barbata

Service and food were on point! We had a table of five and we all did the taster menu. It's was a train of veggies and meats. One after the other, we were impressed with the chefs choices! Even the drinks were amazing!We will be back the next time we're in town. Such chill vibes.

I personally like the minimalist atmosphere at barbata, which is located in the basement at Bata. The cocktails are interesting and nicely served. There is a small bites menu that you can enjoy as well. We've enjoyed starting the evening downstairs before heading up for dinner. We have found the service to be friendly and inviting on our visits. If nothing on the menu appeals to you, they will gladly customize a drink to your liking. If you're a spirits enthusiast, put barbata on your list to try.

Four of us came to this new underground bar last Saturday night. The inside is very minimiaist which I liked. The only drink we all liked was the Barbara Sparkler. We didn't like the Olive Hill Bigelow Martini, the Wrong Mountain or the Smoked Kitt Peak Old Fashioned.The bartenders were friendly. They are open one hour past BATA restaurant upstairs closing.

We had an hour before our dinner reservation at Bata, so came downstairs for a drink. I was greeted warmly and brought a glass of water in a beautiful, but simple glass, I love the glasses! I was asked several times if I needed anything while I waited for my friend to show up, I felt very comfortable being the only one in the bar so far. My friend and I both had old-fashioneds - WOW! I think this was my first old fashioned, and I love it! It was called the Kitt Peak Old Fashioned and consisted of small bourbon and local honey, 3 bordeaux cherries on a skewer to top it off! It was well-balanced and went down very smoothly! The environment was a very Tucson vibe - loved it!

After a disappointing visit to a new bar in town, a colleague and I went to barbata in an attempt to wash away the sadness. The restaurant looked closed, and walking downstairs, I didn't expect much. The place was brighter than I tend to like and pretty austere. A few people were at the bar and a couple tables had guests. There was music, but it was actually at a reasonable volume, allowing conversation at normal levels. That's greatly appreciated. The back bar was well stocked, but the menu was sort of uninteresting. Only two options piqued my interest at all, but there was a "bartender's choice" option. My colleague decided to do that so I did the same, despite sometimes being burned by the idea with unimaginative classics. Boy was that the right idea in this case though. He asked for something light with chartreuse. I asked for something sprit forward and amaro-based. Neither of us had had the drink we were served (and both of us have...extensive cocktail experience...). Both were well balanced, interesting, and different enough from things we'd had to maintain our interest until the last sip. I don't remember exactly what his was, but mine was Zucca Rabarbaro, Smith & Cross, crème de peche, some sort of coffee liqueur, and probably a thing or two I'm missing, all over a nice clear cube, in a glass with a half rim of flake salt. It's a bit of an odd combo (peach and coffee?!?), and has more than one ingredient that I find a little difficult to balance, but this was GREAT. It's the drink I always WANT to experience from the east village bar in NYC that specializes in amari but never get. And I got it in Tucson. Well done, sir!Give it a try if you like cocktails. I'm really only taking the one star off for the menu. With possibilities like what we got, 1/6 of the menu (or whatever) doesn't need to be an espresso martini!

Worst cocktails we've ever had. Wannabe speakeasy but the fishiness of the kitchen from bata seeped downstairs and it was unbearable.

After not necessarily enjoying Bata itself I very much enjoyed Barbata. It's in the basement of Bata and the bartender was very knowledgeable and even made me an off menu drink that was delicious. The drinks are pricier so maybe go to 1 or 2 drinks but it is definitely a place to check out!