Barrel Junction

Kind of expensive for just a bar atmosphere. $ 13 for a burger? $ 3.75 for a bottle of Bud Light? I took my wife and family for lunch and the bill came to almost $ 85. The food was good… but not that good. We won’t be going back.

Did Barrel Junction jump the shark. The service, which is sketchy to begin with, was horrible. Yes, they were busy but as a consumer, that should not have any bearing on my dining there. Initial drink orders were slow. Nachos came out at a decent rate and were good. I did take notice the lack of pulled pork this time around. All three of us ordered the same thing, pulled pork pizza. A favorite and the usual go to. I asked to have mine with brisket even if there would be an up-​charge and extra BBQ sauce on the side. Another ordered extra BBQ sauce on the pie itself. Within a reasonable time the pizzas came out. I found no more than 6 or 7 small pieces of brisket on my pizza. Pulls pork was almost nonexistent on the other two. French fries, nope, hardly there as well. BBQ sauce… hardly any in the three pies, even the one that was to have extra. The pies themselves seemed to be slopped together as well. My extra BBQ sauce came only after asking again, waiting 10 minutes, and only getting one of those teeny-​tiny take out containers (.50 charge!). The second beer I orders, never made it to the table. Waitress was okay, not too knowledgable about he beer selection, but did split our nachos three-​ways. 3-​stars only because the flavor of the food is still very good. Please take some pride in what you do, even if it means just slowing down a little bit.

Large selection of beer. Pizza and wing specials during half time steeler games.
This place is kind of a hidden gem. Moderately priced and very nice sized portions.

I’ve been to this place a few times, each time I’ve been there the food had been exceptional. The service was amazing but the food was even better. The consistency and freshness was beyond my expectations. I highly recommend this place. I also tell my friends to stop down if they are ever in the area and need and want a place with excellent food, amazing service and an overall great environment. I plan to make to this place one of my regular eating establishments.
The smoked meats are just amazing, especially the chicken. I’ve tried the burgers as well and again I have to say absolutely amazing. Thank you for great service and excellent food!

I have been here a few times and the food is great and it has the best beer selection in the immediate area. I want to put a bit of warning here, I have a small child and there are no booster or child seats. That being said they are in the business of selling fantastic microbrews so their ideal client isn’t the guy getting just one drink with his baby in tow.
If there is one thing that I most reccommend on the food side is their smoked meat sandwiches. They just fall apart in your mouth and for the nearby location are the best option.
Go for the beer though, the draft selection is amazing, and whoever curates the choices does a pretty good job of keeping a nice mix on selection. Their bottle choices are good as well. If you are looking for Bud Light or Coors Light this probably isn’t your jam though.

It’s a shame Barrel Junction suffers from a lack of visibility — it’s truly tucked away right near the junction of Route 8 and Route 910 in Gibsonia. It’s practically hidden behind a barber shop. I think this place would be booming if it had better visibility from the road.
Location woes aside, I really loved my first experience at Barrel Junction last week. I am currently eating leftover barbecue chicken dip for lunch. That item alone below me away — a cheesy, creamy dip stuffed to the brim with BBQ brisket, bacon, onions, accompanied by tortilla chips, and served in a miniature cast-​iron skillet. It’s honestly one of the most impressive, and tastiest, appetizers I’ve ever had.
Barrel Junction is a neatly decorated bar and restaurant, if a bit dark. It has a stained-​wood theme with all sorts of awesome artwork on the walls. I didn’t get any drinks from the bar when I was there, but it looked large, and quite busy. Their draft selection seemed pretty big just based on the chalkboard behind the bar.
Food quality was really, really good. Portions are enormous, or at least the caprese salad I ordered was. It was brought to our table in a metal mixing bowl big enough to wear on your head like a helmet. The flavors all came together quite well, and while the presentation maybe was a little less than ‘refined,’ I went home with enough salad to pack for lunch the next day.
I had read some less than savory reviews about service here, but I gave it a try anyway and had no complaints. Our food was served quickly and at the appropriate temperature.
My only complaints are that I felt some of the appetizers were a bit overpriced, and finding this place is honestly a little frustrating if you don’t know where to look. But, overall, I enjoyed the casual atmosphere, and the food was a welcome surprise. I hope this place can thrive where it’s at, because it really brings something new to the Hampton/​Gibsonia area.

The beer selection is impressive. We had chicken tenders and the pulled chicken sandwich. Really very good. It’s upscale bar food but nice service and really great beer selection !

Great beers, great food, great prices. The BEST wings in the area (my wife is from Buffalo, so we know good wings!). I suspect people giving one stars are competition that never actually ate here.(yes — that’s YOU Nathan L. with only two other reviews ever on Unilocal all posted on the same day — how is your job at the Breakneck Tavern going where you gave 5 Stars to a clearly crappy restaurant??). Never had a bad experience.

