials day n night and the enormous nachos!
Being a beer consumer, you have the option to do the ltd card where over the course of a year you can complete drinking over 85 beers from around the world and have your name on a plack on the wall n a t shirt, n we did it - chef Jess n Spitfire.
Good luck and enjoy! -
Review from MissJennifer L.
Saratoga, CA
10/30/2011
Oh how I miss this place now that I've moved away from Pasadena. My friends and I finished the Beer Challenge card and now my name is on there forever! I definitely gained weight doing the challenge, and with my competitive side, I HAD to finish it. Food is okay, we mostly went during happy hour to get the deals. As for entrees, I miss their BLT with avocado. Thousands of calories, hundreds of dollars, hours of eating and drinking with good company, I'm finally on the beer braggers board.
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Review from Patricia E.
Pasadena, CA
11/12/2011
I like it here. I like how it feels. I took away one star because they give you wayyyyyyy too much food which isn't always good as leftovers.
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Review from Lisa Z.
6/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
Probably our favorite place to sit, chill and hangout outside on Colorado and people watch with a cool bevvie. It sucks when the outside tables are taken. Also, one can really bake out here in the Pasadena sun, outside - it's hotter up here in the foothills. Anyway, I digress-
Barney's LTD (NOT to be confused with the horrid Barney's Beanery) is a cool local food & watering hole. Good food, decent drafts, great bottled beer selection. No hard alcohol, beer and wine only folks.
My favorite menu items are: Tahitian salad, add red onions, dressing on the side; share the BBQ chicken quesadilla app; share the popcorn chicken app. Yum.
But the best is the people watching. Fun especially to watch all the panhandlers, hipsters, rich hippies, survey-takers, people with both small and huge dogs, Scientologists, and general weirdos that Pasadena affords. Fascinating! -
Review from Louie A.
Pasadena, CA
11/19/2011
My first time @ Barney's Limited last week. My best buddy and I had a few drinks here and took advantage of the happy hour 3-10 PM everyday! Enjoyed the discounted appetizers on the menu. I lived in Pasadena for so long and have not been here and finally realized what i have been missing all along. The place is great- I like the dive-y kind of atmosphere. Unfortunately, I did not have a chance to explore the menu yet and what they have to offer. All i can say for now is this is an excellent watering hole. I will be back sampling the food next time.
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Review from Raizah S.
Alhambra, CA
8/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
I've seen this place a couple of times walking through Pasadena but never really had the chance to eat here. I finally decided to try this place out after reading some reviews. The portions are huge! I had the Gorgonzola burger which was so delicious. My boyfriend ordered the Pastrami burger and for a guy like him with a huge appetite, he wasn't able to finish it all. The service was pretty good, and the people watching was fun as it usually is on Colorado.
This is a good place to sit back and relax for a while, while shopping in the area. -
Review from Angie W.
3/15/2011
I used to come here for lunch more often when I was working in the area. The have GREAT french fries & I always get the BLT. YUMMM!!!
Tip: I'm planning to get on that board... heheListed in: Stars & Stripes, Between Bread, Alfresco, 50 First Dates, Local | Pasadena
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Review from Cecilia K.
Ontario, CA
11/3/2011
First of all, this place does suck ass through and through as one aforementioned yelper wrote. I've only tasted the appetizers and they are just greasy and overpriced. The crab cakes, I believe, came out of a Gordon's box from the freezer without any presentation at all. I probably could've made them tastier. Our waitress was tight lipped, not personable and forgetful of us being there after our order was placed. She never brought the water I asked for and failed to offer refills halfway through lunch. The "scene" as everyone has been talking about was uneventful and most definitely forgettable. Bottom Line: Don't go unless your company is buying!
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Review from Bill S.
Pasadena, CA
6/18/2011
Great classic bar food: large portions served up with a first-rate selection of beers in a comfortable relaxed environment. Really big menu and I've not yet ordered something I didn't like.
The service isn't consistent though - that's why I'm not giving it five stars. Sometimes the staff is very attentive and other times you'll sit with your glass empty for 10 minutes trying to flag someone down.
All around, a good place to grab a bite and a beer while watching a game. -
Review from L C.
Diamond Bar, CA
10/28/2011
Found this little gem of a place a year ago! Portions are huge, happy hour literally makes you happy, and the taste & quality of the food never disappoints!
