Barrel House Tavern

We came with a large group for a family dinner. The service was wonderful and the server took the time to go over the menu with me and told me what was gluten-free. The food was pretty good. The shrimp on the risotto was a bit salty. I do not recommend the watermelon margarita.

The location is amazing, but the food is bland, and the service is mediocre at best. We asked for balcony seating and were told we couldn't sit there because we were a party of 2, yet several other parties of 2 before and after we were seated got to sit on the balcony. Specifically, the sauces were either store bought or just poorly seasoned, the calamara was cooked ok but again, no flavor, the fries were bland with minimal salt, and they don't offer gluten free substitutes (as we were told by staff). Ultimately, it seems like they only seasoned their fresh cooked food with light salt and pepper. It's worth mentioning they charge a service fee on top of everything and still expect a 20% tip. The menu does not include any mentionable dietary details about the ingredients, so when we ordered the garlic bread, we had no idea it was covered in cheese, which we could not eat. We had to ask twice to take it back and remove it from our bill. The food is not worth the prices and I'm not being cheap, I've paid less for more. The Trident, for example, which is just down the street, is similar in price and scenery with really good food. The chef needs to season the food better, management needs to train their staff on better customer service, and the owner needs to not offer store bought options considering the location and prices they charge. It feels like a tourist trap on the bay. We won't be coming back after the owner's response to our feedback, which was very unprofessional.