Ryan F.
Yelp
After having dinner on a Thursday evening decided to grab another cocktail and wound up at Bauhaus. Ended up trying a few different drinks including the Ode To Mexico, Naked N Famous, and The Smokey Robinson.
Quality
Since I had started the evening with mezcal, so I felt obligated to stick with that liquor for the remainder of the night. Therefore, all three of the drinks I ordered used it as the base. The first drink I ordered, the Ode To Mexico, was probably my favorite of the three. It was made with mezcal, ancho reyes chili liquor, a bit a jalapeno cane, lime, and grapefruit. The drink ended up a bit sour with some zing, and that really is how I like my drinks. The next drink I got was the Naked N Famous, which I was less enthusiastic about, mostly because of the overpowering effect of aperol. Then I ended the night with The Smokey Robinson, which combined scotch, mezcal, honey, and lemon. Now I was worried about this drink, but it ended up being very smooth and delicious. Although I did feel the scotch overpowered the mezcal a bit, the combination definitely worked.
Quantity
All of the drinks were good sized, and they definitely used solid pours of alcohol. Also, they occasionally offer little mixed drink shots to let you try other unique mixtures.
Value
Once again I was impressed at the prices, but it may just be standard in Orlando. The cocktails were around $11-$12 across the board, which was similar to the other bar I visited.
Ambiance
Bauhaus is located in downtown Orlando about half a block off Orange Avenue. It is a bit off the beaten path, but looking for escape from the coldish evening it was the perfect oasis. It is a very long and skinny cocktail bar, with the bar itself taking up most of the space. Dimly lit with candles and the industrial feel give it a speakeasy vibe. At the end of the bar is a set of stairs that leads to another prohibition era bar. The bar is very hipster in nature, but I appreciate that it really is only crowded with alcohol, cocktail ingredients, and books about making cocktails. They definitely place the art of drink making above all else. I did not venture up, but I believe they had additional space on the second floor with more relaxed seating. They had music quietly in the background, but it more a place for conversation over drinks and I appreciated that.
Crowd
It is a bit odd that you need to go through one bar to get to another, but it basically ensured that foot traffic was heavy. However, upon seeing this bar I was really uninterested in venturing to another. Both the bartender and the patrons were great, extremely friendly and talkative. Without question the friendliest crowd that I ran into during my stay. Lots of hipster vibes everywhere, but it works well with the ambiance.
Service
The bartender was tremendous, he made all the difference on this night. Helpful suggestions along with advice as to what we might want to try. Exactly what you want out of a bartender.
Parking
I personally ended up taking a car service to downtown. There did appear to be both garages and parking lots scattered throughout the area.
Extra
Bauhaus was a very good cocktail bar. The drink selection was very diverse and the bartender added a lot to the experience. Also, a friendly crowd can turn a standard experience into a great one. I will admit as well there is nothing like coming in from a cool evening to a warm bar to leave you with positive memories, and honestly remind you of winter up north.