John Barley Corn

Right out of the gate, I have to admit that I am a huge fan of hybrid meals.
Brunch is great; it also sounds the most ‘normal’ (vs. Linner/Lreakfast/Dunch…alright I’m making those up).
But I also love buffets, it’s a weakness, I think the idea of variety and customization of a meal is a wonderful concept.
That said, we came here for Father’s Day to check out the brunch buffet scene and celebrate the old wise man I call my Dad.
Overall impressions were fine; I had never been here before which is strange because I’m a [relatively] young 20-​something and used to work across the street for a year. The bottom line is that I never had the opportunity to go. I did enjoy the seaward theme and décor, it was a sunny day so the natural light in the dining area combined with countless model ships made for a unique experience.
We arrived early for our reservation at 10am and the doors hadn’t been opened yet so we were waiting outside with everyone (and laughing at people who bypassed the crowd to see if the doors were unlocked). We were seated promptly after giving our name and they took our drink orders right when we sat down. I know I did it all wrong by not ordering a cocktail. I stuck with coffee and kicked myself for not truly embracing the leisurely Sunday activity that is Brunch.
I feel like that’s the beauty of the meal; a cocktail with breakfast may raise red flags but it’s socially acceptable to booze at brunch.
We skipped the omelet line and headed straight for the buffet. They had some nice offerings, however I think it would be wise to get there after the first wave of people; meaning all the non-​Yelpers who won’t read this tip wont benefit, but they prep all the food for opening the doors and keep cooking to replenish, therefore the replenishment is clearly going to be fresher. I recommend waiting for the replenishment, which can be said about the food anywhere, I know I’ve mentioned it in other reviews, so it also applies in this situation.
I guess I would be lying if I said I can’t wait to go back, but I certainly wouldn’t be against the idea of returning if it was offered. The price per plate might be a little steep, but considering the quality of other buffets at the same cost I’d say it’s a pretty good value.
If you find yourself in need of brunch, a buffet, or breakfast with an ice cream sundae for dessert, check out the set up at John Barleycorn.
*Had to edit my review — Place is closed*

Had the lauganitis beer and food pairing and was very impressed. Rate this right up
There with some of the wine pairing dinners I’ve had. Chef Scott’s creations were fabulous hope to see some on future menus!

I had a good experience when I came with a few coworkers for lunch. We went on a Thursday for the burger special. It’s a thick burger topped with either American or cheddar cheese plus the usual toppings with a size of fries (or vegetables for $ 1 more) for $ 6. The only downside was that I ordered my burger cooked medium and it came out more well done than medium. Also, the service was pretty slow but overall I can’t really complain for a $ 6 burger!

Only three stars because I have not ate any food here or partied.
Met a friend here for drinks, it was comfortable a little funny on the layout IMO.
The ladies bathroom was clean enough though a little funky. Location is easy to find right off the highway.
The bartenders were both female, the GM or whomever was fun. He warmed up our cognac to release the flavor. It near hotels so its a lot of after work types there.
I heard music upstairs and later found that this place also becomes a club… wow…in the burbs.
Worth going too if you’re in the area

Typical bar food. Nothing more nothing less. Fried apps, nice variety of burgers/​sandwiches and calorie infested salads. The drink selection is decent too. Ok place to go to grab a quick lunch. The heavy food kind of leaves you lagged though so I wouldn’t recommend for lunch brakes from work or you might fall asleep from grease coma. There’s SO many better places for the same dollar amount… especially in Chicago!
As for service, id put it in the average/​slacking category.

Went for a private party in the beautiful upstairs area. Bartenders were highly attentive and the space was perfect for the 150 or so people. The only detractor was the poor food selection. Just nothing really interesting. I’m sure the food is better in the restaurant.

