John Barleycorn

Burger was great, service was excellent, bar was huge, restrooms were clean but the wood floors needed some leveling. I tried the Jalapeño burger and a create your with bacon and cheese with pretzel bread and both were very tasty! The place gets super busy before/​after a Cubs game so plan accordingly.

I’ve never written a review for anything, but I was so flabbergasted by what happened at John Barleycorn in Wrigleyville last night I feel compelled to do so. After the Cubs game, my sister and went there to eat. The wings looked and smelled amazing. We sat at the bar because there were no open tables. When we ordered wings, the bartender told us they were out of wings. Not 15 minutes later, a different bartender placed a plate of wings in front of the guys right next to us who arrived AFTER us. A few minutes later, another plate of wings came across the bar next to us, to people who also sat down AFTER us.
By this time we were in the process of paying our bill. We had asked the bartender to split the bill down the middle. She took both our cards and after being gone for 5 minutes we were looking around for her. She was still at the computer, and ended up having another employee and a manager helping her. After 20 minutes we were getting concerned that they’d had our cards all this time.
Finally she came back and explained they had trouble splitting the bill and explained a rather screwed up receipt to us. She did say if there were any problems with the billing to our accounts, to call them tomorrow (Saturday). When we checked our credit card statements, we had both been double-​billed for the split total. I’ve never run across a restaurant that couldn’t split a bill.
Of course when I called Saturday, at about noon, the phone was picked up by voicemail so I left a message. I’m hoping that they will at least partially redeem themselves by removing the extra charges before they post on Monday. An explanation of why we couldn’t get wings would also be nice.

Don’t tell me to take my hat off and smile three times to get into a mediocre bar you creepy weirdo.

Great atmosphere, amazing staff. They have a really cool club on Friday and Saturday nights! If you’re looking for a sports bar for any occasion THIS is the place!

Do I really need to give it even 1 star? Service, awful! No smile, barely greeted us and did not even check in on us after we ordered, she was WAY too busy texting in her phone. We notice that stuff, don’t think your hiding it.
My husband was
” nice” giving a tip, I wANted to complain but quietly left. Quality of food, terrible. Maybe if we were asked «how is everything?» By our bartender we could have let them know.
Too many bars in wrigleyville, DO NOT waste your time here. I would have rather thrown $ 45 in the garbage than give it to this place

Let me first just say, you have some major potential here. You’re a great looking bar, with a wide open space, and there’s literally not any spot inside that comes without a quality view of a high definition tv screen. All that, and you’ve also got giant garage door style windows out front for summer wandering patrons looking for a cool breeze to accompany their Wrigleyville bar hop. You’re the kind of sports-​party hybrid spot that brings out our wild weekend YOLO desires, but with the atmosphere fit for both the finely suited night owl and denim-​decked sweaty sports nut to «bro-​out» over the last second winning play. For those reasons JB-​Wrigley, I truly believe you can be whatever your little heart desires.
But alas, 5 star (or even a measly 3 star) reviews are not given out on potential alone, my friend. They are given at the crossroads where potential meets execution, and high customer satisfaction is all but guaranteed.
JB-​Wrigley, you are not at this crossroads. And let us look no further than your attempt to execute a very common and industry standard appetizer: Classic Nachos. As the menu dictates, this dish includes what most might expect from any standard nacho dish: «Tortilla chips, Chicago-​style chili, Cheddar cheese, jalapenos, salsa, sour cream.»
And before I continue, allow me to preface this criticism with the fact that I did opt to order Classic Nachos without the menu-​famed «Chicago-​Style chili.» And with that, I must maintain that perhaps this meaty ingredient is so critical to the success and execution of what I thought was a softball of a choice — a simple and easy win for hungry clientele — that without it, the dish falls apart, flat on its face, into something more along the lines of a «convenience store purchased, freshman-​year-​college crafted and microwaved» debacle; something more fit for a stoner on ⁴⁄₂₀ looking to end what feels like a month long hunger strike with any caloric crumb that may fall his/​her way. I suppose that IS possible.
And if that is the case, allow me to apologize JB-​Wrigley. I never wanted it to be this way. But what you did to me was just plain sad. I’m not upset about the stale grocery-​store-​sourced bag of chips from which this dish clearly started. I’m not upset about the tasteless four cheese Mexican-​style blend you melted on the top in 30 seconds on high power. I’m not even upset about the canned tomatoes and pickled jalapeño pieces that were so scarcely topped for flair.
I’m just disappointed in you, for all the potential that you have failed to live up to. I mean, c’mon JB-​Wrigley! If you’re gunna do me like this, the least you could do is be honest with yourself and serve this microwaved mess with a bottle of Sriracha and a Natty Lite, so I can lower my expectations accordingly. Otherwise, you’ll just continue to set our bar-​clientele relationship up for future failure. And I cannot live with this sort of letdown, JB-​Wrigley. I need commitment for us to thrive, and I ain’t listening to the same old «is it too late now to say sorry» story any longer! It’s gotta be all or nothing, JB-​Wrigley! Show me a kitchen committed to proper (or even average, maybe C+) nachos, or let me be free of the dream I have in store for us!
Take a good look in the mirror, JB-​Wrigley, because I believe in you. I know what you can truly be in this life. Just put down that blunt of hydro for an afternoon, and try to focus on making baby steps towards a better, nacho-​loving you. We’re in this fight together, JB-​Wrigley, and I can’t wait for the awe-​inspiring, grandiose nacho platter offspring that will surely come from our union. The world deserves us in loving harmony, JB-​Wrigley.
From Lakeview with Love,
Andrew

