Village Soho — Restaurant in London

I recently had the misfortune of visiting Village Soho,, and it was an experience I wouldn't wish upon anyone. The evening started out promising, with a lively atmosphere and the promise of a good time with friends. However, the night took a dark turn that left me feeling violated and abandoned.

The incident occurred when, out of nowhere, a bouncer decided to forcefully remove me from the premises. Without any warning, he came up from behind, grabbed me, and physically pushed me out the door. The entire encounter was not only humiliating but also completely unjustified. To add insult to injury, the manager was nowhere to be found, taking into account that all the bouncer had to say was that “management wanted me out” leaving me stranded and vulnerable on the street.

What's even more disheartening is that this establishment claims to prioritise customer safety and satisfaction, being a safe space in Soho. However, the lack of managerial presence during such a distressing situation speaks volumes about their commitment to their patrons' well-being.

I must acknowledge that I was happily imbibing and being extroverted with people at the bar. However, this in no way justifies the excessive force used against me or the lack of proper procedure in handling what could have been a simple disagreement.

But I must repeat what's even more concerning is the absence of the manager during this entire episode. If a customer's behavior necessitates removal, it should be handled with tact and professionalism, not delegated to a bouncer's rash judgment. The responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of the management to ensure that such decisions are made judiciously and with the customer's dignity in mind.

While I am not absolving myself of accountability for my actions that night, the response from the establishment should have been measured and handled in person by someone with the authority to make such decisions. Leaving it to an overzealous bouncer not only tarnished my experience but also exposed the bar's disregard for its customers' well-being.

Not only was I ejected with excessive and unnecessary force, but I was also left without my jacket, phone, and separated from my friends. This not only exposed me to the elements but also left me in a potentially dangerous situation. It's shocking that a venue would allow such a blatant disregard for the safety and well-being of its customers.

Anyone can reply to a review but it takes upstanding management to handle situations in their establishments with a level of professionalism to deter such awful experiences in the first place.

Subsequent attempts to address this issue with the management were met with a disappointing silence. A brave and responsible owner should be willing to confront such incidents head-on and engage in a dialogue with affected patrons. Ignoring customer concerns only serves to deepen the sense of disrespect and frustration.

I strongly advise against visiting Village Bar if you value your safety, dignity, and overall well-being. This experience has left me shaken, and I hope others can learn from my unfortunate encounter and steer clear of this establishment

TO THE VILLAGE SOHO RESPONSE 09/01/24. I appreciate your prompt response and the effort to provide additional details about the incident in question. However, after carefully reviewing your response, it has become evident that there may be a significant confusion regarding the events you described. The portrayal of the incident and the actions attributed to me in your response are not reflective in any way. It seems there is a mix-up or confusion, as your account describes a completely different set of events. for one; both myself and the doorman are of the same ethnicity, which is white. However, I must note that I was never made aware of the ethnicity of the manager(s) during my interaction. I want to emphasize that the discrepancies in our narratives suggest a lack of awareness of the actual events that transpired, reflecting the lack of managerial presence when I was...

I can’t really speak on this establishment because a friend and I were denied entrance. That is actually not true. The security at the door lied to us and said that it was closed even though the website said they were open until 1:00 am (we arrived at 11:55 pm). We left but waited because there were two men who came in after us that tried to enter the club. I asked my friend to hold back for a minute and sure enough, he let them in. I went back to the man at security and said “I thought you were closed” at which point he offered me entry and of course we declined and left. The only discernible difference between these guys and us is they were white and we were black. Was that the issue? You decide. The manager/owner (not sure) sent a response to my friend who also wrote a review that stated “ “thank you for leaving us feedback. We are disappointed to hear that your experience was not a positive one. We pride ourselves on being a safe , inclusive space and our door teams' right of refusal are unbiased and based on every individual case.””. This is always a ‘catch-all’ response to explain away incidents like this but if this truly was unbiased, what changed that you would flip from lying about the club being closed to then allowing us entry. The only difference was that I confronted him about it.

Village Soho (owner) an hour ago Hi,

We close front door 1 hour ahead of the closing time. Also, capacity needs to be taken in consideration as we are opening more or less rooms depends of the day. I guess if security refused your entry it was because he was told to close the door and maybe he in good gesture decided to let you in at the end as last customers.

We are proud to be a safe space and we are definitely not racist so colour of skin is absolutely irrelevant to us. Hope the next time things will go better for you.

Thank you owner for your prompt response. The only thing is that it wasn’t a courtesy extended to me. It was a courtesy extended to the two gentleman behind me. That was less than the 1 hour before closing time you speak of and apparently without consideration of capacity. It was extended only I after inquired as to why two gentleman were allowed to enter after my friend and I were told you were closed.

I believe that you believe your establishment is all that you say it is. Maybe some of the people under your employ need to believe it too. Or maybe they are in need of a reminder of your vision.

Thanks...

Tried to go in for a drink last weekend with my partner while we visited London. Hadn't had a drink yet and wanted to have one somewhere quiet and relaxed before we went to the cinema. We were also celebrating 10 years together with a trip to London and we're excited to get back to real life after the pandemic. I Have been here in the past quite a few times and enjoyed it. I remembered the cocktails were great and the open mic nights are fun.

This time around however we didn't even get through the door. The door man was so rude and nasty. He asked if we were OK? We smiled and nodded. His manner instantly shifted to unfriendly and asked us a second time with a very hostile tone.

"I said, are you OK lads??"

We felt confused by his reaction to us. I actually felt afraid like I'd done something wrong. It seemed to take him a minute to inform us that we needed to make a reservation. Why not just ask us if we had made one from the offset? So rude! Basic people skills. We had no idea we had to make a reservation. My partner is very softly spoken and he mocked my partners voice and shouted at him to speak up. What the heck???

Will never go back here again.

edit just read a whole load of shocking reviews which validate my feelings that the door man took an instant issue with my partner. Also reading that the manager/owner has been offering out free drinks for 5 star reviews. What is happening here? Sort yourselves out or you will be shut down. Disgusting behaviour. It's bad enough that soho is losing all of its safe spaces for lgbt+/poc. Even read that the door man assaulted someone with a disability. Shocking. Avoid this bar. This is clearly not...