The Oak Barrel

I recently returned because I enjoyed my meal last time. I wanted to sit at the bar so I was looking for a place. The host who ended up being my server startled me and shouted «are you waiting for someone?» I was annoyed and said no. I then asked for a table and was seated.
He came over and I ordered the sidecar to drink. The server was unnecessarily brusque with me the whole meal. I wasn’t really pleased about that considering my service the time before was not so great either.
The sidecar was horrible. It tasted like cough syrup. Ugh. I ordered the baby kale salad and the onion rings for dinner. The onion rings were amazing!!! So good. But the baby kale salad was a soupy mess. The dressing was tasty but literally the salad was swimming in it. The arrangement of the elements of the salad was also weird, quinoa on one side, nuts in the middle, chickpeas on the other side. It was hard to eat and the deluge of dressing was just too much. I would probably still come back but it seems like this place is a bit hit and miss

Really good food. I have been here on multiple occasions and can say their food is really good. From their Dr. Pepper pork shank, pulled pork with jalapeño corn bread, crab balls, polenta to their peach hot tea. Interior and decorations are also very nice. I would recommend this place.

So ambiance is very nice and this is very clean restaurant if your not sitting outside. So many birds nest under the awning area bird poop everywhere tables and chairs. I ordered the walleye sandwich. Walleye greasy and bland the topping were ok. But walleye not so much. My daughter got burger. She did like the burger I had a bite was tasty. The fries again tasted greasy like they sat over fryer. The drinks were good the water was warm. I will come back try other plates update this later as of now. Just bland. The service was good. So this is not knock on service or place. Just current meals we had.

Late lunch was a treat! Excellent waitstaff. Tomato bisque is rich and cheese bread was perfect pairing. Amish chicken tacos were a generous portion. Chicken was juicy grilled strips. Veggies were roasted and salsa was fresh. I’ll come back this week.

We came here for an early dinner before a hockey game and had a mixed experience that I would give 3.5 stars. The place was pretty empty because it was so early, so getting a table wasn’t a problem. I loved the lighting and the overall feel of the place, but it was really chilly inside and the music was too loud for the number of people there.
They no longer carry any of the meads they had listed on their drink menu, so we started off with beer and scarlet margaritas which were both good. We split an order of the Kentucky bourbon barrel onion rings and the small order of duck fat popcorn. Both were tasty, but I think the onion rings blew away the popcorn. They were so big that they looked like cruller doughnuts. The batter was crisp and the onion inside was thick and almost meaty. They came with a spicy mayo dipping sauce. I would seriously come back to sit at the bar and order just these, but onion rings are probably my number one guilty pleasure.
Our dinner orders included the Amish chicken and waffles and the Dr. Pepper braised pork shank. The chicken and waffles was okay, but I thought the chicken was dry and the waffle tasted a little like burnt oil. Something was just slightly off about the flavor. The pork shank, however, was delicious… the meat fell off the bone and the sauce was flavorful.
Our service was really disappointing. The host came off as arrogant instead of welcoming. Our server was attentive when we arrived… quick with water and drinks… but after our appetizers arrived, we barely saw her. Our drinks were empty for at least 15 minutes and our empty appetizers plates were still on the table even after we’d paid the bill. Given the prices at Oak Barrel, I kind of expected more from the experience. Those onion rings, though…

A few buddies and I stopped in here for happy hour before heading over to Cinemark.
The service wasn’t the best, but the food was very good.
I had been here when I was younger when the building housed Hoggys, and I can’t quite remember what it looked like, but it is very nice now; really huge space. They even have an outdoor fire pit.
I sprang for the wings and tacos special. The wings were a good size and had some sort of asian barbecue sauce on them and some crumbled blue cheese.
I had one of each of the chicken, tuna, and pork tacos. Pork was definitely the best. Tuna on the other hand was not so great, as you could barely taste it and the sauce was pretty overpowering.
A lot of my group had burgers, which I’d like to try in addition to some of their barbecue.
This place is definitely an upgrade from Hoggys. Now they just need someone to take over the former Champps.