RECENT EXPERIENCE: Had a girl's night on a monday. We went in around 9.. they arranged a table for the 3 of us outside. It took forever for our waiter to come out but being a former server myself... people who sit outside usually get the short end of the stick. haha But ANYWAY. We ended up ordering from the happy hour menu only. 2 sliders each (6 total), popcorn chicken, veggie platter, & 4 glasses of wine. My girlfriends LOVED the food! and the portions. We each couldn't finish our 2nd sliders and the chicken plate! Lunch today. ;) the total only came out to about $30? amazing.
SERVICE: DARRICK!!!! ;) The girls and I wanted to say that he has the most pleasant attitude and cutest personality! He's so attentive and totes adorbs. We stayed a little longer after closing but the staff was so polite and sweet about it.
BTW: this place is pet friendly! My boyfriend and I bring his puppy often and the staff are so sweet to him. They even bring out water for your pet! (: -
Review from Josie C.
Los Angeles, CA
4/7/2011
I had a great experience at this place that exceeded my expectations.
Considering the usually low sports bar food standards, the veggie burger was suprisingly on par with what you get at a cafe. At $11 a pop it was well priced. My friend had the happy hour sliders and said they were good. Another table had gotten 2 skirt steak salads and the steak was cooked to a perfect medium rare.
Special shout out to the bartender Thaddeous whose professional service pushed it to 4 stars! You're awesome! I have major food allergies and when I asked him to make 3 modifications to their vegetable burger he didn't grumble or make me feel guilty about it.
The space is definitely on the small(er) side with a bar and small set of tables and booths, but is moderately well kept. No sticky surfaces while I was there.
Good selection of international beers (Belgian, Italian, German, etc.) mixed in with the typical domestic (Corona, Bud light, etc.).
I plan on going back and hope to have the same experience. :D!! Worth a stop, especially if you're not a fan of the overly packed Cheesecake Factory across the street. -
Review from Stacey L.
San Jose, CA
5/29/2011
My boyfriend and I were walking around old town looking for food to eat and we walked past this place and looked over the menu and was sold. After looking at yelp we decided to go in. There were many varieties on the menu so there is something for whatever mood you are in. This is probably one of the best places to go for bar / American food.
We were both satisfied with our meals. I got the santorini wrap (10.29$). It wasn't your normal wrap, it has shrimp and avocado in it and naturally I was curious. I got it with the coleslaw on the side. Both items succeeded my expectations. I've been to many places like this but the food is really high quality. It was so yummy!
My boyfriend got LA works dog (8.79$, bacon wrapped hot dog with everything on it) plus fries. He was instantly in love. It was like heaven on a hot dog.
We left very happy and service was nice also. -
Review from Scott T.
Studio City, Los Angeles, CA
8/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
Their salads are amazing!! Darrick was our server and he was one of the best waiters I've ever had. Friendly, Attentive... Just great service!!
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Review from Jessica Y.
Glendale, CA
10/5/2010 2 Check-ins Here
Don't confuse this place with Barney's Beanery a couple blocks down. Complete change of scene.
No one in our generation will name their child Barney, due to the particular dinosaur we hated/made fun of as children. I was reflecting on that earlier..
Great happy hour. Different (and usually good) beers on special, per day.
Monday and Sunday, Happy hour til closing time.
Don't expect fancy gourmet pub food, but their menu is very extensive.
I wanted to much on something "healthier" while drinking my beer, and ordered a veggie platter (don't know what I was thinking). But the veggie platter was HUGE and not to mention, under $4 during happy hour..
Monday night blues? Check it out!Listed in: Beer Me, Late Night Happy Hour
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Review from John W.
Los Angeles, CA
12/9/2010
I had lunch here more than a few times when I worked in Old Town Pasadena. They have a nice variety of dishes and the prices are reasonable. Large portions are as important to me as flavor and food quality and Barney's has yet to disappoint me. I never had any problems until I ordered their pastrami burger. I had lunch pretty late one afternoon and I was super hungry so I decided to try it out.
I told the waitress how hungry I was and she assured me I'd be all good. Now their pastrami burger ranks in my top 5. After I finished it, I literally couldn't move so I hung out at the table for about 45 minutes and stared at their beer selection. The thought of going back to work and trying to function hurt, so I called my supervisor to let her know about a family emergency that never happened and went home. -
Review from HJ M.
Pasadena, CA
9/7/2011
I've been eating here since the 80's. Barney's has consistently been a great drinking and dining experience. Nice happy hour deals. The food is always delicious. The staff is always pleasant even when they're getting slammed.
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Review from Fourty F.
Los Angeles, CA
12/20/2010 1 Check-in Here
Barney's has always been dope...same style for years - hasn't changed...for sure get yourself the BEEFEATER...but that's really about it - this review is about the BEEFEATER...it's all I really ever WANT to get here.
