Bar Review: Bellboy, Berlin, Germany — Liquid Thoughts

Last Visit: Summer 2022

There is an undeniable urge for people to search for a nostalgic flair that can surround them, like the smoke of cigarettes and the sound of brass instruments, like watching Babylon Berlin, but only after taking the Uber home from the 20s party, with a prepped and delivered meal waiting in the smart fridge. Bellboy, opened in 2021/22, does call its own approach 'whimsical' and judging by the full tables, maybe that was exactly what people were waiting for after the sober years of the pandemic. A bit of mixology magic, a bit of smoke and mirrors, the comfortable, curated kind though.

I was a bit worried, that with Frederick's already on the list for that particular trip to Berlin, the category of the 'nostalgic drinking temple' was getting a little crowded. I am glad though, that I did manage to see Bellboy and freed myself of most expectations. Expectations are the silent guests that accompany all of us and in the case of this new cocktail bar tucked into a corner of Gendarmenmarkt, they will mostly likely be what separates those that feel right at home and those that are left wondering where the magic is, when the smoke has cleared, the very much whimsical decor of the drink has made its impression and the second and third drink tastes just as pleasantly average as the first.

*The bar counter and a small part of the interior / Copyright:* *Bellboy Group*

This is the first expansion of the Bellboy Group out of Israel, with Bellboy Tel Aviv being the inspiration for Bellboy Berlin and the planned opening of Butler Berlin, which is, as you can guess, mirroring Butler Tel Aviv. There was no prior reservation and I would have not been surprised if such a central, eye-catching new destination would have greeted me with a long queue outside. Luckily that was not the case and if there is a single strength for Bellboy as a bar, it is the effective and optimized system with which it operates. In, nowadays at least, familiar speakeasy fashion, one has to wait in a small room ahead of the main space, where the hotel theme is represented by a wooden concierge desk. The charm is only broken by staff quickly assessing and assigning the guests via headsets, which made me feel more like having a meeting with the president and his Secret Service detail, than being equally welcomed to escape the outside world.

The interior itself does its best to brim with character and overstimulation. While that can be the case in many bars, due to numerous bottles at the back or due to music, at Bellboy it is not so much the bar itself, but the space, that is filled with vintage items, velvet decor and which offers corners to discover. These days of course a bar can not just be a bar and like many new openings, Bellboy also features a separate room for private occasions or culinary events, which I have not seen myself in person, but which the staff was reminding me of.

Within two minutes of sitting down on one of the last free tables the Bellboy, you will have your tap water, the menu and a waiter/waitress specifically for your table, who will come every five minutes to ask about your drink and next orders. Attentive on the surface, polite even, but when they keep asking about your second drink while you are putting down the empty glass of the first one, there might just be another kind of philosophy driving that kind of relationship with guests.

Call Me Old Fashioned:

I am still waiting for Tonka to make a proper return in mixology. I fell for this flavor when I had a coffee with it, many, many years ago at the Adlon in Berlin. My hope, to find that flavor again, only a few minutes away from the old glory of the hotel, quickly faded away though. While not a bad (Call Me) Old Fashioned, it captures more the basic flavors of cocktails during the first decades of their creation. Pleasantly masking the alcohol and working with ingredients that were common. None of the interesting aspects and maybe there are too many to begin with (Tonka, Rum, Cherry, Amaro Pecan, …) really stood out, it blended into a slightly bitter-sweet, chocolaty drink, that also drifted into Manhattan territory more than being build around the homemade rum.

Miss-Behave:

Sweet, smooth, sinking into the red velvet. This is a drink for a date or after buying vintage clothing, but why, I wonder, does it need all of those ingredients (priced at 15 €). It has 4 fruity and floral ingredients, that do not add anything more to this drink and while the lemon curd and Aperol were likely supposed to balance out the sweetness, they are more likely going to confuse people trying to find out what this drink will taste like, when they order it.

*Some of the vintage decor & homemade ingredients / Copyright:* *Bellboy Group*

With such an extensive menu, food options and the busy but focused service culture, it seemed rather hard to try and discover what kind of creativity and skill lies behind the grand facade of design and ingredients. Coming back, I would attempt to order off the given menu, but something tells me that the 'perfectly curated' selection does not mix well with outside wishes. Mirroring Frederick's, there is an appreciation at Bellboy for unusual spirits, homemade liquors and of course the high level of technical possibilities that bars aiming for the top level all try to include. It is just a bit of a shame, that for anyone interested in Cherry Amaros, Banana Rums, Vermouth Blends, Bellboy Vodkas, Blossom Cordials, Piscos and so on, there is little of these to find in the drinks that are being served.

What then remains, when the velvet curtain closes and you step out into the Berlin night again ? Mostly a feeling of having been entertained and hosted. When you watch a group of people receive their drink in a bathtub-shaped cup with soapy foam on top of it for the third or fourth time and that seems more entertaining than your own drink, it does feel a bit like watching a play that you have seen a dozen times. The costumes are impressive, the venue nice, there is a fancy person showing you to your seat, but there is no surprise in the performance and the plot just trots along, despite the set promising something with more depth.

As always, we look forward to your thoughts and maybe also to you checking out all the other Berlin bar reviews, Cheers.

#9 | Bellboy, Berlin, Germany

#10 | Ménage, Munich, Germany

#8 | Ory Bar, Mandarin Oriental, Munich, Germany