Super slow service, underwhelming food. Extra high prices. Not even close to expectations...

It was a fluke that we went to this place. We were looking for a snack and drink as soon as we arrived in Chico. We were also looking for something that was not a "chain" restaurant. So my fellow yelpers didn't disappoint and we ended up at the Handle Bar. We ordered a Rueben sandwich and a buffalo chicken sandwich. The Rueben was sooooo good! Huge freshly carved pieces of pastrami filled up the yummy pumpernickel bread. The buffalo chicken was just the right hint of spicy. We had a couple of beers and then a sampler/flight and the final bill was very palatable. The service was just so-so. The place wasn't too busy when we arrived and got pretty busy within a short period of time. The waiter seemed less than enthusiastic to be at work but everyone has a bad day! read more

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Ryan, Tony and the crew do a really great job running this jewel. Absolutely delicious food options with wonderful service. Not only do they have one of the best beer menus but they also have mixed drinks as well. This place has become an absolute staple of chico must visit! read more

Just had another A+ experience at the handlebar. Notable service this time was that we told the server we were going to share a beer and without asking she split it into two glasses for us :) Nice. Only complaint was I would like the music a little louder on the back porch - but nobody else probably does so that OK read more

This is by far my favorite beer bar in Chico. ((mind blown)) They have perfect small and medium plates of food to accompany their always evolving selection of beer. The staff is knowledgeable and very accommodating when you ask for a suggestion. I like that they don't pressure you and are very cool; not snooty at all. It's a relaxing comfortable atmosphere. There is a patio where you can enjoy your beer and they allow dogs to chill. Parking is shared by other attached businesses and is always easy. Personal suggestion: Get the beer cheese & pretzels and try the Ruben. YUM! read more

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Good drinks, staff was nice and service was quick, lots of seating! Definitely a busy place but nice!

The focus in the Handlebar is definitely on beer, but the their food is not lacking as a result. Their French fries are actually amazing. We also had a Caesar salad that was preservative free and the spatzls are great. Facilities were clean and nicely decorated. read more

This service is incredible. They are so nice so friendly. The food is super good and delicious. Definitely recommend a very family friendly!

New Bar/Pub in Chico! I am just reviewing the beers and beer cheese pretzels which were extremely tasty. Try the Bottled He-Brew Rye IPA-- my favorite new-to-me find Looks like they are going to have a continuously great selection- the owners seem chill and the service was really nice and happy to give you a sample or help you find what you will love according to your tastes/preferences. read more

The Handle Bar - Beer taps @ The Handle Bar - Pubs Near Me - Chico, California

This is a great bar with a fantastic selection of beer. The service is fantastic and the atmosphere is good. I really wanted to give this place a full 5 star review. On your website you advertise the great amenities such as your four TV's, unfortunately you no longer have WiFi. I asked the waitress if the owner plans on getting the WiFi fixed, she responded he is trying to make this a full service bar. I responded, so he doesn't want me sitting here drinking and eating while I work. It's unfortunate to see an owner not recognize the value of the business professional or his associates. WiFi is important, we want your business to be the office away from the office. Take my money! read more

The Handle Bar.... you know the great feeling of nostalgia when you think of riding on the handlebars of your friends bike back in the day? It's like that! Well, minus the bell to the crotch. read more

The polish sausage and potato salad were great and a good size. However, the short rib spatzle stroganoff was a very small portion with barely any short ribs and was expensive. It tasted good but we were left hungry. read more

Worst food and attitude. Bartender was all into herself with a stuckup tude. Ordered chicken strips, hard as a rock and very dry. Also ordered Bruben. Bread was dried out on the top and really bad soggy on the bottom. Waffle sweet potato fries were greazzy soggy and tasted horrible. Not edible. Took it home and threw it all out into the pasture. Heck, the coyotes didn't even want it. Never again. Nasty to say the least. Ewwwww. Do yourself and your tastebuds a favor and go to Farmers Brewing Co. around the corner. That's excellent!!!! This place doesn't even deserve 1 star. They owe me! read more

The rye bread is so good! The warm, juicy turkey and arugula are great. :) I love the fact that I can bring my puppy. :) read more

The Handle Bar - Turkey Sandwich and Greek Salad! Yum!!!!! - Pubs Near Me - Chico, California