I’m overall a pretty big John Barleycorn fan. They’ve got a nice setup whereby the dance crowd and the casual /​bar crowd can be separated. Further, those seeking a lounge type atmosphere are not subjected to a cover.
The wait staff overall is very good. Girls are very attractive and overall pretty attentive.
Food is definitely above average if you set your sites reasonably. They definitely do better in the pub grub field than most, although if you’re looking for a good steak, you might come away a bit unimpressed.
Tonight, I ordered the filet mignon. Another at my table ordered the same. His ended up being about twice the size overal and definitely thicker. The taste of it overall was pretty good but bc it was only an 8 oz filet served with veggies, I finished still feeling VERY hungry. For $ 25, you would think you would expect to at least feel moderately full. I mentioned to the waitress the inconsistency of the two steaks and she just shrugged and said «I don’t cook the food». (Correct response would have been, «let me take it back and correct it» or «is there anything else I can get you»). I was very pleasant about it and maybe I should’ve been a jerk about it.
Customer base is very good with little/​no riff raff. Age is «fairly» young but someone in their 30’s or 40’s would defly feel very comfortable. Not over the top cheezy (at least not down in the bar area — club area may be different).
Great beer selection, too.
Not without its issues but overall, I’d say Barleycorn is a very good place to meet friends, family workers or even for a date night.

I’ve only been here once for Sunday brunch and I was rather unimpressed. The service was actually ok, but the food was not. A lot of the food seemed to me to be at an incorrect temperature. The hot foods weren’t hot and the cold foods weren’t cold. On top of that it just wasn’t good.
Overall, I may go back eventually at night for drinks, but I definitely won’t eat here again.

So much is wrong here, where to begin!
I usually try to find some good aspects of places I go, even if it is not my cup of tea. There was not much I even liked here so this review serves mostly as a warning.
I went here for a friend’s birthday so we had paid for one of the «VIP» seating areas in the upstairs. They gave us Grey Goose then OJ and cranberry juice. I am more of a beer girl so I go to buy my own drink. All they have upstairs really is Bud Light, their IPA’s (Which is my poisin) and other beers are only served downstairs. I also could not go bownstairs, buy my beer of choice, and bring it upstairs.
Also about half of our party was not allowed into the club at all for «dress code violations». It really isn’t a nice enough of a club to have as strict of a dress code as they do. I could understand not permitting shorts or tankstops, but a lot of guys were not permitted for wearing boots. They weren’t work boots either, nice black boots and also boat shoes were prohibited. A girl dressed in cheap Uggs was perfectly acceptable though.
The bouncers were just kind of rude in general. I handed my ID to the bouncer upside down and he was making a big deal out of it. I also had my hair cut since my picture of my driver’s license (Used to have long locks, now I sport a pixie cut) so he was trying to say it wasn’t me.
Really, dude? I don’t even want to be here if you are treating me like this before I even get in the door.
I also had a lot of creeper issues. Not from the drunks though, from the bouncers!
I was waiting for the guys to go change shoes and such, I had a particular bouncer keep trying to get my number and ask me out. I told him repeatedly that I wasn’t interested, I had a boyfriend, basically whatever I could to try to deter him.
He «didn’t care that I was in a relationship, all boyfriends are temporary». He also said some other things to me that I found rather offensive. Honestly, the nerve of him!
When we were getting ready to leave the club, the same bouncer was trying AGAIN to get my number and get me to commit to a date.
The birthday girl was also quite drunk by the end of it. She was not loud or causing a scene. She was just sitting in the booth with her fiancé, that was the first time they tried to kick her out.
She eventually got sick in the bathroom. Again, she only got sick in the toilet. She did not make a mess, she was not being rude or causing a scene. A friend was in the bathroom stall with her, they went to the farthest stall so not to disturb anyone else.
They got ALL the bouncers in the club come into the girl’s washroom (The girls were all like a deer in a headlights) to try to kick her out of the stall. Do you really want to kick out a puking girl? That is a sure way to cause a mess! When she did come out, they would not let her get cleaned up or anything. They just threw her out.
Not only is she this tiny, 110lbs girl where 5 big bouncers were surely not needed to kick out a girl of her size; but they also did not anticipate that she had paid for the VIP area.
So it then became this huge ordeal that she had to sign for her credit card, but the bouncers didn’t want to let her back in to the club.
If it wasn’t for the poor management and staff of this facility, the place would be perfectly mediocre. There is a large dance floor, the music is all the latest tunes on the radio and dubstep, I have had weaker drinks than here.
Of course the creepy bouncer ruin it for me though so basically not my favorite place in the world!

