Bar Argos

Excellent décor, indoor and outdoor. Good cocktails. Abysmal service, management is out right rude to customers.

A beautiful cocktail bar residing on the first floor of the Argos Inn. It’s a beautiful space, much resembling a library mixed with a pre-​prohibition bar. There’s also another room next to it that’s floor to ceiling windows with a community table.
We sat at the bar and drank cocktails while we chatted the night away. Service was stellar. We sipped the flora and fauna cocktail with gin, lime, flower bitters, and honey. It was a comfortable space, not too crowded on a Friday — we grabbed a spot at the bar. The bar ware is beautiful like traditional dripping mechanisms for absinthe, and our drinks came in gorgeous coup glasses.
If you’re visiting from out of town, this is a must visit at least for a drink, especially if you love a specialty cocktail.

Went by. Sat at the bar for a solid 20 minutes. Bartender repetitiously ignored us and served other (white) patrons that were not there before us. Coincidence? No idea. But coming from New York City, this lackadaisical approach to customer service does not reflect well on this establishment.

Fun, chill place with great unique cocktails. Most are $ 10. Most of the cocktails are quite labor intensive to make so it takes a while to order and receive your drink.

This is my favorite bar in Ithaca. Great ambience, great cocktails, creative, innovative both in atmosphere and drinks. My only complaint is the early closing.

When reviewing a bar, restaurant, or other such establishment, it really requires two appraisals: one for the quality of the food/​drink and another for the service. In the case of Argos, it matters little as both are mediocre. Yes, it’s a «different» kind of place to hang out, being an older home, which makes it feel like you’re a guest at someone’s house.
In that case, WTF is up with the rude and inattentive bar staff?! I stood there, trying to get the attention of the guy behind the bar who was SLOOOOOWWWLY mixing a drink while chatting with a colleague standing, doing nothing behind the bar. Then, he serves the drink to a bloke sitting at the bar who, as it turns out is also an employee (presumably not working that day, as he was imbibing). Then another guy shows up behind the bar and the three of them have a splendid time chatting while I am still waiting (and saying, «excuse me,» making eye contact). It’s not like the place was full. Far from it.
FINALLY, I get my drinks ordered. One glass of wine and one mixed drink. Took forever. Another laborious process of grudgingly pulling the cork from a new bottle. My companion had been considering sitting at the bar, but before we could sit down, 3 more apparent employees took the remaining seats and started going over what appeared to be recipes for various bitters. Give me a frikkin break. Don’t you have a back room or office to work in?! Geesh… I made the mistake of asking one of the guys if they make their own bitters. He said, quite rudely, «yea, obviously.» Maybe they make bitters because THEY are bitter?
So, we sit out in the foyer with our drinks that, given the time it took to get them, should be OUT OF THIS WORLD. Not. But, we want back for another round, and the same pattern all over again. Two drink each in 2 hours. Customers, and customer service, are very low on the list of priorities here. Better places in town, like Agava, where creative mixology is done well and were the staff seem to actually like their clientele! What a concept!

We went to Bar Argos for the first time last night. The female bartender was really sweet and informative. She helped me step out of my dirty martini comfort zone by helping me chose other options. The atmosphere is upscale and a great place to grab a custom cocktail for a date.

Adorable bar with unique, memorable touches in terms of both décor and cocktails! We were planning to stop for just a quick drink but loved the ambiance and drinks so much, we had friends come meet us and stayed for another one!
Cocktails were a little hit or miss but they are being very adventurous and trying new things, which I can appreciate! The Woodsman (whiskey) was delicious and smooth, the Income Tax cocktail (gin) was pretty funky — a lot going on in that one — and yet perfectly balanced. For the second round went for the Zombie (3 kinds of rum, absinthe…) and we could immediately tell why there is a limit of two of these bad boys per customer — uff da!
Heartily recommend Argos for before-​dinner drinks!

A must stop when in Ithaca if you enjoy cocktails — a bit on the pricey side, but that is to be expected when ordering cocktails. I wish we had something like this in Syracuse — Bar Argos has both a unique cocktail menu, and a really cool vibe and décor. I like that the bartender was helpful and answered my questions without making me feel like i wasn’t «hip» enough.

