Escobar — Restaurant in Bahrain Island

My first time going to Escobar- booked a table for 8. Ended up being 6 of us. The WhatsApp communication for the booking was good. We got stuck in traffic and they changed our booking time to allow for the reservation which was nice of them.

Upon arrival, the 2 women at the front desk were quite stuck up and made us feel uncomfortable. Looking us up and down and questioning where the rest of our party was (they were in a different uber to us so didn’t arrive at the same time). We aren’t familiar with the area and relatively new to night life in Manama so was our mistake. Lesson learned.

When we got upstairs the man that met us and showed us the table was very “sassy” not wearing a mask and had a bit of a superiority complex. Looked at me like I was a crazy person when I sat down my chair was broken. My husband moved the chair and got me a different one( no big deal). It seemed to annoy Mr Sassy Pants that my husband would do such a thing as get me a different chair. Husband did politely explain when Mr Sassy came over to ask what was going on.

Service was very slow to start with. We were 3 at the table (waiting for friends) and 2 other tables were occupied.

Maybe 6 customers in the whole place including us. My husband had to go ask for someone to take our orders as Mr Sassy seemed to be ignoring us and staff were seen to be hanging about. With 3 barmen behind the bar and a quiet night, I expected a little more from service. I requested a different server as we felt we were an inconvenience to Mr Sassy’s evening. Our new waiter was wonderful, happy, quick and seemed to actually enjoy his job.

The food ordered came quickly. Soft shell tacos were delicious, fresh and well presented. Guacamole was spot on!!

Calamari was over cooked in old oil. Wouldn’t recommend.

We had 2 established chefs in our group(one chef is Michelin star with his own restaurant in Spain)

We all work in high end service industry so the group noticed more than the average person would.

I would recommend Escobars for a casual drink earlier in the evening with the guacamole. Make sure to book your table and check your chair before you sit 🤣I probably won’t go back in a rush. Maybe just for happy hour as drinks were...

Some think that Latin food is all mushy avocados and Soft torillas, This spot will prove you wrong.

Escobar, Mostly based on Booking Basis Only due to time slots allocated per reservation. 3 Course Meal for Two Including drinks and service - 30 - 50 BD.

Gazing at the architecture and thought kept into the exteriors , Metal bars covering fractured bricks with the design giving a nostalgia of the last memory of Pablo Escobars. Going into Escobars Den, Made sure to get myself a spot prior to dropping in, Names asked, temperatures taken, Escorted to the top floor, This is Escobar! Soothing Lights, Music Booming, Reunions happens. This is a place where luxury meets Mexico, Nature integrated in every way. (Notice the Palm tree going through the roof of the ground floor.)

Turned towards the Bar looking at the energy shining within the bartenders brings a smile to every guest with their entertainment , Having been my first time, I've asked the waiter to present me with a drink that matches my style and Escobar, Guess what!!! A Mexican Pina Colda? "El Polvo" (6.6 BD) Starting the night with a smooth and tropical sip matching the vibes felt within, I Started feeling the hype, How can this get any better? Mmmm.. It was time for a taste test between Sea and Land with their Beef Tinga (8.3 BD) ; The soft-pulled Beef felt like foie gras with its tenderness and perfection, and I Typically never enjoy "Fishy tasting" Seafood, But that Grilled Sea Bass (8.3 BD) had a moist and buttery profile with a subtle taste of sweetness, Its rare to get a perfect cooked Sea bass which isn't overcooked, Having tried Seabass But that was Gordon Ramsey on a plate. Ending the meal with Mexican Churros Coated with sugar and Cinnamon, Hot, Crisp on the outside, Fluffy on the Inside. Just how I like it ! I Would love if they'd increase the number of Churros (4.2 BD) , I could have the entire batch in 5 minutes!

I Knew that this was my spot, Since the first time, I've come to this place on a twice to thrice a month basis.

Credits to the Manager, DJ (Love your beats!), "friendly" security on the top floor and every employee that works to make this one of the Best Latin dining...

It was my first time to experience Escobar and I don't have any desire to come back. I came with my friend to enjoy a couple of drinks. We did not make any reservation. The welcome treatment on the doors was good. We entered the place and went to the bar area to get drinks. I noticed that it was separated by the rope, and it was packed. After getting the drinks, we went to the table/floor area, and nobody stopped us. We stood next to a table which did not have any reservation sign, and danced a bit. We did not sit or occupy that table. After 15 min, a bouncer came up and asked if we had a reservation. The answer was No, and he rudly replied that we were not allowed to stay there. Instead of saying politely that we should return to the bar, he ordered us to follow him, took us there like schoolkids, all the way to the very far corner of the bar area which was packed with men and said "This is a good place for you". I felt really embarrassed and disrespected as a woman, we were 2 girls and didn't come there to look for guys. The bouncer's comment and behaviour made me feel terrible and my friend got very upset. Furthermore, the bar staff who saw the whole situation, kept staring at us and giving judgemental looks as if we did something wrong or behaved improperly. We felt very uncomfortable, couldn't enjoy our night anymore and left. I will not recommend this place to my other European female friends, specially to come alone or in girls groups. Suggestions to the management:

1. once clarifying on the doors, that guests didn't make a reservation, they should be informed that they can only occupy the bar area, or any other place they can stay.
2. The bar area was separated, but the floor/table area was free to enter. Logically it should be vice versa, so that all walk-ins could proceed to the bar without restriction and only stopped when attempting to go to the tables, to avoid embarrassment.
3. The DJ was great, but no Latin music was played during our stay, please enhance your...