In de Wildeman, Amsterdam

I am curious about the "review" here from 17 Apr 08. I would be interested to know whether any more regular visitors to this place go along with "Simonroest" 's rant? I suspect the posting is by someone with a warped sense of humour.

I have been going to In De Wildeman for about 10 years now. I tend to visit Amsterdam 2 or 3 times a year spending 3 evenings sampling Belgian/ Dutch/ German beer. IDW was the first Amsterdam bar I ever experienced and for my first few visits I didn't go anywhere else. I have since extended my horizons slightly and now usually also take in Arendsnest, Cafe Belgique, Pilsener Club and, most recently, Gollem (2, south of Heineken brewery rather than 1, off Spui).

I just don't recognise the points made about the IDW's recent decline. I have always found the IDW bar staff helpful, patiently answering my dumb "What's that like?" questions and offering samples. I never got the impression that I was being palmed off with the beer that was not selling well. I don't recall ever having problems with bad quality beer. Their prices seem to be comparable with the other bars I go to (see above). I can't recall ever having problems being over charged (anyway, the bill is now an itemised till receipt). Although I don't know them by name, I always seem to see familiar faces among the bar staff and customers, belying the suggestion that the place has been taken over by tourists and abandoned by locals who know better.

27 Mar 2009 23:29