El Mir – Marriott Is Dying

Tonight we decided to eat at the Marriott at El Mir Lebanese restaurant, downstairs in the former location of El Bacha. We had eaten here quite often when it was El Bacha, and have continued to do so after it had changed names, as the menu had remained virtually unchanged. Believe it or not, we chose El Mir because it does have reasonably priced food if you are “smart” when you order the meal. Tonight was yoghurt, hommus, two chicken dishes, bread, and spicy sausage. I won’t even begin to try to tell you what we ordered in its proper name. I have the receipt and even on that the name is abbreviated. With three people the total was 132 ron. Sounds a bit high right? Well let me explain why…. the drinks (2 waters, a lemonaide, and a hot tea) represented over 50 ron of the bill!!!! 15 Ron for ONE small bottle of water? Come on…wtf. This alone “set me off” enough to where I will NEVER go back there again. Not only will I never go back there, but all of the expats involved in this “experience” and the story they’ve heard about 15 ron waters won’t go back either.

How do we feel about that? Good riddance. The Marriott is due to fail. It may not fail overnight, or next month… but if it stays on the same path that it is on with its’ overpriced hotel rooms, snooty service, restricted parking, and once again ridiculous “faux” image of elitism… it will fail. And soon. Consider the fact that the Marriott (a commie building as-is) is also a “name” that doesn’t carry the cache that it once did around the World. Most Luxury Marriotts in the US have closed their doors due to the crisis, leaving only the mid-market sub branded chain of Marriott hotels that run bargain-basement discounts and specials just to attract the tired and transient business person or the “bargain shopper” seeking the quick affordable place to rest for the night.

So all this from a bottle of water…wow.

F.Y.I.

Gigi Becali is rumored to have abandoned his office some time ago when the Marriott refused to adjust their rental prices to compensate for the market. Supposedly he said the equivalent of piss off and stuff it to the Marriott regarding the renewal at up-market prices of his “no longer worth the glory” office. If it’s true, can’t say I blame him.

BuchExp and others are on the hunt for a better option for Arabic food. So long El Mir… find another victim for your 15 ron bottle of water!

Below is a picture of the typical Marriott in the US (right) Â vs. the one in Bucharest (left)… lol… all trends will follow!

Marriott

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http://arabnameslist.com/arabnames/el-mir-%e2%80%93-marriott-is-dying-bucharest-expat El Mir – Marriott Is Dying | Bucharest Expat | Arabic names

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EaglesFan

The best Lebanese/Arabic restaurant in Bucharest (and I’ve tried a few) is Piccolo Mondo, behind piatza 1 Mai.
http://www.globalmoneyfund.com BuchExp

any recommendations on what to order? I’ll definitely go try it out… been craving Arabic food ever since i blacklisted El Mir
mark james

I hear elbacha is re-opening on the 9th got invite to their opening on Piata Alba Iulia.
So let’s hope this will be as good as their previous restaurant at the Marriot. Will check it out for sure.
http://www.globalmoneyfund.com BuchExp

have you had any experiences with the one in the Phoenicia? I am curious what “effect” the hotel venues have on their restaurants… if that can account for some of the snootiness of the staff??? but i swear elbacha was so much better than el mir.. like night and day… thought?
mark james

yah have been to the elbacha phoenicia one but I also preferred their Marriot venue. I think that the food was consistently good at phenicia as well. To be honnest elbacha is my favourite lebanese in BUcharest. The new Alba Iulia one should is perfectly located so fingers crossed it will be good. As for the snootiness of the staff I think this comes back to who owns the restaurant. Elbacha was owned by individual while El Mir are trying to recreate the ElBacha recipe is owned by the hotel real estate owners.
http://www.globalmoneyfund.com BuchExp

…sounds good.. let us know how the alba iulia location is… it’s within walking distance of my house so may be the new “home away from home”…thanx-
Rachel

50 ron just for drinks is ridiculous! I wonder how many other customers they have lost to these kinds of pricing techniques? I have never been a fan of Marriott hotel chains myself either.
alishaT

I suppose the lesson here is don’t drink the water. Not because there is anything wrong with it but because it really is a bit much to have a bill like that due to the drinks!
dillio

Haha, yeah good observation. I do not think the road to economic recovery in Romania will be helped by skyrocketing prices on things as simple as water.
Monica

Wow – thanks for sharing! I can’t believe that those drinks costed so much! I could see it if you had ordered something fancy, or alcohlic beverages, but not water, lemonade and hot tea! That’s just ridiculous! I know that most places now charge for water, because they figure people were ordering it to be “cheap”. I, personally, enjoy drinking water, so if they want to charge me for it, fine. I feel I should pay something to have it served to me in a nice restaurant. But prices like these are just outrageous! No way am I paying that!
DeanM

I am with you. When water starts to cost that much I start to worry. I mean we do have to have it to survive. Do you think they would catch you if you snuck your own water or drinks in?
Hans

I used to love the Marriott but now I am starting to wonder what is happening to their business problems. I don’t know how many they lost, but they lost me.
chewee

They really must be desperate if they are resorting to charging that much for basic nonalcoholic drinks. I’m guessing there were no refills?

On the other hand, 132 ron total for your meal isn’t bad when 50 of it went for drinks.
nibbler

It’s a shame to lose such a fine restaurant for something as basic as the price of water. They do offer such good food that it’s almost worth it. Almost.
Nicole

I also tried El Mir a few weeks ago. aside from the bill – huge, about 300 ron for 2 people – the food was at least disappointing. the eggplants in babaganoush had a weird smell, the shrimps too. indigestion followed for the next two days.
you are right, the Marriott in Bucharest is due to die. I use the gym there three times a week, because the price still sorts out the people, service is good, and it’s right between my home and my job. but the service in the hotel is really low everywhere else I tried – from the reception to bars, restaurants, or shops (even the pharmacy…).