The Barrel House in South Hams

This is far and away the best place to enjoy live music in Totnes. Comfortable, great community spirit and affordable drinks served by friendly staff.

The Barrel House manage to get some great acts. I just wish it was closer, or the train would run at more convenient times. Short clip of The 3 Daft Monkeys who are brilliant and gave such positive energy.

Came in for the first time in several years. Early evening, end of week. We were too early for our booking at a restaurant nor far down and across the road. Friendly in the Barrel House, bit hectic but benign jostling and a good mix of ages, types etc. Fair selection of booze at average current prices. Got a place to sit with a few out and inwards towards the idiosyncratic but interesting crowd. If we hadn’t to leave for a meal and then a music gig down at St Mary’s we’d have easily stayed in the Barrel House all evening.

This place is a gem. Enough said, really.

Fantastic live Gig James Kirby Lovely place great 👍🏻

Throughly enjoyed the event we attend on Saturday. Service and staff was excellent considering the amount of people there

Best live music venue in South Devon. Great beer selection. Friendly bar team. Secluded garden in the back. Dog friendly. And you can bring you own take away food!

A great place. Only went upstairs for a gig but it was one of those small places where everyone crams in, good beer, good music, good vibes. Great ceiling too, old ball room.

Spectacular venue, particularly the claret coloured velvet curtains. Open mike night. Entertaining poet but the sound checks took too long. And I would have spent more at the bar but it seemed bereft of any food whatsoever. Apparently you can bring your own food in. So lots of people with Doner kebabs and fish and chips.

Went to a gig.... got told to be quiet, whilst talking to someone next to me....NO one was dancing....seriously felt restricted to enjoy the gig! Not alot of space in the main area, Sound system is horrendous (good job the act was amazing) I seriously expected better as it was in Totnes!!? Manager very rude. Bar and door staff absolutely excellent though....5star to them!! Especially a lass working there called Helen. Very helpful,polite and professional. I will not be going there again!!

Awesome experience. Great crowd, lively open mic with amazing talent.

What a jem! Came to see Ushti Baba who were absolutely fantastic, so much fun. We arrived quite early so enjoyed a delicious Joe Joe's (food delivered from a few doors up) and sunk a few fresh and tasty beers in the downstairs bar. Beautiful place, warm and cosy with a real fire, friendly staff and quick service.

Great venue for live music. I saw and listened to Willie and The Bandits great set

Went to The House Double Vol 17 event last night upstairs in The Barrell House and boy oh boy what a night that was. Fantastic tunes with a great crowd - The crowd in Barrell House is always so diverse. Never been anywhere like it. The staff are very welcoming and down to earth. A great venue. Also a big appreciation to the sheer amount of effort The Barrell House goes to with not only putting on such a wide range of events consistently throughout the year but also putting those events somewhere accessible such as Facebook (usually with an enticing yet informative description of what to expect) I absolutely love the place and feel lucky to have it nearby.

Ukulele group meets Monday nights

Girl behind bar burnt my mate for ordering a Korev 10/10. Nice to see a place that has a laugh and honesty 😂

Best bar and events in totnes by far. Great place with reasonable prices and good selection of drinks. Beautiful outdoor courtyard with a great vibe.

Nice atmosphere and great staff

This place is a gem that must be protected. The atmosphere is wonderful and the staff are great. There is a fantastic selection of craft beers. What makes it really unique is that you can bring your own food; with the selection available in the town, particularly on market day this makes for a brilliant combination!

Fantastic venue tucked away, somewhere I have never been before atmosphere really good

I've been to a few gigs here as a solo female, it's great to feel safe in a crowd. It's great to see their choices of bands lined up. Amazing atmosphere every time, nice to see a bar selling Korev, and the staff are always lovely.

A Great venue, that gets some amazing bands in.. Love this place..

great beer, friendly service stopped to try one of their beers, had a nice relaxed chat with a local and enjoyed the buzz Good Spot to see the world go by

Love it here. Good sound tech people. Live gigs upstairs are good and decent pint. Best in Totnes for pubs. Poetry night is a blessing

Beautiful place..fantastic interior,great place to dance and watch a band.Great atmosphere..you won't be disappointed.

