Amandine Lounge — Restaurant in Los Altos

Decent cocktails, blatant fraud:

The cocktails here are okay, fine for standard cocktails but nothing special for craft cocktails.

The bad part is that they completely lied to me and ripped me off. Particularly Eric Z, apparently. I ordered 3 cocktails, each $18, and asked for the check to close out. The bartender was very weird and didn't present me with the bill beforehand but just took the card that was near me (which was fine, I was at the bar and ready to leave). I didn't see the charges at all. I don't normally worry about this; I often just give my card to close out. But he was clicking a bunch of stuff quickly and his sketchiness made me ask for an emailed receipt which I literally NEVER do. It just felt weird so I thought to do it. The receipt revealed that they charged me for one cocktail that wasn't even on the menu and was $21 instead of $18. I don't care about $3 but this is just weird and obviously wrong. I'm not confrontational (but I'd had 3 cocktails!) so I asked why I was charged for something not on the menu. The bartender said something like it was a special cocktail that's more expensive. I pointed to the menu and said I didn't order a special cocktail I ordered the Gran Negroni (Negroni is my favorite drink) and he said something to the effect of well I also didn't charge you for the soda water (I'd asked for sparkling water and he provided it in little glasses). I said I'm happy to pay for the soda water how much is it (I’m in from out of town so I would have wanted to take the remainder to my Airbnb, like I did last night) and he was like no no it's fine it's just the cocktail was more expensive and we changed the menu recently. Which cannot be true, because he didn't say the menu prices changed but tried to tell me that I'd ordered something special.

Whether it's because he thought I was drunk (I wasn't) or stupid (I'm not) I'm not sure. But it obviously wasn't a mistake, since he doubled down on it and gave multiple nonsensical justifications for it.

Here's everything I ordered and my receipt, along with pictures of all three cocktails. And my time-stamped venting texts shortly after the time stamp on the receipt. You can see a $21 cocktail doesn't even exist on the menu, and you can see I took a photo of every page of the cocktail menu. There’s no such cocktail and no similar cocktail, and if you order the Gran Negroni you’ll see it look just like my photo. Since that’s what I ordered and what I received… I love negronis and know that’s what I got (I also hate grappa, so it’s an absurd accusation).

So, take from this what you will. At least check your receipt. And avoid Eric Z. I’ll never go...

I've been to Amandines many times since they opened, hoping it would become our go to spot. But after repeated disappointing experiences, I've decided I'm done. I probably won't be going back unless something changes.

To be fair, there are some great things about the place. It's the only true cocktail lounge in Los altos, has a great vibe, stylish decor, a cozy lounge feel, and a nice outdoor patio for warm evenings. They have a big menu of creative cocktails, and they're always presented beautifully.

Unfortunately, the drinks themselves have never quite hit the mark for me. I’ve tried several over multiple visits, and none have been memorable in a good way. That might still be okay if the service made up for it. But it absolutely doesn’t.

The service is consistently poor: usually slow, often inattentive, and sometimes rude. And it isn't because they are crowded or understaffed. There are usually 2–3 people working. It’s more that the management doesn’t seem to value, or just can't deliver on good service or hospitality. Just look at the other reviews—bad service is a common theme.

On a recent visit, I came with girlfriends just after opening. We were one of only two tables, and the server taking our order couldn’t have seemed less interested. He kept looking out the window, not making eye contact and gave no real help when I asked about two drinks - just a flat “They’re both good.” My friend finished her drink and not one of the three employees at the bar, checked in with us over the rest of our time, to see if she wanted another.

Another time, I came with a group of four to grab a drink before a dinner reservation. The bar was less than half full, yet we had to wait to be seated for no clear reason. Once seated, we waited 20 minutes and no one came by. We ended up leaving without ordering. If that were a one-off, fine. But it’s been a consistent pattern.

Amandines has a great concept and could be a gem in downtown Los Altos. But until they start caring about the customer experience and put some real effort into service, it's just...

At 8:15pm on a Wednesday after dinner my partner went to secure a table for us at Amandine. The establishment was not busy. Tony the bartender was more than cordial, physically rubbed shoulders with her and said "of course we can serve you". She asked for a two top and he said "you'll need more than one person". My partner said she would return with another person. When she and I (male identifying) both entered together and asked for a two top, she was told that there were no two tops available, though there were 4 empty tables. When she pointed this out, Tony the bartender denied us service based on a false assessment of our behavior. Tony the bartender said "you seem like you have been drinking and the manager advised me to not serve you." Shocked, confused, and dismayed (especially since we had not had any drinks at all!) - we left a quiet cozy bar that we were looking forward to enjoying.

Several minutes after leaving, my partner re-entered the bar. Tony the bartender was once again more than willing to accommodate her. She texted me and asked me to meet her at the bar. Once I returned, Tony the bartender again said that we seemed like we had "a tense vibe" and asked us to leave. My partner asked to speak to the manager and another employee told her that the manager was not on duty.

Was the manager there or not? Good question. Shall we ask Tony the bartender or his "teammate" and see who has an accurate take on reality?

Shall we ask Tony the neck-tattooed-happy-to-bump-shoulders-with-female-presenting-customers bartender how he feels about women? Shall we ask him on how he feels about feminism? Shall we ask him how he feels about what actual service is? Shall we leave him be? Or... shall we make our own assessment and PERMANENTLY remove Amandine from our places of...