It's a sandwich built with succulent cuts of beef topped with cheese with an option to be drowned further in savory yet clear au jus. Served along side steak fries, that are great when drowned as well in the jus, and a dried carrot stick with limp pickle...(the best way). Beer selections are good and if you want to drink a lot - there's a wall of bravery there you can try to get on as well...
Besides that - park in the lot nearest to Barney's down the street adjacent to Tiffany's behind the Kabuki...on your right. -
Review from Shane V.
La Crescenta-Montrose, CA
1/12/2011
This place is the shit. My buddies and I go here all the time for happy hour, and knock beers off our list and get some pretty cheap/delicious food.
If you ever have nothing to do, head over to Barney's and knock a few beers off your list and get your name up on that board!
I'm still like 80 beers off :( -
Review from Jennifer H.
Los Angeles, CA
8/28/2011
At first I just thought it was cool for the Beer Braggers challenge (91 beers in a year, including the nonalcoholic brands-uggh, oh well). But as I frequent this place to work on that, I've discovered that this is a gem of a place. This has become the hubby's and my favorite local bar, and we actually have become "regulars". It's got a laid back pub feel, the staff is friendly, the music is always at a comfortable level, and the appetizer's munchies are satisfying; Zuchs and Shrooms are the best, chips and chili - good, and $1.49 sliders at HH are great! Buffalo wings are ok, but the popcorn chicken is better. They have a different beer special each day of the week, but the Bud Light and Coors light are always $2.99, if that's your thing. Tad is the best bartender in town! Oh, and it's one of the few places that still has HH beyond 6pm (ends 7:30pm). See you there!
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Review from Sal d.
5/19/2010 6 photos
This place is like a Barney's your grandpa would want to hit up. Its not all crazy and full of young people like most Barney's. I was unfortinately driving so I didn't drink, just ate, but they have tons of beers on tap. Check out my picks for the HH menu.
I had the the potato skins, which had tons of cheese and bacon, the hot wings comes with 6 wings, celery, lots of ranch and 2 sliders, it all only cost $12.56. Everything was pretty good, especially considering the price. I would still rather go to a regular Barney's which there is one down the street, because of the younger crowd. -
Review from Daniel L.
Temple City, CA
7/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
I was on yelp one day looking for a burger joint in the area. Happen to find this place and decided to give it a shot. Went here on a Friday evening with some friends. I ordered the Gorgonzola Burger. This is pretty good if you like those types of strong cheese. Also had the fried shroom and zuchs (mushroom and zuchini). This was good as well. They got a good selection of sandwiches, burgers and beer. I will be coming back again soon.
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Review from Gina M.
Los Angeles, CA
8/1/2011
I love eating here and they have great happy hour! I recommend the Arroyo Wrap, Veggie Club, Fair Oaks Ciabatta, or Orange Grove Salad. Our service is usually pretty fast too.
They don't validate parking...I recommend parking on the lot on Raymond below Colorado...first 90 minutes are free. -
Review from Cat H.
9/12/2010
Been meaning to try this little spot for a while based on others' reviews. So when USC was playing a night game against UVA, I decided to pop in for a bite with a friend and watch the game.
I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by this little place. I'd overlooked it about a hundred times before and now I wonder why. It's a small place, decorated with lots of weird stuff above the bar, and a scattering of tables. It's a seat yourself type of place, but the waitress is really quick about taking your order and getting you started on your drinks/ meal.
I ordered the turkey burger and my friend ordered the beer battered halibut. I loved my turkey burger but I also loved munching on his halibut. I was torn between which was better because they were both really yummy.
Overall, with drinks, we dined for about 45 bucks. Not bad. And the game was on, which was nice. The waitress was friendly, knowledgable and efficient and the atmosphere was relaxed. I'll definitely make it a point to be back. -
Review from Brad H.
Monrovia, CA
1/11/2011
They have beer! On tap!
That's a great start to any restaurant review.
My wife liked it. She the boss, and what she says go@%.
OK, I couldn't finish that word, but I liked it too. Been there before but never wrote it up.
The food was good. The service even better, so that makes it a winner.
Nothing notable, which may not be a bad thing. -
Review from Catherine C.
Los Angeles, CA
5/5/2010
It really saddens me that I have to give a 1 star review to a place where my late friend had her last late-night Happy Hour with us - in fact, that was the only reason why we chose to dine at this dump to begin with. But what can I say, Barney, your horrific food and even more horrific service MORE THAN EARNED IT.
