The Malted Barley and the wonders of pretzels
Where can you find Asiago cheese pretzels, chocolate-peanut butter beer, and waffle sundaes, all in the same building? The answer is the Malted Barley, a cozy-yet-spacious restaurant and bar located in downtown Providence on Westminster Street. That's about a 20 minute walk from campus. Or if you're feeling lazy (as I so often am), an inexpensive Uber ride.
I'd been wanting to check out the Malted Barley for quite a while, but given the infrequency with which I've ventured off the hill in past years, I hadn't yet gotten around to it. As a senior with only a little time left, I'm now determined to really explore Providence. This pretzel-serving brewery was at the top of my list.My friends and I arrived at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday ready for a delicious experience. We sat at the bar and our waitstaff was immediately friendly and helpful. The beer list is extensive (their website lists 35 varieties served on tap, although there were even more on the actual menu), so I was a bit overwhelmed by the choices. Thankfully, the bartender swooped in to rescue me from indecision, recommending a brew called "Sweet Baby Jesus." It was a stout or a porter — I'm not cultured enough to be able to tell the difference — flavored with peanut butter and chocolate. He offered me a sample and I was pleasantly surprised at how tasty the beer was; I usually only drink light beers. My friends on the other hand ordered a beer that was opposite from mine but equally delicious: raspberry ale, beatifically rosy in color. Although not as cheap as at the GCB, the beers were also affordable — around seven or eight dollars a pop.I should back up for a second, because not all of you have the good fortune of being 21. Even if you're underage, you can still enjoy the Malted Barley for its food. Thankfully, as the bartender kindly informed me, the kitchen serves food until just before closing... aaand I should mention that the restaurant is open every day until 1 a.m.The star items on the menu are the pretzels — deliciously fresh soft pretzels. They come in a diverse variety of flavors, from your run-of-the-mill salted pretzel to a chipotle pepper and gouda-stuffed pretzel. I picked the queen of all confections: the cinnamon-sugar pretzel, which can be found on the dessert menu. They're served warm with cream cheese frosting; I'm pretty sure I could have eaten about ten of them.
If you are looking for something more substantial, the Malted Barley also serves pretzel sandwiches, as well as a soup du jour. And there is one item that I'll definitely be going back to try: the waffle pretzel sundae.This great find also had a wonderful, friendly atmosphere. It was home to a bit of an older crowd than you'd find at a club or at the GCB, but I definitely didn't feel too young. In fact, it was a really nice mix of people. Upon leaving, my fellow pretzel-eaters and I decided that the Malted Barley was definitely a spot we wanted to visit regularly.Pro Tip: A source tells me that if you sit at the tables instead of the bar, you can check off the beers you want to try on a piece of paper. Then, for a set price, they'll bring you four nicely-sized samples.
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