Hard Rock Cafe Amsterdam — Restaurant in Amsterdam

As I write this review, I already know that management will likely reply saying it was all a misunderstanding and justify it by mentioning that they’ve known the waiter in question for many years, just as they told us at the time it happened.

A few days ago, we entered Hard Rock to attend an event taking place at the bar area. We came in through the main entrance, where the front desk employee told us we could go ahead and choose where to sit. We specifically asked if we could also order food there, and the employee confirmed that we could.

We then walked upstairs toward the bar area and chose a nearby table to have some food before joining the actual bar area. As I was pulling out a chair to sit, someone suddenly yelled behind me and grabbed the chair out of my hand. I couldn’t understand what he was saying at first, and when I asked, he screamed even louder (extremely rudely) saying we couldn’t sit there because this wasn’t a “self-service restaurant” and that we needed to be assigned a table by a waiter.

We tried to explain that the front desk had told us we could sit anywhere (the restaurant was quite empty, by the way), but he insisted that no one would ever say that and proceeded to escort us back downstairs to “prove” his point. He seemed more interested in proving us wrong than actually helping us get seated or providing any kind of service. When I calmly suggested he could be more polite next time, he completely lost his temper and insisted on calling the manager - even though I said there was no need and we just wanted a table.

I’m the furthest thing from a “Karen” and I genuinely try to avoid conflict, especially in hospitality settings, knowing it’s not an easy job. This was actually the first time I’ve ever spoken to a manager about an issue - and ironically, I hadn’t even asked for one. But the manager’s reaction was just as disappointing. He barely tried to understand what had happened or provide a service; instead, he simply said he knows the waiter for many years, suggesting it was simply a matter of the waiter’s “manners.” Needless to say we...

I arrived in Amsterdam, it was my second time in the city and upon arriving I was very happy to see that there was a Hard Rock next to my hotel. I'm a difficult person to eat and Hard Rock is already a place where I know the menu and in all the countries I've been to so far that had a Hard Rock I always chose to eat and not go wrong. That's how I did it in Amsterdam. A friend and I were very well looked after, we left feeling very satisfied and went to enjoy the city. The next day I had a super busy day, as it was already the day to return. So we went out for a walk and then came back to pick up our bags at the hotel. As we didn't have much time I decided to eat at Hard Rock again. We were welcomed and my friend asked to sit at the bottom, as the day before we had sat at the top. It didn't take long and our table was available, but my friend found the lower part too cold and requested a change. It took a while and we went upstairs. As I had already looked at the menu, I was in a hurry and I already knew what I was going to eat. I looked twice at the waitress, signaling that I would like to place my order, it is important to say that at no point did she introduce herself to us as is usual in all Hard Rocks. Until she came to bring the bill from the next table and said that we needed to wait for her to finish the service and I said that I already knew what I wanted but even so, she said that there was nothing she could do, she said that we had to wait, that was how it worked and who at that moment was serving the man at the next table, but the man was just making payment and the time she wasted treating us rudely could have withdrawn our orders. Obviously we got up from the table and left. The way she treated us was embarrassing, sad and unnecessary. I went through the door and told the hostess what had happened and she just said to me: wow, that never happened here, but nothing did either. I felt very neglected and ridiculed in front of everyone. I will continue going to all Hard Rocks in the places and countries I visit, but never again will this Amsterdam...

I’m a long-time Hard Rock fan and a proud collector of their shot glasses from around the world. We’ve had some amazing experiences — most recently at Hard Rock Prague, which was absolutely brilliant in every way. That’s why we were excited to visit Hard Rock Amsterdam.

Our first visit yesterday lived up to expectations. The atmosphere was great, the food enjoyable, and our waiter (I believe his name was Alviro) was exceptional — warm, friendly, and attentive. It was exactly what we’ve come to love about the Hard Rock experience, and we left happy.

However, when we returned today, things went downhill. It was crowded, which we understood, and we were eventually seated. But the table was very tight for our family of four. When a waiter asked me to move my chair, I asked if we could adjust the table instead — I didn’t want to have to shift every time he walked up and down the section. Rather than working with us, he became hostile, saying I was rude and that he didn’t want “people like you in my section.” He even said he would call the manager.

We decided to walk out. I later spoke to the manager, who was respectful and professional. He apologized and made it clear this was not the kind of service they aim to provide, and even offered to arrange a table for us. I appreciated that. But by then, we had already moved on to the Irish pub next door, which gave us a warm welcome and excellent service.

Sadly, despite one excellent visit, this incident has made my family feel uncomfortable returning. I do want to thank Alviro and the manager for their professionalism, but I hope Hard Rock Amsterdam addresses this kind of staff attitude — it really impacts the...