Barra — Restaurant in Berlin

The quality here is high, but the prices are far above what the experience is worth. We ordered nearly everything on the menu—some dishes were good, others just okay. Overall, the food is inventive, but it's simply too expensive. The meat dish, in particular, was over 25 euros, quite tough, and lacked any seasoning or flavors that could justify the price. The worst dish: the zucchini salad, almost tasteless. As an Italian I love delicate flavors, but it was almost tasteless, a useless dish. Maybe there was bad luck with the zucchini, in Berlin it happens, but for this very reason you can't offer a dish like that.

Premise: You can only book online through the restaurant’s website, where they charge your credit card 40 euros per person (80 on total) if you don’t show up (which is fine). What really bothered me were two specific issues. First, the reservation process. . Upon arrival, we were seated directly at the counter on high stools without backrests. All other tables were occupied, and we weren’t asked if we preferred to sit more comfortably at a regular table. Normally, in restaurants of this level and price range, customers are given a choice between counter seating with a kitchen view or a regular table. Luckily I was close to the wall and I was able to pose my back there.

The second issue was much more unpleasant. We had a 150-euro gift voucher from friends. We spent around 160 euros in total. When it was time to pay the 10-euro difference, I was in the restroom. My wife was informed that the 40 euros held on our credit card at the time of reservation would not be refunded, it s an already done payment. Instead, for "accounting reasons," they offered us another voucher for 70 euros (the 80 euros minus the 10 euros we still owed). In short, instead of just paying the 10 euros and settling the bill, they wanted to force us to return by issuing another voucher for 30 euros.

When I returned and heard about this, I was stunned. I politely insisted that this was unacceptable. The manager, who I believe is the owner, claimed that when you have a voucher, you must book by phone, not online. There was no mention of this anywhere on their website or on the voucher itself. He said he had told this to the people who bought the voucher (I later confirmed this was not true). Not finding this legally sound, I mentioned that I would consult a lawyer. At that point, it became a matter of principle. I certainly had no intention of using another voucher at this place.

Suddenly, the manager said that they could, in fact, refund the amount, but would deduct a 5-euro fee. Just to get out of there, what was supposed to be a romantic dinner with a babysitter had turned into a frustrating experience, we agreed. Within moments, the refund was processed. I have read other reviews of customers with similar problems regarding invoices and pre-payments. So it was not a case of ours.

I really cannot understand the enthusiasm in other reviews for this restaurant, which, despite having some quality, seems to equate minimalism with excellence. No sign outside, no clear instructions on the website for booking with a voucher, no questions about seating preferences, small and sometimes overly simplistic dishes. I’ve never written a negative review in my life, and I’m well aware of the challenges in the restaurant industry, including costs and pricing. However, such a negative and misguided approach to customer service has pushed me—two weeks later, because the more I think about it, the more it bothers me—to write...

I came in with high expectations and really wanted to like Barra, but sadly left rather disappointed.

Food was uneven, the sea bass and ceviche style tuna both tasty, I would order them again. Then we had chestnut soup and a vegetarian pasta dish with green sauce, where the acidity was so strong that it masked the flavor of both dishes. I can’t remember anything about the dishes except for the overpowering acidity that killed the other ingredients. Focaccia was promising, the top was nicely crunchy, the middle soft and fluffy, yet the bottom entirely drenched in olive oil that was coming out on the plate. I’ve reached the peak of my disappointment with mozzarella. When ordering mozzarella for an appetizer, I was expecting it would be served with something to add flavor to it. However, it was just a mozzarella with olive oil and salt sprinkled on it. That’s it. I’d expect a place like Barra to serve a dish that either shows the chef’s skills or highlights good quality and flavorful ingredients. I’m puzzled why out of all possible kinds of cheese they went for the one that has so little flavor. It felt like a low effort and low food cost way to fill our bellies. Another downside was the very limited selection of vegetarian dishes.

Besides the food, the service on that night was a rather strange experience with the waitress trying to upsell more dishes to us in a very awkward, borderline rude manner. She first suggested we order one of each dishes for the table as an amount recommended for our party of 4. It seemed a little much, so I said I’d prefer to order more later if we feel like it. Unfortunately, the answer was that it might not be possible later because we’d have to free up the table for the next guests. Having to worry about rushing through our dishes was not a great start to our dinner, perhaps service times could be more spread out then? At the end we had enough time left to order more food, the waitress asked us twice if we’re not hungry because we didn’t order the recommended number of dishes. I find it to be an obvious and a rather awkward way to upsell more food rather than friendly customer service recommending the night’s specials...

We had been looking forward to dining here for a special birthday celebration, but unfortunately, our experience left us feeling unwelcome and upset.

Due to a freak storm that caused a complete metro shutdown, we arrived 45 minutes late to our booking. We completely understand that lateness can affect a restaurant’s schedule, and we did everything we could to communicate — we called and emailed twice, and were reassured on the phone not to worry. The email we received also stated we had a 2.5-hour dining window, which gave us hope that we’d still be able to enjoy the evening.

However, when we arrived at 7:17pm, our server told us we only had the table until 8:45pm at best, and even that wasn't guaranteed. The way this was communicated made us feel like a problem rather than valued guests, despite our efforts to keep the team informed.

Trying to make the most of our time, we ordered quickly based on the server’s suggestions and ended up finishing everything within 43 minutes — we were completely done by 8pm. It left us wondering whether we really had to rush like that, especially since our original booking should have allowed us until 9pm.

To add to the discomfort, when I pointed out that my wine glass had a visible crack in it, the server simply poured the wine away and replaced the glass (not the liquid he had poured down the drain) — no apology. It was a small but telling moment that summed up how we were treated: as if we didn’t matter.

Most upsetting of all was the tone and attitude of our server throughout. It felt cold and condescending, and instead of enjoying my birthday meal, I felt anxious and close to tears. We had hoped for a celebratory evening but left feeling like we were barely tolerated.

We understand that restaurants are under pressure and have timing constraints, but a little kindness and understanding go a long way. Sadly, that was missing...