I was looking for a spot to have a quick dinner and The Oak Barrel was «on the way» to my destination. Saw it had pretty good reviews, so I decided to give this place a try!
The building has a very nice rustic, outdoorsy, ranch feel to it. You feel right at home with the fire pit on and giving this warm ambiance. The interior has some pretty cool decorations of the barrels and warm dim lights.
Let’s talk about food. Probably one of my favorite American food restaurants for small shareable plates in my book. We didn’t order a lot, but each item was delicious!
Arugula salad: I’m a big fan. The ingredients in this salad is so fresh and the candied walnuts are so yummy. I was thrown off by the shallot vinaigrette as it came in this thick, green color, but I really want this dressing recipe now because it took a typical salad to a whole different level.
Devils on Horseback: SO DELICIOUS! i’ve never had medjool dates before but these were so delicious. I actually dislike bacon, and these were wrapped in it. Something magical happened bc when you took a bite in these things, there was this perfect balance of the dates, subtle bacon taste, and some sweet and spicy glaze. I would definitely eat bacon again for this dish.
Baked Brie: LOVED. The brie comes baked in a pastry wrap, which is something I’ve never seen and I loved it. The pastry is perfectly golden brown and adds that crisp texture to the melted cheese. You can’t ever go wrong with baked brie… but that pastry wrap was yums!
Duck Fat Popcorn: tip – toss the popcorn once you get it! All that duck fat is sitting at the bottom and so you gotta toss it a bit more in order for the flavor to reach the top portion. This was very tasty and a nice snack for the table!
That’s all we ordered. Everything was a win in my book.
Service was great, nothing wrong there. I would definitely come back again and try other shareable plates!

Located beside (walkable) from the Cinemark at Valley View which is so nice. I love to pair a movie and a delightful meal. The Oak Barrel is a gastropub that has a cozy interior décor and in the winter the main dining room has a fireplace. Outdoors there is a fire pit if you want to wait outside.
I was delighted to learn this place has the owner/​chef the started out with Deagan’s in Lakewood which when he was there it was fabulous. The menu here has many of my old favorites when he was in Lakewood and I’ve soooo missed. The chicken breast with waffles — delish! The deviled eggs for appetizers and the brie cheese — great! Great mac and cheese as entrée or a side! The entrée (and side) salads are fresh and interesting. The grilled salmon with whipped potatoes are excellent (my go-​to choice) and I loved the side arugula salad with beets, goat cheese and candied walnuts. So delicious. Writing this makes makes me wanna make a trip south for dinner.
Excellent draft beer selection that changes and interesting mixed drinks and wines. Service is always spotty — seems to be a lot of turnover and not well-​trained staff but the food and environment is so great that I’m willing mostly to overlook it. Would love to see that improve and then I’d go with 5-​stars.

I only got the BBQ pulled pork tacos, but they were definitely ⁵⁄₅. Atmosphere and service was also very nice.

The five star is for the BBQ pork taco and the environment.
It’s the most delicious taco I ever have! And only 2 $ each in Tuesday!
The pork and vegetable is so fit together!!!
And the environment here is great!
If the full point is 10, this pork taco is 15, both in flavor and price!
I order chicken taco too.(My friend suggest) It’s not my style, but I think it’s maybe American style cause my American friend really like it.
I also order raspberry ice tea. She’ll ask if you want sweet or unsweet, but it doesn’t matter cause the difference is she’ll give you some sugar or not… I don’t like it. This is the worst raspberry ice tea I’ve ever have…
But because the pork taco is so good. I still decide this restaurant is five stars. And I’ll definitely come again!

500 stars for the duck fat popcorn. Sweet lord, that popcorn is good. If you’re cool with splurging on calories, order the duck fat popcorn.
I’ve been to The Oak Barrel a few times in the past few months, and am generally pretty impressed. It’s fairly casual dining in a very nice space, and is rather pricey if you’re doing drinks and entrees, but the food has been solid.
We’ve sat at the bar a few times, and the service at the bar is spotty when it’s busy (which it always has been). The bartenders are swamped and are hustling for sure, so it’s not for lack of their effort. Table service was decent/​no complaints.
The food has impressed me. Excellent pulled pork tacos, grilled shrimp cobb salad, pizza, etc. there’s so many thing I want to try on the menu.

Overpriced, but good.
That’s my tagging for Oak Barrel, and it’s reinforced every time I end up here. It still smells like the BBQ place it used to be. It’s an extremely hip and inviting restaurant on the inside that makes you want to like it more than you do. There’s not much else in the valley quite like it, but W 25^th and Tremont aren’t that far of a hike.
Last excursion was a lunch meeting, and we went light, with a white fish po boy and tuna tacos. The po boy didn’t come on the traditional French baguette and the tuna tacos were good, but most of the flavor came from the guacamole.
I’ve drank here before too, and they have a good selection, built definitely top of the market prices.
If they were to knock a couple bucks off the meals and better drink specials, this could be a real winner.

