05/23/08

Horrible customer service

by allie66

I have to agree with the previous reviewer. When we initially entered Budapest Blond, we had a great feeling about the place. That was quite short lived. The owner and her husband were inattentive, unsociable and quite curt. They spent their time in the corner chatting with a few select customers while our glasses sat empty. We gave them the benefit of the doubt and agreed to try it out on another night. Once again, the bartender was cold, and unfriendly... we had to ask him if we could have a cocktail! The owner, was the worst, she is rude and could use an intense course on customer service. While it is a place with much potential, , we will not return, and have passed our concern onto others who have considered going there.

• Pros: decor, size
• Cons: customer service, food is mediocore at best, martini's are less than average

03/03/08

Great martini tasting party on Wednesday

by lowfuss

We went to Budapest Blonde a few Wednesdays ago to a martini tasting celebrating the leap year. The martinis were quite creative and tasted better and better as the night went on. The martinis were plentiful and appetizers were ample, it was well worth the $25 admission apiece.

We were treated great by the 'blonde' Ilona, and her 'beau' Lennard. It seemed everyone there knew them on a personal level. While we didn't know them (or of their wine bar until recently) - they were funny and engaging with us and really made us feel right at home. We're not going to wait another four years, we'll be going back again soon.

• Pros: excellent service, classy place
• Cons: we didn't know about it until recently

08/20/07

A place with potential

by hargitai

I had some some spare time recently , so I wandered into the Budapest Blonde. After my eyes got used to the subdued lighting, the Gay 1890's decor enveloped me. Hmmm, I thought to myself, this is kind of unusual for a wine bar. I am more used to the airy, well lighted by natural sunshine look. Soon enough I engaged the bartender in conversation about wine, one of my favorite topics, and found him extremely qualified, possibly overqualified for the job. We did have a spirited conversation about various wines, and I enjoyed my experience due to the good wine I drank and was introduced to and by the wine enthusiast behind the bar. He salvaged the whole experience. As I was leaving, I thought to myself: If the owners could only hire a good marketing person who could convince them that today's sophisticated wine drinkers are repelled by the gaudy ambience the place presents. Nevertheless, the place has potential.

• Pros: Good selection of wines
• Cons: Poor ambience

03/22/07

Horrible Customer Service

by acouric

I enjoy going to wine/martinis bars for the ambience, appetizers, sophisticated selection of drinks and personable customer service. Budapest Blonde scores excellent on three out of four of those categories, but for the extremely disappointing customer service, I discourage anyone from going to this establishment. As being part of a family of small business owners, I recognize the importance of customer service, and I do not tolerate deliberately rude service people - especially when the service person is an owner! In this case, Iiona Simon was the culprit. When our wine glasses were empty and she came over to ask us if we needed anything else, we said no - just the check please. And her response to us was, "okay, great, we really need these chairs." That alone was an inappropriate thing to say to customers, but that wasn't what upset us most. We asked Iiona (as many customers do in restaurant/bar establishments) to split the bill equally among three credit cards. She responded to this request with complete disgust and confusion. I informed her to simply divide the bill by three, and she retorted sarcastically, "why don't YOU divide it by three!" When we told Iiona very honestly that she was being unnessessarily rude, she became argumentative and stormed away. Needless to say, we will not return. Her behavior was unacceptable as a small business owner, and I strongly suggest that anyone wanting to support quality, customer-friendly businesses not go near this one.

Also, Budapest Blonde prints ENTIRE credit card numbers on their receipts - isn't that illegal? Either way, I prefer to dine/drink where both my credit card security AND dinner guests are treated with respect.

Expect continental flair and sophisticated sips at this suburban wine bar.

by Contributor

In Short
Owner Ilona Simon (the "blonde") transformed this sliver of a shopping mall into a stylishly European, comfortable wine bar. Gilt-framed mirrors dominate the decor, with a crystal clock keeping bar time over the smoke-free conversation. The drink list features drinks like a 10-ounce lemoncello-laced martini and unusual wines, including Hungarian Egri Bikaver. Try the goose liver and Muenster appetizer.