Barley & Hops Windermere Tavern opens in Lakeside Village

HORIZON WEST  Whether you want to grab a burger with friends on NFL Sundays or are craving dishes like flatbreads and steaks, the Horizon West area now has a place to get it all.

Barley & Hops Windermere Tavern opened at the end of November in Lakeside Village. Previously The Big Easy’s second location, tavern owner Toby Krause decided he wanted to do something different after taking it over.  

“Barley is our French bulldog and she’s kind of the face of our place,” said Krause, a former business partner of The Big Easy. “Our logo has Barley in it, and the Windermere Tavern (part) — to be honest, my wife and I are from the midwest and (taverns are) what we had. We want this place to be where the locals come. We wanted to have a variety of foods and be a little more unique than other people, (offering) all the way from steaks to flatbreads and different appetizers. We want to make it all affordable for everybody, and have the local people come around here and enjoy a mom-and-pop feel.”

Barley & Hops was closed for only two days during its rebranding transition, which included painting and implementing a new menu. The 5,000-square-foot tavern features a covered patio and 14 high-definition TVs for sports games.

“Quality food and our guest service is very important to me,” Krause said. “I’m so proud of these guys for what they've done. …Everyone pitched in and helped and they did just an incredible job in such a short period of time.”

Much of the items on the menu are created from locally sourced ingredients, including grass-fed beef for hamburgers that comes from Ocala. There are 16 beers offered on tap, including many local and craft beers.

From wings, sandwiches and salads to soups, burgers and flatbreads, Krause said there is something for everyone — even fresh Wisconsin cheese curds, a nod to his roots. 

The most important thing to him and his wife, though, is creating relationships with their guests and treating everyone like family. When the rebranded restaurant officially opened on Saturday, Nov. 24, Krause said he and his staff had a record day and guests loved the new menu.

“It’s been awesome,” Krause said. “…I’m so proud of (my staff) for doing what they did Saturday and Sunday, getting it out there. (We hope) to continue to be able to build the brand here and provide a great place for the local people to hang out and continue to be able to give back to the community. I think we’re going down the right path”