This was a wonderful stop that we almost didn’t make. Someone posted they are closed, but that is not correct. The restaurant had a wonderful atmosphere and the music was highly enjoyable. The menu had some unique options which I really appreciated. I ordered the duck confit mac and cheese. It was very satisfying and the portion was plenty. My husband got the Icelandic cod. We tried the duck fat popcorn, but while it was good, I wish I would have gone for the brie. We had the dragon’s milk brownie sundae (substituting vanilla ice cream since we’re not fans of beer). The fresh berries were a nice touch. Our waitress was helpful and friendly. This was a nice find.

My expectations for this place were really exceeded.
The restaurant is nicely decorated — a major renovation from when it used to be Hoggie’s I believe… There is an upstairs area with a large TV. It must be a party space as they were not seating there. There were also spacious patio areas, but obviously not in use when I visited in December. The main floor with a fireplace was also large, and there was no wait for a table at 5:30pm on a Tuesday. By the time we were leaving however, the double turquoise Chesterland couch was full of people waiting for a table.
The menu is extensive. We ordered a Baked Bavarian Pretzel as an appetizer. This came with two dippings sauces — a gruyère cheese fondue and an upland brewing wheat ale mustard. The pretzel was cooked well, not burnt, but could have been more evenly salted. As a second appetizer we ordered the Butcher’s Block off the Chalkboard menu (not listed online). This menu addendum item was served on a wooden paddle and contained a delicious assorted of somewhat unrecognizable items. There was a gooey purple blob that was explained to be caramelized onions. There were candied nuts, pickles, and other goodies. Only one meat item was present however, which is one area for improvement.
When it came time for mains, I ordered the Bacon Wrapped Beef Tenderloin. I didn’t have high expectations for a steak at this restaurant, but I was blown away. The meat was cooked perfectly as I requested at medium+. The steak was served in the center of blue cheese whipped mashed potatoes. On the steak was arugula. The bacon piece was not fatty and all the flavors melded perfectly together!
The other entrée ordered was the Woodstone Roasted Icelandic Cod. For having all those pretentious names, it was a simple and tasty dish. It was served with braised leek and spinach potatoes and a non-​spicy Chimichurri sauce.
Overall the good was great and the kitchen service fast and the waitress service attentive. I will definitely try something else here soon.

Came out for lunch for friends bday celebration. And started with brie and melba and fresh fruit and ruined the healthy fruit with onion rings and a spicy sauce. Huge rings but not crispy for lunch. Girlfriend ordered fish and chips and her hubby got Dr Pepper braised pork shank. He said could have licked the plate it was so delish. Fiancé ordered ribs and fries and didn’t leave anything on bones. I ordered a side salad and dressing was delish and ordered a side of cheesy polenta enough to share that need to save room for movie popcorn

The east coast oysters were good.
The waitress was fair and not very friendly or attentive.
Atmosphere was excellent.
No wait on a Saturday evening at 7:00.

Just blown away at this place! Oak Barrel is truly a gem of Valley View.
Just walking up to the restaurant, you’re met with inviting smells that smack you in the face. I was excited for our food just based on this.
The atmosphere is lovely. You cannot at all tell this place was once Hoggy’s. Seriously, it looks great. We took advantage of the last of the patio weather before the winter hits and it doesn’t disappoint either. They have a great fire pit.
Before I move along to the food I want to specifically point out that the manager, Kyle, is great. We appreciate our craft beer, and Kyle knows his and can make some great recommendations. He’s what all restaurant managers should be.
We got the duck fat popcorn which is divine. It’s basically just greasy delicious popcorn, and a comfort food at its best. I’m kicking myself right now for not ordering an extra to go.
I opted for the Dr. Pepper Pork Shank and chose a side salad in lieu of the potatoes that come with it. The apple cider vinaigrette is fantastic. But my god the pork? Absolutely fantastic. Fall-​off-​the-​bone and literally one of the best meals I’ve had at a restaurant. A good enough portion that I had some to savor later on too. Husband got the bacon wrapped steak. His was really good and the glaze that comes with it is to die for.
Also, their beer menu is fantastic. It’s rare that I go to a restaurant that has more than a couple beers that I haven’t tried and they had many. I’ve seen a couple people complain about the beer prices but I got a 22oz bottle for $ 16 which I find to be extremely reasonable especially for a pricier restaurant.
Overall just a really enjoyable experience and will definitely come back. Based on the other reviews I can’t wait to try their burgers too! I can’t imagine why anyone would rate this place less than 4 stars. If you have, I implore you to go back and order the pork shank and see if it doesn’t change your opinion.

