There are so many nice places to go for a drink in Amsterdam. From traditional Dutch pubs which we call ‘bruin café (brown cafe) to sophisticated cocktail bars. For every occasion you will find a perfect spot in any neighbourhood.
My favourite ones per neighbourhood:
Centrum (City centre)
5&33 – A bar, lounge, gallery, restaurant and hotel in one. If you feel like having a few cocktails and some lovely food without moving from place to place, this is where you should go. They frequently have art exhibitions in the basement and on Sundays they organise Bloody Mary Sunday brunches. Usually the bars in the city centre are packed with tourists, but this spot is actually quite ok and tastefully decorated. Address: Martelaarsgracht 5.
Café Heuvel – This is one of the oldest bars in Amsterdam and the interior immediately tells you so. Here you will feel the authentic Amsterdam atmosphere and there is really nothing fancy about this small bar. That’s why I like this bar so much: it is authentic. All kinds of people come together: artists, people from the neighbourhood, tourists, students. Their slogan is: ‘Als ik dan toch sneuvel, dan bij café Heuvel’ (If I will perish anyway, than it will be at cafe Heuvel). The cafe is located at the corner of two beautiful canals (Prinsengracht and Spiegelgracht). Address: Prinsengracht 568.
De Jordaan
Bar Oldenhof – Entering Bar Oldenhof is like going back to the roaring twenties. It looks like a small jazz club with comfortable armchairs. It is a great place to taste various kinds of whiskys and cocktails and you will have your own waiter. They frequently organise whisky tastings and food pairings. It never gets too crowded as they only allow as many people as there are seats. So you might end up in a line outside. Weekdays open until 1am, on Friday and Saturday until 3am. Address: Elandsgracht 84.
Festina Lente – This is actually not a bar, but a typical Dutch eetcafé. The idea was to create a living room outside of your home. And you do feel at home at this place. You can have breakfast, lunch and dinner here but it is a very nice place to have drinks at night as well. On Friday and Saturday night they are open until 3 am. Address: Looiersgracht 40b.
De Pijp
Café Schilders – Next to the Albert Cuyp market you will find Café Schilders. Among the regular visitors you will find many students and young professionals. They also serve lunch and dinner, although they don’t have many tables. The menu exists of salads, roasted chicken and black angus steak. Of course you can also order authentic Dutch ‘bitterballen‘ or other bites to go with your beer. In the weekends they open until 3 am. Address: Eerste van der Helststraat 45.
Oud-West
Parck – This is a great place to end up when it is raining outside (which happens quite often in Amsterdam). The cool thing about this bar is that you can find two ping pong tables in the back which will keep you busy for quite some time. They have several local brewed beers and great bar food. Not fancy, just fun. Open daily until 1 am and on Friday and Saturday until 3 am. Address: Overtoom 428.
Rayleigh & Ramsay – Although this place doesn’t call itself a wine you can taste more than 100 different wines from all over the world. They even have wines from countries like Armenia, India and The Netherlands. By adding money to a card that you will receive, you can poor the wines yourself. You can choose between half a glass, a whole glass or even a sip. If you don’t spend the complete amount that you’ve added to the card, you can get back the amount left in cash. They have a lunch and dinner menu as well and delicious bites like oysters and cheeses. Address: Zocherstraat 2.