Saw a gig......Great little venue

One of the cool haunts in a cool town. Atmospheric music venue,boho decor, steep stairs.

Incredibly loud music multiple nights a week, totally inconsiderate to the whole high street, don’t know how it’s been allowed to go on for so long

Wow, needed to write this as people need to know. The service was quick, everyone had a smile on their face and the atmosphere was very comfortable, they even knew every beer down to a T. Just disgusting, will definitely not not be returning. Ask Matt for a dance also, he’s more than willing.

My first visit to The Barrel House. I was attending to perform at an open mic night. I was greeted by the events manager who was absolutely lovely. That goes for all the bar staff, a friendly and helpful attitude all round. A good range of beers and ciders available. No food but you can order in from elsewhere. Good performance venue and a great welcome in Totnes.

Nice venue for bands to play, had a great time good atmosphere and the pub down stairs do interestingly different beers.

A popular place, not bad on prices, central location

Open mic night was super. Did not eat!

Really friendly staff and great atmosphere. Nice place for a group or solo drink and dog friendly.

I used to love this live music venue but they seem to have allowed things to go downhill. The staff and management are not accommodating to people with hidden disabilities. Also there is an entry requirement to prove you haven’t got a disease which I find bizarre.

Absolutely disgusted to see that this place is asking for proof of vaccination status - condoning medical apartheid.

Condoning medical apartheid! Will not be visiting until this pub changes hands. Shame on them for promoting and upholding the perverse new world order that is emerging. If everyone said no this would stop

A very relaxed venue, with a mirror ball!

We came across this place and had to go in. Great atmosphere and beers. Shame it isn't open more nights!!

Very friendly staff. Pleasant atmosphere to have a drink after work. Nice glass of chilled white wine

Small venue, good variety of drinks

One of my favourites place in town! Especially the Ballroom to do the salsa lessons every Monday and the service is great! Traditional beer 🍻 and nice wine 🍷always live music 🎶 🕺

Epic venue, lacked an encore :) Backbeat were brilliant!!!

Top of the town, top place, top beer! the best selection of beers and ciders you could wish for. Atmosphere great too.

Good selection of beers wine and ciders as well as cocktails

They run a really amusing open mic with lots of local musicians but you have to be there early if you want to play and get a slot at least by 8pm but might be that you don't play til late. It is an amusing little location with good beer and ambience

One of, if not Devons best small venue.

Really needed more time in here. Sampled some of the many good beers on offer. Too little time, too much beer! :)

Always a brilliant buzzy atmosphere 😍

Smells of old toilet and rude staff

A lovely bar in the heart of totnes. A great selection of high end beer including their own but be prepared to pay a reasonable amount for it. Over £4 for a half means we couldn't stay for many! Other drinks (cider) were ok but we can only really visit every once in a while.

Great beer selection, hosts some good parties!

This place gets rather crowded at weekends and especially so when they have good musicians to entertain the crowd. It’s a pity they don’t serve food here, only drinks so you have to go some where else for dinner. This cuts down on the evening’s drinks time. But if they did serve good food, folks might just stay and linger on.

Apparently linked with a local micro brewery, this interesting beer establishment fills a need in Totnes for a lively place for mostly young but allcomers also. The chaotic bar gives tastes if you are not sure and there is a secluded courtyard that hosts music or sometimes just conversation and smokers. Attached to the now defunct Castle Inn, that premises acts as more seating with a walk through. Due to no kitchen, you are invited to bring your chinese takeaway or fish and chips in as long as you are responsible. Part of the bohemian Totnes scene and very entertaining.

We visited the Barrel House whilst staying in Totnes recently. The selection of beers is fantastic and the owners really know their stuff as they also brew their own beer on the premises. As the bar does not serve food you are welcome to bring your own which is a nice touch. Unfortunately we were unable to stay for the band that night but we will be back and hope to spend longer there. I highly recommend this pub

Good old pub with in house brewery.

An absolutely lovely little music venue. Holds approx 100 people so is perfect for intimate performances. They put on a wide range of acts and club nights - in the last couple of years I've seen Joe Metronomy DJ, The Wave Pictures, jazz, psych rock, folk, and raved to house music. They have a monthly comedy night and a open mic jam session. The gold vaulted ceiling is pretty special too!