I was happy to stumble upon The Oak Barrel while on a trip to Independence and will definitely make it part of my restaurant rotation when I’m out here! The restaurant is HUGE-​two floors, plenty of seating, a nice bar… they can definitely accommodate a larger crowd. I would imagine they do events as well.
Service: Our waitress was really friendly and attentive in picking up on when we were ready to order, when our drinks needed to be refilled, etc. She was very knowledgeable about the menu, particularly the drink menu, and gave great recommendations.
Food: We started with the soft pretzel, which came with an awesome gouda fondue to dip it in. I was torn between three menu items: the Amish chicken and waffles, the pulled pork with jalepeno corn bread, and the sunny side up burger. I ended up getting the pulled pork with a side of French fries, and it was fantastic. The portion sizes were huge, but I was hungry so I appreciated that.

Holy burgers, Batman.
We stopped by The Oak Barrel before our 9PM movie not just because the only other option was Quaker Steak & Lube, but because I’ve been meaning to check it out for a while now. And the burger-​induced comma that followed made me miss about half of Mad Max. But it’s okay, it was the third time I’d seen it anyways.
We started with some tequila on the rocks. I appreciated the big cubes of ice, however, I didn’t love the amount of ice in drink. There was so much piled up in there I had to be real classy and scoop some out with my hand. I know. I’m not proud.
We were going to get the pretzels and popcorn, but we thought, «We’ll get that stuff at the movies.» and got two bacon cheese burgers instead. Oh my god, we’re dumb. When the burgers came out I realized there was no eating after this monster for at least 5 – 7 hours. The brioche bun was so buttery you could taste it in every juicy bite. Speaking of juicy, the patty itself was delightfully seasoned, cooked to a perfect medium rare and the thickness was ideal for comfortable bites. You could tell it was quality beef. The flavor sang in perfect harmony with the white cheddar, crisp smokey bacon and loads of what tasted like homemade pickles. I also enjoyed the crispy on the outside, soft on inside fries – also obviously house-​made
Just about the only part of this meal that wasn’t in perfect harmony was the bill. While the burger was phenomenal, I’m a strong believer that no burger should cost over $ 10. At $ 15 a pop ($ 30 on burgers), it kind of took the wind out of my burger sails. Quality ingredients shouldn’t mean huge price tags for comfort foods.
So yea, like I said, I pretty much burger-​napped through half of the movie afterwards. And no, we didn’t each any more all night. That delicious burger was more than enough.

I feel like I’m writing a lot of 5 star reviews nowadays and it just makes me happy because it means Cleveland is impressing me left and right! The Oak Barrel did just that last night — I walked in impressed by the ambiance and overall look of the place and left thoroughly impressed by the whole experience! Everything from the rustic décor and service to the food and cocktails were wonderful!
This was a place I was shocked to find in Valley View next to the Cinemark theater. I was heading to a movie with a friend later that night and we decided to grab dinner at Oak Barrel. It’s ADORABLE! I came with a friend, but I could definitely see this as a cute date night spot, too! Even a great birthday dinner place with friends! I wish the weather was warmer outside so we could have had drinks by the fire pit outside on their couches! But, we settled on staying indoors thanks to the 30 degree weather.
DRINKS:
Delicious cocktails. I had the Scarlet Margarita, which wasn’t all too sweet at all and had the perfect kick. Love blood orange so loved that this was made with blood orange juice. My friend had the Bloody Sangria which was also really good — I just preferred my margarita.
FOOD:
We started off with the Baked Brie appetizer. 5 stars for appearance and 5 stars for taste for sure!!! Two individual medium sized brie pieces wrapped in pastry dough and baked to perfection. So flaky, so soft, and so good! The crostinis that were served with the Brie were thin, crispy, perfectly seasoned and delicious as well. The plate also had honey, apricots, strawberries, and blackberries.
I opted for the Vegan Falafel sliders. Again, the appearance was amazing as was the taste! Whatever chili sauce they used was delicious with the perfect kick and I could have definitely used a side of that to dip my sliders in! The fries were great, too.
My friend ordered the Pulled Pork BBQ and loved it! It was an insane amount of meat and she definitely had leftovers for 1 – 2 more meals!
SERVICE:
Wonderful — everything came out in a timely manner. The waitress was extremely friendly and attentive. The overhead fan was on extremely high and our table and a few others must have mentioned that it was quite chilly and they were very responsive in immediately turning off the fan.
Overall, I had a great experience at Oak Barrel — I wish this was located in an area like downtown or Ohio City or Tremont. I would love to start out with dinner and drinks here before walking to other places to grab drinks for a night out! Regardless, I know where I’ll be grabbing food the next time I’m going to a movie or looking for a place in Valley View!