Contrabando — Restaurant in Athens

It’s a good shop with potential if it wasn’t for the worst customer service I’ve got, specially from the blond girl in charge (Xara was her name, she claimed she was the manager at the Night Shift).

We arrived around 2am after being in some other bars as we wanted that nigh to make bar tour :), so it was the third we visited, we order a margarita each of us (3), we payed when ordered with no receipt given by them.

Anyway we drank it and after some time one uf us wanted a second one which she ordered it, came with no receipt and they said we can pay later, I didn’t drink any more as I would drive, then they both ordered another one, so making 3 to be payed again with no receipt. Around 3am the waitress came and charge us 4 margaritas, which we complained as it was only 3, she would called the “manager” (the blond) and she started to talk in a rude way, hinting that we didn’t know how many we drank because we were already drunk and telling me that impossible that we drank only 3 if we was there 5 hours (we paid with Apple Pay so we knew exactly the time we arrived that was 1:50 and I was not drunk as only drink one, I would drive). So I told her to give me the receipts which she claimed that she closed the cashier and couldn’t give us, I told her I have a business and I know how this works and that for sure she can print a receipt, she reply “if you had a business you wouldn’t be complaining for 13€” I mean is the cheating what makes me upset and her bad, rude ways, she for sure has cero knowledge about customer care. I would go back if it was not for that bad experience, I will not recommend to nobody and for sure I will advise my guests (from our hostel) to never to go...

The vibe in general is good, but the service is super awful and slow. We’ve been waiting for a waitress to come for 10 mins and there were 2 girls at the bar (waitresses), who were not looking at us at all but only flirting with bartenders and their frineds(?) at the bar. Once we waved and one waitress saw us, she came and ask “What?” and for my experience it’s that they should at least bring menu and then ask what or what we want to drink. Then each time we wanted to order more we had to come to the bar and ask for the drinks because all girls did was talking to bartenders and guests at the bar. No one looked in to the rest of the tables. I think on our bill the name of the waitress was Ioanna. I really wanted to spend good time there, but only what we could do is catching for the waitresses or order everything by ourselves at the bar. What then the purpose of these girls there. I’m pissed and I’ll never come back and don’t recommend it. There are other nice bars around with very nice service and cocktails, so you better choose those...

This is arguably one of the most heavily yet beautifully decorated bars of the city, following very colonial rich aesthetic, immediately transporting you to some tropical country with lush vegetation. Once you enter you find yourself in a covered courtyard with various levels and ample little corners to take your secret conversations to, setting you up for a great night. The menu is short and eclectic and the drinks good, but the service is very very slow (took three attempts and actual orders before our second round of drinks came through), which can hardly be justified on a quiet school night where traffic is low. Also, the space temperature was too low to be able to comfortably enjoy a drink, which left the experience very...