BAR BASTA — Restaurant in Berlin

I’ve been to this place twice. On our first visit, we were warmly welcomed by a beautiful girl in Maison Margiela shoes — probably hard to miss. She was charming, attentive, and made the evening really special. Drinks and food were excellent.

Our second visit was quite different. We arrived about ten minutes before our reservation. We were greeted by a young man in a baseball cap and glasses, who spoke to us in English with an accent. We only planned to have drinks and dessert — nothing major. Shortly after our cocktails arrived, the same staff member returned, suddenly switched to loud German, started waving his arms, removed our napkins and cutlery in a dramatic way, and scolded us in front of the entire room for not informing him that we wouldn’t be ordering a main dish.

My husband was completely stunned, speechless. If this incredibly unprofessional staff member had continued in English, I would have spoken up and defended us. But instead, we were made to feel like we’d done something wrong, even though no one ever told us about any “house rules.”

I’ll miss the playlist and that incredible non-alcoholic mule — the best I’ve had. But no mule is worth being disrespected like that. We’re never going back. Also: the...

I first came here for a POP UP dinner collaboration with chefs from New York. The service was polite and unobtrusive, but the food was honestly disappointing. The Caesar salad (€13) was just lettuce leaves in mayonnaise with some crouton crumbs on top, and the “shrimp” dish (€16) turned out to be a single shrimp in an overly spicy sauce. The only thing we truly enjoyed that evening was the dry martini.

Still, I decided to give the place a second chance and came back for brunch — this time with my friends and a baby in a stroller. It was raining outside, and we entered from the hotel side. While I went to join the line from the other entrance, my friends sat down at a table for four. The bearded host suddenly got very upset, told them to leave the table, and said we had to stand in line. Then, surprisingly, he added that he “I don’t really have table FOR YOU.” That was extremely unpleasant and unprofessional. Quite disappointing to see such behavior from someone whose main job is to welcome guests. After two visits, I can say the food isn’t worth it and the attitude makes it even worse. Definitely not...

Food is tasty and you can tell the team has put a lot of love into the whole concept, the atmosphere, and especially the drinks menu.

Took a friend here who ordered the ODB sub for 18 euros and it was tiny. Prices seem to mostly factor in the atmosphere and the location, and while I’m sure the ingredients are excellent and fairly sourced it just seemed a bit too much for what you are getting at the end of the day (3 small meatballs, little bit of onion, small piece of baguette and some gravy).

My sandwich was good, but we left the place a bit disappointed as we were expecting more based on the hype and the whole look and feel...