Being the first microbrewery in Mumbai, I was very eager to visit The Barking Deer Brewpub. Never knew I would be so disappointed with it, that I would decide to stop eating at any restaurant for a week. I never thought I would write such a review for this place.
Few of my friends decided to check it out on the 30th of December 2013. The first impression that The Barking deer creates in your mind is good, but as you spend more time your experience starts turning from good to worst. The service is pretty lousy. You cannot expect a prompt service here. If you are hungry this would be the last place to go.
The So-called microbrewery.
If you are there for the beer no change you still have to wait. In fact you have to beg in front of the waiters or captains or whatever they like to call themselves to serve you some booze or even water for that matter. After a long wait someone does turn up and takes the order and hence starts your yet another long wait.
They have just 3 of their own brewed beers so don’t expect a lot from this place. Out of the 3 only 2 would mostly be available. The “Captains” cannot help you with the selection of the beer; they are equally clueless about it. So we order all varieties to select one among us. Beer is just ok nothing to write about. They can fool newbies to beer with it. You would rather have the bottled ones.
Let us talk about food now. The menu is pretty limited. No variety whatsoever. A local south Indian Café which does not have a menu would probably have more items than The Barking Deer. We ordered a few things, but the quantity is so less that even 1 man can’t have a satisfied portion of the starters. So we finally decided to go for the platter. The order is always served late no matter what you order.
After a long wait the platter did arrive and it had a special something for us in it. A live “FLY”.Yucccck. The entire evening is messed up along with our appetite. When we bring that to the notice of the management, they quickly take it away. Attached is a picture of the same, which I was able to grab before the waiter swiftly picked up the plate. The response of the staff is so trained and casual that you get a feeling that this is something that happens all the time in this place.
The Fly in the Food
The Barking Deer Brewpub should have rather be named as The Barking Fly because that’s their specialty. The first microbrewery of Mumbai, which also could be the first place in Mumbai to serve flies and insects, as a delicacy.
I still didn’t lose hope and reported the incidence to their social media sites. I thought maybe someone in the management would care about it. My posts were conveniently deleted by the page admins without any reply to it. This shows they are pretty good at handling such things and it is a common thing that they serve. The consumer does not come first at this place.
Even after this if you gather yourself together and wanna visit The Barking Fly sorry Deer Brewpub just remember not to act surprised if some special things like flies and insects come along with your food. That’s their Speciality.
I would never go again or recommend The Barking Deer Brewpub to any of my friends. This post is for all the blog followers to avoid this place. The first microbrewery of Mumbai is also the worst microbrewery in Mumbai.
I was many times in The Barking Deer and the place just great. I’m not sure about the food, it was ok, but the main thing you go there it’s a beer, and a beer just great.
You can eat whenever you want, but there’s no places in Mumbai to find a quality beer except Barking deer.
(No, I don’t work for them, I even not an Indian citizen, but was there almost every day during my week in Mumbai)
The beer is personal preference…The main objective of writing this review was that they do not maintain basic hygiene that is expected out of any place…
I have read reviews about them where the beer served wasnt even cold…So its disheartening…Nothing against the place its just that its a huge disappointment when the management cares a damn about the kind of service they provide even though they charge a bomb for the services…
Even if you work for them..Its ok…Just try to get the word through that they need to improve their services… Thanks
“The beer is personal preference…” – Not exactly. Types of beer is personal preferences, quality of beer has nothing with personal preferences. It should have specific color, temperature, foam etc (depends of type, of course).
“The main objective of writing this review was that they do not maintain basic hygiene that is expected out of any place…”
Well, I believe those kind of things could happen in any place. For me it didn’t happen. Did you try to speak with a staff?
“I have read reviews about them where the beer served wasnt even cold…”
It means people who drunk that beer has no idea about beer. Each kind of beer should be served with different temperature. E.g. lager (let’s say Kingfisher) should be server 4-7 C, but IPA 14-16 degrees.
“Nothing against the place its just that its a huge disappointment when the management cares a damn about the kind of service they provide even though they charge a bomb for the services…”
If you have nothing against the place, just speak to the staff, to the owner (who is there almost every day),
I believe they’ll glad to hear it and fix your impression.
Half year ago I went to another Indian brewery (not in Mumbai) and the service was awful, I spoke with an owners,
they apologies and it was fixed.
‘Even if you work for them..Its ok…Just try to get the word through that they need to improve their services…:”
Beleive me, I’m not, I’m from Israel 🙂
Evgeny.
The way you are replying you seem to be a helpless employee of the damned place 😛
Ok…You know a lot more about beer than anyone in India….points taken…no arguments on that…
“Well, I believe those kind of things could happen in any place.”
if thats your attitude towards food, i can’t speak anything more on it. We can’t have flies and insects in our food.
” Did you try to speak with a staff?”
I spoke to everyone present there….but no apology was given…They were like “why the fuss its just a fly, happens daily”
“If you have nothing against the place, just speak to the staff, to the owner (who is there almost every day)”
The staff…ya exactly…the are of no help neither is the owner. The owner isn’t there everyday…I think he had money and he opened the place and has forgotten about it.
This is the most mismanaged placed I have ever been to… A owner can never let a place run like this.
“Half year ago I went to another Indian brewery (not in Mumbai) and the service was awful, I spoke with an owners,
they apologies and it was fixed.”
That’s the way it has to be… All the things spoken wouldn’t have been spoken if it was handled this way…Trust me even in Mumbai any other place, you would get the same response.
You think this is my first bad experience??
Thanks for writing Evgeny, there’s a lot to learn from you. 🙂
“The way you are replying you seem to be a helpless employee of the damned place :P”
Well, as I told you, I live in Israel 🙂
“We can’t have flies and insects in our food.”
Correct, but it happens…
“I spoke to everyone present there….but no apology was given…They were like “why the fuss its just a fly, happens daily””
Well, here I’m totally with you. This kind of answer is unacceptable.
“I think he had money and he opened the place and has forgotten about it.”
You’re so wrong… Read about how fought the guy to start brew a beer in Mumbai…
“Thanks for writing Evgeny, there’s a lot to learn from you. :)”
Thanks to you too.
Evgeny.