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I went to handlebar with my friends this afternoon. It's important to note that it was NOT busy when we got there and placed our order. We sat down and ordered drinks, took us about 15 minutes to get our drinks and it took another 45 minutes to get any refills. Once we ordered our food we had already been there for 30 minutes. It took us an HOUR to get our appetizer and 1.5 hours to get our food. We only got our food once I asked for the check and she let us know that all of our food was finally up and ready. I was expecting piping hot food since we waited so long. All of our food was room temp and very mediocre. At the end I pointed out that my friend never got her fries and so we'd like them taken off the bill. Our server said "oh ya they're actually sitting up there, do you want me to box them for you?" They'd been sitting there the whole time and she never received them till we pointed it out. Overall experience was horrible. People around us that got there after us had no issues getting their food. It wasn't even the fact that it took so long that made the experience bad. It was more so the fact that she never communicated with us or checked in. I don't mind waiting if I know it's going to be a while. My mac n cheese was bland and room temp, my sister's chicken tenders were cold and my friend's burger was room temp and just very mediocre taste wise. We spent a total of 2 hours there and we left 5 minutes after we got our entrees. Safe to say I won't be going back. read more

This place is on the E 20th Street in Chico - on the same street as Sierra Navada Tap room, but just on the opposite end of the street. It is a nice, not so little German Pub, with indoor and outdoor sitting. Selection of about two dozen+ draft beers and a fair choice of German food. Being a vegetarian / vegan - there was just one solitary choice - Portobella sandwich in sourdough bread and Sauerkraut- both very delicious. Very friendly staff - I will go here again. One star taken away for the lack of variety in Vegetarian/Vegan choices :( read more

Walked in at 930pm on New Years Eve with my wife for a beer. Bar was busy. The bartender greeted us by saying that she had already made the "last call". They close at 10pm. "Sorry". So I have no idea how good this place is. With a hotel in their parking lot this place must lose a ton of business with this particular bartender every time she closes. Pretty sure I could have finished a beer in 30 minutes but that would require filling a glass and explaining to me that they close in a half hour. I do realize that service is horrendous these days in many places. Luckily there are other options in Chico that still want your business. read more

Great sausage sandwiches. Love the spaetzle. Always nice staff and not too long of a wait. A+++++

Absolutely love the food here!!! The menu has a great selection. Service was good. Just one thing, we ordered an appetizer and it came after our sandwiches came. Would have liked to enjoy that first before the rest of the meal. Great atmosphere and would definitely come back. Parking could be tough if it's busy. Have to change my initial review because my second Visit wasn't as good as the first. The potato salad was terrible we got a couple a draft beers and it had a metal taste to it. the sandwiches were OK just not real happy with that. may try again not sure, too bad really like the atmosphere in the idea of the menu read more

Update: I still really like The Handlebar. The food is good and the beer selection is great. However The Handlebar needs to do a much better job at adhering to social distancing protocols. The tables are spaced adequately for the most part BUT customers are still allowed to sit shoulder-to-shoulder at the bar when the restaurant gets busy. As longtime customers we surely noticed and were disappointed. read more

Just tried this place for the first time last night! Five star review just for the service alone. As soon as we entered the door, we were greeted with a smile and told we could sit wherever we'd like. We found a quiet spot hidden in the back and were soon helped by a very kind server! She was great at her job. My girlfriend and I both got burgers and thought they were cooked very deliciously! My only complaint was that my HB Burger which comes with beer cheese on it, had an incredibly tiny dollop of beer cheese. I couldn't even really taste it. Service made up for it, though. So I definitely didn't follow up about it. My girlfriend got an alcoholic blackberry lemonade that she loved, and I got the luponic distortion IPA no. 12 which is one of my favorite pours. Fun environment! Will be going back to try other menu items. read more

Great atmosphere, and got to try unlimited beers before finally figuring out what I wanted. All the employees are down to Earth and are on it when it comes to needing service. I'm gonna be back fusho read more

The Handle Bar - Fall River Hexagenia IPA - Pubs Near Me - Chico, California

Place was super busy today, they were short staffed and yet we had the best service and best food! Thank you!

Hanging with some of my best friends have a beer and getting lunch. Pepperoncini pastrami burger, Spätzle Mac & Cheese, Serrano chicken sandwich, Brewben Sando. Potato salad on point!!! Bunch of German inspired foods. Great atmosphere and great customer service. They are connected to the cycle shop next store. A bunch of the decor is really kool, bike part fixtures. Goes really well with the Handle Bar name. Bunch of great beers in tap. Tons of choices. Great time for a lovely day. Nice outdoor seating. read more

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This place is the greatest. Drinks are tasty and the food is great as well. The location is perfect as we are staying at the Holiday Inn Express for the next 90 days or so. The staff is super cool and the restaurant / bar is super clean and inviting. KEEP UP THE STRONG WORK. FIGHT ON Handle Bar read more

Really enjoyed our little lunch here. Nice beer selection. The cheese plate was awesome. We also had the pretzel bites and beer cheese. Not bad but the cheese sauce wasn't great either. I can't wait to go back and try a few sandwiches and salads. read more

The Handle Bar - Cheese plate. Freaking awesome! - Pubs Near Me - Chico, California

