“Soho”, “Taboo”, and “Ban Broken” Amsterdam, Netherlands
Ratchet Level: Low Price: Free Music: Pop/EDM Next door to “NXY” in the gay district is Taboo and Soho which are right across from each other. Taboo I went to first on an early Saturday night. The crowd outside was so big it covered the street. Everyone was just standing and talking for the most part. I wouldn’t call this a ore-game just a day party (but not to Washington DC standards). I went inside to grab a Jack&Coke. I am so sorry to the two very nice dudes who drinks I spilled when squeezing by! (Let the record show I cleaned the mess, and offered to buy them drinks! They were very nice about it). Taboo was boring. Two floors with the bottom being the tight fit bar with weak drinks and upstairs being the lounge area with bathrooms and a smoking section blocked off. I spent a lot of time booking my trip to Miami. Now for Soho...the first floor has a huge bar in the center surrounded by mirrors and people dancing. There is a stairwell which leads to the second floor. Upstairs is another bar where people just overlook the first floor. It also has an indoor smoking section. The third floor is just restroom. I didn’t bother getting a drink. Soho may be cute for your friends whom like to party before 1am. Overall both places are pretty chill and just okay cliché music. The crowd wasn’t very diverse. For the most part everyone was white males with a sprinkle of lesbians, Asians, and Middle Easterns (according to their Grindr profiles). Nothing special, just something to do. PART 2! It’s 1:30am and I decided to come back after the heterosexual clubs have shown me an amazing time. So apparently Taboo has another establishment next door called, “Taboo Kantine” which is just a small dance floor and bar. Who knew 🤷🏽♀️?! Right next to that is “Ban Broken”. This three story bar completes my imagination of what I think bars look like in Mexico. Top floor is locks and restrooms. Second floor was blocked off and shut down. The first floor had a variety of music (no DJ though). This bar looks like what you think a South American bar will look like; the difference being the flat screen displayed drinks with prices. After a chat at the bar I got the nastiest beer of my life and proceeded outside. In the middle of writing this review I had the most genuine conversation with James from London. As we chatted about the most random things, around 2am the staff began to take tables and bottles away from customers. That was a new experience. I didn’t feel the pressure of being kicked out, but it felt suggested. The conversation with James was worth it. Overall the experience here on Saturday is just outside drinking and talking. You run the risk of having a great convo, talking to an idiot, or finding a hookup. Are you willing to gamble?