JB’s ranks as one of the worst restaurants I’ve ever been to.
After we were seated it took the waitress about 10 minutes to greet us. We ordered two sodas then when she returned we put in an order of chicken tenders.
Being thirsty and fired up for the Cubs game, I finished my Diet Coke quickly then finished my water. Our waitress didn’t come by to refill the water or the Diet Coke for another 15 minutes. By this point we’re expecting the chicken tenders any moment. She asks if I want another Diet Coke and I ask if they are free refills. The answer is no… A 12oz fountain soda doesn’t not come with refills… I’m not too perturbed by this but do ask for a refill of water… We place our food order (we’ve been at the restaurant a half hour now)…
Then we start waiting… Our waters are empty again, still no help from waitress…
Another ten minutes go by and she tells us we need to sit tight because the food will be out soon…
So finally, an hour after sitting down the entrees arrive and no chicken tenders are to be seen. I ask her about it, she says «oh they never came out?»…
Burger is way over cooked, fish tacos aren’t very flavorful, we pay $ 6 for two 12oz fountain sodas and $ 29 for entrees that were terrible… The food took an hour, appetizer never arrived and waitress had a rude attitude the entire time… She never apologized nor offered to make up for the ridiculous wait time or the fact that the appetizer never arrived…
Should have listened to the other reviews this place is garbage… Literally one of the worst lunches or experiences I’ve had in a restaurant throughout my 27 years of existence…

Place was atrocious. They forgot we were even there and messed up my easy order twice. Didnt get to the game till the 7^th inning. Missed my chance to catch a foul ball and give it to a little child. I didnt even get to meet John Barleycorn. Such disappointment.

Woohoo, this is a crazy place. Ended up here with a few friends on St. Paddy’s weekend. It was packed, it took us more than 45 mins to get in and get settled. They had a $ 10 cover that day but I liked the two floor arrangement with big TVs. The floor on top floor was wet as hell and super slippery, managed to fall once as well. They have decent service and good music.

John Barleycorn is the red-​headed stepchild of bars. Nobody actually likes it, but there seems to be some sort of obligation to pretend to love it. Overpriced drinks, poor service, and the desire for the DJ’s to put on their best Skrillex impression ²⁴⁄₇.
I stopped by on a St. Patrick’s Day bar crawl with admittedly low expectations. After standing at the bar for 15 minutes while 14 women were served before me by the bartender who clearly suffered from little man’s syndrome, I was finally granted the right to buy beer. The bartender proceeded to crack a can of 312 and pour the beer as if it were water coming down Niagara Falls. As soon as the beer hit the bottom of the plastic cup, an explosion of foam overwhelmed the container walls. You would think the age old expression «practice makes perfect» would apply here, but apparently the bartender must have been practicing pouring beers wrong his entire life. 4 tries later, with an expression on his face that screamed «wow I suck at my job,» the bartender jokingly handed me my beers and asked for a form of payment. I handed him my credit card out of desperation because I couldn’t stand being in his presence any longer and simply wanted to drink away the sadness from dealing with such ineptitude. Scratching a «0» onto the tip line, I walked away unsure who actually came out as the winner in this situation.
THE ONLY REASON I decided to give Barleycorn 2 stars is because of the breakfast buffet they had upstairs. Although there were a few hundred drunk souls dancing away to a Calvin Harris remix whilst spilling green Bud Light all over the place, there was not a soul around to consume the endless amounts of home fries, powdered eggs, and sausage links provided to them all. I immediately hopped on this opportunity and heaped massive portions of the three onto a paper plate. Like a kid on Christmas morning first laying eyes on Santa’s gifts, I was overwhelmed with happiness as each bite subdued the angry hunger that had existed in my stomach for the duration of the morning.

Typical Wrigleyville Bar. They have a live DJ on the weekends. No Cover and plenty of space. The Bartenders were pretty attentive.

I had a fantastic time, I danced and meet a lot of great people. However the door «men» have the intelligence of… A worm. I know this sounds terrible but the door men were so out of line. There sexually demands were not right in 2016. I would like to also add the blantely racist polices this establishment has in place. No boots or hoodies. This is obviously a slight at the African American community. Any self respecting individual would no better and boycott this place.

This bar is pretty standard for Wrigleyville. Drinks are pretty overpriced and strong. Food is decent.
My friends and I always go for Iowa games as it is an Iowa bar and the atmosphere is always electric and it’s packed with Hawkeye fans. They run deals and specials during these games which is the main reason we always go.

