el Cóctel
2/F, 47 Yongfu Lu,
French Concession
near Fuxing Xi Lu
永福路47号
近复兴西路
6433-6511
Price Y200-Y299 per couple
- City Weekend
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This place does just about everything right. Fabulous, comfy space with imaginative furnishings and decor, cool crowd, excellent service and a barman imported from Ginza making some of the best drinks in town. A short food menu is available serving cold cuts, oysters and sandwiches from el Willy. The food come at Western prices, but the cocktails are well worth the RMB68. One of the best bars in Shanghai.
Reviews Been there? Add a review!
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Fabulous venue, lovely decoration, relaxing atmosphere, good service, comfortable and not noisy. You can relax and enjoy.
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nice place. bit expensive but thats to be expected in a classy place like this. still 5 stars.
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Great place, ambiance, service and of course cocktails, probably some of the best in town..
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I live close by, so go here quite often. Bit expensive for cocktails, but they are mixed perfectly (at least my martinis are...) Very comfortable, excellent service, and you MUST try their sandwiches. Toasted to perfection, fresh and delicious.
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Tasteful and quirky interior, particularly liked the religious icons and paintings of dancers. Cocktails are strong and mixed with precision. The service was good and the music adds to the relaxed ambience. Sometimes gets a little smoky but sitting in the lounge area with friends is lovely. A favourite. Book in advance on Fridays and Saturdays particularly if you’re in a large group.
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I went last week for a few drinks right after they opened. I'd never been there and had difficultly finding the entrance. I ended up going through their back door in the entrance for The Apartment. The drinks were fantastic, as were the sandwiches that were part of the special. The nut mix they give out is amazing too. The only thing that was a real downside was that the lights were so low, the waiters needed to give out flashlights to read the menu when we wanted to order something. I think turning the lights up just a little bit could allow people to read the menus but at the same time not kill the vibe.
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Comfortable decor that's not over-the-top. Relaxing atmosphere. Good cocktails. No bad points, really.
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El Coctel is an excellent spot to enjoy the evening. The table layout and bar setup are both fantastic, and they've got a handsome selection of drinks. Hats off to El Coctel — I see what you're doing, and I like where your head's at.
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Sorry David for this problem....please let me clearly explained what has happened...I removed you from the database last time but I changed the newsletter system in order to do not have this kind of problems again and maybe the database version I sent to the newsletters company to be included in the mail list was an older version than the one where you are not included...please accept my apologizes ...
To you and to any other customer that has got the same problem, and in order to make sure it is not repeated again, please click in the NEW UNSUBSCRIBE link in the bottom of the email and you would automatically be removed from the list...
SORRY AGAIN, and I hope you can understand what has happened.
Best,
Roque del Rio el Willy Family Marketing Manager roque@el-willy.com
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All the el Willy restaurants serve up a hefty serving of SPAM. Never, ever get your email address on their mailing list, because if you do you will never be unsubscribed. I have tried 6 times now, no luck- despite a personal apology email from their marketing manager.
SPAM is not sexy, in any way.
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Nice place, nice cocktails: That's simply all I need to say about this venue! A must go in Shanghai!
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I have been here at least 6 times, and it would be more if not for the (slightly) inaccessible location and expensive drinks.
However, what I truly enjoy about this place is the serious bartenders who put in so much effort into every creation. My favorite bartender here is CJ, and he always puts on an amazing performance of creating a cocktail off the menu for me. The service here is top notch.
I secretly enjoy the free helpings of salty popcorn with the drinks as well!!
Always packed with an equal balance of expats and upper class locals, I love the mix of people who enjoy a good cocktail in a quiet environment.
This place also serves one of the best mai tais i've ever had, and the apple mojito is a delightful drink as well.
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How many places would you feel confident asking for "something almundy, fresh but not milky or creamy" That's how I felt last night, and that's basically how i put it to the bartender as I arrived, and i left him to guess what cocktail would work for me. And he did the drink, a japanese favourite apparently, and it was spot on what i felt like. Fresh, almundy, well balanced with a bit of a orangey kick to counterbalance the 'heavyness' of the amaretto, topped by something sparkling to add some lightness... It was perfect, and it felt custom made, just for me. And - All in a very nice decor, busy but not crowded, tame but energetic. One of the smoothest venues I have seen in Shanghai! Yes it's a little expensive, but it's well worth it if you ask me!
