Barbarella Bar

Beer and corsets

by gastronomnom at Citysearch

Bar Bar Ella Bar. The bar so nice they named it thrice.

As you walk in, you are greeted by a long polished wooden bar, stylish leather stools and an impressive array of two dozen microbrews on tap. Long leather booths and heavy studded wooden tables create a sense of intimacy.

This could be another addition to the burgeoning gastropub scene. A welcome Eastside addition.

Turn the corner to your right and the scene changes completely. It's now a cavernous, slightly industrial and empty space ringed by red booths and banquettes. A circle of light wood floorboards marks out a dancefloor and a large chandelier sits incongruously above it next to exposed air conditioning ducts and exposed beams.

I'm still torn about the design of the space. It's almost schizophrenic, as if trying to be both gastropub and nightclub in one. Perhaps that's the idea. Perhaps the interior design wasn't quite complete.

But given that it was opening night, I'll give Barbarella the benefit of the doubt.

Besides, when faced by a microbrew selection matched only by Father's Office and served by waitresses in black leather corsets, it's easy to overlook some of these faults.

The best way to sample the brews here is to go for their beer flights. Select three beers from the list of 24 and for $8 you get three small glasses. I'd highly recommend the Chimay White, the Allagash White and the Sea Dog Blueberry Ale for a sweet finish. It's a great way to taste nine beers in a night without getting wasted. Unless that's your goal, in which case I'd suggest their specialty martinis. Be warned, they are deceptively strong.

The food selection is relatively small. More bar food than dinner fare. We had the Ahi Tar Tar, which was fresh and a generous serving. A well executed standard.

We came back on Friday night of opening week and brought a group of 12. We nabbed the long corner banquette beneath the DJ booth, the most secluded spot in the bar, and whether it was the alcohol, the scantily clad waitresses, the darkened interior or the company, all sorts of shenanigans ensued.

Luckily we weren't thrown out of our new favorite bar.

But when you name your bar after a film set in a city where a new sin is invented every hour and the villain tries to kill the heroine by strapping her to a giant organ and giving her a fatal orgasm, what do you expect?

New Menu, New Chef

by Ilovwsushiroll at Citysearch

I am in LOVE with Barbarella Bar and their gorgeous new Chef Michael. A few of my girlfriends decided to make it a ladies night out last Wednesday and though we'd give Barbarella a try. Their Martini's are enormous, 10oz, I loved the ginger cucumber one so much I had 3. Ooops. We started with a meat and cheese plate, which came out with the Chef who went over each of the meats and cheeses on the plate with us, which was fabulous. He tried to get me to switch to a Merlot, said it would pair much better with the cheese plate, but I was already hooked on my ginger cucumbers, so no. For dinner I had the roasted chicken, sooooo tender and it had this blue cheese farroh which was tasty, I never had farroh before, is that how you even spell it, but it was delish. Two of my friends each ordered the Baramundi and said it was yummy, didn't try it myself, but I did try the lamb which was great. The place is all candle lit and gorgeous, our new girls night out place definitley.

• Pros: Food,drinks, service

A Bar Where One Can Stretch and Breathe Freely

by RPardess at Citysearch

Walking into Barbarella Bar, one might expect futuristic decor, complete with glow in the dark martini glasses and heads of big hair floating around the room atop six pairs of bare, greasy legs.

Instead we find high ceilings, wood paneling, leather couches and chairs, as well as servers in black bustiers. The mid-sized menu includes dishes from mediocre hamburgers and french fries, to an addicting Bangkok Hummus appetizer. Here you can also find lamb lollipops and wild gulf prawns if you're feeling fancy (while your wallet may not be). The bar comes fully loaded, with a vast selection of beer on tap and many unique martini recipes, with no skimping on the alcohol (at all/whatsoever).

The manager, although a bit prickly, was extremely accommodating when I planned a birthday party here. We reserved two long couches with tables in the back, on which I had to put down a $200.00 deposit. The conditions were that I'd lose the deposit if at least 10 people didn't show up by 9:30. Luckily, my friends and acquaintances followed through and we had a grand old time, and felt like VIPs all the while. There were around 30 of us, and there was more than enough space.

I have two complaints: 1) Although we had two or three cocktail waitresses dedicated to our table, only one was functional. When ordering, she would stare at us blankly for 26 seconds then run away to the bar without a response. Sometimes the drink would arrive about 45 minutes later, if at all. 2) The music was terrible. Top 40, Power 106/KIIS FM. I was expecting creative mixes of feel-good dance music, when what we got was three Chris Brown songs in a row, followed by a Shakira 1999 mega-mix. I would have expected a protest by the eclectic Hyperion & Rowena community, but I guess any tune can be great after a couple of these all-powerful martinis.

All in all Barbarella bar gets a thumbs up from me. It isn't cramped, the drinks are strong and the food is good. They also have great happy hour specials, with the hour lasting the entire day every Sunday.

• Pros: Very spacious, Vast Selection of Beer & Spirits, Good Food
• Cons: The Music, The Service (sometimes)

Barbella Bar

by TrealTalk at Citysearch

I thought this place was mad fun. A really cool vibe. The drinks were a little more than i thought for Happy Hour, but nonetheless, everything was cool. If their Happy Hour was as inexpensive as Club Sushi's, this place would be perfect!

• Pros: Cool Spot

Great atmosphere and people

by honeysuckles at Citysearch

My friends and I checked out this bar on a Friday night. The interior looks great but most importantly we loved the drinks and the appetizers were good. The crowd was good looking and everyone was having a good time. I would definitely go back to chill out again.

• Pros: Good drinks