The House of Machines

Place is good for chills and cocktails are good but was very ticked off at the service I received. I went out with my friends. Started off really good. The only cocktail I enjoy is a margarita and this place does not do a salted rim but I had asked for it during my first three cocktails and the lovely bartenders who served me, did it for me. Until I had ordered my fourth margarita and the one bartender had refused to do it. I was quite confused because all the previous bartenders had did it for me but this guy had refused which was quite a dick head move, especially after I had already paid and tipped him. It’s not that inconvenient to salt a rim of a glass and if a customer asks you for it then it’s quite a small act to contribute towards customer service. I then tried to order another with the other bartenders who previously did it for me in the night but then they had suddenly also refused which just showed me that the other guy who refused to do it for me, told them not to do it anymore. Which is going very much out of your way to “prove a point” to a customer ? Just weird. They literally have the sentence “don’t be a dick” plastered huge on their front window. But that was very much a dick move. Just put me off.

Awesome place! Host is very accommodating …and will show you how to make a great old fashioned!

The vibe of the place is absolutely spectacular and the cocktails are amazing usually however my friends and I had a rather odd experience this night. We had ordered margaritas and we asked if they could salt the rim for us. The first few times a bartender done it for us. We then had a different bartender and he refused. This was after we had paid and tipped him. I do feel that for the price that we are paying for a cocktail + tip we should be able to make a simple request as salting the rim of the margarita. This experience left a bitter taste and felt that our experience and service thereafter just was not the same. This is only our second time at this establishment and we are disappointed. We hope management takes this feedback seriously.

A great place to hang out, especially on first Thursdays. It can get quite crowded but worth a stop. Staff help you keep safe especially as it gets later, which is much appreciated. The hot chocolate definitely needed a little more flavour, next time please 😉

Great atmosphere, been numerous times. Well trained staff, who know how to make a cocktail! Would recommend if in the area. Minor negative- On 'open mic' night (Tuesday), the organiser is a bit pedantic, insisting on silence for the artists/performers, which isn't why folk go to bars, but still enjoyable.

Great place with nice live music. Chill bar and great atmosphere.

Good beer, burgers and live music every night it seems. Fried pickles are amazing!

Apparently rated as one of the world's top 100 bars, The House of Machines did not disappoint! The barman was vocally excited by my ordering an Old Fashioned (a personal favourite of mine, and seemingly a specialty of theirs). Something about a random barman's approval of one's order puts one in a great mood for the remainder of the evening. I also sampled the Negroni and the Espresso Martini. Both were good, but the Old Fashioned remains my go-to, although if one intends to party into the late/early hours, then the added caffeine would make the Espresso Martini the better order. There's an authenticity about this particular establishment that's rarely captured by other places. However, the location and limited size of said establishment, which no doubt contribute to the aforementioned authenticity, result in this place becoming insanely packed to the point of being impossible to navigate when "Town" is busy (avoid on First Thursdays at all costs!). I've discovered The House of Machines is best enjoyed on an arbitrary mid-week night, when you can approach the bar directly and order your drinks immediately. There are also almost always live music performances, even on arbitrary mid-week evenings. One should also note, you will not be saving money at this establishment.