Bar Nola — Restaurant in Winston-Salem

Walked in on a Saturday evening, three employees (2 owners/managers and 1 bartender) present, with only six customers. You’d think I’d be at least greeted/acknowledged pretty quickly, and I should have left after that didn’t happen for a while.

I scanned the QR code (booo, we want menus) and it didn’t have a single price. I asked the bartender for a menu with prices, and she rudely said that’s the menu. I said it didn’t have prices on it, and she rolled her eyes at me. I asked how much cocktails were (I like to know what the price range is before deciding, cause I don’t wanna land on a cocktail that’s twice the price of the others and then be disappointed. This is what the owners want, so they are being deceitful by not listing prices) and she said “they are all different. What do you want?” They have a very limited menu of 6 cocktails, it wouldn’t be that hard to quickly say “they are all $12-$14” or something like that.

Know what I want, Bar Nola? I want service that’s even slightly friendly, and paper menus with prices.

I found both things across the street at The Porch Kitchen and Cantina, and then Tate’s downtown, both of which had more than one bartender behind the bar (faster) said hello to me as soon as I walked in, even though it was busy (friendlier) and had prices listed for everything (more honest.)

Bar Nola could learn a few things from these...

I grew up in Winston, but spent the last 6 years living in New Orleans prior to COVID. I was super excited to try this New Orleans themed bar when they finally opened because NOLA is a place that’s near and dear to my heart. First visit was opening weekend. Large crowds teamed with supply issues that a lot of bars were experiencing during COVID meant they were out of a lot of items on the menu, but customer service was good and the spot is cute with a great location, so I wasn’t terribly disappointed. I returned after they had some time to work out the kinks, and I’ve been back a few times since for a few events. I did attend a curated multi course dinner here with cocktail pairings that was amazing. I wanted to wait to give a fair review and I must say, It lacks everything that I love about the city, and the bar staff as a whole need more training on the classic New Orleans cocktails that they offer. Last time I went, I just had to settle for a beer after ordering a Sazarac that was given to me on the rocks with muddled fruit in it. Sigh. Expectations too high, perhaps. Hurricanes here are fine and the swamp punch they have is cute. They also offer plenty of games, although seating is limited on busy weekends. Can’t speak on the brunches, but I’ve heard good things. I’d be able to enjoy this bar much more if they would just drop the “NOLA”...

Where do I begin? TL:DR - If you want NOLA cocktails...this isn't the place.

First off, as someone who is from New Orleans...I was so disappointed. After driving an hour and a half to this place, I was looking forward for some classic flavors from home. I was sorely disappointed. None of the drinks were palatable and the bartender was rude. When I asked her what bourbons they had in stock, she simply pointed at the shelf and said 'they're all back there' and walked off. As someone who's pretty nearsighted, I was taken aback. Once we did receive the beverages, they were far too strong and not balanced in flavor whatsoever.

We were there for a show and goodness. My friend paid $200 dollars for seats so we could watch but those who were standing room only and paid less blocked our view. That...was another disappointment.

The female bartender there was the icing on the cake, as we circle back around. My husband went to close the tab and I didn't have my card. He went to inquire and instead of just trying to sort it out, she cursed at him to put it mildly. If I had even found the card and it was just dropped or the like, the way she reacted to the question was poor. Of course after checking our bank statement compared to our receipt, it seems she had given herself a $20...