This is a BEAUTIFUL bar in downtown Council Bluffs. The historic building has been well-maintained and is in great condition. The bar seems to straddle the line between being a restaurant bar and being a sports bar, with restaurant style bar slightly edging it out. We were the first customers of the day, and the bartender was MIA. We sat there for about 10 minutes before she finally appeared from a back room, surprised to see us. After she served us she disappeared again. A few minutes later a woman came in who had left her card here the previous night. She looked around, checked the other room, then came back. "Is anyone working here?" she asked us. "Nope, we had to serve ourselves," my friend joked. She set off exploring and finally managed to find the bartender on her own. So I'd echo the earlier reviewer's comment about the place being understaffed. It appeared that our bartender was the only person working at all and she was having to do too many other things that kept her away from the customers. read more

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So the other place we were going was closed. Peg had Mediterranean quesadilla. Peg said she would order again. I had the Dimitri sandwich. It was good but the meat was in my opinion overwhelmed by the cheese. I would definitely come back again. The staff was outstanding with just the right amount of attention. read more

Barleys Bar - View from our table by the window. - American Near Me - Council Bluffs, Iowa

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I when there a cuple times it tase good but one time my moms steak was pink , and they put it back on 4.5 stars

Been a regular customer "weekly" at this place for more than four years now my husband and I come in for dinner and a drink. I order a Moscow mule as I always do and they proceeded to tell me I had to give them my ID because some morons have taken their mule mugs recently. Mind u my husband and I are both business professionals in our late forties. I've never been more offended in my life. I'm pretty sure if they asked I could replace their inventory. Shame on your unprofessional approach and treatment of your regular customers. Policy or not ... U clearly don't know me or my husband and we obviously are not valued customers. Unfortunate for you. read more

Omaha could use a place like this but we're happy to give our business to Council Bluffs. Just a laid back, fun, unpretentious atmosphere. A wide food menu and good beer prices. Staff was prompt and down to earth. The old look and feel of the building is a bonus too without being hip or trendy. Also the perfect amount of televisions without being overkill. Burgers were great but pizza looked good too. Would go back again. Whoever is behind the formula here, knows what they are doing to run a popular and successful business. read more

Came in last week with the wife and my parents, I got a small Thai pizza, it was just ok but I could tell that I would have liked a normal pizza more, wife got a burger and she said it was seasoned and cooked perfectly, the table split fried pickles and pizza rolls for apps, both were good but I would probably choose the pickles out of the two. Parents split a patty melt (cus that's what old people do I guess) and they really liked it. Service was ok, little slow but they had a lot of people leaving at the same time so I won't ding them for that, I mean, let's be honest, I didn't have anywhere to be.... read more

I stopped here about 5 years ago and somehow, happily, ended up here again. First time it was for a great burger. This time I tried DMITRI Gyro meat topped with provolone & feta, house made tzatziki, tomato & onion on grilled sourdough I will have a hard time ever eating a gyro again. Dmitri forever. The atmosphere is warm and the staff very friendly. No one is a stranger. Hopefully I will be able to stop there again. read more

Friendly service and an excellent Mediterranean Quesadilla!! Reasonable prices too.

Over the past couple days we have tried Barley's twice. The service is pleasant. The establishment is clean with lots of seating. Their menu is extensive from sandwiches, salads, and pizza. We tried their bacon wrapped jalapeños - though there could have been more flavor in the cream cheese it was still tasty. Their pepperoni pizza bread is very popular. Greasy but delicious with giant pieces of pepperoni! We enjoyed their BLT (though it's hard to mess that up) because it did not lack on bacon. Yummm! Did not care for the French fries as they were under seasoned. Great place to try! read more

Great service. Great food. Steak philly was great. Good taste and presentation. Mediterranean quesadilla. Was great for those who like vege option. I don't think you can go wrong with anything. read more

