Tales & Spirits — Restaurant in Amsterdam

Phenomenal bar, beautifully staffed by loving people, serving drinks that do not taste as strong as you‘d expect.

That’s the simplest explanation.

We walked in the door, had a quick chat with one of the staff, and asked if the 5 of us could sit somewhere for a couple of drinks. They said absolutely, and promptly pointed us to an available picnic-bench outside. They sat us down, handed us some menus and a small bowl with a handful of nut-crisps accompanied with an amazing chutney.

The menus are beautifully crafted, and really felt like they had care put into them. The artwork and the vibe fit in perfectly with the place.

The staff were caring, kind, and very happy to joke about and laugh with us all. They recommended us drinks, answered questions, and accompanied us the whole night. Really made us feel totally welcome.

The drinks. Oh, god, where do I begin. You can expect to spend over €15 per cocktail here. But it‘s so worth it. We ended up spending just over €60 per person, so we ordered about 3 cocktails each with a bit of food to share.

I had 2 Shin-Chans and a La Muerta, my partner had 2 Girl-Next-Doors followed by 2 La Muertas, and our friends ordered a handful of other drinks for themselves. My Shin-Chans were truly fantastic, so flavourful, easily my favourite cocktail in the world. Next comes the La Muerta. Strong, smoky, sweet, spicy. Absolute flavourbomb. I would seriously recommend you order one.

I cannot speak for the others‘ drinks, I have pretty much completely forgotten most details from that night, despite sharing drinks amongst ourselves. But they are convinced they were delicious, so I‘ll take their word for...

We, party of 2, came around 2100. Waited for a few minutes and we were invited in. The bar was packed to the brim, with a cosy atmosphere in soft, almost fireplace-like lighting. We were seated at a small table, swiftly served by one of the staff with some complementary snacks and water, along with a brief description of what the snacks were. We had 2 house specials, What-if and Fallen Lady (I believe...). They were both very nice drinks! The same staff came around to check up on us and, honestly, he was part of the reason the atmosphere of the bar became even better! As he was amicable and professional, and went along a little bit with our shenanigans of not letting the other person pay... In summary, great place with great atmosphere, reasonably-priced drinks and superb service. A touch friendlier and more personal than Door74, although on par in terms of service with Hidden in Plain Sight. One small issue, the acoustic isn't the best, but still better than some other places, e.g. Lux. The decorations are of the same concept, although the theme is a bit incoherent. E.g. the pirate treasures above the entrance felt a bit more childlike, whereas the items in the cupboard were more of an old explorer vibe, while the barrel above the cupboard has a digital clock display inside of it, feels mildly...

I was there on Sunday at around 18:30, asking for a table for 3. They didn’t want to sit us at proper tables and said they were for 4 people even though there were two empty tables. We said we wanted to eat as well but they said we could eat at the bar. I was ready to leave but my bf really wanted to try the cocktails here so I reluctantly agreed to sit at the bar. When we asked if we could swap the high stool for one of the empty stools with a backing, the waiter didn’t let us. They then told us we could move to one of the normal tables but really it was a table for 2, and the proximity to the next ppl was so close, there was no way to have a private conversation.

The cocktails were nothing to shout about and no one even came to ask if we needed help or recommendations. They even got our order wrong. We downed our mediocre cocktails quickly and left without ordering food.

I will never come here again. The service is fake friendly, the place is stuffy and the drinks are overly priced and unimpressive. There are a lot better places to go to in Amsterdam. Spend your...