So, this is what I do when I wish to preserve the very thing that makes a place absolutely amazing... that is to give it a low enough star rating that most Yelpers and Safari users ISO a great restaurant or bar will simply skip by this place without a second look.
Why? I mean isn't the very essence of Yelp to "Yelp" out to everyone so they avoid lousy experiences & find the hidden gems??? Well, yes... unless it's a truly special Gem, then I'm not so sure we want everyone to know about it.
I'm 51 years old and have spent many years partying at the greatest (and not so greatest) bars & clubs ... this place, even without me speaking a bit of Italian, might be the best bar I've ever been to.
Not because of the drinks, the wines, or the beers-- but rather than people, the vibe, the welcoming feeling that was shown to us by the staff and patrons.
For those old enough to remember Cheers, it's Milan's Cheers for sure.
This place is clearly a community gem that only those on this neighborhood know of... those walking from the tram to their apartments more than likely in fact.
It's the kind of place that you want to tell everyone about, but when you go back after doing so, you find it no longer to be the hidden gem, but rather a tarnished turd ... Therefore, only those who take the time to read this review will learn of this amazing spot, and thus they too shall appreciate its charm enough to also only give it 3 stars.
First off, the man who I assume owns the bar treats everyone as if they are family, which trickles down to his staff doing the same.
The result of this, I mean, I have never seen so many happy people in one place after work in my life! No one complaining about their week, the clients or their bosses... instead relishing the moment they have with their friends... friends that I'm betting they see every night around the same time, at the same spot.
There is really no way to describe the vibe, so I'll just leave it by telling about the first 30 minutes we sat there... for what should have been a quick drink before dinner elsewhere...
We sat down at the bar with only a few people there... the bartender took our drink order and asked if we wanted anything to eat... we declined... 5 minutes later, along with the wines he recommended, this giant plate of antipasto amazingness arrives in front of us... and like some Italian grandmother, he motions for us to eat-eat. (See pic attached of the plate of food he dropped).
As more people began to arrive; all of which knew the others, it became less like a money making establishment and more like a family get together. But unlike places where everyone knows everyone, it was not cliquish. Instead, the locals were very engaging and quite impressed that a couple of American tourists decided this was the place they decided to go drop into as opposed to where we might be more expected to be at such as around the Galleria, Cathedral or Castle.
We went from what would have ordinarily been some nice people watching to being the people who might get watched.
What began as a pre-dinner drink stopped turned into our evening out...
The food we had, was just as amazing as the patrons and staff.
Hopefully if the do see this review, they understand me that me not giving them the star rating they deserve is truly to make sure this place feels the same for the few future tourists who stumble on it... read more