Nusret Gökçe is the King Midas of meat restaurants in the world - everything he touches turns to gold (almost literally - because we do remember the 24 ct gold coated tomahawk steak he serves, right?). However, from a cocktail perspective, he’s got a long way to go - his new burger establishment in DIFC lacks in both atmosphere and passion - two of the most important factors in cocktail bars. Having said that though - this place isn’t a cocktail bar (needless to say), and based on the footfall going there for the burgers, Nusret is doing a lot of things right with the food.
Come for the burgers, hope to catch a glimpse of the man himself and stay with beer for the food - and you’ve got yourself a good start of any night out in DIFC.
Atmosphere: 2/8
There is little excusing this place as a cocktail bar - the decor is obviously intended to be minimalistic with all the attention on the food - mission accomplished, to the extent that you almost feel out of place sitting in the bar trying to enjoy a cocktail. The DJ feels indifferent and out of touch with the guests as well, which adds to the somewhat bizarre atmosphere.
Cocktails: 4/8
Conventional drinks with signature cocktails that perhaps seem interesting on paper, but fall short in reality - the Rose Negroni is so sweet that it’s almost blasphemy to call it a Negroni.
Bartenders: 4/8
Since this place obviously put all the focus on the burgers, the bartenders seem detached, and there is no passion in what they do - neither in the cocktails nor in the connection to the guests. They are clearly competent, but there’s no zeal.
Ice: 4/8
Instead of going through the effort of stamping all of the orange zests, I suggest opting for big, clear ice cubes - that’ll make a better impression.
https://www.nusr-et.com.tr/en/home.aspx
Gate Village
Building 2
DIFC