Bar Issi — Restaurant in Palm Springs

I’m so sad and disappointed. My mom turned 73 today and we made sure to mark our reservation as a birthday reservation. The MANAGER saw us as we checked in for our 6pm reservation and mentioned it was his birthday too. We were so excited and expected to be taken care of that night. The people that sat across from us just happened to be celebrating a birthday as well. We were so excited and happy that we met 2 other people with birthdays that night.

Unfortunately our waiter didn’t bring us anything at the end. No candle, no sorbet. No nothing. I actually excused myself and asked him why he didn’t get anything and they said that management has to approve a desert with a candle and he didn’t get approved for anything. My mom’s 73 and in 30 years of my life I didn’t think I had to ask someone to bring her something on her birthday.

Coincidentally there was a really sweet couple across from us that we ended up chatting with and it was his birthday as well (even though his birthday was a week earlier) he was given free sorbet and a birthday congrats I heard from his waiter. I was livid but found out that the original manager who’s birthday it was that met us at the beginning (he had beautiful wing tattoos on his neck) had left, so a different manager came up at the end to talk to us and said that usually they bring a sorbet but typically we have to ask (even though that’s the POINT of putting it as a birthday reservation so you DONT have to go out of your way to ask)

We ate and drank until 8pm. That waiter was very aware of our situation. I mentioned to our waiter and the staff at the front just how sad it made me that in 30 years this is the first birthday I wish I brought my own damned candles or anything to make her feel special. I’m so so sad for her.

We only came because of how many of her friends gave raving reviews about the food. Sadly, we feel like because she is a single women with her daughter she was treated differently. The couple across from us got a birthday desert and a happy birthday from their waiter like typically expected from literally ANY establishment you’re eating out at.

I wish we had celebrated somewhere else. I’ve never been so disappointed with a birthday in my life. Genuinely sad that we weren’t treated the same as our literal neighbors who wasn’t even celebrating the day of. I want to say that we will come back but we don’t feel like we were treated equally.

We did have to have them remake a drink because my mom asked for a dry martini and the first was cloudy and full of olive juice and even our waiter was surprised that the guy that made our drinks didn’t listen to him and our broccolini was overcooked and charred, she didn’t want to say anything even tho I did so we just took it home

This was a forgettable and regretful dinner to celebrate together. Not worth the half hour it took to get there and will always be one of my biggest regrets not having a better memory with my mother. It’s sad, we’re out $200, and I feel like we were treated differently than the people around us.

I really went in wanted to love the place but we will never be returning. Please PLEASE treat people in the future better. You don’t know WHAT that person overcame that year, you don’t know HOW important that birthday is to that person. You’re going to a nice restaurant so you DONT have to think about those few things. You have no idea how much of an impact this had on us tonight. I will never allow myself to not talk to the waiter and staff when we first get there to establish that we’re getting something special to end the night. I hope this sticks with the manage the staff as well, you don’t realize how important those little moment are when you have limited time with someone that you love, care about, and want to make lasting positive memories with. I’m very angry and I hope other people read this so they don’t decide to make their special day.

I’m disappointed and I will never get this day back with my 3 time cancer surviving mom. Please change don’t do this to other...

I’d rather be writing a more flattering review, but some of the experiences (I’ve dined here 3 times) just don’t measure up to the hype.

The space is beautiful. Part of what I like about the space is that the team responsible for the Interior Design/decorating bent the rules enough to make a space that unique, glamorous and a little bit surprising. Well done! The height of the space along with the lighting, fabrics and furnishings creat an atmosphere that feels exotic and daring. The illuminated bar top makes everyone sitting at it look amazing. Cocktails are well crafted and beautiful. The wine selections are lovely. The wine goblets are so huge that they make the pours – which are probably standard – look small.

The food quality is, for the most part top-notch. Kudos to the chef and kitchen crew.

The scope of the experience where they really need to step up their game is primarily around reception, service and ambiance in the outdoor dining area.

The most recent experience was for a party of six. Our table was not ready at the reservation time. We weren’t really provided with a place to wait - so we ended up standing near the bar - among already occupied tables and a sofa. The flow from the back of the house and the cocktail bar service area were so close to us that we felt like we were constantly in the service staff’s way. After about 15 minutes of waiting, the sofa opened up so we took a seat there.

No one acknowledged us for another 20 minutes. After one of us approached the host to ask what the hold up was, a manager eventually came to us and offered complementary drinks as an apology for the wait. This was the right thing to do, but it took them nearly a half an hour to make this gesture.

Before the drinks were brought to us, we were finally ushered to a table outside adjacent to the Thompson hotel’s valet parking area and alongside the exit from one of the hotel’s parking garages. I looked at the clock on my cell phone as a glass of water was set in front of me… 52 minutes after our reservation time. The apology cocktails/wine showed up about six or seven minutes later. Seriously - we had been in the space for nearly an hour, and it felt like service was just getting started.

The quality of all the food we ordered was lovely. Again, kudos to the kitchen and chefs. The lack of attention prior to dining has been so sloppy that it was hard to fully relax and enjoy ourselves. It was particularly bothersome that every car coming in and out of the hotel’s driveway and parking garage had headlights glaring into the eyes of everyone sitting on one side of our table. One car that parked in front of the hotel and was waiting for valet to move it somewhere had its headlights glaring at us for almost 2 minutes. The hotel or restaurant should address this with some sort of corrective barrier.

One final note: there was a woman working at the hostess stand that looked like she was working at a garage sale. Brown slacks, a completely unfashionable T-shirt type top, Adidas shoes, messy hair and a tired, somewhat pinched expression on her face. No smile, no greeting and an off-putting attitude. She was providing the very first impression as we walked in the door… Not good.

My hope is that this place works out some of these issues and earns the reputation that the kitchen/back of the house have.

I’ll wait a while before returning and keep an eye on other...

This review is a few weeks late and my hope is that perhaps the staff has had some training since we were in. We were in for brunch on a Sunday and had made a reservation. We walked in and the restaurant had just opened and seats were wide open. We were sat right next to another couple. We asked if we could move a table over to give them some space. Our server was nervous and overwhelmed from the start. He came to take our order and was not familiar with the menu. He never made any eye contact. He took our drink order and the table that had already been seated asked for him to come by as he hadn't greeted them or taken their order. We apologized for what had happened (not our fault). The couple said it was not our problem and were just happy to order. We notice the owner and another person, possibly the other owner or a manager, were sitting at the very first table when you walk in. They were training two employees. Right there on the main floor during the start of a busy brunch. In the meantime, our waiter was completely overwhelmed. We had to remind him to take our order and to take the order for other tables around us. It was awkward at best. It was even worse watching the management just sit at the main front table while this server was in over his head. The couple right next to us had the same experience and we bonded over it. Two of us had worked in restaurants for years and were really unhappy that this was our first experience. I ordered a second cocktail which was a negroni and I was brought a completely different negroni from what I had. We had to keep reminding our server of what he should be doing. His concern seemed to be the pens lined up in his apron. He wanted to be sure no one took one of his pens. The entire time our table and the two others near us were in need of help, the management simply ignored it. The lack of professionalism was palpable. We were also so uncomfortable for our server and so sad this was our experience. The food was fair. Perhaps it would have tasted better if we weren't stressed out for our server. I would really like to love this place. They hype is off the charts, but in this diner's opinion, it's just not worth it. Hope they make some changes. A pretty room does not make for a great...