We visit the Barrel House whenever there is a band on we fancy seeing. They have some great bands, that aren't necessarily mainstream. Love the atmosphere and intimacy of the room, it's old rustic and quirky Love the ales too. Always had an enjoyable evening..whether just my husband and I or with friends. Looking forward to going again in July and August.

Saw Jon Allen here, this is a great music venue.

Great live Music venue and great beverages

Great place with amazing selection of beers

Well what a turnout! On Saturday night, the police raided the place and took some very unsavoury characters with them! It was hilarious, the bar staff and management were trying to explain that they had no idea this was going on in their establishment. (All lies as they are bang at it as well!) Is this the wake up call they need (or the local licensing committee, or their little meetings) to finally put paid to this horrible place? Maybe now the council will review this drug den blighting our community?

Great selection of craft beers . Can bring in dog and take away food. The latter not to be confused with the former..

Called in on a mini pub crawl Friday night and again Saturday. Now in 2018 Good Beer Guide so says it all. Great space on a corner position. Live music nights. Another pub where you can bring your own food. Brilliant.

Scrubbed wooden floors, mismatched tables and chairs, two bars, great beer choices and in a lovely old building with a good view for people watching. We were there for the Sea Change Festival and this place was heaving. It'll be interesting to visit at another time but suspect this place is always pretty good and fairly busy. Deservedly so.

Best place in Totnes to taste and try a great range of beers and ciders.And served by friendly knowledgeable staff

En el envejecimiento con perro hippie mangey en una cadena central que es la casa de Totnes Barrel es, de lejos, el mejor pub.

Fantastic choice of craft beers and real ales. Also a nice friendly atmosphere and good knowledgable staff. The draft Weissbier was delicious.

No estoy seguro de por qué este tiene Tripadvisor en la sección de restaurante. Es un excelente bar con su propia micro cervecería. Fuego Real, un gran ambiente y excelente selección de cervezas. No hacen comida (aparte de un cerdo Scratchings), pero están muy contentos de que la orden para llevar una pizza o un chino y comer en el bar. A menudo tienen arriba música en vivo.

Allí conocí a un amigo y me compré una cerveza. Era muy turbia y sabía horrible. Él tomó, y el camarero dijo, "no hay nada malo con ello, que es la manera en que hacerlo ahora sin finings". Nunca he tenido una horrible cerveza en cualquier lugar y me cobraron de nuevo por una diferente, no de la casa, cerveza.

Justo cuando pensaba que no era de carácter y no fue donde divertido ir en el sur de Devon para una gran noche hemos descubierto este lugar. Musica en vivo y DJ, probamos 2 cócteles genial, la comida era excelente, un ambiente excelente, el personal y el servicio amable y profesional. Tenía un gran baile. Pocos lugares como este en el sur de Devon. Volveré seguro.

This place is brilliant, fantastic atmosphere with a great range of drinks and beers. Great music events also. Love it

We went into this lovely warm old style real pup and got a friendly welcome found some nice seats and a rest from the market and shopping adding this pub to our mini pub crawl

We only popped in for a quick pre-dinner pint but we were served cloudy beer - didn't complain because my wife hates a fuss so just didn't bother drinking it. Noticed that all three cask ales being served were cloudy.Bit surprising for a brewwhouse really

They brew their own craft beer here, really knowledgeable staff tell,you a bit about the beers on offer and let you taste too. Definitely a beer drinkers pub and seems to have a mix of locals and visitors , we really liked it.

I visited here in October on my first visit to Totnes, and so glad I chose here for my first evening! Good range of beverages, local and good quality. Authentic and comfortable furnishings and a general really nice atmosphere :) The 2 staff serving that evening (one from NZ) were really nice guys, friendly and gave me some advice about the area (including helping me get a taxi home!). Couldn't recommend it more, I'll definitely pay a visit when I'm next in town.

We were in Totnes for the day and we're looking for somewhere with great beer, wifi, good atmosphere and dog friendly we found that place.

Visited early in the evening and even at 5.30pm there was a good crowd in with a buzzy feel to the place. Beer was great and could have easily stayed longer. The owner showed us the beer garden which is situated in the moat of the castle and I can imagine great nights out there in the summer!!! We will be back.