Barleycorn is kind of a Chicago tradition. Just go here to say you’ve been, preferably NOT during or after a Cubs game, Blackhawks victory celebration, or any other type of city-​wide revel. Barleycorn is Mecca for the Wrigleyville Chads and Trixies.

After multiple visits, I think it’s fair to say that John Barleycorn only exists due to its excellent (read: booze soaked and college wasted) location. In the heart of Wrigley, there’s never a shortage of drunk cubs fans, drunk college students, and drunk former college students who are refusing to grow up that will patronize this place.
The staff is an eclectic mix of fresh, new faces who love the industry and will go out of their way to help you and burnt out old souls who’ve had the life sucked out of them by bros tipping 4% on the round of «super masculine» vegas bombs they just ordered. As such, it really wouldn’t be the most fair thing to demerit this place too much for having an absolutely exhausted staff. I can honestly say that if I worked there, I’d set the over/​under at 7 days before I started lighting everything on fire (I’d go with the under, after observing the number of guys who tried to get extra alcohol in their drinks by winking at the female bar staff).
As far as food goes, this place is OK. I mean, if you’re going to John Barleycorn for an exquisite fine dining experience, you’re an idiot and probably go to Taco Bell when you’re craving authentic Mexican food. The place serves its purpose; Good drunk food at reasonable prices.
The upstairs seconds as a psuedo-​nightclub, which is fun if you’re imbibed enough. However, my biggest gripe is with the DJ. I’ve been there on game days where the concept is «game sound during play and DJ set during commercials» which is fun, but half the time the DJ seemed insulted when game play resumed. It’s like, «bro, I get it, this is an awesome remix of Rihanna that you found on Spotify but I’m trying to listen to some Cubbies commentary.» They also have bottle service upstairs, but it’s a much more casual-​yet-​balls-​to-​the-​wall feel than downtown, if you’re into that.
Long story short, if you regularly go out in Wrigley, you’ll end up here, and you’ll have fun as long as you’re not an asshole who expects River North style service in a bar where the average patron’s BAC is the same as their age.

This bar is pretty horrible, which pains me to say since I went to University of Iowa and it’s an Iowa bar.
We went for the Cubs game and got there about an hour and a half early yet we waited 40 minutes to get inside! We thought the line was moving, but when I went up to check, they weren’t letting anyone in and weren’t explaining why. I would have left at that point but my friends had a table upstairs so I had to stick it out.
Then once we got in we had to wait another 30 minutes to get upstairs and wouldn’t say what the wait was. The only way you could get upstairs is if you paid the bouncer 100 DOLLARS which he then just pocketed! Are you kidding me? And then finally the bouncer said «Alright we’re only letting girls up at this time» and then let all of us girls flood upstairs.
Then we got up and it took I’m not kidding 30 MINUTES to get a drink because there were only 3 bartenders for hundreds of people. (also note that we had a table but our waitress showed up once every hour) So once we finally got a bartender’s attention, my friends and I got 4 beers each because we didn’t want to wait another half hour for another drink.
FINALLY oh my god the picture on every single one of the TV’s is absolutely horrendous. The Cubs uniforms were green instead of blue that’s how bad the color was. I couldn’t believe it.
I will never go back here again. So many better bars in Wrigley to watch the games like Old Crow that’s right across the street. Hope this bar shuts down and a new one goes into its space.

I was only here to drink. The environment was pretty fun, but the bartender sucked. Not sure how long I waited to close out my tab, but she kept on helping everyone around me… The downstairs was pretty empty and the music was at a decent level where I could still have a conversation. I was surprised how empty it was until I went upstairs. HOLY CRAP the place was flooded with people. I did not realize everyone was upstairs dancing. I should’ve noticed the ceiling specks falling into my drink while I was downstairs.

This place was ok, it took forever to get drinks even if you opened a tab, it had a great dance floor and a diverse team of people but I was not impressed with the crowd or music, I guess the drinks were weak and didn’t do much for us, it was just an ok club and very one was everyone was clickey! I mean it was blah!

John Barleycorn is one of the more popular bars in the Wrigleyville area. Getting in is free, but the lines can get pretty long. Once you’re in, the ground floor is a bar, but when you go upstairs, there is another bar area with a larger floor to dance. The DJ is pretty okay, and he usually plays requests, which is pretty cool. The crowd is more in the 20-​mid-​30s range, and it gets pretty packed. There are some tables on the eastern part of the area, in which you can grab a seat to either take a breather or to order some food. If you have the munchies, they also have a menu, serving up small plates, sandwiches, wraps, burgers, and salads (which I personally have not tried).
+free to get in
+DJ/​dance area is located upstairs
+limited/​difficult parking

They don’t let anyone wearing Jordans in, in the city of Chicago. Now, think about that…
Overall is your average and pretty crowded bar in Wrigely, food is okay, music is pop/​top 50. Not the best bar in Wrigley but its one of the most popular ones.