On our recent trip to Malcesine, Oasi Bar was suggested to us by our host as a nice location for…read moreyoung people to have a drink and listen to modern music. In the end, we went there twice in less than a week.
First thing to be noticed about this bar is that it is not exactly in the city center but instead situated on the lake promenade slightly south to the center of Malcesine. In our case, this was not an issue because 1) Malcesine is still kind of small, so the distance is more than manageable and 2) it was right in the middle of our walk from our residence to Malcesine.
Since Oasi Bar sits right at the lake promenade, you can enjoy a fantastic view of the lake.
The small bar offers plenty of tables that directly face the lake so that it's easy to find a free spot where you can enjoy the view while drinking a cocktail or nibbling at a side dish. Still, it's a bit confusing that most tables are arranged in a way that 1 or 2 people face the lake while their counterparts face them, with their backs to the lake. Who would want that?
But of course, you can easily switch your seats - so no problem, really.
Oasi Bar is an open air bar which only offers protection from rain when needed, in which case a marquise is extended.
One other winning aspect of Oasi Bar would be its prices. I cannot tell why, but when it comes to alcoholic beverages, including cocktails, this one offered the best prices in Malcesine. Aperol Spritz here is 3 euros. Not even 5 minutes of walking, you're at the city center where the same drinks usually costs around 5 euros. In more crammed cafés, some of which don't offer a lakeview.
At this point, you may be wondering why I don't give full points. Two reasons: First, and this is a minor complaint, the music is kind of nondescript best of charts music from the last decade. There's no identity to the music beyond that and this doesn't really make for a great bar atmosphere. Especially not in the evenings when they turn up the volume.
Second, and this actually was quite a big nuisance, is the inattentive waiters.
On both of our visits, the waiters took ages to finally hand us the menu, bring what we ordered and finally reappear to see if we had any further requests or wanted the bill. Not only is this kind of odd, seeing as there weren't this many visitors, but it also contrasts with the overall very attentive waiters in other cafés, restaurants or bars in the city.
As for the food, there isn't much I can comment on. The espresso was decent enough, the semifreddo my girlfriend ordered was sweet and delicious, and Aperol Spritz...well, I don't think there's much to making this a decent mix. On our first visit I ordered strudel di mele and I'm pretty sure that what I got came straight out of the freezer, though.
Oasi Bar is worth a visit if you're looking for lower prices and a nice view. But don't be in a hurry. Otherwise, you won't enjoy the view...and the waiters sure as hell aren't in a hurry to serve you either.
