Pedro Mendoza

Northside 10

10 South Glebe Road

Alexandria

703-888-0032

Northside10.com

Pedro conjures up the Northside Breeze – Deep Eddy Grapefruit Vodka, Cranberry and Orange Juice and a splash of Prosecco garnished an orange slice and cherry

How did you get started in the bartending business?

I started bartending at parties for friends — just for fun to talk to people and have a good time. People from the parties started to hire me for private functions. My regulars at Southside 815 and Northside 10 wanted to see me behind the bar, so I moved back there permanently in 2017.

What is your biggest bartender pet peeve?

A couple things make me crazy – when people pour their own wine from the service bar and when they say they’re in a hurry but they want to ask a million questions about the menu. But… nothing makes me crazier than customers who talk with their mouths full of food. I want to hear what you have to say, but chew and swallow first!

What is the cleverest line anyone has ever used to get you to give them a free drink?

A woman at the bar saw we had a chili dog on the menu. She said she could swallow the whole thing if I gave her a free shot. I didn’t take her up on it, her friend stepped in before it got too far…

What is the best/worst pickup line you have overheard at the bar?

I’ve heard a lot of awful material.  “I’d swipe right for you” was pretty bad.  The better ones are specific to the person – I saw a guy come up to a beautiful redhead and tell her he was “thirsty for a tall glass of ginger ale”.  She smiled and let him buy her a drink!

Tell us about an interesting encounter you have had with a customer(s).

We had a regular who sat at the end of the bar every Monday. One day he ordered a smoked salmon sandwich and didn’t like it — so he threw the sandwich at me.  I didn’t lose my cool, but I let him know that if it happened again, he wouldn’t be welcome ever again.

If you could sit down and have a drink with anyone in the world, past or present, who would that be?

Jim Carrey! I like his energy and customers say we have a lot of the same mannerisms and humor. His face is very expressive and crazy – just like mine!

Pedro is behind the bar Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 11:30 am – 5:00 pm and you can find him managing Tuesdays after 5:00.

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