Barr’s Public House (BPH) has been serving up high quality pub fare with an unparalleled menu of wine, craft beer, and cocktails, both classic and creative, for ten years. We talked with BPH manager Stephanie Soldner to talk about what makes the pub special.
How it all started
Soldner has worked in the restaurant industry for twenty years, and has been involved with BPH since day one. “The original manager and I worked together in the past and that’s how I found out about Barr’s, and I just fell in love with it. Ken Gabel, who is my business partner, we really hit it off.”
She explained that Gabel always wanted to have a pub but, at the time, did not have much experience in the industry. Once Soldner came on board with her knowledge, they had a partnership that facilitated the dream.
Essentially BPH is run by women, and Soldner said she feels that makes it a comfortable place for women to come and have a drink alone or with their girlfriends. Soldner is very involved with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Woman of the Year annual promotion. May 2022 marked BPH’s 11th Annual Margarita Tasting, for which a portion of the proceeds went to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and has recently grown to a weeklong event. Patrons try handcrafted margaritas created by BPH paired with a special feature from the kitchen like a great chicken quesadilla.
The Vibe
BPH’s location features three distinct rooms with an industrial chic ambiance and an outdoor patio for the spring/summer months. Another unique feature is bottle lockers “that can be rented by the year, and members can keep wine or liquor in them, but it must be a product that we can get for them in Ohio as per Ohio liquor laws,” Soldner said.
“We charge a corkage fee or a service fee. It’s great for people or businesses that want to bring their clients or just have their favorite bottle of something that we might not already carry. For wine aficionados, they can purchase the wine at our member rate and take it home or put it in a locker here.”
Drinks and Menu
You can always get classic cocktails at BPH like a top-notch tasting Sidecar or a Bees Knees, but their seasonal and signature libations are irresistible – a Bourbon Cherry Smash or an Officer Channing Tatum taste and sound delish. Mixologists at BPH have creative rein to add ideas to the cocktail menu.
“Sometimes we come up with a theme first, and other times it’s a name and we build the cocktail around that,” Soldner said. “We usually create cocktails with the seasons in mind. Right now, we are working on our spring/summer cocktail list. I love the creative part— coming up with a menu plus our features that come out every week. One that we bring back a lot is a Hawaiian inspired dish that has an 8 oz. Wagyu beef patty served on a bed of white rice topped with citrus barbeque sauce, crispy onion straws, a fried egg, and kimchi aioli!”
Soldner explains what she loves best about her job: “I’ve been here from day one and it’s just a great place to be. I love watching the business grow. We almost didn’t make it through COVID, but we are still here, and we have a great regular clientele. I love it.”
