Bar B&f

Cozy bar, friendly staff. Bartender was very nice and conversational, English friendly!

Fruit brandy specialized bar. I came here after not being able to get into Bar Benfiddich upstairs but I don’t regret it at all.

You can order standard fair like anywhere else but the point of bars like this are to converse with the bartender so they can make recommendations!

TLDR: A great alternative if the upstairs Bar Benfiddich is booked up. Bespoke cocktails crafted to your personal taste in a casual environment.

Vibe: 5/5. Located in the same building as the legendary Bar Benfiddich, B&F is located on the 3rd floor in a small quaint space. The bar is a large half circle with 8-10 counter seats as well as a few larger groups tables off to the side. Decor takes design cues from Old world Japan, using a lot of antique wood, metal and glass which creates quite a cozy environment to enjoy a cocktail or 3. The larger group table can accommodate a group of 4-6 people comfortably, however the best seats in the house are belly up to the bar for the mixology show.

Service: 5/5. My party of 2 arrived at B&F around 11pm on a Thursday night. We had attempted to grab a few walk in spots at the main bar upstairs, but were booked solid through the night unfortunately. The staff at B&F welcomed us with open arms, with us only having to wait a few minutes for 2 spots to open up at the bar. The bartenders were very accommodating, giving us the full rundown of how the ordering system works and we're able to make some fantastic cocktails. The bartenders at B&F seem to rotate between the main bar and B&F, so you are getting the same caliber of talent at both locations. Drinks came out relatively quickly considering the effort that goes into each order as well as the bar being fully occupied. Overall, I couldn't have asked for better service.

Drinks: 5/5. As mentioned before, B&F prides itself on using innovative bartending techniques and ingredients to produce world class cocktails that are tailored to your personal taste buds. There is no official menu, so come prepared to answer the wait staff's barrage of questions on what you are looking for in a drink. On the night of my visit, I first requested the bartender to make me their take on a whiskey sour, but put a Tokyo spin on it. The end result was a sour, but using peated Japanese whiskey and ginseng infused bitters to create an earthy, smoked flavor. The second cocktail I decided to go for was a matcha old fashioned that had been posted on the Bar Benfiddich Instagram page. Again, using Japanese peated single malt, the bartender combined the spirit with freshly muddled citrus, bitters and ceremonial grade whisked matcha. Finishing touches included gold flakes on top of a diamond carved ice block that really took the drink to next level aesthetics. The cocktail was unbelievably balanced, with matcha playing nicely with the peaty whiskey and subtle citrus notes. When it was time to grab the bill, I was pleasantly surprised that each cocktail was around $10-15 which is an absolute deal for the level of craft that went into each one. Overall, if you can't grab a seat at the 13th floor establishment, you should absolutely give B&F a try.

A complete freestyle cocktail bar, with no menu. Just say how you’d like it. The bartenders give you a great feeling as they share their passion.