Red Bar

Ugh, this place was so cheesy. It’s like they tried to make a really trendy bar with a budget of $ 100. Trading Spaces gone horribly wrong.
The mirror at the table we were sitting at was broken, there were uncomfortable clear plastic chairs to sit in, a long velour/​velvet (I really don’t know what this material was) couch, techno music. Aaahhh! Why did I come here?
And after all of that, the drinks are expensive.
The outside patio looked nice, but I never made my way out there.
I won’t be back. Too bad because this is in a good location in Old Town.

I went here for a birthday party on Saturday and there were two old drunk chicks fingerbanging on a couch. Classy joint!

I’ve only been living in the Phoenix area for 6+ months, and I’m already about as tired of conversations about whether a particular spot is too «Scottsdale» or not as I am about whether Starbucks sucks. I can see why people boycott Scottsdale (and Starbucks) entirely, but I’m still surprised when people go somewhere in Scottsdale and then complain that it’s too «douchey» or has too much «hype.» I mean, what do you expect in a hotel with red velvet ropes outside a bar and chairs so stylish you can’t sit in them – a freakin’ Cheers?
Besides, the «douchiness» is sort of why you come to a place like Red Bar, right? In college, my friends and I used to love to go see badly-​scripted and terribly-​acted movies («40 Days and 40 Nights» comes to mind), put some vodka in our cherry Icees, and laugh – of course, not because the movie was actually well-​produced, but because the bad jokes were funny in that bad-​joke kind of way.
Red Bar was sort of like those bad movies we used to go see. Yes, there was silicone housed in Forever 21 tops. Yes, there were guys with their collars popped. Yes, there was ridiculous dancing on top of tufted ottomans in a rich shade of – you guessed it – red. And, yes, the drinks were expensive. But with those expensive drinks in my system and an open mind, all the other things were funny. And enjoyable in their own Scottsdale-​like way. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go drink a grande nonfat latte with sugar free Cinnamon Dolce syrup.

«Six Schlitzes please».
Funny looks all around.
«Uh, an appeltini then».
It’s kinda like that.
Cheers
Until then, get the beers in…

Ten o’clock on a Friday night and there were only 15 people in sight as I walked into Red Bar. To make matters worse, every person in there had 10+ years on me.
The design is in line with the rest of The Mondrian Hotel– trendy, modern, and sort of ecclectic. The small room of the Red Bar is stark with white floors and walls, red furniture and red lighting. It’s not completely innovative, but not something you find very often in Phoenix.
Unfortunately, the design of the room did not lend itself to a positive experience. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s located in a hotel or the fact that the hotel is located far off from the main old town drag; but whatever the reason, the lame atmosphere was enough to keep me from staying long enough to have a drink. =/

The place was pretty empty — even for an off night. The service was pretty decent, but like I said — it was empty.
I’ve been in here a few times, but never when it’s busy. The prices don’t impress me, but I’d say you get a pretty decent pour for the money.
One thing I’d like to point out — a 1.5L bottle of Dom is less than 1000 bucks, but a 3.0L bottle of Dom is 3500. If you’re a fucking idiot, get the 3L. If you’re a smart shopper, you’ll get two 1.5L bottles or else just by the glass — which works out even cheaper. Just so you know, it works the opposite way Costco does. If you’re getting a big ass bottle of Dom anyway, you probably don’t care.
The décor is red. It’s very dark in here at night… dark and loungy rather than clubby. Similar to Merc Bar, but not as hip or hidden… even though they try to hide it with curtains. It’s also pleasantly quiet in here… easy to have conversations.
With the patio door open, you’re going to smell cigarettes people are smoking outside if you’re sitting at the bar or on the couch adjacent to there.
It’s a nice bar, but I don’t know that I’d single it out as a «place to be.» I actually think the Mondrian is pretty nice — but that’s based entirely on good memories that are completely unrelated to the place and have more to do with the people I was with at the time. If someone wealthy and hip was here from out of town looking to party, the Mondrian is one of a handful of hotels I’d suggest. Not so much because of Red Bar, but more because it’s conveniently located within stumbling home distance to so many other better bars in Downtown.

