Escobar - a Mexican bar / restaurant in Haidhausen

Has anyone been to the Escobar in Haidhausen? Is it the kind of place you can get together with a group and mingle while you have a few cocktails? Is it worth a visit? Or is a place like Pappasitos, Enchilada, Sausalitos, etc. better for casual drinking and merriment?

have heard good things from colleagues about this place. they like their cocktails so can't be bad on that score.

i've never been though

Escobar comments

My own take on the place is as follows:

Situated in a little platz in Haidhausen along with Juleps & Lisboa Bar, Escobar is a great little find. It was named by the original Columbian owners after Pablo Escobar the notorious drug trafficker. The interior designers had a lot of fun with this one and incorporated plenty of exposed brick-work and brushed steel. On the bar is a large statue of a vulture made from what looks like beaten scrap metal and hanging from the ceiling is a huge fan which wouldn't look out of place in a DaVinci helicopter design. Near the back of the seating area you have a section with prison bars bent out of shape, presumably in reference to Escobar's 1993 prison break.

The current owner is a Turkish bloke and very friendly. Most of the staff are also Turkish and all seem to be out for a good time. There's not much seating space at the bar but if you can get a plot it's a great place to sit and chat. The place is pretty relaxed and the clientele are not as pretentious as you'll find in many other places.

The beer is unfortunately served only in 0.4L glasses rather than my preferred 0.5L, but at least they take this into consideration in the prices. The food is basically Mexican fare.

Escobar is definitely worth a visit and in my opinion is the best of the three bars in that little area.

Futher note:

As with many bars in Munich it is not ideally laid out for much mingling. The bar area doesn't give you much room, especially since the staff come past there from the kitchen, and apart from that it's all tables. Great little place but really depends on what you are looking for.

Ok, thanks guys. Yeah, I read those comments on Escobar already, Keydeck, but was also curious to see if other had opinions. Sounds like it'd be a good choice. I had a look at their website, but it's a bit crap.

Sounds like a winner to me

it can't be as bad as Julep's.
I have heard good things about their cocktails.

Yeah, apparently Julep's is crap. I get out so seldom that I don't know any of these places.

I've had some good times in Juleps but it's far from being a first choice.

It heralds itself as a New York Bar & Restaurant. It's a nice little place which seems to be a little confused about what it's trying to be. One thing is certain is that it's very popular so go early if you want a seat in the bar area or reserve if you're having dinner.

Most people are drinking cocktails or bottled beers such as Budweiser (the American stuff, not the Czech liquid gold) and Corona. I can only vouch for their rum n' cokes and whiskey sours and say that they're pretty damn good. The service is not bad although the bar staff seem to be more concerned with trying to impress any female in the vicinity rather than getting the drinks out. The clientele are a slightly older group who appear to fall into the well-dressed, well educated type of category.

On the down side it's bloody hot in the place and it can feel pretty stuffy & claustrophobic if you are seated or standing in the bar area. I haven't tried the food yet but it looks pretty good and I'm intrigued by their dessert of banana spring-rolls.

Sounds like a good place for a GNO then.

The good thing about Escobar, looks like it's close enough for lots of other places if it's too packed, Augustiner on Worth str, Jazz Cantina on Steinstr, Negronis, etc etc etc

okay the free chips and dip are okay at happy hour at Juleps, but the cocktails, hmm, how can I say this politely? They suck! At most other bars you feel a kick after 2 cocktails (heck even after one at some places), but at Julep's, I think its just coloured water.

You don't know what they look like yet, or are you on for any dribbling simpleton?

JennyL- I went a few weeks ago to Moccar on Steinstr (next to Jazz Canitina) and I was really impressed, wasn't too typically Munich ShickyMicky, but, yah, I had fun there.

@Keydeck- I was just thinking the only way they could impress me is with a decent cocktail, but if they can't do that right, then I guess it doesn't matter. I would venture to say that it's fairly rare that you get really nasty ugly bar staff though... or? I guess I haven't really paid attention.

@Carm-- Ooooh. Thanks for the tip.

You probably only go where the cocktails are good and after one or two all the staff start looking good

If you are looking in the Haidhausen/Bogenhausen area- there is also Cafe Weinerpl (happy hour til 10!) at Rosenkavalierpl (U4 Arabellapark), Wasserwerk - one street over from Kirchenstr (I know how to get there- so you will have to invite me too! )

So on a cocktail run it looks like Escobar to Augustiner to Jazz to Moccar

Should satisfy any cocktail lover and taste

Oh, BD- you forgot Cafe Voila and Negroni's on the way to Jazz and Moccar.

Oh oh. This is starting to sound dangerous.

It's growing on me by the minute

Pablo or Pedro?

Or even Andres, funny old game, football

Well, then we should go to Zoozies where the bar staff are looking good right from the word go...

Mmmm... I've heard good things about Zoozies.

Sooo many places you need to visit.

They'll be asking for a title change before long...

Tell me about it.

I have only been here 6 months, but have been rollicking through them lately...Jenny, you need to hang out with me more

I would hang out with you more if I could keep up with you.

Oh, you are doing a great job so far !