The Barologist in Harrogate – a quirky themed bar with great cocktails

I don’t often review bars for my blog, but after being contacted by The Barologist in Harrogate then looking at their website, I thought it would be a fun assignment. I took my daughter Holly on Saturday lunchtime to sample the food and cocktail offering.

The Barologist is on Parliament Street, just down from the famous Betty’s tearoom and based in the former Harrogate Arms pub. It has now been open for 9 months and it is already proving a popular place with the Harrogate locals.

Upon arrival we entered the bar and were met with some quite alternative décor – a cross between steam punk and the sort of blossoms you would find in an oriental restaurant! This was combined with large screens making it also one of the most interesting sports bars I’ve been in.

There was lots to look at, from stuffed animals to Heath Robinson style machines, just think of the illustrations from the Professor Brainstorm children’s books.

This mish mash of furnishing and styles shouldn’t really work, but somehow it really did hang together to create something entirely unique.

We took a corner booth and looked at the menu. Having previously worked in marketing, a brief mention of the cocktail menu design – The Menu de Libation, took a sort of Victoriana theme and it tied in perfectly with the décor, fitting in perfectly with the quirkiness of the bar.

The cocktail menu was innovative. Whilst the classics were all available, there were also a number of twists on the classics as well as many new concoctions which all appealed.

I ordered a “So Spicy Margarita”. This was a real treat – I love a margarita and I love spice, so the combination of chilli & mint infused tequila, with Cointreau, lime and passion fruit was perfect for my tastes. It was really spicy and had a nice kick. If you don’t like spice I would maybe choose something else.

My daughter went for the “Flat White Martini”. I tried a sip and it was delicious, being not quite as harsh as a straight espresso martini. The difference here was that a vanilla vodka was used as a base, which was combined with a shot of artisan coffee, demerara sugar but also a measure of Baileys. Tasted good and looked good too.

The food menu had a good choice of dishes for a bar, without there being too much choice and being outfaced. There were lots of small plate/starters which could easily be combined and shared as a sort of tapas. There was also a choice of sandwiches served with chips.

Whilst nachos, mac and cheese and fish pie all caught our attention – I went for the signature dish under The Inventors Comforts menu, a steak and ale cottage pie served with roasted vegetables.

This was the ultimate comfort food. There were large chunks of tender steak in a thick tasty gravy, with vegetables covered with a creamy and buttery mashed potato. It was definitely a great choice and a hearty lunchtime meal.

Holly went for the Korean chicken burger with soy dressing and kimchi, served in a brioche bun with salad and chips.

It got a big thumbs up. The chicken was tender and according to my daughter it was full of flavour and with the right level of spice.

After finishing our food, we decided to try one more cocktail (obviously taking our research very seriously!). As I was driving I went for a low alcohol “Bramble” at just 1.5%. This used 0% Tanqueray Gin, lemon, sugar and crème du mure. It was refreshing and tasty, with the dried raspberry giving it a tang.

Holly opted for a cocktail called a “Purple Haze” from the Fog Forecast part of the menu. We watched from our seats as a bar man created a cocktail with smoke billowing from it and we said to each other “I wonder what that is?”. A few seconds later it was being delivered to the table!

It was a great bit of theatre and a proper tribute to Jimi Hendrix! The cocktail consisted of tequila, chambord, lime, sugar with rhubarb & raspberry tonic. Holly enjoyed it and the dry ice just kept on smoking for about 10 minutes. The ladies on the next table were fascinated and kept taking photos!

So in summary, we had a lovely lunch. The food was hearty and tasty, but the cocktail offering was very special and having sampled a few I am sure I maybe back with friends, maybe to watch a bit of Six Nations Rugby on the big screen. A quick final note to say that the service was superb too, friendly, efficent and knowledgeable staff.

Worth a mention that The Barologist also does an afternoon tea and as the ladies siting next to us were enjoying, what they described as the best “Bottomless Brunch” in Harrogate. I got the impression they were experts on the subject!A For more information visit https://www.thebarologistharrogate.co.uk/bottomlessbrunchharrogate