This review is for the restaurant and brunch only. Been here several times, most recently for Sunday brunch post-​Thanksgiving. All-​you-​can-​eat and the Bears game makes for a good Sunday.
We had a larger group and were seated in the center of the dining area. The brunch here is really good, not great or anything fancy, but better than average. They offer the usual bfast staples: eggs, sausage, bacon, toast, pancakes, French toast, etc. along with a made-​to-​order omelet station, and lunch items as well: ribs, fried chicken, pasta, mac n cheese, pizza, potatoes (mashed and diced). The rib tips and chicken are a little on the dry side, maybe from sitting in those heating/​warming pans. There’s also a house salad too if you’re looking for something light. and fruit, but overall, the brunch selection is hearty. The dessert station has ice cream & cookies.
There are televisions in abundance, mounted on every inch of the walls so we didn’t miss a minute of the game. Tables/​Chairs are comfy. The restaurant is spacious and airy, good natural sunlight coming through the windows. Brunch was set-​up in between the bar and dining area. Staff is friendly and efficient. It’s kid-​friendly.
This one is a keeper on our fave brunches list.

This place is pretty big. The first floor is your typical American bar/​restaurant and their food is pretty good! I had one of their burgers which was pretty juicy, and the service was nice. We came for a birthday.
Afterwards, we went upstairs to hang, lounge, dance. A live pop/​rocky band was playing and they played a lot of fun tunes (renditions of popular songs) and once midnight hit, there was DJ-​ed dance music. They played most of the latest hits.
Positives are:
— It’s spacious, downstairs and up
— Service is nice
— Food is pretty good, depending on what you have
— Portions are big
— Fun music
— Large dance space upstairs
Negatives:
— Bathroom Attendees get in the way (you may need to tip them)
— The atmosphere once the DJ came on kind of creeped me out — I don’t go out dancing all that much — but I wasn’t a fan of some of the videos and weird symbols they were throwing up on the screens and walls.
— We went on a Friday night. Black Friday. The restaurant felt oddly empty. The upstairs population got a little better as the night went on.
Overall, a fun place to hang. Grab lounge chairs upstairs if you get there early enough. Otherwise, you’ll be standing all night. If it’s your birthday, make sure you tell the bartender.

This is for the bar area only. I don’t get the low ratings! Our server was incredibly attentive and nice. She came by often without being intrusive to make sure we were okay. I only ordered hot tea because I had a sore throat, but she happily filled my hot water as many times as I asked. My friends were all taken cared of with their drinks.
The place has so many TVs and they don’t charge cover for UFC fights. YES! No matter what direction I turned, I could easily watch UFC. The crowd wasn’t overly douchey and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. This is probably one of my favorite bars I’ve been to in the suburbs.

On a lazy Satuday afternoon I threw the wife in the car and the kids in the back and trucked on down to John Barleycorn for an early dinner.
The menu selection looked adequate; the scene was that of an empty sports bar. (Ot was 4pm on a Saturday.
The service was not great. We were seated quickly but had to take a circuitous route to the table because the hostess had to take a route with little risk of falling once her 4 inch heels. The server never zero to be there when she was needed, even though the place was empty.
The food was okay. I had their rib special. They. were cooked to perfection with the meat falling off the bones. My wife and daughter had salads, bitty were good and fresh but they both said they’d had better.
Price was a little high for the value. I’ve be been curious about this place and now I’ve been there. No need to go back. Strike one more from
My bucket list.

Last night was a night of firsts, including the first time I’ve been to a John Barleycorn since, say, 2006, and the first time I’ve been to THIS location. It was also the first time I walked out and DIDN’T tip a waitress.
My +1 and I had just gotten food, but had a hankering for another beer, so we stopped in… it was maybe 9pm-​ish. We sat in the bar area, and it took quite some time for our waitress to come to our table to get our drink orders. Once they were in, though, things were alright for a while. We sat 5″ away from one another and used a combination of shouting and pantomime to try and have a conversation. People watching was good, too. Lots of lonely 20-​to-​40-​something guys sitting alone and eye f’ing some of the younger female patrons. Nice.
The busboy (or whatever you call him — the guy who picks up the dirty glasses) was regularly walking the floors. That’s great, actually — but not great when he tried taking my glass with beer still in it. Lemme finish these last 5 sips, OK guy?
Our glasses were LONG gone before our waitress came back to see if we wanted another. My +1 asked for the check. We waited… and waited… and waited. 10 minutes or so later, she walked by our table (with drink orders another table placed well after we asked for our check) and said that she’d «Be right back with (y)our check.» Another 10 minutes went by. We watched her take drink orders from the table of 6 – 7 directly next to us, BYPASS us, and go to another table.
My +1 half-​joked about us walk out on the bill. Then, he asked if we should just throw a $ 10 down and leave. I didn’t know how much the damn beer cost, though, so I went to ask a bartender. That took another 5 minutes, and during that time our waitress still didn’t come back.
When we found out or Miller pints were $ 4 apiece, we slapped exactly $ 8 on the table and left. I saw our waitress look at us as we stood up to go.
Notipforyou.