Went here with some friends on a Sunday afternoon. Atmosphere was really laid back and chill. Had a nice bar see ton and when I go back I’ll definitely have to partake in some drinks.
I got the chicken pesto sandwich and that was very acceptable. Large portions and decent food for the price. My other forms got a salad and could only finish about half of it! It was served in a giant metal bowl. My girlfriend had a bbq wrap which tasted absolutely delicious.
This seems more of an after work kind of place to go hang out and drink. Great selection of beers and I can’t wait to try them next time I go.

My wife and have eaten here twice. The first was a good enough experience to return, but the second time left us very disappointed.
We had burgers and beer on the first occasion. The burger was good and the beer selection was good for the area.
The second time we dined here, the menu had changed to more of that from a dive bar. The food was all so greasy that neither of us finished our meal.
It is too bad that Barrel Junction doesn’t offer better quality food. This could be a great spot for a beer and dinner

It’s a great local restaurant that rocks.

This is a locally owned place so it gets an extra star. I think they could improve on the menu and service but overall it’s a cool different place and a change of pace from the big chain restraunts. It’s not a 5 star place though.

We have been here many times since opening. The rotating craft beer selection is great, the food even better. The food is priced well for the high quality. This is not chain restaurant/​frozen food service food. The ingredients are quality and it shows. We’ve tried nearly everything on the menu and it is all excellent. Great food and a casual atmosphere. They offer a variety of specials and change up the menu with good frequency and the staff is friendly. The space is cozy and can fill up but be patient, even the patrons are friendly!

Our second time here and while the food is good — the service is horrible. It took us two hours to get through an appetizer and dinner (two sandwiches). Our waitress never asked how the food was and didn’t ask us if we wanted another beer. My food was spicy and I had nothing to drink. Very understaffed — Very drafty with the door. Good Beer Selection — that is if you can get more than one drink. Self Seating kinda stinks too — you’re huddled next to people who are eating at a table.
My husband who never complains could not get over how horrible the service was.

We live close to Barrel Junction and it is our favorite go to. I am a wing lover and the wings are so yummy! I have been there many times and loved every experience. The food is so good you just have to go try. The cocktails are very good as well. My husband is a beer man and he loves the wide selection they have every time we go. The owner is very connected to his establishment and you feel so welcomed. The soup is killer there as well. The bathrooms are clean and the place is welcoming. It is right off of 910 you have to go try. Trust me you will enjoy your trip.

Coolest place in the north hills. This place has great craft beer, cheap beer alternatives, and an awesome burger /​bar menu. It’s kind of hard to find unless you’re with someone that knows. Otherwise just SIri it, very easy to get to once you know where it is.

I’ve been here probably a dozen times in the past year and just realized I never did a review on this place.
I have had probably half of the menu by now and everything has been top notch. They have a 22 beers on draft, with my favorite being Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale. The service is not always the greatest, but if the bartender Rege waits on you then you will have good service. My favorite food here is the wings, fries, and soups. I can also testify that the burgers, pizza, fish sandwich, pot stickers and nachos are all good here.
The chef/​owner here definitely has passion for good food and good beer. I will continue to be a regular here.

Been here 3 times since this summer, each time resulting in a satisfying meal and a nice time.
I can’t speak highly enough of the smoked meats, which are done right out back in a smoker. They do chicken, pork, and brisket. Brisket’s OK, pork’s really good, and the chicken is fan-​tas-​tic. So moist!
I’m also a big fan of the white pizza here. The large is a generous portion, and the flavors are great. I typically like thin crust pizzas that are more doughy than crunchy, and though this pizza has a bit thicker crust I think it’s very good.
Solid pizza.
Great house-​smoked meat.
Reasonable prices.
Nice service.
Chill atmosphere.
5 stars. Can’t see why not.

My husband and I are new to the area and found this on Unilocal while driving down 8. It was a little difficult for us to find, but like I said, we’re new to the area.
The service was quick, and the food was better. We’ll definitely be back. Next time, I definitely intend on trying some of the craft beers.

This place is tucked away right off route 8 and 910. The inside looks like it was newly updated and has a nice bar atmosphere. They have a few chalkboards with specials on them which adds a nice touch!
The menu is very simple and not overwhelming at all. I decided to get the pulled chicken sandwich with fries that I upgraded to chili fries. Both were delicious! Everything was very fresh and homemade which I love. The only thing I would change is that they used dark and white meat chicken in the sandwich and I do not like dark meat chicken. That is just a personal preference though! I greatly enjoyed it all!
My only dislike was the service. It was not busy there but our food took longer than it really should have. Our Waitresses must have been new or not trained well as she was really slow and not very attentive.
Aside from that I loved it and I will be stopping here again!