First time there. Will never go back. Smoke is awful. Dingy bar. I thought I was going to a classy place. Service awful. Took my husbands plate away while I was still eating. Then I was working on my pickle, she took my plate away. I didn't want to finish the stupid pickle so nowhere to put it.
Again...the smell of smoke is disgusting. Felt like I was in a crappy stinky bar, which I was. Then the non-smoking part in the back is better as far as smoke, but looked like a bad wedding reception set up.
I wanted to leave as soon as we sat down. My husband thought it would be rude. Well I don't care about that any more. New rule. If I want to leave as soon as I sit down, I will.
Also I felt like it was a huge inconvenience for the servers that we were there.
I have renamed this place Fartinis. As passing gas smells better than I do right now (of smoke).
Horrible depressing place. Horrible atmosphere. Do not go here.
My Girlfriend and I are frequent customers here. There's a few things you have to realize before trying this place. One: It is a bar/restaurant, not restaurant/bar. If you don't want to smell like smoke or be around it, there is a nicer, non smoking section in the back. Two: It is very slow on weeknights. As a result of that, we've noticed the food is almost always not up to the par they've set for when it's busier. -1 star for that. I've had one of the best New York strip steaks I've EVER had at this place. Unfortunately, they're not very consistent. I also cannot finish this review without commenting on the quality of their Chicken Caesar Salad. Hands down the best I've ever had, highly recommended. Again, if ordered on a slow Monday or Tuesday, the chicken is overcooked, dry, and not as flavorful. If ordered on a busy Saturday, it's absolutely perfect. That's the one consistency I've noticed. The prices are appropriate, ~$50 for two people with two drinks each.
Review Source:My wife and I went a few months ago because we wanted to try something different in Valparaiso. We arrived there and stood at the door for a little bit before anyone paid any attention to us. The booth we sat in felt like it seen better days and was recycled from another restaurant. Our service was poor as was the food. Im always baffeled when I go in a resturant and the food is horrible. Dont these owners eat their own food. The place needed a good cleaning and updating and the bathrooms needed to be totally redone. I would not recommend this place to anyone and they will never see me back anymore. I have been asked by many people if I ever tried Martinis because it was voted top resturant in Valparaiso,IN. and my respone is dont waste your time and money.
Review Source:Me and a friend met here for drinks and dinner one night. The place was dead except for a handful around the bar. We each ordered a drink and our waitress never returned. We waited, and waited and waited. A new table came in next to us and a different waitress came out took their orders and served them. We finally grabbed her and asked for a bill. She returned a with it a few minutes later and asked how everything was. We told her we had intended on having another drink and eating but our waitress never returned. She appologized, apparently our waitress left and never told anyone to cover our table. How nice. I wasn't impressed but may give it another try someday, I don't want to judge the place based off one inconsiderate employee.
Review Source:Oh Martinis...What shall I say?
Lets begin by prefacing this first:
1) I went on a Friday night which I guess is now considered "Forbidden Fridays" or something.
2) I am a HUGE electronic music fan and just got back from Mecca (aka Ultra Music Fest in Miami)
3) Last time I was at Martinis a crappy Beatles cover band played
I live in Chicago and my parents live in Valpo. I came home to see them and catch up with my high school friends. Per usual we all headed to Northside first and had a drink. Then, low and behold, they wanted to head a few building over to Martinis. I was a little shocked at first because I thought this place was a dive but then they tell me how there is a live DJ spinning house music, lines out the door, good looking people and people dancing...HOLD THE PHONE! Did I just say "dancing"?!?! In Valpo?
We head over and sure enough there was good, current music being live mixed by a chick DJ (I love girl DJs). I was real impressed, there was a decent light system, a clean sound system and a few people on the dance floor.
Many a bar has long tried to capitalize on the Electro craze but they all fall into the same trap: Controlling who comes in versus paying the bills.
We got there at 11 and it was a clean crowd. Good people having good fun. While most could use a few dance lessons, I will never fault a group of girls going out on a girls night and just dancing for the hell of it.
And then midnight rolls around and the crowd gets a little more intense, a lot more crowded and not as clean. The groups of girls get a little more compressed and the dudes start creeping. As I said, I was out with my guys and didn't have any girls to look out for so I was fine but the creepers weirded me out none the less.
When I went back to my car to head home I did a little Region trick, read the license plates. There were a lot of Lake County license plates and a diluted number of Porter County plates. If people from Lake County feel the need to drive all the way to Valpo to drink, I question their intentions.
Advice to Martinis: Keep it up. Electronic music is the only growth sector in the bar/club scene; I would come back on a Friday to check it out again. Set a dress code though. The clients that are buying you high end Goose Island Matilda (thank you btw) does not wear hoodies to the bar, they don't wear ball caps, they don't put the tongues of their shoes outside their jeans, and they sure don't wear white t-shirts down to their knees. Keep it clean and you will be onto something big, let the trash in that is there to creep and not drink and you will be gone within a year.
(props to the creepy guy doing the robot wearing weight lifting gloves. You made the night perfect.)
If you want to experience truly great, authentic and freshly prepared Mediterranean  food in Valparaiso...look no further.  The owners know what people want and want their feedback otherwise!  Great food and a  wonderfully comfortable atmosphere!!  And check out the live music on the weekends!!
I'm going back!!!
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