Café Brandon — Restaurant in Amsterdam

Traditional bar with nice classic, intentionally vintage/run-down vibe and decor, and mixed crowd of visiting tourists and local (Dutch and expat) regulars. Some of the furniture is genuinely at the end of its life, though – I had to change seats after a while as the bottom of my seat had all but completely fallen through, as well as being wet through. Standard draught beer selection at reasonable prices. Service could be much friendlier, though – I found the bartender (who's possibly also the owner?) to be more than just the typically charming 'Amsterdam' level of rough-around-the-edges, and actually (beyond) borderline rude. (At first I thought he was joking with the off-hand remark he made while I was paying for a round, but it soon became clear he wasn't). I won't hurry back as a result, which is a shame as it's otherwise a nice no-frills spot in a conveniently...

I came here because I’d heard the atmosphere was great and the beer was worth trying. And yes, the place does look nice. But here’s the catch: before you’re even allowed to order, you’re apparently expected to stand there and “politely” ignore the fact that you might urgently need the restroom.

I was told I couldn’t use the facilities until after I chose and ordered a drink. So there I was, with a full bladder, being asked to carefully study the beer list and make a thoughtful decision, as if that’s easy under such conditions. Not exactly the kind of hospitality you hope for when you walk into a bar.

To sum it up: good vibes, tasty drinks (from what I hear)… but customer service that seems to say, “hold it, or else.” One star for that...

Not sure what to make of it other than a shake down. Bartender was hyped and friendly. My husband went out side to smoke and the bartender followed.. two people walked up to talk in Dutch. The bartender ran inside, locked the front door and went to lock se side door where my husband was as walking in. The bartender laughed it off but was VERY disgruntled when we stood up and agreed to leave- when he retuned inside. Idk maybe the bartender said they were closed, or maybe he was just locking my foreigner husband out to get jumped....