Barracuda Rooftop Lounge — Restaurant in Saint Julian's

Dear management,

Yesterday, around 21:00, we visited your lounge area for the first time. We ordered three cocktails and one hookah. The cocktails were quite good, and we enjoyed them. However, we had several serious concerns about the hookah service:

I specifically discussed with the waiter that I wanted to order a premium tobacco — DarkSide, which is known for being black in color, as stronger tobaccos typically are darker. The pricing policy also raised questions: Premium tobacco costs €40 for one flavor. If I want to add a second flavor from the same premium line, I must pay an additional €10. So basically, I can either smoke one premium flavor, or pay more just to mix two premium flavors — this pricing model feels questionable and made me suspect something might be off with product quality. Still, I accepted it.

The waiter took the order and left.

The hookah was brought with two medium-sized coals and one small one, which seemed odd, but I didn’t say anything yet.

While smoking, I noticed fresh, minty notes and an unfamiliar taste. I lifted the kaloud lid and clearly saw that the tobacco was red — which is definitely not DarkSide. I was very surprised.

I asked to speak with the hookah master. A man named either John or Jack came. Before explaining my concern, I asked him: “What color should premium DarkSide tobacco be?” He replied: “Dark.”

Then I asked him to lift the kaloud and tell me what color tobacco I was smoking.

He replied, "Oh, you know, it's a mix with Al Fakher."

This shocked and disappointed me — if you're charging premium prices but mixing with other tobacco, that’s deception. Especially considering the price difference between regular and premium hookahs is €15.

This raises the question: How many other guests are unknowingly being served mixed or non-premium tobacco under a premium label?

I called the waiter and asked to speak with a manager. He replied that the lounge manager does not handle this, and only the hookah manager does — but that manager was unavailable.

So, there was no one I could speak to about this issue. Once the waiter realized I actually understood what I was talking about, he offered to remove the hookah charge from the bill.

However, that’s not the point. I came to enjoy my evening — and instead, I was misled and disappointed.

UPD: You cannot judge my English level and my condition without expertise. My English on C1 level. And I was not drunk!! Im very unhappy with your words. And I was pretty clear in my discussion. It’s very disappointing that waiter didn’t hear me...

This is the first time I am leaving a negative review.

The venue itself is nice, with a beautiful interior and pleasant house music performed by the DJ. However, the service leaves much to be desired.

At the entrance, the waiter looked at us arrogantly, clearly judging us. The girl who took our order walked away before we had even finished. When we asked about the ingredients of a cocktail, she said they didn’t have them, took the menu, and simply left. We ended up choosing a cocktail at random.

Since we came in the evening, it was quite windy outside. We asked for a blanket, and the man who greeted us said he would look for one, then disappeared. He never came back to tell us whether there were any available, or perhaps he never checked at all.

Another detail worth mentioning is the dress code: despite it being enforced, we only found out about it upon arrival, which forced my husband to go back to the apartment to change his shoes.

As for the drinks and hookah: for the prices they charge, we expected proper quality. Instead, the hookah had no flavor, and it was obvious the hookah master had no idea how to prepare it — after only two puffs the smoke was weak and unpleasant. The cocktails were mediocre at best, definitely not worth €17–20, with the alcohol barely noticeable.

It was clear that this place doesn’t care about its guests, only about making money.

Considering the level this venue claims to represent, such service and quality are unacceptable. It was the first time we encountered such a low standard in a place that might even refuse entry for wearing classic Crocs. I am genuinely disappointed and hope management takes this feedback seriously and makes improvements. For now, I would strongly advise others to be cautious...

I deeply regret choosing this place to celebrate my birthday. We were a group of 14, and the reservation had been made a week in advance. From the moment we arrived, the staff rushed us to order drinks and informed us that the kitchen would close at 10:15 PM—leaving us little time to decide on our meals.

To make things worse, several items listed on the menu (especially non-sushi options) were unavailable. Those of us who don’t eat sushi had very limited choices and had to settle for whatever was left. Our food came out quickly, but we had to eat while others just watched because the sushi boats were severely delayed.

When the sushi finally started arriving, there were no chopsticks or sauces on the tables, so people couldn’t eat right away. The large sushi boat took an incredibly long time to be served, and we were told there was only one person in the kitchen. By then, everyone was hungry, upset, and disappointed. One of my friends never got her food and at the end, very annoyed, she cancelled her order.

The only bright spot was Edu, who kindly invited us to the terrace, took some photos, and brought plates for the birthday cake.

Other than that, the entire experience was a mess. I absolutely do not recommend this restaurant for special occasions—especially...