This is a great neighborhood restaurant bar and grill. Great drinks, great food, great atmosphere. Good for small groups, large groups, and families, including children. This is one of the best places to go in Council Bluffs. Ample parking in back and street parking in front. Just ordered the burger of the week, Lonely Heart's Club, and could not be happier. This is by far the best burger I've had in sometime. The patio itself is infused with onion and garlic. Topped with candied jalapeños, bacon, blue cheese, and onion rings. The brioche bun and garlic Parmesan sauce are amazing accoutrements. You cannot go wrong with this burger or any other menu items offered here! read more

Went to Barley's for the first time a few days ago. I really liked this part of Council Bluffs! Situated in downtown CB, Barley's is considered a part of the Hundred Block, a series of bars on the Broadway block. Barley's is also close to a park where there was live music (Bayliss Park I think), and parking was very easy to navigate, both on the street and in the back (keep your change handy during the week). Arriving through the back entrance, first, I was surprised at how spacious this bar/restaurant is! The second thing I noticed was how many families were in here. While I would consider this as more of a bar (It's even in the name), families were welcome and happily enjoying their meals. Venturing to the front, a server confirmed that everything was open seating. Servers were nice, prompt, and professional. There are some great local beers on tap, and they seem to be more affordable than in Omaha. I enjoyed a Des Moines IPA for $3.50, I believe. Menu had some great looking items including an extensive burger/sandwich selection. Additionally, there was a special menu to order from as well. From the specials menu,Thai chicken sliders were ordered and enjoyed. I'm not sure if I would say the flavors reminded me of Thai cuisine, but they were delicious. The soft, buttery rolls complimented the slightly sweetened chicken and pineapple. I also tried the Barley burger with French fries and ranch. The burger toppings were easily modified to my liking, and the burger was flavorful. It would have been nearly a 5-star burger if it were cooked to order, though. Since the server did not ask, I'm not sure if all burgers are cooked the same way (well-done) or if you have to request a different temperature. I am finding that well-done burgers are somewhat typical at places that are considered "burger" places, surprising for the beef-centered Midwest. Fries and onion rings were fresh, tasty, and abundant as well. Overall, I really enjoyed Barley's, and I will definitely be back. read more

We have been here several times now. We have ordered several different items from the menu. All have been excellent. Love the environment. Servis is always great and beer is always cold. We had a couple beers and a taco pizza and i had philly club and fries. Total $28.82. If you have not tried, you must stop in. read more

One of the best reubens in town. Hands down. It's amazing, the best bread, perfectly buttered, the beef has so much flavor and is cooked just right. Awesome food, great place to chill. read more

This is a great bar, with pretty darn good food. The wait staff is pretty attentive, but sometimes they have a tendency to be understaffed. They have two separate sections (one used to be the non-smoking side before the smoking ban) and a party room available for rent upstairs. Bathrooms are big and clean, and it isn't rare to see a lot of families coming by for dinner. The best thing about the place is that they have a great selection of beer on tap, and they have great specials, often with a "beer of the week" going for crazy low prices (I remember a heffeweisen from last summer selling for $1/pint). Pretty much all the booze is very reasonably priced, and they have some fun happy hour specials (such as a pickle card night, where your drink can range from full price to twenty-five cents. The food is good, with a nice wide selection that you may not expect in a bar, and really good soups. They recently added a pizza oven, but I haven't tried their pizza yet. All in all, this is a really good bar in CB. read more

Steaks are cooked perfectly. I live their veggie burgers. The Hamptons chicken salad is always a good choice.

Dropped in for a bit while waiting for my daughter at an appointment. The Happy Hour special was $2.00 draws and that is fun. My niece and her friend got Shirley Temples with tons of cherries, so yay for the kid appeal. Got some fries and some chips and salsa. The chips were home cooked and I love that, and the salsa was not so hot it burns your face off. The fries, were fries, but the ranch my niece asked for was great and also homemade. The waitress was nice, and the owner was there, which is a good sign he keeps an eye on his business. It wasn't packed, but it was early, and it got busier as we sat. Good place to just relax and not feel out of place with kids. Good snacks and drinks for the price, I have been here before, and will go back again. read more

