Korean Barbie Q

We came in the check out the Korean Barbie-Q pop up inside of imperial during the fall of 2019 after they switched ownership.

While the decor was a little cheesy and could have been curated better (a third party promotional company took care of this so I guess it doesn't really reflect on the business as much)the food was absolutely STELLAR.

The menu only had 6 items on it, so we decided to try them all. Which was a TON of food, but I was happy that we got to try everything. My absolute favorite though we're the kimchi fries, they had the perfect balance of flavors, although they could have used a couple more toppings. Also the burger was seasoned so well and was really delicious. Overall, I think even though this menu was a limited time, this reflects volumes on the kitchen staff and their ability to make delicious food. The chef even came it and asked us how everything was and was super excited about our feedback.

We had been here once before on the wine crawl but not to really hang out and get some food. It is cool that they have their own parking lot which is not common downtown.

We decided to check it out again on a Saturday night about 5pm. It was not very busy and seemed very low-key.

They have happy hour 7 days a week 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. which includes half price appetizers, $4 house wine, well drinks and draft beer. Any medium pizza is $12 Friday through Sunday. They also have various specials throughout the week. We really like the interior of the building from the wooden floors, exposed brick and exposed ceiling beams to the Edison bulb lights.

We each ordered a drink and shared the mac and cheese appetizer. We added bacon to the mac and cheese. The appetizer came out first and was delicious. We also ordered the Sicilian medium pizza which was delivered in a timely fashion. There pizza is a thin crust and was very tasty.

Julie was an awesome bartender and took really good care of us. She comped each of our drinks because I played slots. I also won money as well. Overall, it was a pretty cool experience.

We came here after leaving another place that had poor, grumpy service. It was a relief to walk in Imperial to find open seats at the bar, our game on the tv, a very friendly bartender/server, and a lively environment!

We ordered a couple beers while we looked over the menu. My husband ended up having the 35¢ chicken wings - a special on Wednesdays. I ordered the Jalapeño Burger (roasted jalapeño, pepper jack, roasted jalapeño aioli) substituted with a veggie burger.

While we enjoyed our meals, the wings were very tiny (understandable since they were only 35¢ each). My burger was tasty but I do think a bit too small for $13 even though it came with a side salad.

Our overall take on Imperial is a positive one and we plan to go back.

When I was younger, I regularly frequented Imperial for cheap eats and drinks, but I now live a much "slower" life so I don't go as much. However, when I learned that a pop-up was taking over Imperial, I knew I had to experience it. Thrice's Korean BarbieQ has been advertised as an immersive Barbie themed art exhibit with a special K-BBQ menu that will be taking over Imperial from August through November 2019.

The boyfriend and I decided to experience BarbieQ on a Friday evening around 7pm and walked in to a choice of nearly every seat in the house. After walking the full perimeter of the bar to take in all of the art, we finally decided on a two top in the back corner. The server promptly brought us some Imperial menus, and we requested some waters to start with. I quickly noticed there were no specialty cocktails, so I went with an Icky (and so did the boyfriend). As the server was getting us the beers, my boyfriend and I were a confused because the menu didn't have any Korean BBQ. We decided that we would ask about the special menu before settling, and I am glad we asked! The server was willing to give us the K-BBQ menu, but not before warning us that the items on that menu are not what people are used to compared to the regular menu. The hot pink BarbieQ menu had a few themed cocktails and a few K-BBQ inspired dishes. I was bummed that I had already ordered a beer, but I may have dodged a bullet because the server told us that most of the cocktails weren't even available! Also, they are all pre-made drinks... at $10 a pop. So we ordered the Bulgogi Nachos. These came out a little differently than what the menu listed. Pickled ginger was added (yay!) but so were jalapeños and green onions (boo!). The steak was just regular tasting steak. The nachos were decent for a bar nacho, but don't expect to be blown away by some sort of Korean fusion nacho.

I was pretty disappointed by the lackluster attempt at a pop-up, but I did like the idea and loved the decor! However, execution could have been much better. After about a month into this takeover, it felt like Imperial had given up on it altogether.

Of all the places I hit downtown to eat, this isn't high on my list.

