Located in the same plaza as my fave, Anvil’s Cheesesteaks, Barry’s Cafe is a classic and old-school eatery! Inside the discrete front facing you’ll find a double-sided dining room: cash register and counter to the right, booths and tables to the left. Firehouse paraphernalia hang throughout the space, an apparent homage to the firemen in the area. The best way to describe Barry’s is homey, you feel like you’re in somebody’s home kitchen or dining room. Our server takes our drink order quickly and I scan the menu, pretty basic grill eats but I go with the well-acclaimed burger with cheddar, lettuce and onion.
Ten minutes later our food comes out and it all looks pretty good! A large burger with well-melted cheddar on top. So well-melted I couldn’t see the patty underneath. Along with some long, brown lightly seasoned fries, it’s time to eat! Barry’s burgers are excellent, large enough to require two-handed eating. Pretty sure the meat is ground in-house, the burger was tender and flavorful with a nice complement from the veggies. The fries were decent but probably your standard, good-quality frozen fries. I’ll have to confess to being spoiled by the fries at Chuck’s which are UH-mazing. My dining companion’s cheese steak looks excellent but not quite the traditional Philly cheese steak that drives me crazy.
Service at Barry’s is very good, our guy stops by several times and makes absolutely sure are glasses are always full. If I remember correctly, we were even offered a complimentary dessert which I passed on. Overall I like this place and if I lived in the hood, I’d definitely be back from time to time. With a classic diner feel, solid down-home menu and excellent service, you could do far worse than Barry’s Cafe. But I gotta confess that the cheesesteaks next-door will probably prove to be a huge hurdle.
First Take: Littler for Small Plates with Big Flavor