You get a choice between a rowdy room and a not so rowdy room :). Fast drink and food service at 7pm this Friday night. Steak was kinda fatty but rare like I asked. Salad was iceberg and tomato throwback to the 70s. My husband's reuben was great. He said the fries were ok. The wierd thing is when I asked THE BARTENDER what he had on tap that was not macrobrew, he said isn't everything owned by them now anyway, and when I pushed he could name like only two (Lucky Bucket and Sam Adams)...so I asked if he had Blue Moon and that is what I got. This was not a Bud, Bud, Bud-lite kind of place so that was a little off-putting. Maybe it was because he was waiting tables and bartending at the same time and thinking "lady, I don't need this", so I will come back :) read more

There was a fly in my drink...I kid you not! After ordering a cranberry vodka I noticed a black floaty thingy and sure enough it was a dead fly. Normally, I would put that down as a one star review but the bartender's response, "That's how we serve them here" made me giggle. Needless to say they gave me a new drink...not very strong tho. Over all, this was a nice, standard bar where you could watch the game and hang out with friends. I was attending a birthday party here and the abundance of room helped make it a success. Not too loud and not too expensive...middle of the road type of place. read more

Great place with a "Pub" type menu that is pleasingly upscale in the way most of it is finished, especially the specials. Last night I had the black 'n blue chicken sandwich. It was a blackened chicken breast with Gorgonzola type cheese and caramelized onions on a roll. It was perfect and the sweet potato fries and accompanying horseradish sauce were awesome. read more

This was one of the stops for a Promise 4 Paws fundraiser. The building was nice enough, but the service was quite slow. The fundraiser started at 12:00, I got there at about 3:00 and it was close to impossible just to get a bottle of beer. I considered going behind the bar, as I was quite thirsty after a long half day of tedious work. I would go back for a fundraiser. Allow me to plug Promise 4 Paws: THEY ROCK! read more

Had lunch with a good friend and chose Barley's because I just had to have a beer. Ordered up a BLT and a Stella Artois. A pretty good selection of beers on tap, but a light, crisp Belgian was exactly what I needed. BLT was good - hard to mess up. Wasn't nuts about the cheese on it - just a fake syntheticy American cheese. A local cheddar or something with some uniqueness would have been great. Could've used a bit more mayo on the sandwich too. Crinkle fries were very good, especially dipped in ketchup and mayo. :) Waited a good five minutes after taking our seats to be served. Not a huge issue but when you've asked someone to come to the Bluffs for lunch and feel like they're your guest in a way, it makes for some discomfort. Especially when they've mentioned how hungry they are. Barley's gets the job done with basic bar food. Nothing more, nothing less. read more

Great food, plenty of seating. You can't go wrong for a casual dining experience. Try the Alaska Amber! This is a great place for B1G football during the season. read more

We go to Barley's alot with friends. It's located on "the strip," or the "hundred block," as people call it. This is a long line of bars. Barely's is one of my favorites as it offers drinks specials and decent bar food. The bar is huge, so there's usually a place to sit. If you're from Council Bluffs, you're most likely going to see someone you know. They have Golf Tee, complimentary popcorn, and lots of TV's. They also do live bands and dancing in the back. Some of the bathrooms are gross and some are nice. One has a teddy bear theme :) We've paid as little as $5 for an Angry Orchard pitcher. They also had Stella Artois for $4, which is a really good price. read more

Went here over the summer for lunch, after I realized Dixie Quick's was closed. Decor was simple; our group sat next to the window, and although it wasn't super crowded, service seemed a wee bit slow. At some point, one of the servers apologized and said they were "busy". Maybe they were short-staffed? Seems like a number of the folks were regulars and had a good rapport with the staff. It smells very popcorn-y there, I think it's free? We didn't try it. Anyway, the food itself seems to be pretty standard bar fare. Someone at the table had fish and chips, which had actual chips (homemade?) not fries, other than that, no major surprises with the sandwiches and salads here. Reasonable prices. Not bad, just not that interesting. With just okay service and food you can get at a lot of other places, I don't think I'll be going back any time soon. read more