Well this would be for a review, however we weren’t able to get in this very very classy venue. Note the sarcasm.
Friday night in Schaumburg… what is there to do? We had friends come down from Chicago to visit us. So we decide to check out the bar scene in town. We drove to John Barelycorn, and walked to the door. Before my fiancé and our guy friend (both of the chocolate complexion) had time to pull out an ID, the bouncer looks at us and says «sorry tonight we have a dress code, no hat, gym shoes, shorts»… basically everything the guys were wearing. The fact that he sounded like he made that up from the top of his head made us laugh.
I think they spared us from getting ripped off by paying $ 20 at the door anyways. The funny part was that I just saw a middle aged white man with shorts walk in in front of us. Regardless it seemed like it was senior citizen’s & cougar night.

A $ 20 cover to be simply let into your douchefest of a 2^nd floor bar? Me thinks not!
Hello? Earth to Barleycorn? This is Schaumburg! Not the River North area of Chicago…
Alas I had no other choice than to pony up the cash, considering my old high school buddy (who’s heart is bigger than his brain) decided to come here for his bachelor party… Obligations, Obligations.

I used to go to Barleycorn quite a bit as the only decent option for late night dancing fun in the Schaumburg area. It really sucked that they charged $ 10 – 20 to go upstairs and dance. It’s extremely hard to find parking on Friday & Saturday nights!
I also used to go for happy hour with friends every once in awhile. I was obsessed with getting the Chicken Bacon Ranch Panini! It was so tasty and had corn on it! Nomnomnomz.
All in all, I don’t mind stopping in here on weeknights or after work, but I’m past the age of wanting to go here on weekend nights and party out. It’s super packed most nights!

Working out in the burbs would be so boring if I didn’t work near a bar!
The food and service here is actually pretty darn good! The portions are more than enough and the prices are reasonable. The bar area downstairs can get a little crowded during lunch and happy hour time. At night, they normally have bands play or dj upstairs. FYI– they do charge cover to go upstairs depending if they have a band or dj playing. Yes, you will run into the crowds who wear the stupid Affliction gear, but the place is big enough so you wont be bothered.
Overall, good place!

I am reviewing the bar area; I haven’t been to the restaurant or upstairs level.
The place is very clean, and the waitresses are very attentive/​quick with orders. I had the cobb salad, my sister had the buffalo chicken salad, and our friend had the mini cheeseburgers. All were in generous portions. Drink specials were reasonably priced.
I’m so glad that the DJ and dance floor are on a separate level from the bar. A bar should be for casually sitting around, talking, and watching a game, not for dancing/​club music… but that’s my opinion.

I was surprised about a few things in regards to this John Barleycorn’s upon my visit last night:
— to find out that this was one of the few bars/​clubs in the area open «late» (til midnight)
— that at a distance, the John Barleycorn’s sign on the building makes it look like a department store or newspaper office
— that the dessert menu includes cookie dough wontons in black cherry compote with a white chocolate drizzle. Am I at a fancy restaurant or a bar?
Our waitress was kind of curt. The aforementioned exotic dessert sounds better than it actually is. The cookie dough wontons didn’t match the cherry sauce, and the flavors didn’t complement each other or anything. Yes, I realize that I was at a BAR, and yes, I realize that maybe my expectations in dessert at a bar should be lowered, but this was right after the crème brûlée at Stonewood Ale House surprisingly impressed me. Regardless of your dining establishment, don’t serve desserts on your menu if they don’t taste good.