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Beautiful and luxe, the semi-hidden (it's on the 2nd floor after stepping through a nondescript entrance and tiny steep staircase - watch your head!) El Coctel is owed by the famous Willy of El Willy restaurant. It's actually relatively empty early in the evening, until about 10 or 11PM when it really fills up (remember to make a reservation or the bouncer at the door will simply refuse you entry).
The staff are absolutely top-notch. Fluent in English, polite, extremely attentive, and prompt. One of the best service experiences I've had in Shanghai. I love the eclectic mix of plush couches and ottomans though it was curious they had some sort of Buddhist(?) offering in the middle of the room against the wall.
We were delighted that they served us filtered water, not boiled tap water, upon us being seated. We were also treated to a little bowl of fluffy popped corn that was slightly salted and slightly sweet. Very tasty and lovely to nibble on with our cocktails.
And that's what they're famous for - the cocktails. I was actually quite shocked at the prices (which are around 72RMB per cocktail). They are EXPENSIVE. Even pricier than cocktails you'd get in fancy places on The Bund! They're also the same size, and padded with a LOT of ice, so it's certainly not value for money. We thought they would serve very high-quality liquor , but the cocktail was simply made of "house whiskey". Not that the cocktails weren't good - they were just fine - just not worth the value.
But we weren't here for the cocktails ;) We were here for.......... THE SANDWICHES!!!! I'm normally not a sandwich person but I am totally SOLD on these babies. You get a Free Sandwich (hurray!!), worth 58RMB, for every 2 cocktails per person ordered, between 5 - 7:30PM. The sandwiches were made with thin pressed buttered toast, sandwiching thick slices delicious ham and smothered in melted guyere cheese. Heavenly. Who ever knew the simple ham & cheese sarnie could be so damn fantastic?
For that reason alone, we'd go back to El Coctel. But we'd never go there outside of that promotion period because then, the prices are just not worth it.
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I need to make a lot more money to really enjoy this place.
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The place is nice, they serve tasty cocktails, good food, and it has nice decor, the only down is that the place is small and it seems to be all for smokers, so if you are non-smoker, be prepared to become a passive one once you go there and ensure you send your clothes to the laundry after because all the smoke sticks on you.
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Oh...forgot to mention they have delicious sandwiches!!!
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The door to the place is very small and unnoticeable. It is not that kind bar that is focused on attractting passengers who is walking down the street. I presumed the owner was trying to have some regular customer by providing some real deals of quality.
el Coctel has real cocktails. I meant, not those cocktails you take a sip and reluctantly drink it just because you paid for it. I am talking about you enjoyed every sip you take. The Japanese bartender Mune worked for el Coctel over 3 months, yet el Coctel only opened for 2 months. He was on training and that make sense about his being professional now. You can tell him specifically what kind drinks you want and he will make you one, out of the Menu, and you would not be disappointed.
My favorite cocktails are something sweet, should be mixed fresh ingredients like cranberry and passion fruit. I asked for another drink and told the bartender I wanted to stick to Cosmopolitan alike. 5 minutes later, I got my drink made with passion fruit!
BTW, I would like to thumb up for the chairs at the bar!!
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Yeah, it sucks if you're trying to get in and the bartender's telling you things are full upstairs, but it's great if you're already on the inside and enjoying the laid-back, not overly-full space. Cocktails are easily the best I've had in Shanghai and the bartender's more than willing (and able) to whip up creative custom concoctions upon request. If you go, I'd definitely recommend advance reservations. I've had friends hassled by bouncer there a number of times already.
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Excellent decor, fantastic ambiance and friendly staff. My companion was even offered to exchange her cocktail if it didn't please her.
Will be my regular from now on!
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I love it here! Great service, fabulous food and cocktails to-die-for! We dined here with a crowd of 16 people and everyone left happily satiated! Thank you for a fantastic experience!
Plus, it's fantastic that people know to dress up to dine here! So...to all you pajama wearing, house-slippers-loving hobos (like 'candyshoes'), there really are a 100 other bars for you to go to!
Oh and one last thing... to 'shanghaistars', you do know that the majority of servers in Shanghai are Chinese, don't you? So when you diss the service with your opnion, "It is a western bar, so you expect western customer service, not Chinese....", you're really dissing this country's lack of proper customer service training. Besides, I think the Chinese staff do a really good job of raising the customer service standards we don't expect in China.
