Barfly's — Restaurant in Vienna

I went to this bar last week and had a somewhat enjoyable time, but returning yesterday was one of the worst bar experiences I’ve ever had. We visited on a Sunday evening, and the place was almost empty. There were only two people working—one person behind the bar making drinks, and another handling all service, from seating to taking orders. We were three people and sat at a table, expecting at least decent service. Unfortunately, it was all downhill from there.

The drinks were incredibly disappointing. The Hurricane was undrinkable—truly awful. I ordered an Old Fashioned that tasted amateurish; I can honestly make a better one at home, and I’ve had better ones on an airplane. The Alabama Slammer was forgettable at best. There was no water offered, which at these prices is unacceptable. We had to ask for it, and when they finally brought it, the glasses were tiny and only filled halfway—basically a sip—and they never came back to refill them. We drank our first round and wanted to order another, but no one came. I had to go up to the bar myself and ask for a menu.

At that point I also asked if we could have a large jug of tap water. The bartender with white hair said yes, but instead of a jug, the other server came and just refilled the tiny glasses again—still only halfway. The tap water they reluctantly give you also comes warm. It became clear they were trying to push us to buy a 750ml bottle of bottled water instead. For a place charging €17–18 per cocktail, that kind of upselling and refusal to offer proper water service is ridiculous.

The bartender with the white hair felt completely out of place. His tone, attitude, and presentation were more fitting for a shisha lounge or a sports bar in a bad part of town—not a supposedly high-end cocktail bar. His behavior brought down the whole experience.

The interior of the bar and the hotel is undeniably beautiful, but that’s where the positives end. Service is careless, drinks are overpriced and poorly made, and the overall vibe is just uncomfortable. I will never return and will make sure to tell friends and visitors to avoid it entirely. A real shame, because the setting had so...

I struggle to find words to describe my amazement from this place. It is, I think, as you are seated and recieve the menu consisting of dozens and dozens of pages, when you realize, you are visiting a truly special bar. I pride myself on being a classic cocktail enthusiast and I just couldn’t think of a Classic cocktail, they wouldn't offer.

With dimmed lighting and carefully picked color palette, the interior begs to stay in for hours. The seats are comfortable, the music is pleasant (I recall some James Brown songs) and the atmosphere is just perfect. Unlike in many other bars in Vienna, I didn’t feel judged here.

The staff, though not precisely rushed, is very well educated, always smiles and acts in a friendly manner and has loads of patience even for the most of indecisive guests like myself.

Oh and the drinks; I think it goes without saying, but they were splendid as well. I treated myself with brandy alexander, vieux carré and one of the many offered martini variations. They were prepared in a matter of seconds, served into chilled glasses, and overall very pleasant to drink.

I think I would even go as far as saying, this is the best bar I've ever been to. I spent around 40€ for the three drinks I've had and I will never regret a single cent from those.

This place is an absolute go to in Vienna and deserves way more recognition than what it...

A beautifully appointed bar located on a quiet side street right off the main shopping strip in Vienna, Mariahilferstraße.

We were guests at the Hotel Josefine (the bar is in the basement of the hotel) and we slipped in late on a Friday night returning from our day's activities. The bar was roaring and we would have had to wait for a table to open up so we opted to sit in the parlor of the hotel instead at the wait staff's suggestion. This personally turned out to be a better option than the packed bar except for the lack of attention from the wait staff. There was a turntable and a wall full of LPs to choose from.

We ordered two rounds of drinks but only received the first round. Assumedly the second round was forgotten about, but at the end of the day it didn't matter. We wrapped up our evening with a little Glenn Miller and thoroughly enjoyed it.

That being said, the cocktails were just average. I ordered an Old Fashioned (classic), though I wouldn't have had I known they'd put seltzer water in it. My friend had a whisky sour and it was a mite bitter, as if perhaps the citrus had been squeezed too hard. Anyway, nothing to write home about. Maybe this isn't a whisky...