Lively, fun, likeable, with good beers and a nice snug. More polite and pleasant than the nearby Bay, less caravanny and chicken-in-a-basket than the King Bill, no football telly or holocaust jokes (a la Nelson), better booze than the Albert, and no meals like so many other places. Good luck to them. A sort of urban vibe in a backwater of a village - even if Totnes thinks of itself as a township of towering significance.

Great atmosphere and wonderful micro brewed beer. The venue upstairs is the must visit venue in Totnes with great bands and audiences thatlove to dance. Get your dancing shoes on and check out the gig list.

We popped in to check out the venue as we were watching a band there (upstairs in the ballroom) that evening. Hummmmm, it's taking shabby chic to the extreem. A sort of price list scrawled on a blackboard and probably the smallest cluttered bar in Totnes or even Devon.Craft beer was nice near perfect in fact but tapping close to a fiver I flipping should be! Wife had small house wine which was crap and at over a fiver was a rip off tbh.The concert ballroom upstairs was shabbier chic than downstairs and probably should be listed as it was held in some time warp. Nice bar, polite service, reasonable beer and clean loos.Unless the band return here I don't think we will.

Took the in laws for a day out and stumbled apron this beautiful bar. The bro in law and I were done with shopping and found this bar and went in for a quick beer. We were so surprised just how nice it was, fantastic atmosphere and the beer was lovely. Once the ladies joined us we grabbed 2 platters, once again WOW they were fantastic. All in all a fantastic bar with fantastic service/beer and food. It's a must when in Totnes.

Great food, especially Sunday brunch in a warm and inviting grand house of Totnes. Their micro brewer produces excellent beers too.

Fantastic Micro Brewery with amazing beers, constantly changing. We absolutely love their brew "Happy Spanner". Great ambience and the perfect way to unwind after a long day xx

Disappointing again.Not much choice of night spots in Totnes so needs must.They get decent musicians and some of the DJ's are good.The problem is the lay out and the unpleasant pushing and shoving around the bar and parts of the dance floor,at £4.50 a pint you don't want to be spilling it.And why oh why do the staff sport those daft hipster beards?

A very welcoming place with an outdoor area out the back with staff who are very patient and helpful when your deciding.

Have visited twice in the past few months, on the first visit we had the American pancakes with bacon and maple syrup and the bacon and brie (I think) panini. Both were delicious (we shared) and good portion sizes - food was piping hot and didn't take long to arrive! Coffee was great, had a chocolate brownie for desert which was divine, and the lady who served us was very friendly. On the second visit a few weeks ago, we were initially disappointed by the fact that the cafe seemed closed down, but when we looked closer we realised only the downstairs section seemed to have closed, and ventured upstairs. It's a bit of a different atmosphere but very light and airy, we had the pancakes again and a burger. Food was again good standard, although perhaps slightly smaller portions than last time. Coffee was again good, and service was friendly and efficient. Shame that the downstairs has closed though, not quite the same vibe, but I will be back again and would recommend this place to friends.

Visited here for breakfast with friends recently. We ordered 6 cooked breakfasts. One arrived within 5 minutes of ordering. The other 5 came between 20-30 minutes later. When the food did arrive it was average and the service was so substandard that we kept having to ask for additional items - things that you'd expect as standard from table service (condiments, cutlery etc.). Add to this the fact that's it's quite expensive makes this even worse. It's set in a very nice building, but that's about it.

So we popped in for lunch, was brutally disapointed as they only vegan options was out of stock, the staff were rude and not at all apologetic! We politely requested a refund and canceled the food order, they looked very unhappy about this and took 20 mins to sort it. Heard such good things but the rude staff and lack of vegan food let it dpwn :-(

This place is certainly unique if you like slow service,long waits,food which is cold when it eventually arrives and a staff who seem to feel it is a privilege for them to deign to serve you.Obviously this is Totnes and part of the charm is the otherwordly lack of discipline or regard for social and commercial norms .....but hey....there is really a limit to how long you want to wait to feed your kids an overpriced lukewarm meal accompanied by greasy chips and gloopy mayo.Unless you are in it for an unusual authentic 'hippy' experience I would strongly advise you to go to one of the numerous other establishments who provide decent food in under an hour.

