With a line almost out the door, the Barn on a Thursday night is one of the busiest times to catch a quick meal. However, the bustling crowd of the restaurant is indeed worth the wait.
The Barn was indeed a barn, back when UC Riverside was UC Los Angeles’ agricultural extension. Since then, the Barn has undergone immense changes throughout the years. Recently, the Barn was remodeled to hold more people in its indoor and outdoor spaces, even renovating its concert venue space into an outdoor entertainment space.
The restaurant also has a full bar, equipped with $5 margaritas and a wide assortment of beers and wine. Most drinks come with a collectible Barn-branded cup, suitable for the random assortment of cups in your dishware cabinet.
The main menu from the Barn is divided into two, hot and ready BBQ food and the grill menu. Both of which you can use meal swipes and dining dollars. However, nothing on the menu has any vegetables, which is a common complaint from students. Burger options include “The Barn Classic Burger,” a simple cheeseburger, and the “BBQ Lasso Burger,” a BBQ and bacon cheeseburger. You can also replace the beef with chicken options paired with the same flavors offered on the burger menu. Halal beef and chicken are also available by request, which is a difficult option to find on campus. The restaurant also offers a full vegan menu and sides of fries and onion rings.
As a burger connoisseur, “the Barn classic burger” was a must-try and it can be confirmed to be the best on campus. The burger was paired with “Barn fries,” which are steak fries seasoned with “Barn seasoning,” also known as cajun seasoning. As one who prefers other cuts of fries, this side was still a delectable addition to the burger.
At the time of arrival, the burger was the slightest bit dry but was cured by the edition of a dollop of ketchup. The finely chopped lettuce and well-melted cheese were the perfect mixture in the burger combination. However, the tomato on the burger was humongous. The slice was too large to be consumed and had to be removed to move forward with the review. Yet, the patty made up for its veggie proportions. The patty is thick and better than the Habit’s burnt-thin patty or the Getaway Cafe’s K-12 public school cafeteria-style burger.
A few lackings include the burger’s need for a paper wrap, as it can get messy, and its price, a whopping $11 for a burger and fries. Despite all the minor deductions, the burger is definitely worth the cash. It is one of the few quality meals you can get on campus and out beats all of the burger options at UC Riverside. Pair the burger with the strawberry lemonade and you have the perfect spring treat!
