Bohnengold - Berlin — Restaurant in Berlin

The bar itself is pretty cool but the way 'incidents' are handled kind of estranged me:

A friend and me (two cis-guys) were sitting at a table with a lot of free space. A group of around 6 people approached us and asked if they could have a seat. As there was a lot of space we said yes, they sat down and most said hey or hola, so kind of greeted us in a friendly way. I started talking to one of the girls in the group about where they are from (UK and everywhere) and if they lived in Berlin etc. (pretty short normal small talk). Most of the group left after a while for smoking and/or dancing but as one guy of the group stayed I tried to start a conversation to be more familiar with the group. I said two times smth like "Hey, whats up" but there was no reaction at all so I tought he might not hear me (happens often to me as I usually talk in a quiet way). I tipped his arms to make him aware that I am trying to talk to him and he reacted like "Hey, you can't touch me!!!" in a way pretending I touched him in a sexual way (at the arm?). I told him I just wanted to talk without further intend and that touching one at the arm is a quite common thing especially in a social setting (after beeing more aware of it I felt like people touching my shouder/arm all the time to let me pass them by on the dancefloor, public transport etc.). He told me that I should stop talking and it wont work out, so I just let it go. The other people of the group came back, stayed for a few mins and then the whole group left to dance. A couple of mins later one girl came back and asked what happend to her friend, if I thought she is a girl and started touching her. It was pretty hard to convince her to let me tell my story and after doing so she said that I just can't touch people uninvited. I asked what am I supposed to do if people dont hear me to get their attention and anyway if she didnt want to talk to me she just could've said so. I totally agree that a first No must be respected but so far, there was no No at all until I touched her arm (which again, I thought was a man). As this discussion went creepier where at the end she told me that she would let unconcious people on the street left to die (sic! "this is life") as she doesnt want to interrupt their personal space she told the bouncer to invent. I also told him my story and I had the feeling that he understands my point as he just told me to "pay more attention" and that everything is fine.

A few mins more passed and my friend and me went to toilet and to the dancefloor which was pretty crowded. We danced for like 10 mins and then the bouncer came again and asked me to follow him. He took me out and explained that the party is over for me now as they again complained about me. I asked him why as I didnt try to contact them at all anymore and he said that we danced too close to them (we were at least 2 m away and after that whole creep situation we didnt want to contact these people at all anymore) and that this specific nonbin doesnt feel comfortable in our presence. I asked him "Ok, so she doesnt feel comfortable with me beeing in the same room with her, so what about me, if I complained about her and doesnt feel comfortable with her around, would you have kicked her out as well?" which he agreed to. We discussed a little further (quite nice btw. that he really took the time besides the fact that there was a long queue and he probably had a lot of more important work to do) he told me that he will asked them again and bring them out so that we can find an acceptable agreement. After 20 mins he came back alone and said smth like: "Sry, they dont want to talk and you have to leave now, but luckily you are in Kreuzberg so for sure you will find smth else to party". Of course while in doubt its better to act like the story of the victim is true as the likelyhood as a cis-man beeing harrased is lower than for any other gender, but everyone agreed that I just touched her arm and at the end I was not removed for that but being in the same room. Doesnt really help...

P.S. first (b/c that's what google will show): it's not as bad as the review makes it seem, I think I was a bit too negative. It's a good place and I might go again.

It depends a bit on what you like. There is a bunch of trade-offs that come out as a bit mid for me. The bar is very loud, not really in a way bars are just loud and I'm sensitive to it, I don't think I super am, but some of the rooms are somehow extra loud. The night we were, there was a lot of men, which didn't only manifest in the noise but also we were bumped into dozens of times. There are areas that are a bit tight but some people will just either 'forcefully' take their way of right or 'obliviously' stand in the way. Like, it's fine, I've been to great places that are cramped and loud, but there is little upshot. The supposed upshot is the dance area. The sound was (funnily enough) not loud enough, so if you don't stand in front of the speakers, you hear more people talking around you than the sound. The layout from the entrance to the bar crosses the whole dance floor so it's constant movement and letting people pass (or be bumped into). The DJ wasn't great that night, but that could be very variable. When we left, there was a queue outside, so I guess you even have to queue for this? Some people say the upshot is, that it is free and they let in anyone. I guess that could be good, but maybe makes it also a bit less commitment-y/more flaky? Not sure, but I saw a lot of tourists.

If you consider yourself a pragmatic person, you just wanna go to a bar and have a bit of fun 'with the boys' (i.e. you're a troupe of young men) and hate that Berlin is sort of peculiar about club culture, you will have a nice time there. If you are a bit peculiar and like techno, you are a woman, or you try to get to know Berlin, it...

I used to go often to this bar and I will never do it anymore, since I had an unpleasant (and racist) experience with the owner of this bar. One day I went to the bar to ask if smoking was allowed inside because it was cold outside. He told me no, and asked me where I was from. I told him I was from Spain. His answer was: "I guess the weather in Spain is very nice, isn't it? In Saudi Arabia it is also very hot, but girls are obliged to get married at the age of 10". This behavior is totally unacceptable, racist and, by the way, proof of very, very little general culture and education. I find such comments intolerable in any situation. This is just a note to all Portuguese, Italians, Greeks or Spaniards (or PIGS, as they like to call us), to refrain from going to a place with such low morals and...