Backdoor Bodega — Restaurant in George Town

I used to like this place. But today’s experience was just something. We queued for quite sometime. And when a lady told us there was space for 3 pax - we were about to go in but was abruptly stopped by a guy - telling us that the bar is close- no drinks served after this. The place was full. And as we were walking out, a Caucasian guy was allowed to enter. I questioned the guy and he just gave a random nonsensical answer - “they are my boss’ friends”. The dude was just indifferent and unfriendly. This happened at about 11pm today (6/9/2024).

Refer to your response below - We were not informed by your male staff that it would take some time to replenish the drinks. The response from your staff - “bar is closed” And why allow the Caucasian guy to enter ? Did your staff also tell him the same? From what I can recall - the Caucasian dude was just like any one of us queuing to enter. He was a tourist.

Further response to your response below (8/9/2024)-

Come on , please don’t justify your staff’s conduct. It was pretty obvious that he let the Caucasian guy enter right after us. The tourist (white man) was queuing at the same, right behind my friends and me. In fact, the dude was with us in another bar right beside your establishment. And came in about the same time as us.

I didn't expect this treatment especially when your staff could have easily informed us - “if you’d like to wait until we replenish our drinks” or something to that effect. Instead let us wait for a long time - and when a lady staff allowed us to enter but abruptly being stopped by your male staff only to be told “bar is closed”.

Did I ever leave negative review(s) about your drinks ? Absolutely No, cause I still think you guys serve one of the best cocktails. I’m pointing out my dissatisfaction about the way your staff handled this issue and the customer service on that day, which was not to my satisfaction. So please don’t...

*Parking here might be a bit of a challenge if you’re trying to find for a free street parking. I suggest parking opposite at Hotel Neo+ as their parking is plenty and is reasonably priced (About RM3-4 for a couple hours). From there their lift comes down directly to a door facing Backdoor Botega so it should be easy to get there. **Consider making a reservation ahead of time as the place was pretty packed and we had to wait for about 30-40 minutes for a seat.

Ambience: It’s a very cozy bar that is generally not too loud, you can still chill and talk with other people. Generally really enjoyed just soaking up the atmosphere here and you can definitely spend hours here without getting bored.

Service: The bartenders are really friendly and if you get to sit at the counter it’ll generally a good time. The service staff also ensured that the customers didn’t have to wait too long and made sure to seat everyone promptly. Also really liked that they accommodated some of our requests that was probably difficult to meet and really appreciated them.

Food: They had really good options! Honestly a lot of what they had was really reminiscent of Penang flavors and I really enjoyed them. Although I only really managed to try 3 drinks you won’t really go wrong with any of them.

Price: Pretty standard speakeasy prices (In the region of RM30-40) for most drinks. The price you are paying is definitely worth it however.

Conclusion: Would I come back? Definitely! The experience here was really great and I’m excited to try any other drink offerings they have in the...

I truly looked forward to trying this hyped speakeasy bar in Penang!

And it's so worth trying it out! It's also non-alcoholic tolerant, for those who cannot break down the booze.

First, I do love its concept and pride of being Penangite. The menu, you can devour reading and flipping, guides you what Penang is all about! I honestly learn a lot of this beautiful island. It was even part of Siamese kingdom when the Brits came to conquer.

Their cocktails are like food. Since they don't offer 'foods,' so they master each concoction as perfect as possible, I can tell.

I tried #tomcollins style Tom Yam Collins. RM 45 (4/5) So it's tom Collins, but infused with tom yam spices. You can taste all the kicks in the aftertaste! Base gin - @gordonsginglobal but their house gin is apparently @thebotanistgin

The second, I tried Eugine RM 40 (3/5), one of their signatures. Yogurt based, yakult thingy mixed with #gin @cointreau quite strong - almost inebriated after I gulped. And it makes me really full.

Probably, I will try Jungle Bird, the renowned Malaysian Tiki style cocktail. You'll learn why this bar is boasting about this quintessential Malaysian Cocktail as being from Penang!

I highly recommend this truly chic (heavy-metalish : their BGM..) bar in...