Curious — Restaurant in Melbourne

Visited this bar yesterday (Saturday, 23 August 2025) and had a terrible incident with the drink that featured the detonated balloon. I came in with 3 other friends at 11pm seated in the big table in the middle. The table next to us ordered the drink and cut the balloon as part of the whole drink experience. As I was sitting looking at the menu, I felt a hot sensation on the back of my shoulder. It turned out that the balloon which was supposed to lift into the air, landed on the back on the couch I was sitting at and parts of the balloon melted into my hair. My hair reeked of the smell that I can only described as a burning gas, probably helium.

To top it off, the manager, Tim, came over and just asked "Is everything okay?" without apologizing right away. One of the staff came over again to say sorry and noted that "they couldn't control where the balloon landed", which is just ridiculous considering this is hazardous and have a high potential of endangering a customer's skin and even face.

I had to called Tim over again as I was shocked and distraught by the fact that something had happened to my hair, and his response was "Please don't put your hair in my face, just please don't do that" after the unfortunate event that just happened to me in their establishment caused by one of their drinks. His approach to this issue was very hostile. I ended up being compensated for 1 drink of the night, but it doesn't compare to the emotional distress that I experienced and the rude responses I got prior. I had to head home and cut the night short because I needed to inspect the state of my hair and wash the smell off in the shower.

It seems like the consensus of the bad reviews is spot on. Many people believe that the service was "the WORST they've experienced" and I absolutely agree. The staff operate no empathy whatsoever, even in situations like this when it's clearly required - and that's disappointing. I hope this doesn't happen to anyone else who's just out of a Saturday night looking to hang out with their friends. Based on this experience, I wouldn't recommend Curious bar to anyone, as they're many other great places in Melbourne that are...

I visited Curious Bar on Saturday, 22/03/25, for after-dinner drinks to celebrate my anniversary with my partner. Unfortunately, our experience was deeply disappointing and fell far below our expectations.

We had a 9 PM booking and were seated at a high-top table, where we were given some stale popcorn. As we walked to our seats, we noticed several open spots on the couches, which looked much more comfortable and ideal for a romantic evening. After our sparkling water arrived, my partner politely asked our server if we could move to one of the available couch seats near the entrance. She hesitated and said, “Um, I don’t think so, but let me ask my manager.” However, she never returned with an answer. We sat there waiting, feeling ignored, until we eventually gave up and settled into the table we were assigned.

Throughout our time there, not a single staff member approached us to take our order, despite serving other tables around us. It felt like we were being completely overlooked. Frustrated by the lack of service, we decided to leave. When we asked for the bill, a staff member went to retrieve it, only to be seen laughing with another employee while holding it—seemingly amused by the fact that our only charge was for sparkling water. That moment was the final straw. Did it not occur to them that their poor service was the reason we hadn't ordered anything else?

To top it off, we were handed a nearly $17 bill for the sparkling water, which we hadn’t even touched. The combination of being ignored, laughed at, and then charged an unreasonable amount was beyond frustrating.

Needless to say, we left immediately and didn’t look back. Fortunately, we found other bars in the area where we were treated with respect and had a fantastic time. Based on this experience, I wouldn’t recommend Curious Bar to anyone looking for good service or a...

The actual hotel section of the W is beautiful, so this review does not apply to them. However, I am genuinely amazed at how bad Curious is. I went with my three friends at 11am and we aimed to leave at 12 because we had other things on. The service was the worst I've experienced- unreasonably slow. Reading this you may get the impression that it mustve been pretty busy when we went, and the kitchen was understandably running behind or something. But alas, my friends and I were the only people in the entire place.

I merely ordered a salad and some fries at 11:00. Salad came at 11:40 or so (it was ok, it did the job), and fries were given to me at 12:04 (yes, i took note).

At around 11:40, two of the group had to go home, and they had to approach a worker and basically ask for the food (they were waiting only on fries) straight-up, because there is simply no reason why fries should take 40 minutes, especially when a fry machine at maccas can get them done in 4 minutes. They were given their fries in take-away boxes, while I was left to wait for another 20 minutes until I eventually had to do the same- approach the worker. I actually wanted a refund, but I was hurriedly given a box of fries instead (wish they had shown that enthusiasm an hr earlier). I would've preferred a refund.

We spoke to two workers, they were nice, but really didnt do much to help us. Such a frustrating experience, it really cant be that hard. I have no idea what that "chef" was doing for that whole hour, but it certainly was not their job. Go to maccas instead, or literally any other place.

Such a shame, seems like just haven't gotten the basics down of running a restaurant or something. There were literally only 4 people to serve. The ambience is very nice- special mention to their...