Dr. Stravinsky — Restaurant in Barcelona

Fabulous cocktails. Terrible service/policies. 1st and 3rd drinks were excellent. When ordering second drink I said to bartender "I don't like sweet drinks, can you please reduce the amount of sugar?" . He said "don't worry, it should be fine and if not we'll fix it". He made the drink, it was very sweet and I said I didn't want to drink it. He said he could add lemon juice. I explained that adding lemon juice does not take away the sugar in the drink and so I wanted something else. He agreed. The bill came and it had all three drinks on it, including the one that was too sweet (Return cocktail) that I did not drink (I had literally 2 sips). I asked them to remove the drink from the bill; they refused. They explained to me that I had not let them fix it, and therefore I had to pay for it. I explained that adding lemon juice is not the same as removing sugar (by making a new drink). He then lectured me on how my other drink "actually had more sugar in it". I then suggested that his cost of goods sold was probably 0.50 to 1.00 Euro and that keeping customers happy like most other cocktail businesses do is more important than making me pay 15 euros for a drink that I hadn't drunk and that I'd explicitly requested the bar tender to modify. (The chap that made my drink was very nice; he came over before the final payment argument and explained that they use pre mixed recipes so didn't have a method to adapt the recipe). Another manager came over and made all the same arguments and tried to invalidate my preferences on the basis that his understanding of actual sugar levels in the various drinks I'd ordered.

It may be that I've spent too much time in businesses run by qualified MBAs that understand that customer satisfaction and repeat business is more profitable then squabbling over a single drink. It may also be that in Barcelona they have so many tourists that repeat business is not their priority.

Lovely bar otherwise. Niles on the front door might be the friendliest and most knowledgeable door man at any bar I've ever visited. But the manager policies and attitude to customer satisfaction feels like something out of the 19th century. WITAF? #iwontbeback #badreviews...

The cocktail (truffle negroni with cheese) was quite delicious and well-balanced. I waited in line for a bit before entering and was greeted warmly. The server shared all the details about the menu, but as soon as they handed it to me, I realized updating my order would take too long, so I decided to place my first order quickly to save time—I planned to review the menu afterward. However, he didn’t let me keep the menu, saying he needed it for other guests. Thays okay

Had I not ordered right away, I could’ve spent 10-15 minutes with the menu. Since I was short on time, I wanted to order fast, but they took the menu away. I mentioned wanting to move to the bar, and they seated me there, likely to accommodate a larger group.

By the sixth or seventh minute after my cocktail arrived, I had already finished it and asked for the menu again to order another drink. If they hadn’t taken the menu from me earlier, I could’ve browsed and chosen my next cocktail. But since they didn’t let me keep it, I couldn’t even look at the options.

As I said, my cocktail was gone in 6-7 minutes, and I was sitting at the bar waiting for the menu. Ten minutes passed—even though menus were available, they weren’t given to me. I saw menus going to other groups and tables, but mine never came. Eventually, I politely asked for the bill.

The another server asked if I’d be leaving a tip, and I explained that it wasn’t necessary since I finished my cocktail in about 5-6 minutes but had to wait over 10 minutes at the bar just to get a menu—with no success. After that, I...

Dr. Stravinsky was a recommendation from a friend. They’re known for their cool, inventive cocktails made from ingredients that they make in-house. We stopped by around 5:30pm on a Tuesday and were able to grab a table no problem. I’ve been told that it can get pretty busy on weekends, so make sure you come early if you don’t want to wait forever.

For our first drinks, I had the Cheese Knees, which has Roku Gin, Laphroaig, cheese and ginger syrup, lemon, and honeycomb. This was so cheesy, but also oddly good at the same time. The gin and Laphroaig made it a bit smokey alongside the sweetness of the honey. X has the Crack the Beet, with tequila, fat wash with cheese, beetroot cordial, and a yogurt cracker. For my second drink, I had the Date Me, which has Zacapa rum, Branca Menta, strawberry shrub, sage cordial, cocoa bitters, and chocolate dates. This was fruity with just a touch of sweetness and acidity. Zacapa is always a crowd favorite in our household, so this was a solid use of it. X had the No Other Whey with Santa Teresa pineapple rum, wasabi sake, green chartreuse, plum, lime, and cherry and citrus perfume. This was quite pleasant, citrusy and spicy.

The interior of the bar is super interesting and we had a great time. We never felt rushed - or that we had to get more drinks. It’s laid...