The Mandarin Cocktails Bar — Restaurant in George Town

It was date night with my SO, and I was looking for a cocktail bar for post-dinner drinks. I looked at Google Maps after dinner, and lo and behold, I happened to have saved this place awhile back, and it was less than 400m from where we were dining.

We made our way to the establishment just as it opened, and were first greeted with the smell of incense from the shrine located right next to the entrance outside. It looked and felt like a residential house, but we were shown in after knocking on the door, and took our seats on the bar counter. We were then told that there's no menu, and the bartender would create the drinks based on our palate's preferences; I ordered a smoky old fashioned for myself and a sweet and sour citrusy creation for my SO.

Both cocktails were excellent; and we enjoyed looking at the process the bartender went through while creating them. The bartender however seemed irritated with one of the staff (maybe because it was the beginning of his shift or some expectations weren't met), and their heated conversation spoiled the atmosphere for us. He warmed up a bit more when the lady bartender showed up, but first impressions do matter.

Besides that awkward experience, we loved the cocktails, and I hope that you don't catch him on a bad day during your visit...

I've been here yesterday, not familiar with the process of ordering from a bar. But was surprised by this bar isn't giving you the menu to order, instead when u get in, they will ask your preferences, and giving recommendations based on your own taste and preferences. It is a customised style of ordering. It feels like oh I am being valued by them as a customers.

They helped me to customized a drink based on my own preferences, included little bit sweet, salty, light alcoholic and some topping with the fruity flavour.

The drink which came was served with more sweetness, but that's okay. Because the light alcoholic makes the drink became refreshing, and it is very smooth when u took a sip. Not like other places, the drink will very "siap".

They even got their own background music playlist, the Deep House mix. Which I kinda like it! Compared to other bar's music playlist is like boomboomboom, but this is more chilling style and the volume will not interfere while im talking gossip with my friends.

To be conclude, it is a great bar to being discover. Especially for those who doesn't know what they want to drink today, but feeling to drink something. Also the drinks wasn't pricey at all, it is a standard price. I really looking forward to my...

Great cocktail, artfully crafted. The entrance is dark and the doors need several tries to open. We rang the doorbell due to poor eyesight. When opening the door, the woman, possibly the owner or manager, gave us the weird stare with no welcome or smile, as if we shouldn’t have rung the doorbell - if you don’t like it, don’t have a doorbell, or make the door easier to open. The no menu concept is exceptionally poorly done because of the worst possible waiter. The man didn’t give recommendation or explanation except asking us to tell him what we want. When the first two drinks came for the three of us, I asked which one is which. The man said “if I put the drink in front of you, it’s for you.” My mum prefer non alcoholic drink. I asked what mocktail they have. The man said “we only have sweet and sour because we don’t focus on mocktails.” No cocktail bar focuses on mocktails we get that. It didn’t need to be said. You wonder if they hate customers so much they do everything to make customers feel shitty. The whole experience was worse than getting scolded in a small restaurant in Hong Kong because coldness and aggression don’t belong in a cocktail bar in Penang that charges top...