Barracuda is home to "Star Search", the longest-running bar show in New York City, which began in the early 1990s and may have served as an inspiration for RuPaul's Drag Race.

Critics generally praise Barracuda for its intimate, relaxed and entertainment-focused atmosphere, which was unusual at the time of its creation, and some credit this with revolutionizing the concept of gay bars.

[1][4][6] In an interview with The Advocate, several of Barracuda's earliest performers said that it was "the first performance- and drag-based bar in Chelsea" and one of the first venues in New York to offer one-woman shows to drag queens.

[7][8] Pontarelli and Heighton had previously co-owned Crobar, a venue in Manhattan's East Village, where a weekly drag show called "Star Search" began in 1991.

A 2001 New York Times article said: "[T]his neighborhood gay bar keeps drawing celebrities, who often appear free, along with record executives, Broadway show promoters and perfume designers in search of the elusive holy grail of cool.

[6] Guests included Eartha Kitt, Mackenzie Phillips, Rue McClanahan, Charo, Jennifer Coolidge, Johnny Knoxville, Tonya Harding and many Broadway stars.

[15] Similarly, Broadway promoters took advantage of Barracuda's atmosphere and reputation as a "cool and hip place" to generate publicity for plays; they frequently arranged for cast members of their shows to appear at the bar.

[18] While attending Vine's show one night, Betty Buckley delivered an impromptu a cappella performance of the song "Memory" from the musical Cats, which was then in its first run on Broadway.

[1][3] Additionally, "[t]here was [a] fabled lounge appearance of Australia's Queen of Yodeling, Mary Schneider, who presided over the club until 4 a.m. after singing a powerful version of 'The William Tell Overture.'

"[15] Pontarelli embraced the spontaneity that such events injected into the atmosphere at Barracuda, and he tried to further cultivate "the mood of the unexpected" by changing the bar's decor and visual themes up to twice per year.

"[14] Time Out called the establishment "[a] classic, no-attitude gay lounge in Chelsea [that] has outlasted many others due to its combination of cozy couches, awesome drag shows, generous happy hours and friendly bartenders".

"[23] ShermansTravel lists Barracuda among "the best gay and queer bars in Manhattan", calling it "a Chelsea mainstay" and noting it for its generous happy hour pours and "top-notch" drag shows.

The bar shattered that mold by introducing avant-grade couch-style seating and lounging, innovative and sweeping nightly entertainment and an ever-present irony in its brand.... With its downtown, edgy sensibility and humor, Barracuda proved unique to the burgeoning neighborhood and helped launch Chelsea as an internationally recognized gay-borhood.

She further said: "[I]n recent years Barracuda has been overshadowed by glitzier hot spots in Hell's Kitchen, including businesses run by the same owner, like Industry Bar.