TV Restaurants

Is Handlebar Cafe Still Open? Bar Rescue Update (Pawcatuck, CT)

Open verified

As of September 2026, Handlebar Cafe is open — confirmed via the restaurant's current website/social account, accessed June 2026.

Primary source
Yelp ·
Secondary source
popthruster.com ·

Last verified

What the source shows: Yelp's listing for Handlebar Cafe at 210 S Broad St shows 13 reviews with a June 2026 update; a July 2025 update from Popthruster confirms the cafe remained open under its original name, noting many of the show's changes had been reverted.

  • Season / episode Season 3, Episode 13
  • Original air date
  • Address 210 S Broad St, Pawcatuck, CT 06379

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What happened after Bar Rescue?

Handlebar Cafe was a motorcycle-themed bar in Pawcatuck, Connecticut, where two sisters running the business were letting binge drinking on the job undercut its finances by the time of "Two Flew Over the Handlebars." Jon Taffer's team, working with mixologist Russell Davis and chef Brian Duffy, found the same drinking-on-shift problems recon teams flagged inside, along with a business that had not built a food or drink program strong enough to support a biker-bar identity beyond its handlebar motif.

The rescue team built out a fuller food menu, trained the sisters and staff on running the bar without drinking alongside customers, and rebranded the business Handlebar and Grill, adding a large handlebar sign and a custom mural for the relaunch to lean further into the motorcycle theme.

Coverage of the location in the years since describes a business that reverted many of Jon Taffer's changes after the cameras left, according to a 2025 update from the site Popthruster, while continuing to operate under its original Handlebar Cafe name rather than the show's Handlebar and Grill rebrand. Yelp's listing for 210 South Broad Street, updated in June 2026, still identifies the business as Handlebar Cafe and shows recent reviews, and the bar maintains an active Facebook page under that same name. A separate online ordering page for the property continues to operate under the "Handlebar and Grill" name, suggesting the two names remain in informal use side by side rather than one fully replacing the other. No ownership change or relocation for the Pawcatuck address turned up in this research pass. The sisters who ran the bar during filming were not identified by name in the secondary coverage reviewed for this update, and nothing turned up on whether they remained involved with the business by the time of its most recent Yelp update in June 2026.

Featured on Bar Rescue

Season / episode
Season 3, Episode 13
Original air date
Episode title
Two Flew Over the Handlebars
What was featured
Staff binge drinking on shift, thin food and drink program, biker-bar theme
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
Handlebar Cafe

Frequently asked questions

Is Handlebar Cafe still open in 2026?

As of September 2026, Handlebar Cafe is open — confirmed via the restaurant's current website/social account, accessed June 2026.

What happened to Handlebar Cafe after Bar Rescue?

Handlebar Cafe was a motorcycle-themed bar in Pawcatuck, Connecticut, where two sisters running the business were letting binge drinking on the job undercut its finances by the time of "Two Flew Over the Handlebars." Jon Taffer's team, working with mixologist Russell Davis and chef Brian Duffy, found the same drinking-on-shift problems recon teams flagged inside, along with a business that had not built a food or drink program strong enough to support a biker-bar identity beyond its handlebar motif. As of September 2026, Handlebar Cafe is open — confirmed via the restaurant's current website/social account, accessed June 2026.

Where is Handlebar Cafe located?

210 S Broad St, Pawcatuck, CT 06379. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.

What season and episode of Bar Rescue featured Handlebar Cafe?

Season 3, Episode 13 of Bar Rescue, first aired July 21, 2013. The episode is titled “Two Flew Over the Handlebars”.

Did the makeover last at Handlebar Cafe?

The episode first aired July 21, 2013. Our most recent check was September 7, 2026 — 13 years later —: As of September 2026, Handlebar Cafe is open — confirmed via the restaurant's current website/social account, accessed June 2026.

What do reviews say since Bar Rescue?

Yelp's listing for 210 South Broad Street, updated in June 2026, still identifies the business as Handlebar Cafe and shows recent reviews, and the bar maintains an active Facebook page under that same name. We summarise what dated sources report; we do not publish our own rating.

Is Handlebar Cafe still using the Bar Rescue menu or branding?

The rescue team built out a fuller food menu, trained the sisters and staff on running the bar without drinking alongside customers, and rebranded the business Handlebar and Grill, adding a large handlebar sign and a custom mural for the relaunch to lean further into the motorcycle theme. Anything newer than our last check on September 7, 2026 may not be reflected here.

Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.

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Visit info

Address
210 S Broad St, Pawcatuck, CT 06379
Venue type
bar
Official website
Facebook

Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.

Sources

  • Yelp — https://www.yelp.com/biz/handlebar-cafe-pawcatuck
  • popthruster.com — https://popthruster.com/2025/07/16/bar-rescue-handlebar-cafe-open-or-closed/

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