In the last couple of months I have stopped in four times- once for a Burger Brigade night and three others when dinning alone. I would also like to note that I used a $5 off food purchase each time I ate alone. I got these a year or so ago over a bad previous experience.

The BB night the food was fabulous, but the service a bit slow. I get that, we had over 20 in the group. They could have added another waitress. But the time after that I sat a the bar for several minutes before being acknowledged. I ordered the BLTA, which being on Texas toast was mostly bread, with just a couple strips of bacon, and over ripe tomato slice and some shredded lettuce- disappointing. So next visit I went back to the burger. I ordered an Imperial. Now this is my own fault- I was so hungry I ate more than half and never told the waiter it had burnt crunchy pieces on it. It was no where as good as the first one at BB.

Usually has quite the college crowd in the evenings and weekends. At least for a downtown business they have their own parking lot.

Imperial is probably top 5 bars in Reno for college students. Not only is it located walking distance from other major bars, but they're pretty strict on fakes here so you don't really see too many freshmen like you would at The U or The Wal.

I guess they recently switched ownership and the only thing I've noticed is slower bartenders. The center bar with standing room on each side, combined with the along-wall booths and seating, imperial is a great bar to:
-begin a night of bar hopping
-sit down with some friends for some drinks
-stop during any of Reno's massive bar crawls

The drinks are super cheap compared to where I'm from in California, and the food here isn't half bad. Only complaint is the cramped parking lot!

While on the wine walk we stopped in for a few drinks and appetizers. The service was wonderful with great suggestions for some shots and appetizers.
We had the chicken wings which were in a Thai peanut sauce and had wasabi ranch for dipping. They were really good.

This place has some pros and cons. Wing Wednesday? Please! Awesome couch lounge area? Please! Really cool windows? Please! Parking? Not ideal. Service? Not always amazing.

But it's an overall cool place. I've been in here for various crawls (packed like nobody's business!), Wing Wednesday, and a couple other random nights during the week.

For the once Wing Wednesday I went with my girlfriends and we got great service, but inconsistent wings. Depending on when we placed our orders for more wings, the wings were dry, or over soaked in sauce. The wings themselves tasted great as they were, but we were a bit upset that we didn't all get the same consistency.

For the other random nights, it was to have an appetizer, a drink (or both), or to just hang out with friends. The atmosphere is really chill, and the bathroom (at least the women's) is cool all decked out in black.

Nice place, but not my favorite place to be. I've had better wings elsewhere, but I don't think Imperial isn't a wing specialist, so I don't hold it against them. I'm not opposed to coming back, but it's not high on the priority list :)

September 23, 2017 Saturday - 7:30 for dinner.
1 Adult

Atmosphere - 5 stars
Food - 4 stars
Service - 4 stars

Background - Been here several times and decided I needed a burger and a beer tonight.

Atmosphere - Industrial. That word sums it up. Wood and metal make up most of the place. The bar top is made of concrete.

Food
Drink - Racer 5, a solid IPA. They have an excellent selection of beers.

Dinner - The jalapeno burger with tater tots. Fresh peppers not those pickled ones that most places serve. The burger was juicy and the cheese was gooey. I was looking forward to those tots, but they had a mix of really hot tots and cold ones. The hot tots were salty crispy nuggets of goodness.

Service - The bar is a big o and only one person was working inside it so it was a little slow even though other employees worked the rest of the place.

Future - Sure.

I don't usually like to come here as it is always beyond crowded, but I decided to meet my friends here on an early Saturday night for drinks and food and luckily this time, I beat the crowd. They were having a special on their medium pizzas and $12 seemed like a great deal for something that is usually $24. The pizza came pretty fast and I was surprised at the size of it. If this was a medium pizza, I don't even want to know how big a large is!

We ordered the Sicilian pizza and man it was good! I really enjoyed how thin the crust was and how much flavor was packed onto something so thin. I would definitely order this pizza again. I saw on their very large drink menu on the wall that they offered pear cidre. I have been hunting for pear cidre ever since I tasted it at CPK and I'm glad to say that it tasted just like I remember...crisp and delicious.

I hear that their wings are very good, so I will have to write an update once I make it there on a Wednesday!