Their website has not updated their hours. I both called them and visit them around noon on Sunday but the pier and you were closed why don't they update their hours both on their website with yelp. I have to take my business elsewhere read more

This is my favorite bar on that bar strip. Amazing food, friendly service, and the prices are phenomenal. I love when they have a steak dinner special because they always cook the steak perfectly which is shocking for a bar. Their pizza is always fresh with variety of toppings to choose from. Yummy!!!! They do a very great job their menu and staff. Will be back soon! read more

Easily the highest quality food, not only for the money but for taste and punctuality. Took very lirttlw time to get order. Fresh salad bar, fresh toppings and nothing I listed was frozen. The tenderloin was thick and juicy and hand breaded. Amazing I didn't know of this before. read more

#1 pub quiz trivia night in the Omaha-Council Bluffs area. Wednesday nights at 8, best prizes by far. Decent food, top-rate friendly staff.

I love Barleys. Great ownership, food is fantastic from burgers, to pizza, to mouth watering apps. The plentiful beers on tap are bar fly's dream. Definitely a Council Bluffs staple!! read more

Great burger and the onion relish topped it off nicely. Sweet potato fries nice and thick. A bit loud in here with wrestling fans cheering. I will be back read more

Okay this is a review that bears some serious concern by the owner of Barley's . My Granddaughter bought takeout this evening at Barleys and in the driveway she discovered this was not our order. She immediately drives back to make the corrections. First off, the waitstaff are not wearing face masks, this should be a big warning. Next the young man asks her if she has "touched the order that was given to her ( the wrong one) she said no. Now she is given our order and abruptly told "You should check your order ". Okay I really understand that this is Friday and by the looks of it kinda busy. But YOU need to check the order and next we support You during this situation we are all in. At this point with the attitude and lack of COVID procedures we are not going to return again. It just plain unsafe. By the way did you mention the screwup to the other customer that got our order. I bet not. This is too bad because all the trivia nights, specials and political rallies held there will all be done for. Remember.... 10,000 attaboys are away erased by one Ah shit. read more

I love it when I have about 1 drink left in my glass and the waitress is right there to ask if I would like another!! I hate it when I have to track down someone to get a drink!! I had some fried pickles and wings with no complaints. The portion size of the pickles was more than expected while the wings were less than expected. Either way everything was great!! read more

Good food. Nice atmosphere. Sit outside in historic downtown. But many young smokers congregate in front of sidewalk tables and quite noisy inside. Good beer selection. read more

Good for pizza and bar food. Came here one night on a road trip so I can't say much about music or events but the place is clean and the people are friendly. They were accommodating to my mother's food allergies on our order. Would definitely come back to try other things. read more

Fun place in downtown Counsel Bluffs. I ordered the chicken hawk with onion rings and the wife had the turkey club with fries. The meal arrived quickly with good service and tasted excellent. Our server wasn't well versed in beerology but the on tap list that was provided was a good enough guide to choose from. The outside dining area is a bit traffic noisy but all in all worth the trip for the food and beer selection. read more

I have been there numerous times in the last several years and always excellent, but tonight was abysmal!! Great Wednesday special, steak, always done good but tonight, didn't ask how I wanted it cooked, if I wanted fries or baked. Didn't ask if I wanted a drink while waiting. I didn't even get his name, who ever the bartender was, send him back to Taco Bell. All he can do is be a order taker, not even good at that. read more

Hands down the best bar food in Council Bluffs. Nice ambiance. Good staff. Spend some time there.

A nice atmosphere with a friendly staff. A wide drink selection and good prices. We were there for a birthday party. The pizza we had was good. read more

Had dinner her last Sunday, and found our food to be okay. We started with the fried pickles, which were excellent and the best thing we ordered. My GF had the pork tenderloin sandwich, which was a mixed bag. The pork itself was good, but the breading tasted a little off, and did not really compliment the pork. She also said her fries were cold. I had the Arnold, which was a turkey sandwich with guacamole. It was a little bland, but of good quality. Waitstaff was very nice, and I really dig the restaurant itself. We are willing to give this one another shot, but not a place we are running back to. read more