Hands down The Handlebar is my favorite watering hole in Chico. My partner and I go there at least once a week. We are always excited to see the new beers and wonderful wait staff. Trevor and Jessica are the best. The staff remember us and are always friendly. With the expansion it has been a little harder on them due to the expanded area and larger crowds, but they still do such am amazing job. Much love to The Handlebar and its stellar staff. We will be in again soon to play more Quiddler. read more

The mixed drinks were just bad. Sour and not balanced. I ordered 3 drinks and all were sour. I did not see one shaken drink in 1.5 hours. John Tafford would have dumped all the mixed drinks down the drain . The lavender gin thing was pretty but did not taste good. There was no perceptible lavender flavor . The Berry mule had nice garnish . The HB margarita was less then mediocre. The bar tender over poured the alcohol. This is a place that serves very tasty fattening food . Very tasty, crisp French fries and excellent house made pretzels with a delightful sauce . Good toasted and buttered hamburger bun, but the hamburger was over cooked and dry . Many beer choices, but the temperature of the refrigerators allow for too much foam . Restaurant needs more air flow and fans . One should not be able to smell the place or people inside when you walk in the door. I most likely will not go back . read more

Food was just ok not the best. Service was really bad though the server got my friends order completely wrong.

Yummy food, great service, patio allows such a great atmosphere! I love coming here!!

First time visit! Spaetzle was so cheesy, fresh, and enough for a meal! Pretzel bites with warm beer cheese were so good... wish the cheese was a little thicker, though (more than half were eaten before pictures was taken... a large appetizer). Brewben was also ordered and the pastrami was thickly sliced and so tender. We drank soda instead of something from the tap, but others seemed to really enjoy the beer selection. Ambiance was casual and pretty cool will all of bikes and bike parts. Service was friendly and attentive. Outside seating was plentiful and dog-friendly. We will definitely be back! read more

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I once had a Ruben here with Beer Cheese -- it was quite tasty & I highly recommend it. I went with a large group and their patio space was perfect for our party of 8. read more

Incredibly rude staff and overpriced mediocre food. Have been here a few times due to our son liking the proximity to the bike shop and have yet to have a pleasant experience. They will not be receiving our business again. read more

first time eating here, i came here for late lunch. the workers were very nice and gave us recommendations on what should we try. i ordered the polish sausage sandwich with fries. it was okay, the sausage was very peppery and the fries were very good. my sister ordered the roasted turkey sandwich and my dad ordered the greek salad (a bit sour), beer cheese and pretzel bites (beer cheese was weird and pretzels were good), and the ruben sandwich with fries (not a fan of pastrami but i feel like it would be good with some like tri-trip juice dip). this place is very nice and clean. we sat in the back of the restaurant because the front area was too loud. the food is okay (american/european flavors are a bit weird) but not our favorite. read more

The Handle Bar - roasted turkey sandwich with fries - Pubs Near Me - Chico, California

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We went here last night A party of 5, My pregnant Fiance included who was excited to try the food but unfortunately we were all very disappointed. I ordered the bratwurst which was obviously boiled because I could not chew through the casing. The roll was too dense for the bratwurst and with every bite smashed more of the sour kraut and mustard onto my hands and plate. I ended up going through a pile of napkins. My biggest disappointment was the chili which I paid +$2.50 for to get instead of the usual potato salad and it was un-edible. It literally tasted like an ashtray from being doused in chili powder. No one at the table was able to eat the chili. The friend that brought us here raved about it and there pretzels with beer cheese but she said they were not the same and not for the better. All in all, I would recommend you eat elsewhere and come here for the good atmosphere and the good brews. 1/10 will NOT be back. read more

Cute little place to hang out after work. They have 1/2 off wine bottles Sun-Wed which is perfect for a girls night read more

The Handle Bar - Pubs Near Me - Chico, California

Good service, awesome beer selection, and fun decor. It's a bike themed bar with plenty of beer on tap. The service was very friendly, the only downfall is that it's on the the other side of town, but I do make an extra effort to stop by if I'm in the area. Great service and beer selection. read more

Tried to come here on Superbowl Sunday after hiking all day. Turns out, this place is 21 and over, and not wanting to leave out 9 month old in the car so I can drink some beer, we went elsewhere. I will say that the guy who helped us was very apologetic and was even kind enough to recommend another place that had craft beer and would allow kids. I would love to come back here some time and try out their menu - this time with no kids! read more

What a great place! The owner is delightful, staff is very accomodating and eager to help, and the food is awesome! I'm not much of a beer officianado so I can't weigh in on their fabulous beer selection, but assuming that they are as good at their beer as they are at the bar food then I would say they are doing well! This is a new business in town and I wish them the best!! read more

Update to my first review...The handlebar now does have light beer options for those who can't stand IPA's and their food is very good! I wish they would carry more Stouts, but other than that they are outstanding! read more