Callooh Callay Reviews Summary

Drinks Quality

Pros:

• "Probably most importantly for a cocktail bar, amazing drinks which are good value for the quality."
• "The cocktails themselves are delicious, including one that tasted oddly like a green thai curry."
• "The cocktails we're really tasty and obviously very well made and poured."
• "Delicious and inventive drinks made by friendly and skilled bartenders."
• "Every cocktail is an adventure to your tastebuds."
• "Cocktails are delicious and very well-priced considering it's in the heart of Shoreditch!"
• "Cocktails served was perfect."

Cons:

• "The drinks were very hit and miss, there were some interesting ideas on the menu but they were usually not executed very well."
• "Over priced bar for average food and extremely low quality cocktails."
• "Good but depends on the cocktail. Their Out out and Thai cocktails have a lot of ice and I felt like the taste was not as rich."
• "Lastly, the drinks were weak, tasty yes, but seemed weak."
• "Some of the drinks we ordered weren’t the best. Some were a bit watered down."
• "The alcohol served was cheap cheap stuff."
• "The drinks aren’t balanced the best. Lots of sweet and goofy (peanut butter in a cocktail? Uhhh, no)."

Service

Pros:

• "Super friendly staff, offering helpful advice on drinks and always keeping your table water topped up."
• "The staff is very nice and attentative as well."
• "Our server India made our night!"
• "Service was amazing the waiter was really attentative and polite."
• "The staff were very welcoming, attentive and helpful."
• "Staff were so welcoming and set a great tone."
• "The staff do their best to source a table for you and provide table service which is convenient."

Cons:

• "Starting with a host that clearly didn’t want tourists in without masks or checking in."
• "However waitress who served us could have been nicer. I’m gonna assume it’s her first day but she was struggling to understand us?"
• "There were no seats in the bar so we walked through the wardrobe into the other area... Halfway through our cocktails we were rudely told this was a reserved area and we weren't allowed to be there."
• "It also took ages to get the staff’s attention, which btw compromised of men only, and who were busy talking to each other instead of serving customers."
• "Went behind the mirror to the 'secret' bar, the waitress was not pleasant at all, very pretentious and we felt like we should be privileged to be in her and the bars presence."
• "Horrible service. Staff imagines they are someone better than others."
• "The main problem was a rude and unhelpful waiter."

Ambience

Pros:

• "LOVE the decor (cassette lined loos, a wardrobe you walk through, booze served in gramophones); stay for the cocktails."
• "Ambience was cool and relaxed. Clientele eclectic & smart."
• "The staff was very nice and friendly and the atmosphere was cozy."
• "Honeycomb mirrored walls, sensual lighting and cassette tape mosaic loos. A perfect atmosphere for a drink with work colleagues, a first date or an evening warm up drink."
• "Callooh Callay is an awesome cocktail bar in Shoreditch with reasonably priced cocktails, friendly staff and a great atmosphere."
• "The ambiance impresses just as much as the drinks."
• "The venue is really cool, the music was great, the atmosphere is dark and intimate."

Cons:

• "Not really persuaded by the vibe and top 40s tunes."
• "Very over-hyped."
• "You can’t stand up to have a chat with people sat at the other end of the table, the staff were strict on that and i wish I knew before that it isn’t a very relaxed environment."
• "If you want to spend your evening yelling over overpriced drinks, visit - if you want to enjoy your company or have an actual bar / cocktail experience, lots of much better places in East London to do so."
• "Crowded is one though and it was a bit loud that you couldn't really here the person next to you."
• "Atmosphere was lacking though considering it's vibrant location."
• "The atmosphere leaves something to be desired."