FOOD: Ok, I understand that you can't expect gourmet stuff when you go into a divey grill/bar. But I CAN at least expect that they'll use a FRESH bag of chips when they make nachos. I mean seriously, how hard is it to screw up NACHOS? The chips were so stale that you could pretty much bend them in half and make origami creatures out of them. Beer - too much head (the foamy stuff on top). Yes, alcohol is NOT meant to be drunken with a spoon. Burgers/fries/other appetizers - all overly oily, and not even in the good way. Very little crisp in the fried things. In fact, the best part of the meal, and probably the only thing that didn't result in two of us getting food poisoning - was the ranch dressing for the fried zucchini. Sad!!!!
AMBIENCE: As mentioned earlier, it's a dive. I didn't expect much in terms of the actual venue. However, I also did not expect snippy-snappy-and-downright-bitchy service. If you can call it service at all... allow me to explain with the dialog between the waitress and the girls in our group:
Waitress: "Ok, so do you guys know what you want now?"
Me: "Yes, I'll have the veggie burger with fries."
My friend Jenn: "Uh... still deciding... maybe you should take someone else's order first."
My friend Amanda: "Does your chili have a lot of meat in it?"
Waitress: "You know, you guys said you were ready, but I'm getting mixed messages. This is the second time I've come back. I'll come back when you guys FINALLY make up your minds."
Me: "So, um... how much do you hate your job?"
...ok I didn't say the last sentence. But I wanted to. Seriously? So now she's suddenly in charge and is going to tell us when we can order?
*shrugs* Maybe she's just having a bad day.
Then she spilled water on my lap as she was refilling my glass. She looked at me, but no apology. I start memorizing her face to put on my sh*t list.
And just when we thought it was over, she brought us the bill while we were still eating. Then took forever to get us take-out boxes. Then rolled her eyes when we asked to pay with separate credit cards and said, "Well don't make it too complicated."
Really? REALLY?!!! If I wanted this kind of attitude, I'll just take my ass to the DMV next time. RUDE!!!
PRICES: $7 for a plate of 4 tempura mushrooms and 5 zucchini sticks. Really? I was so stunned I couldn't even pay attention to how much everything else cost. But the real cost, as I said earlier, was having to put up with unwarranted rudeness. I'll take my business elsewhere.
PARKING: And the cruelest cut is always the last cut - you already have to deal with rude LA drivers to get here and find someplace to park your car, even though there is a parking garage in Old Pas. There should be no reason why that rudeness should continue into your dining experience. But in the case of Barney's, that's exactly what you get.Listed in: U-G-L-Y, These Places Ain't…
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Review from Michael G.
Upland, CA
1/2/2011
I ate/drank here on New Years eve just a few days ago (2010) and I had a pretty rockin' time. This review will be on the service and food and not of the amazing party atmosphere outside along Colorado Blvd.
The service was a-m-a-z-i-n-g. We had some awesome waiters doing some miracles juggling our service and the over nine thousand other people in the place. The beer is average price, maybe a little more expensive than a dive though, but the food is well priced and delicious. I ordered the cowboy burger and sweet potato fries; that burger was an amazing burger. It was very well made with great seasoning and the fries were perfect. After we ordered some buffalo wings because we were still hungry and they were average--tangy and spicy, but a little overcooked.
I am giving it five stars for the hamburger and service, which it deserves. I would definitely come back here again.
Protip: This place can get packed so keep this in mind when deciding to just "stop by". Also, NO FULL BAR! Beer, wine, and some ciders ONLY. Don't come here expecting to take shots and party. -
Review from Michael B.
Pasadena, CA
8/16/2010
As a frequent pedestrian to Old Town Pasadena, I have always looked past this place as a kid. But with my optimism to try various eateries and the desire to simply explore other foods, I've found this place to definitely fulfill one of my greatest cravings, nachos.
Locally known by many as a pub holding a huge selection of different beers, the joint is a true pub. However, not being of age yet, I stuck with just ordering food.
I've always chosen outdoor seating, which composes of tables right on one of old town's busiest sidewalks and colorado blvd. So be warned people will definitely cruising back and forth and occasionally staring at you and your food.
I happen to go only during their happy hour times just because their prices are worth for what you get on your plate. I suggest only to go during that time if you are going to grub. I've ordered nachos and other sandwiches several times here and I once ordered an Old Town Pastrami which complimented the meal well but I've had better. Walking by I would see some great entrees but I'd tend to stick to their happy hour and nachos.
