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The Blonde - Martini & Wine Establishment

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6901 Rockside Rd
Independence, OH 44131

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(216) 328-8780
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The Blonde - Martini & Wine Establishment - Independence, OH
The Blonde - Martini & Wine Establishment - Independence, OH
The Blonde - Martini & Wine Establishment - Independence, OH
Reviews
( 5 )
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( 1 )
( 1 )
( 3 )

Best

We love The Blonde, warm and inviting, no blaring TVs or loud music. It's so nice to have a place in the burbs adults can go to and enjoy conversation over cocktails. The owners...

Worst

I had some some spare time recently , so I wandered into the Budapest Blonde. After my eyes got used to the subdued lighting, the Gay 1890's decor enveloped me. Hmmm, I thought to...

One of Our Favorite little Spots 5/18/2012

We love The Blonde, warm and inviting, no blaring TVs or loud music. It's so nice to have a place in the burbs adults can go to and enjoy conversation over cocktails. The owners, Kim & Pete and friendly and they pour a good martini. more

Great Tinis & Wine List 4/22/2011

Just visited the Blonde for the first time, sorry it took us so long to get here. The place is nice and cozy, they made us feel right at home. I love martinis and the X-Rated was perfect. My boyfriend enjoyed a red Zin. Kim was great helping him select a wine, she offered a couple small samples letting him select the one right for him. We will be back and would recommend the Blonde to anyone looking for a relaxing, warm place. more

RUDE, UNPROFESSIONAL, HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE 4/6/2011

We use to go to Budapest Blonde all the time and loved it. Stop by a near by establishment, next to The Blonde, to grab a to go order. Parked in front to pick up my order (was in there 2 minutes). The owner of The Blonde verbally lashed out at me. Which included saying I was LAZY and couldn't read. Nice. I love wine bars and I would have went there to try the new place out but NOT now! And I WILL be telling all my friends not to go there. more

New owner is a liar and will cheat you. 1/31/2011

The new owner of Budapest Blonde Wine Bar lied to me and cheated me. more

Love the Blonde 8/26/2010

Great place to stop after work - $5 martinis during Happy Hour, you can't go wrong. Last weekend I met a blind date there, the place is so comfortable we were right at ease with one another. She was impressed I picked a place with a good wine list and I enjoyed a couple well made Manhattans. Thanks to the Blonde we have a second date this weekend. more

Under New Ownership 11/9/2009

The Budapest Blonde is Under new Ownership since June 2009. We pride ourselves on guest service and have expanded the wine list as well as the martini and appetizer menus. Stop in for a visit, you won't be disappointed. more

Horrible customer service 5/23/2008

I have to agree with the previous reviewer. When we initially entered Budapest Blond, we had a great feeling about the place. That was quite short lived. The owner and her husband were inattentive, unsociable and quite curt. They spent their time in the corner chatting with a few select customers while our glasses sat empty. We gave them the benefit of the doubt and agreed to try it out on another night. Once again, the bartender was cold, and unfriendly... we had to ask him if we could have a cocktail! The owner, was the worst, she is rude and could use an intense course on customer service. While it is a place with much potential, , we will not return, and have passed our concern onto others who have considered going there. Pros: decor, size Cons: customer service, food is mediocore at best, martini's are less than average more

Great martini tasting party on Wednesday 3/3/2008

We went to Budapest Blonde a few Wednesdays ago to a martini tasting celebrating the leap year. The martinis were quite creative and tasted better and better as the night went on. The martinis were plentiful and appetizers were ample, it was well worth the $25 admission apiece. Pros: excellent service, classy place Cons: we didn't know about it until recently more

A place with potential 8/20/2007

I had some some spare time recently , so I wandered into the Budapest Blonde. After my eyes got used to the subdued lighting, the Gay 1890's decor enveloped me. Hmmm, I thought to myself, this is kind of unusual for a wine bar. I am more used to the airy, well lighted by natural sunshine look. Soon enough I engaged the bartender in conversation about wine, one of my favorite topics, and found him extremely qualified, possibly overqualified for the job. We did have a spirited conversation about various wines, and I enjoyed my experience due to the good wine I drank and was introduced to and by the wine enthusiast behind the bar. He salvaged the whole experience. As I was leaving, I thought to myself: If the owners could only hire a good marketing person who could convince them that today's sophisticated wine drinkers are repelled by the gaudy ambience the place presents. Nevertheless, the place has potential. Pros: Good selection of wines Cons: Poor ambience more

Horrible Customer Service 3/22/2007

I enjoy going to wine/martinis bars for the ambience, appetizers, sophisticated selection of drinks and personable customer service. Budapest Blonde scores excellent on three out of four of those categories, but for the extremely disappointing customer service, I discourage anyone from going to this establishment. As being part of a family of small business owners, I recognize the importance of customer service, and I do not tolerate deliberately rude service people - especially when the service person is an owner! In this case, Iiona Simon was the culprit. When our wine glasses were empty and she came over to ask us if we needed anything else, we said no - just the check please. And her response to us was, ""okay, great, we really need these chairs."" That alone was an inappropriate thing to say to customers, but that wasn't what upset us most. We asked Iiona (as many customers do in restaurant/bar establishments) to split the bill equally among three credit cards. She responded to this request with complete disgust and confusion. I informed her to simply divide the bill by three, and she retorted sarcastically, ""why don't YOU divide it by three!"" When we told Iiona very honestly that she was being unnessessarily rude, she became argumentative and stormed away. Needless to say, we will not return. Her behavior was unacceptable as a small business owner, and I strongly suggest that anyone wanting to support quality, customer-friendly businesses not go near this one. more
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Menu for The Blonde - Martini & Wine Establishment


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Editorial
  • In Short
    Owner Ilona Simon (the ""blonde"") transformed this sliver of a shopping mall into a stylishly European, comfortable wine bar. Gilt-framed mirrors dominate the decor, with a...

  • 10/27/2004 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Hours: Tue, Wed, Thu 4p-11p Fri 4p-1a Sat 4p-1a
  • Payments: Master Card, Visa, American Express
  • Neighborhoods: Independence
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