I have been meaning to post this review for some time. I came with friends for an informal meal and had high hopes. We were, frankly, disappointed with how slowly the food arrived. One of our party found that her food was not properly hot but when she told staff, they were unsympathetic and unhelpful. We shall not be revisiting this establishment.

Always great coming here with wee ones. Loads of space for them to play without getting in the way of others. Good music, well located. Enjoy coming here.

I have been meaning to write this review for a while so its been some time since my visi. I visited with my dad before christmas and we initially came for coffee but ended up having lunch. I have not visited the Barrel House since its refurb and I must say its greatly improved. The coffee was really well made with no hint of burnt milk or bitterness. My dad had ham and eggs and he said it was the best ham he has ever had. I had a full english which was everything you would want and more - excellent value for money and lovely ingredients. All very well cooked in the open kitchen which looked clean and tidy. The best thing about our trip was the service - all the staff were lovely and made us feel very welcome without being too fussy. They kept the open fire going so we could keep warm (it was a cold day) and at the end the chef came over and had written down the ham recipie for us so we could bake one at home for boxing day. My dad visits regulalry for the coffee as he lives locally and its now my go to place when shopping in Totnes.

Great place for informal eating .. Locally sourced produce.. Enjoyed the ambiance.. Good value ...service not super fast but this is a relaxed place..tasty well presented food great atmosphere

I've lived here for 15 years or so, and the Barrel House has had its ups and downs, but this 'brunch' was about as down as it gets. Wild Mushroom Bruschetta you say? £6.80? What would my expectation of Wild Mushroom Bruschetta be, do you think? Well, I'll tell you what I WOULDN'T expect. I wouldn't expect about four oyster mushrooms on two slices of Mother's Pride, one brown and one white, the white one being like, y'know, the crust. With a VERY small amount of butter on it. That's not what I would call WMB folks. That's called mushrooms on toast, and made very badly, by people who don't care. There are rumours the Barrel House is about to close down. In one sense that would be a shame, because it's something of an institution in the town, and occupies a prime central location. Has bands on and stuff. Bit of a hub. However, in another sense, if this is the best they can do, put it out of its misery, I say. Let someone else have a go.

Found today whilst wandering, looking for lunch venue for 8. Menu looks limited but actually food is great - well exceeding expectations.Quality ingredients - looked & tasted scrummy. We all enjoyed our food, two young, friendly assistants were a joy. Loved the decor & airiness - hope to be back of an evening sometime.

Still good, always go for christmas evening dinner with an ex-neighbour and the food and drink is always good. Since they changed the first floor it has lost a bit of character

Came across the Barrel House on August Bank Holiday popping in near the end of lunchtime.Had popped into Totnes for a couple of hours to have a look around & found a table downstairs.It's not waitress service here and you have to find a table before going up to the counter to order. Initially popped up to the counter but there was no server, where the order process took a while. Items sold out, unable to make changes to some items as they were pre-made, but eventually put an order.Drinks took about ten minutes, but we were missing one glass of wine. After another ten minutes I had to ask the server where the last drink was. 'It's being made upstairs' was the reply. As I was about to go up again after 20 minutes it eventually appeared. How you cannot serve five drinks at the same time, indicates how long it took to get served.55 minutes after our original order and having watched another customer who had come in 30 minutes after us get served I again had to approach the waittress to ask where the food was and how come they were serving people who had come in afterwards. The vacuous reply from the server with a shrug of the shoulders was 'Well, there's more of you then them'.Frankly a pathetic response from a completely un-interested member of staff. Food was OK, which saves it from a Terrible rating for poor service.All in all we spent over 1 and a half hours in the Barrel, which left us no time to look around Totnes.Don't bother going at busy times or a quick lunch, they obviously cannot cope with it.

Went for a late full English & a pot of tea on our last morning in Totnes. We opted for the small portion but still left with a full belly. It was really tasty with good quality ingredients. The staff were lovely - attentive but not fussy. The only slight niggle was that the tea bag wasn't very strong but I was offered another tea bag & my teapot was topped up so I left very happy!

Have popped in for lunch, with our dog Dilly. Made to feel welcome, lots of families here. I had the cherry tomato and goats cheese tart and my husband had the Caramelised onion and Camembert tart, both of which were delicious. This is our second time here and we will be back again :-)