LuminAir — Restaurant in Amsterdam

Went for my birthday last night and was honestly really disappointed overall, mainly by a rude waiter and the Monsoon cocktail. We ordered drinks and went outside for a few mins to the balcony to take pictures, came back inside and drinks were on the table (not even arranged by person, just all 4 together at the corner of the table) and we were very confused by which cocktail was whose and nobody came over to explain. There were 2 glasses that just looked like water with ice in it, turns out that was the €20 Monsoon cocktail, which was incredibly disappointing. We waited for 20 minutes until somebody finally came over and it was this short rude guy who said yeah you weren’t at the table, this is the Monsoon cocktail and it’s supposed to have a bubble over it but it popped since you weren’t here. He was really blunt and rude and for €20 a cocktail I was shocked that they just left the cocktails there, didn’t bother explaining which was which, didn’t offer to remake the bubble, and in the end we were left with an incredibly mediocre looking “cocktail” that was not worth the price at all and just looked literally like a glass of water. The taste was also very mediocre and nothing special. Who on earth serves a “lychee martini inspired” drink in a coffee mug??? To clarify, we were outside for just a few minutes like maybe 5 minutes and we didn’t even touch the drinks until someone came over to explain because we had no idea whose was whose. Any decent place would have waited to bring the drinks when we were back at the table or come over to explain once we were back.

If you’re going to brand your cocktails as an “experience” and something special and then not even bother to explain to customers which one is which or ensure proper presentation (at least the crappy water glass could have looked nicer with a bubble on it) then the whole experience falls very very flat. The rest of the drinks were fine but the rude guy and that shitty cocktail really showed me the level of service at this place : just another tourist trap with mediocre offerings and no actual care for the customer experience. By the end of the evening I was wishing I had taken the €250 to some other place that takes care to explain the details of each cocktail, present them properly, etc. There are many fantastic cocktail bars in the city and this one falls incredibly short, would never return.

My friends also surprised me with a cake and sparkler and the waiter put both in front of my friend instead of me. They had told the team 5 minutes before that that it was my birthday and which seat I was on. Wasn’t a big deal but really just to explain how bad...

Well, we were not able to make a reservation on the day we checked in until after 11 pm. We did follow up with an online reservation for the following day.

The food portions were small. However, the quality was very satisfying. Service was slow for some reason but seemed to have adequate staff.

The most disappointing part of our overall experience was seating of ourselves and other people of color. When we arrived, we were immediately escorted to a wall, bar seating table. I requested a window seat but was told if one comes available, we could move. Within 5 minutes, a window table opened. When I queued the hostess, I was told the table was reserved. I informed her we also made a reservation. She went on to try to explain why she couldn't move us, yet we had not received our drinks up to this point.

After some time, as more persons of color arrived, they were not seated in window seating either. After walking through the restaurant, I found all the window seating occupied by white, asian, and local looking parties, with only one black group having window seating. We would have sat outside this evening. However, the weather was uncomfortably cool.

It's just an observation but extremely disappointing. ≈======================== Update; We spoke with a general manager (on a recorded line) who listened to our complaint and explained basically, as I previously mentioned. I explained that even though some tables had seating for 4 but only had 2 people seated. Their primary clientele is 80% tourist and could not believe staff would treat anyone that way. They've tried to create a culture of inclusion.

He did mention, "That maybe there was some unconscious bias,"

He stated they would review videos and get back to me. He gave us his heart-felt apology.

We discussed our booking and reservation experience. I found it odd that people off the street could walk up and gain entrance, yet we were told we needed to book a reservation, even though we were staying in the hotel.

Lastly, all though this was a Zoom call, I found it odd that he seldom would look into the camera or at us.

Our next contact was an email several days later stating they found no bias treatment and offered complementary service on...

On December 27th, my daughter and I visited Luminair around midday to enjoy two cocktails. We were particularly excited about the experience as my daughter had previously been there with friends and spoke highly of the atmosphere and the stunning view of Amsterdam. It was also a special occasion we wanted to celebrate.

Upon being seated, I ordered the "VENTOS" cocktail, while my daughter chose another option. According to their online and printed menu, the VENTOS cocktail is advertised as containing Cachaca, Bumbu Rum, Bacardi Carta Blanca, Banana Flambé, Acai, and Condensed Milk. However, the waiter—a polite and well-presented young man—unexpectedly asked if I was looking for a non-alcoholic version. I found this question inappropriate, given that the listed ingredients clearly involve alcohol. His suggestion made me wonder whether he lacked knowledge about the cocktail preparation or was perhaps not properly trained.

When our cocktails were served, we were incredibly disappointed. The VENTOS I received lacked key ingredients like Rum, Bacardi, and Banana Flambé. Instead, it tasted like an ordinary juice—far removed from what was advertised. Charging €18 for such a drink felt unjustifiable.

I brought my concerns to the cashier, explaining that the cocktail was not what I had ordered and that it lacked alcohol altogether. The young woman at the counter dismissed my concerns, claiming the decorative stripes on the glass were their "fancy condensed milk." Despite my feedback, she made no effort to rectify the issue or offer a proper replacement.

Feeling disheartened, I returned to my table without pursuing the matter further to avoid creating an unpleasant scene, particularly as my daughter was with me. Unfortunately, the experience was already ruined.

Reflecting on this, it seems Luminair takes undue advantage of its association with the Hilton Hotel to charge exorbitant prices for subpar offerings. We left feeling that our money could have been better spent on something meaningful or a good cause.

I sincerely hope that businesses that fail to meet customer expectations and misrepresent their products will one day face the consequences of...