Labyrinth Cocktail Soul Food & Poetry Bar — Restaurant in Amsterdam

Visited Labyrinth cocktail soul food restaurant yesterday with a friend. Located in Amstelveenseweg area. I had high expectations as on Trip Advisor of the Too 30 Caribbean Restaurants in the Netherlands it was #2 well it was just ok. Think for me it was the smaller details . When your restaurant menu is heavily influenced by Caribbean dishes you know what you sign up for. Few items off the list but wasn’t informed in advanced. So I made my decision but then was told . The Ginger Beer i ordered I thought would be Jamaican ginger beer but was another brand but weaker. I was equally surprised when the starter and main courses came together that I didn’t expect. When that happens it means the food gets colder quicker and I wanted to take my time with it . I work in Horeca so I know how it goes but the decision should be mine about the starter or main dishes . Them bringing it all together without it being confirmed is a no no . Had some Mocktails which were ok . The service was friendly and approachable . For me it’s about the detail and the little things .Had dessert no card was told three things I had Ginger Cake small portion . My friend had Pineapple upside down cake but could find the pineapple. No cream or ice cream offered. For what we had and the quality of the food i thought it was overpriced . We split the bill and already decided then it was average our experience with the bill chocolate was given I asked whether it was dark or milk the waitress didn’t know we were the last ones to leave .Seemingly a quiet night at...

We reserved a spot for the open mic night last Monday and were assigned a table in the back, where we weren’t able to see the people performing. My sister went and asked if there may be a different table available, because we really wanted to be able to see the person behind mic. The server explained to her that this was the only available table for four people. Then someone behind the bar said to her “This is the table we have for you, take it or leave it.” This came across a little bit rude because she didn’t talk back to the server or anything, she just asked a simple question. Furthermore because we were sitting right next to the kitchen there were a lot of noises that were quite loud from the kitchen, which is understandable because obviously it’s a restaurant. However this is not the best table to have if you’re very sensitive to sounds, because sometimes we weren’t able to completely focus on the poetry. One friend had to leave because they felt a little overstimulated by all the sounds coming from the kitchen. The poetry night itself was amazing, I walked to the front and stood next to the bar every now and then if i wanted to see the people or if I wasn’t able to hear because of the kitchen. I’ll definitely come back because of the amazing artists! We still really loved...

Could be my fifth time to Labyrinth Cocktail Should Food & Poetry Bar in the last two-months. It is lovely to see newcomers and regulars alike. Giving the interactive atmosphere, it is easy to meet people and engage, last night was not exception. I met a musician from Dublin as well as a singer from the west coast of Ireland; a poet from Washington, D.C., a birthday girl from Atlanta, Georgia; a formidable-sized man from Idaho; a gypsy jazz guitarist from Virginia; a poet from India; French-speaking beauties from African and Caribbean custom and culture; a poet picking up a guitar to see how that felt for smile and size; local and regional Dutch artists and supporters therein.

It was quite something. Many had made their first public appearance. I applaud the first step to take art from the privacy of the page or bedroom to standing before an audience. It is a big leap and it doesn't matter where you come from, your age or any metric you can imagine, taking the first step to share your art and support art is unique and Labyrinth is a safe...