Barley & Vine

Barley & Vine is a downtown tavern with sixteen rotating taps, an eclectic wine list, and a shelf of board games in the back room. Their own line — beer and wine from around the corner and around the world — sums up the buying: local Oregon and Northwest breweries cycling constantly, alongside wines poured properly, sometimes in Riedel glassware, at prices that don’t reflect the neighborhood. There’s rarely a time (except for harvest) when I don’t see a winemaker sitting at the bar.

The nachos are the thing. Every review mentions them, guests recommend them to strangers, and a bartender at Brixeur sends people here specifically for them. Beyond that: soft pretzels with cheese sauce, a goat cheese and bread board people call fabulous, cheesesteaks, mac and cheese with barbecue pork, salads, wraps, and crostini. Tuesday brings two-dollar tacos.

The room is set up for different kinds of evenings. A sofa, a bar, high-tops, and a back room with a game table and a large collection to pick from. Growlers and bottles to go. Outdoor seating when the weather cooperates. Live music some nights.

What makes it useful for visitors is the timing. Most of Newberg shuts down by nine. Barley & Vine runs to ten on weeknights and eleven on Friday and Saturday, opening at noon on weekends and two on weekdays. If you’ve finished dinner and aren’t ready to go back to the hotel, this is where you land.

It’s a local and industry hang, which means the people around you likely made or poured something you drank that day.

Owner Brad is often there, and people mention how much he knows about what’s on tap.