The Marlin Bar — Restaurant in Amsterdam

We had a reservation at The Marlin Bar for a special occasion and were really looking forward to it. Unfortunately, the experience was very disappointing. We requested to sit outside, but were told it’s “first come, first served.” To our surprise, two guests who didn’t have a reservation were later seated outside — I even confirmed it with one of them in the bathroom.

Meanwhile, we were placed indoors without any flexibility, even though we were ordering premium dishes. By the time they offered us a table outside, it was already dark and cold — too late to enjoy it.

It felt like we weren’t valued, and that truly affected the whole evening. The food was okay, but definitely not worth the hype. The black fish, in particular, was poorly made. At the end of the day, it’s not just about the food — it’s about how you make people feel. Sadly, this experience left a...

I was really excited to try this new restaurant, but the experience was completely overshadowed by the service.

We were first seated on the terrace and left waiting 10–15 minutes without menus, water or anyone even checking in. When I walked to the waitress and asked if someone could come, she snapped back that she was busy and the only one for the terrace, making us feel like we were bothering her. After more waiting and confusion, I think who was the manager kindly seated us inside, but even then it took 45 minutes and two reminders before our drinks arrived, after we had already finished our starters.

The food was okay, but service this dismissive and disorganized makes it impossible to enjoy. A real disappointment for a place I was...

We arrived at the restaurant at 21:00. The gentleman who met us told us that the kitchen was closed. We politely asked why Google Maps indicated that the restaurant was open until 23:00. We were really polite because we really wanted to go to this restaurant, it was recommended to us, and also because I grew up in a family of restaurateurs and I know how important politeness is for us. The bald gentleman told us that it was his restaurant and he himself decided who he closed the kitchen for. Dear owner, this is a very, very impolite answer, I tell you as a person from a family of restaurateurs or just a person. You were disgusting! We came to you on recommendation, you disgraced both yourself and those who...