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Bar.Ber Room
Bars
By Howard Jarvis.
26.07.2013
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Mazā Smilšu 13, RigaRīga, Latvia
Mobile: 2200 2808
Email: Riga@Barber.lv
Web: www.barber.lv
Working hours: Mon 12.00 - 21.00, Tue 12.00 - 22.00, Wed 12.00 - 23.00, Thu 12.00 - 01.30, Fri-Sat 12.00 - 04.30, Sun 12.00 - 21.00,
Two young dudes from Moscow and Kiev came to Riga, knowing nobody, and couldn’t find exactly the right place to hang out and feel at home. So they opened their own unique little spot on a narrow cobblestone lane in the Old Town and found their own company.
Bar.Ber Room is certainly unique, combining daytime hairdresser and nighttime party venue. Just 55 square meters, with 30 square meters dedicated for dancing and drinking, it’s a tight squeeze. But most evenings, when 40 or 50 beautiful, intelligent, non-attitude girls and boys get together in the confined but dazzlingly lit space, it feels like there are few better places on Earth.
By day, Dima the dashingly handsome, floppy-haired, L’Oreal awarded barber tends to clients at the back of the room (€10-€19 for a men’s cut, €14-€32 for women; additional hair treatments available). At 5pm, Aleksei and his team open up the bar and a black curtain descends to mask the barber’s mirrors. As the evening progresses, on come the lasers and lights, up goes the volume, and 60 mirrorballs suspended from the ceiling add to the mesmerizing effect.
In summer the door and large window are open and the party spills onto the street and there’s also a tiny terrace out back. On colder nights it’s possible to pull down the black blinds for some privacy.
There’s no kitchen. But Beluga caviar is served on request. The vodka, from Smirnoff to Grey Goose, is absolutely chilled. There are too many whiskeys and bourbons to mention but try the deliciously syrupy, lightly smoky Nikka Whisky From the Barrel, made in Japan. Every Monday at 5pm, without fail, a university professor comes to Bar.Ber Room for two shots of the stuff.
Most of all, Bar.Ber excels with its cocktails. Mostly they’re the classics, thrown and shaken by an experienced bartender, but an Eastern European twist is that you can also get 2500ml gasoline containers (eight good portions) full of potent Long Island Iced Tea or Sangria.
Waterpipes, groovy male and female DJs specializing in funky deep house and occasional live music complete the picture. This is not a place for belligerent gangs or stag groups; there’s only one beer, and it’s deliberately overpriced. Bar.Ber Room is for open-minded individuals who love chatting to folks from any cultural background. Great for a cool haircut too.
