SOHO Amsterdam — Restaurant in Amsterdam

I wanted to share an incident that happened at Soho on Saturday 24/06/2023.

First let me mention that I visited with my friend, we are both members of the LGBT community and have been clients of Soho for the past 7+ years. We have never been involved in any trouble previously there or any other establishment we visited.

On Saturday 24/6, my friend and I were finishing our first beer. We put our beers on the bar while dancing. At that point I noticed that a bartender (tall, short hair, nose ring) took our -yet unfinished- beers and was about to throw them away. Instinctively, and because the place was loud and I would not be audible if I just talked to them- I clapped my hands once to grab their attention and show that our drinks were not finished yet so they should not be taken away. That was it! No other gestures, swearing, talking or whatsoever. The bartender did put our beers back but said “Ok, I will get you removed”. At that point frankly, I didn’t realise what he meant. A few moments later, a security guard dressed in black approached us and aggressively asked us to leave the premises!

If you are reading this you are probably thinking that this doesn’t make any sense. I was thinking the same, until when we left the club, my friend told me that the bartender has been very insistent with him on Grindr, without much reciprocation from my friend’s side…

This is blatant abuse of power, discrimination and harassment, all punishable offences by law in the Netherlands. And all this at a place like Soho which markets itself as safe and inclusive.. I am planning to forward this complaint via email to the club and hoping to speak to the management about it before any other escalation. Will update if there is...

I would like to report an unpleasant situation I experienced at the entrance to Soho Amsterdam, with security. My boyfriend and I had bought two draft beers and stayed outside. At one point, an employee warned that he would collect the tables and chairs that were outside. We immediately left and stood in front of the place. We left the front of Soho long enough to finish the mug of Draft beer, and when we decided to return it to the Pub, we were mistreated by the security guard, and when we explained that we were going to return the mug, we were called liars for the fact that it was not possible to leave the pub with mugs. We explained once again that we had bought and were sitting in it, and rudely replied that we were lying and that we were not going to enter the pub. And when questioning what we were going to do with the mugs, he brutally pulled our hands so we wouldn't enter. I believe that as an establishment located in Amsterdam, with a focus on the LGBTQIA+ public and in a European country very well evaluated by the reception, it should have adequate training for employees to avoid situations like this, which lead to unwanted experiences for visitors. As a tourist, I really liked the city, but as a customer who is an LGBTQIA+ person, I won't be back or recommend...

I'm shocked. I Have to register here my BAD EXPERIENCE at SOHO Amsterdam. I was in the line awaiting my time to enter to the club, I turn back to my friends, who were just a few meters of the line, walking to the entrance direction, when the security guy (club guard - the guy at the photo) assaulted me, pulling me out of The line, taking me by the neck, literally. I tried to talk to the guards, asking them The reason for that agression and they only said they were asking me to free out the door entry. I also asked to talk to their manager, and the same guard who assaulted me laughed at me and was very hostile to me and my friends. I would like to register here my really sadness and disappointment with this situation, since there was not a motive to be phisically attacked but the nonsense brutal behavior of the house security staff. I am at this moment formally registering a complain at The Police station and I hope no one will be treated like...