Solid 4 stars from a Friday night visit. Cocktails were good, and worth the higher price. Atmosphere was nice and clearly designed to appeal to those older than the college crowd. The staff were very nice to us and very professional.
My suggestions for improvement:
1) Strong emphasis on bitter elements in a lot of the drinks (Campari, vinegar-​based shrubs, etc.) made a lot of the cocktails unappealing for someone who dislikes bitter flavors. Would be nice to see even 1 – 2 more drink options that trend away from bitter.
2) The room with the big table was a nice place to sit with just our group (6 people) but as soon as another group joined us it became impossible to hear our conversation without yelling. Maybe some cloth drapes or other means of deadening the reverberating sound in that room?
Overall, very solid option for a nice evening out. Will definitely go back again.

Really fun venue to relax and get some drinks.
I found the cocktail list to be top-​notch. It is very creative, there are quite a few things on offer, and there is a wide variety for just about any taste. The menu is done in a fun way where each cocktail has a scale from being relatively standard to being quite experimental. There are lots of fun things to try, and even if you don’t see anything up your alley, the bartenders are quite willing to make you whatever you want or even invent something new that’s to your tastes.
I found the bartenders to be friendly and knowledgeable. It does take a little bit of time to make a craft cocktail properly, so please be patient as they work their magic. This isn’t dumping well vodka into a glass with ice and orange juice. Although I’m sure they’d do that too if that’s what you really wanted.
The bar itself is also very spacious and interesting, décor-​wise. There are plenty of seats at the bar, but also many couches, chairs, and various tables depending on your mood and size of your party.

It’s a great spot for an intimate date where you can dress up, enjoy a nice cocktail, and speak with one another without a ton of background noise. Not many places like this in Ithaca.

Under staffed. Two bar tenders on a Saturday night, and it takes far too long to make each cocktail. The staff was rude. One star for the very cool environment.

The ambience is worth 4 stars, but I had the worst Old Fashioned I’ve ever experienced in my life. I don’t trust a cocktail lounge that can’t master the traditionals.

Absolutely fantastic. You can choose from their seasonally-​inspired menu of cocktails – many of which incorporate house-​made bitters – or you can let the magician behind the bar know what you’re in the mood for. They’re perfectly capable of making any known drink you may call, but the real magic happens when you give them a bit of general guidance and let them do their thing. (My friend started with a «something fall-​ish and appropriate for a Tuesday, definitely alcoholic but not too much so» and got a twist on a Negroni that she loved.)
In my experience, their cocktails tend toward the high-​octane (or as they might say, «spirit forward») type, and unless there’s a food truck, there is no food to balance the alcohol. Pace yourself.
I’ve also found that the cocktails tend the less-​sweet, so if you’re in the mood for something on the sweet side, just say so up front.
If you’re not sure if Bar Argos is for you, I’d also suggest that you go early on your first visit. I typically go right after work with colleagues, and it’s much less busy so I feel free to ask questions and taste unfamiliar ingredients. (They should probably charge me tuition.) Given the crowded parking lot after 8, you may not have a similar experience if you go later.

I LOVE THIS PLACE! My husband and i go pretty often. It is the only place you can get a good craft cocktail in this town. I love the drink menu and the housemade ingredients. The bartenders are knowledgeable and always recommend something I enjoy drinking. I took a group of friends and we sat in the window room with the long dinner table. Simple and beautiful. The décor inside is super cute too!

Went with my friend and had three glasses of cocktail. They have a food truck with some simple and local fresh food, like veggie taco, salad, etc. Cozy and congenial place to hang out with friend in weekend.

Magnificent place for weekend brunch, fantastic spot for evening drinks. Creative cocktails & all the classics. Food truck outside for meals. Classy, friendly, a tad upscale. Had a fantastic time. Can only recommend!

Love this place! Not wild about most of the antique cocktails but some are super yummy. Expensive but you only need one. Fun place to hang out, gorgeous inside and out, nice staff, live music. Just wish there was some food. Olives and nuts aren’t enough.

Is your only experience with cocktails at a frat party where some broish mixologist lauded the many shades of everclear? Then this bar may seem very good in comparison.
Otherwise the cocktails, like the décor is heavy handed and unbalanced.