Don't be surprised if you pass by the entrance several times on your first trip there. First off, I was certain the place was called "Auto Bar" and when I tried to look up the address, I didn't understand why there was nothing on the internet about this place. Then, once I figured out that "Auto Bar" was really "Otto bar" and I jotted the address down, I still had trouble finding it. The bar is hard to catch, being that there is no real door. The face of the opening corridor looks like a storage unit filled with crates of beers, and unless you know what you're looking for, you might have to do a double take.
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| The Entrance to Auto Bar, 76 Even Gvirol |
The relatively new Otto Bar can be plagued with long lines, since that is the way of hot new Tel Aviv bars, but if you make it there during the week, you should have no problem waltzing right in. Passing the hostess, one enters the dimly lit storage unit and follows the music down a short flight of stairs. The stairs open up to a vestibule lined with light wood-paneled walls and glass windows. Behind the glass more aesthetically stacked beer crates, wine glasses, wine bottles and kegs sit peaking through iron metal fencing.
Walk through two swinging wooden doors to enter and you have a view of the entire bar before you. The bar is low and very central, taking up most of the floor space as typical Tel Aviv pick-up bars do. But this isn't a pick-up bar. Well, not completely.
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| The Bar. |
While the seating is tight and the bar area can get packed, there are some benches and booth-like seating off to the sides near the billiard tables. These are good for groups of friends, or simply side make-out sessions. But, their bar tenders are unbelievably good looking, so I recommend trying to get their early to stake out a seat at the bar.
High-quality beer appreciation culture is also taking hold of this Mediterranean city and Otto Bar caters to the beer lover without question. They have an extensive beer list in addition to their wine, champaign/kava and cocktail lists which I personally appreciate being a sel-proclaimed beer-o-phile. Apparently their prices are a bit steep (their 1/2 liters (Chetzis or חצאים are 400ml) but I don't expect any less from a hip new place like this.
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| Pretty wine. Pretty cups. Pretty wood. |
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| People, you can't find Sam Adams in most Israeli Bars- bug Otto Bar has got crates of it! |
What makes the Otto Bar even more attractive is its fantastic decor. I do have to give them kudos on that. The Otto Bar has classy and warmly lacquered wooden paneling to give it a cozier, classier ambiance, while the walls are a rustic stone giving it a touch of "we're having a party in the basement" kinda feel. The seats are upholstered in dark brown leather (or faux leather) with those buttons that make the seats look like grandpa chairs from the 1940s and all supporting columns are tastefully tiled in black and white. If they had a piano and a lounge singer, it would bring the decor together. But they don't.
The music is good, though it isn't too unique. Lost of interesting 80s music like Squeeze, early Depeche Mode, Brian Ferry and the Police mixed in with some pop music of the 90s and Indie Rock of today. They are nice background tunes that make it easy to mix and mingle, but they don't make you want to get up and bust a move.
Overall, I'd say Otto 76 draws a crowd that ranges from their md 20s to late 30s which keeps the scene tame and charming and dress-code-free. I showed up in a tank top, jeans and sneakers, but I was eying a number of other women in tight mini dresses and stilettos.
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| Billiars. Otherwise known as Snooker. |
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| I'm crap at playing, but I must say, I always enjoy it. |
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| Tacuma, Hagar and I smilin' it up. |
