Cobra Café — Restaurant in Amsterdam

Shocking Service and Discrimination in Action

I had an extremely unpleasant experience at Cobra Café, Museum Market, and I feel compelled to share it as a warning to others. My group of seven visited after touring the Market Museum, looking forward to a nice meal. However, from the moment we entered, the staff’s behavior was far from welcoming.

Upon entering, no one greeted us or offered assistance in finding a table. Left to ourselves, we found an area where we could fit as a group by rearranging the small tables. Shortly after, a staff member approached us—not to help—but to rudely reprimand us for moving the tables without permission. While we understood their policy against rearranging furniture, the tone and manner in which we were spoken to were blatantly rude, unprofessional, and borderline racist.

What stood out most was the unpleasant tone used toward us, as if our presence was unwelcome. Being the only Asians in the restaurant, we couldn’t help but feel singled out and discriminated against. Instead of offering a solution or trying to accommodate us, the staff insisted we return the tables to their original setup. Feeling disrespected, we decided to leave without ordering.

As travelers, we respect local customs and policies, but we also expect to be treated with courtesy and dignity—basic standards of hospitality that were entirely absent here. This was a deeply disappointing and unforgettable experience, and I cannot recommend this café to anyone seeking respectful or...

We had lunch here sitting outside on Tuesday, with great food and service from the staff who were under some pressure when it started a typical (as we have noticed) Amsterdam liquid sunshine moment. With this in mind, we called in again today and sat inside but must have managed to sit at the "nobody" table, where we almost had to grab staff to place an order (again the food was wonderful), but did not get a additional menu item when requested twice and then had to once again collar a staff member to take our money so we could escape. We noticed other potential customers sit at other "nobody" tables and eventually leave without being attended to. A shame really considering the quality of the food, with the experience being let down by staff who just seemed to be walking the floor, doing their best to look good and ignoring potential and CURRENT customers. If this had not occurred, I would have been happy to give 4 stars, but...

We had a terrible experience with one of the waiters of this place. We came here to have lunch before we do our canal cruise. Upon entering, there was no sign or we didnt see any sign “please wait to be seated”. Being a big group of 9, my brother found a corner where we can fit. Since there was no waiter helping us, we tried to arrange the small tables to accommodate our group. After a few minutes, a waiter came by yelling that we should not have moved the tables and told us to return it to the original arrangement which would make our group seat on separate tables. All of us were so shocked with the yelling. It is so uncalled for and we felt so singled out as we are the only Asians in that cafe at that time. We returned the tables to their original place and left. We luckily found a nearby place where customers are respected and not yelled at or discriminated. I wouldnt...