I’ve been to Red Bar a few times now and really enjoy it. I find it to be a good spot if you are just with one other person or are out with a group. The outside patio is my favorite place to lounge with a drink. This past Saturday night when we were there with friends, the fireplace was on which gave a cozy vibe as we relaxed on the oversize beds with our drinks. I have never had a problem going to the inside bar and getting drinks… in fact, service has always been quick for me and the bartenders are really friendly. Rum and cokes cost about $ 9 and beers are $ 6. So if you are out for a night of drinking, you can expect to drop a pretty penny. If you arrive before 10 pm (I think), there is no cover. Red Bar isn’t a place I could go every weekend, but every once in a while it’s a nice destination.
My one negative about Red Bar is that the bathrooms are outside the lounge in the hotel. If you have to go to the bathroom, you need to get a hand stamp so you can get back in. Normally this is something I could probably overlook, but this past Saturday, we arrived before anyone was even checking IDs at the door, so we walked right in. I opened a tab at the bar and was required to leave my ID with my debit card. When I tried to leave to go to the bathroom and asked for a handstamp, I was told I had to show them my ID. I explained I arrived before they started IDing at the door and that my license was currently at the bar with my tab. They wouldn’t give me a hand stamp!!! So I was stuck not going to the bathroom the whole evening. It didn’t ruin my evening but left a slightly bad taste in my mouth.
Despite that, I’ll go back to Red Bar. You can’t beat the upscale relaxed atmosphere and the people watching that abounds!

Wasn’t that impressed honestly…
I showed up to sip on a cocktail while waiting for a friend to fly into Sky Harbor (a little far away but i’m currently living in Tucson so I was not too concerned with time)
So, it’s Friday… it’s 5 pm and it’s Scottsdale, perfect recipe for happy hour right?
Wrong… The place was abandoned, the only people there were me, a fellow who looked way too old and golf resort to be at the Mondrian and a male couple outside with that «oh so charming» yappy small dog that everyone hates except the owner.
6 Bucks for a beer (I know, I know…) One should be sipping on a Martini here but when I saw the ambiance I just wanted to get the hell outta there as fast as I had showed up.
I dunno, perhaps much better come later in the evening.

Great place to have a cocktail after a dinner in old town, although I avoid it on Friday or Saturday night because it is a madhouse.
Drinks are all top quality (and top price), the atmosphere is sure to impress just about anyone, the crowd is interesting too (mostly over 25) with lots of out-​of-​towners who stay at the Mondrian hanging out here.

**2.5 Stars**
I really can’t give this just 1 or 2 stars primarily because yes it is a bar, and the drinks were quite tasty. I thoroughly enjoyed my coconut strawberry mojhito, my dirty dirty vodka martini and all of the shots we went through. HOWEVER, the atmosphere of this place is pretty much a zero. It’s trying way to hard to be some chic LA bar with ropes and red carpets, but it hardly lives up to any of they hype. Full of lots of cheesy guys with way to much hair gel and questionably tight shirts just prowling around for the way to tan, bleach blonde girls with boob jobs that go along with them. Not my scene, and I won’t ever be returning for another visit.

Red Bar was perfect for a pre-​dinner and post-​dinner drink at the Mondrian Hotel. We had dinner reservations at Asia de Cuba and are big fans of its sister in Manhattan. We showed up an hour early so we could check out the hotel lobby and the bars. As the name signifies, the entire bar is red. The seating area has a curved ceiling and a beautiful lounge area. All of the fabrics are very luxurious and the seating was so comfortable. The drinks were $ 12 so on par with most major cities in the US. I had the Arizona Apple Martini and my friend had a Peach and Vanilla Bellini. Both were fantastic. All of the staff were very friendly and gorgeous. It’s like you have to be a model to work here.
The best part was the right side of the bar. We saw a gorgeous, white fireplace with flames dancing up and down. We walked over and didn’t realize that it was outside — the façade of the white wall made it look indoors. There were 3 huge ottoman-​lounges. It was like being in an outdoor living room. It was getting cool out but the drinks and fireplace kept us warm. A great way to end our first night in Scottsdale.
Great place to end our first night in Scottsdale.