Karen Joy V.
Yelp
I live in the neighborhood and have wanted to check out the rooftop bar for the longest time. TL;DR: I was met with devastating disappointment mostly caused by a rude bartender who definitely does not care if you have flies in your drink. I can not recommend this place to anyone.
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After enjoying dinner at an establishment close by, my husband and I thought it would be a great night to check out the rooftop garden. It had been a long week at work and we were interested in seeing what kinds of drinks they serve. We heard, through yelp, that the view was fantastic.
Yelpers were not wrong about the view. You get a nice view of the downtown Indianapolis skyline and as the sun was setting, the sky was turning beautiful shades of orange and blue.
Unfortunately, the view does not outweigh the terrible service I received.
I looked at their menu which featured various types of mules. As a lover of smoky flavor and mezcal, I decided to order a $10 mezcal mule. I asked for less ice and normal proportions of everything which the bartender obliged. It tasted good and the drink came to about half the size of mason glass (understandable as I asked for less ice and the original amount of ice in the glass was to the rim so she only filled the glass to half with ice).
I made my way over to the edge of the bar to admire the view. I only had a few sips when I noticed a fly in my drink. This made me sad because I really wanted to enjoy the drink further and only had sipped very little of it at that point (like I mentioned, my glass was only half full per my own request of less ice; when I realized I had a fly in my drink, the glass was still half full).
I made my way back to the bar to talk with the bar tender to let her know what happened. I waited, patiently, as she helped other customers. When she got back to me I explained to her what happened.
Now, I'd like to explain that I grew up in Florida. We have all kinds of bugs in Florida. Arguably, we have more bugs than Indiana because the weather is so humid. Although it doesn't happen frequently, sometimes a bug might fly into your drink. It happens and is understandable. However, in Florida, I have never had this happen.
After explaining to her about how a fly flew into my drink she looked me square in the face and said, "So... this is an outside establishment? A fly in your drink can happen." She acted like I was dumbass for bringing the drink back to the bar. I was taken aback. Maybe it's my fault for taking the drink back to the bar? Maybe I should have just continued to drink it without notifying anyone or any complaint? I don't know, but I do know how she made me feel like a butthole for going back to the bar with a fly in my drink. My flabbergasted self even offered to take the drink back, fly and all, for inconveniencing her. (I don't even know why I offered to take it back, I knew I wasn't going to drink it anymore if there was a fly in it).
She then agreed to remake my drink for me (with more ice this time which I honestly was completely okay with at this point) which I thanked and apologized profusely. She definitely made sure to remind me that "we were outside and outside there are bugs." There were other customers in the area. I was thoroughly embarrassed.
I walked back to the edge of the bar and away from the situation. I tried to enjoy the drink. I tried to enjoy the view. But I just felt very, very small. I felt about as small as the fly that had come into that first glass (And I was also nervous another fly would come into my drink lol). She took what was supposed to be a good end to a long week and turned it into poop.
All in all, I can not recommend this place to anyone. I can not recommend a place where they allow their employees to be rude to their customers like this.
To the bar tender that served me tonight: I am sorry for making the job a little more difficult tonight... I really am. But many of us also have jobs where we interact with other people. In the future, instead of making me and others like me feel small, I hope you strive to positively impact someone's day or make their lives a little more bright. I hope that you can enjoy that beautiful view and that it one day inspires you to do better. I wish you the best.