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I thought the staff here was really good. Attentive and smiling - smiles are free and really important and there were plenty here.
As for the seating policy: they want everyone to get a seat, that seems cool to me. Before 10pm they can reserve tables but after they don't take reservations so it's first come first serve. If it's already full, try Tara 57, Kiitos or that new wine bar next to the pet shop - all about two mins away.
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Thanks for your explaination.
Hopefully you'll get your staff attitudes sorted out. It is a western bar, so you expect western customer service, not Chinese....
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Dear Karfus,
Thank you for your kind feedback..
Looking forward to have you next weekend, for any special suggestion on your drinks, please ask Marty (Manager of El Cóctel) he is a cocktail freak and i am sure he will be more than happy to prepare you a good drink!
Cheers!
Willy
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Dear elwilly,
I wouldn't worry too much about the comments posted here by "shanghaistars" and "chandyshoes". They both have exactly one (or none!) other comment on this board and as far as I can tell they are just "shill" accounts for one of your competitors.
I appreciate your feedback but if you read my comment carefully it wasn't particularly negative. But to be fair when you say you "weren't expecting such a big flow of people" it is a bit funny since we were the only two people there. Anyway we sincerely wish you the best of luck and we will be back this weekend for some more cocktails--looking forward to some caipirinhas.
Cheers, Karfus
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Dear Jsalz, Karfus, Chandyshoes, Shanghaistars & other costumers who didn´t have the right experience,
We really appreciate your comments because they make us improve.
To all of you that didn´t have a good experience, we apologise for those inconvenieces happening in our "Soft Opening".
We didn´t expect such a big flow of people coming to our newly opened "el Cóctel", we are conscious about those problems last weekend and we are working hard on improving them these days.
We hope to see you next time having a great time & again our sincere apologies.
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Agreed. I've been here a few times since I live nearby. I was recently there and asked about reserving a table for ~10 and was told even with a reservation "We can't guarantee that your friends will be let in".
So ok you don't take reservations?
Apparently they don't want business. Guess we'll all just go to one of the other 100 bars in town.
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Had before-dinner cocktails with the wife at around 7pm on Saturday night. Nice ambience and friendly manager. Unfortunately the place was still empty which we attributed to the early hour. The cocktail preparation was meticulous and a pleasure to watch, though at about five minutes per drink I worry about what will happen to the service when they start to draw a crowd to this presumably up-and-coming area. Anyway the proof is in the cocktails: my wife's apple caipiroska was refreshing and sweet while still packing a good kick, but I found the flavour of my mojito a bit off-putting (perhaps somehow due to the mint leaves available here?)
It's nice to see hand-chipped ice and it does make for a drink that stays cold and fresh, though it seemed as if there wasn't quite enough drink-to-ice ratio in the mojito. We'll be back for another try as they seem to have the right attitude (as well as cachaça and therefore the ability to make proper caipirinhas) but at RMB68 per drink they will have to keep working hard to make it sustainable.
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It's open now! Ambience is great, and drinks are tasty and well-made, but service still has lots of kinks to work out. For our party of ten, drinks arrived one by one over the course of a half hour or so (and they weren't all the right drinks either). A waiter spilled half of a Manhattan which we didn't order on my lap, then just left it on the table and scurried off without apologizing or bringing a new full one. Epic service fail.
Fortunately the manager did a good job of remedying the situation, as one should when things inevitably go wrong during a soft opening... otherwise this would be a 1-star review. I look forward to returning to give them another chance!
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This is the long-awaited cocktail bar from the team behind el Willy. It's not yet open, but as soon as it is (expected mid-November) we'll bring you the latest.
I've returned to El Coctel many a time. Their happy hour from 5 to 7 was just too good to stay away. I returned last week and was left disappointed. Upon entering, one staff member told us that they just weren't open. The manager quickly corrected her and had us sit down. However, we learned that their happy hour is no more. Did it disappear for good? Or is it just on particular days? We never found out. The next change we noticed was that the drink prices all increased from 68 RMB to 80 RMB. Now I'm not against making changes, but if you're going to get rid of happy hour AND raise price almost 20%, I want to see some sort of additional value in the experience. Every time I've gone the service has left much to be desired, but I was willing to accept it based on the value. Though El Coctel has exceptional drinks, I think my time there has come to a end. Increasing prices so much and not improving the experience for the customer just isn't worth it.