Brown Café entertainment in Europe
-
A
Café P 96
If you don’t want the night to end, P 96 is an amiable spot to land. When most other cafes in the Jordaan shut down for the night, this is where everyone ends up, rehashing their evening, striking up conversations with strangers and grinning into their beers.
reviewed
-
B
De Ijsbreker
Pull up a chair on the terrace at this lovely cafe on the Amstel and it’s hard to decide whether to face the beautiful buildings or the gleaming river lined with houseboats. Inside used to house a major jazz and avant-garde music club - that institution has become the Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ, leaving more room here for drinkers in the plush booths and along the marble bar.
reviewed
-
C
Café ’t Sluisje
If you want to get a feel for life in Amsterdam-Noord, you’d best check out its most popular cafe. With its front-row seat on the harbour, vast terrace with views of the Nieuwendam harbour, and location on a postcard-worthy lane of historic dyke houses, you’ll start to see why residents of the Noord love their ‘village’ so much.
reviewed
-
D
De Kat in de Wijngaert
Rivalling ‘t Smalle for overwhelming gezelligheid, this gorgeous bar is the kind of place where one beer soon turns to half a dozen - maybe it’s the bad influence of the old-guard arts types who hang out here. At least you can soak it all up with what many people vote as the best tosti (toasted sandwich) in town.
reviewed
-
E
De Zwart
‘Not everyone has knowledge of beer, but those who have it drink it here’ is the translation of the slogan on a panel above this atmospheric bar with an original tiled floor from 1921. Just across the alley from Hoppe, De Zwart gets a different (though amicable) crowd of left-wing journalists and writers, as well as local-government people.
reviewed
-
F
In ‘t Aepjen
Candles burn even during the day at this bar based in a 15th-century canal house, which is one of two remaining wooden buildings in the city. The name allegedly comes from the bar’s role in the 16th and 17th centuries as a crash pad for sailors from the Far East, who often carried aapjes (monkeys) with them.
reviewed
-
G
Pilsener Club
Also known as Engelse Reet (English Arse), this brown cafe from 1893 is typical of the holes-in-the-wall around the Spui. Beer is served straight from the kegs via the ‘shortest pipes in Amsterdam’ (most places have vats in a cellar or side room with long hoses to the bar) – see if you can taste the difference.
reviewed
-
H
Café Nol
The epitome of the old-style Jordaan cafe, this kitschy red-vinyl place is where the original Jordaanese (ie before students, artists and professionals moved in) would sing oompah ballads with drunken abandon. They still do, but nowadays everyone from athletic types to drag queens joins in.
reviewed
-
I
Oosterling
Opened in the 1700s as a tea and coffee outlet for the Dutch East India Company, Oosterling is as authentic as it gets – run by the same family since 1877. These days it’s packed with the after-work-drinks crowd and is one of the very few cafes that has a bottle-shop (liquor-store) permit.
reviewed
-
J
Café ‘t Smalle
There’s no more convivial spot than this canal-side terrace on a sunny day, and the 18th-century interior is perfect in winter. Proof of its powerful gezelligheid (cosy sense of wellbeing) : it manages to remain a lively local bar even while newcomers discover it daily.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
K
Het Papeneiland
This popular 1642 place features Delft-blue tiles and a central stove. The name goes back to the Reformation, when there was a clandestine Catholic church across the canal, allegedly linked to the other side by a tunnel that’s still visible from the stair-top.
reviewed
-
L
Doelen
On a busy crossroads between the Amstel and the Red Light District, this cafe dates to 1895 and looks it: carved wooden goat’s head, leaded stained-glass lamps, sand on the floor. During fine weather the tables spill across the street for picture-perfect canal views.
reviewed
-
M
De Doffer
Writers, students and artists congregate at this popular cafe (with adjoining bar) for affordable food and good conversation. The dining room, with its old Heineken posters, large wooden tables and, occasionally, fresh flowers, is particularly ambient at night.
reviewed
-
N
Eylders
During WWII, Eylders was a meeting place for artists who refused to toe the cultural line imposed by the Nazis, and the spirit lingers on. It’s still an artists’ cafe with poetry readings the third Sunday of every month (sometimes in English).
reviewed
-
O
Café Koosje
If the three catchwords for real estate are location, location and location, then Koosje’s got a lock on the market, between the Artis Zoo and the Hollandsche Schouwburg. There are lots of windows to watch the action outside and a great corner vibe.
reviewed
-
P
De Schutter
This large student eetcafé has a brown-cafe look, a relaxed vibe and inexpensive, tasty dagschotels (dishes of the day). It’s open for lunch and dinner, and is a good place to fortify yourself on the cheap before a night on the town.
reviewed
-
Q
Hoppe
This gritty brown cafe has been luring drinkers for more than 300 years. Journalists, bums, socialites and raconteurs toss back brews amid the ancient wood panelling. Most months the energetic crowd spews out from the dark interior and onto the Spui.
reviewed
-
R
De Engelbewaarder
If you like jazz, plan on spending a Sunday afternoon (from 4.30pm) at this small cafe, which has been hosting an open session for decades. The rest of the week, it’s a mellow, old-fashioned place to enjoy a beer by the sunny windows.
reviewed
-
S
De Blaffende Vis
Drinks at the affable, corner ‘Barking Fish’ are always accompanied by incessant people-watching. Tall windows open onto the sidewalk tables, ensuring the chatter flows both in and out. Staff dish up a some killer bitterballen.
reviewed
-
T
De II Prinsen
With its large windows, chandelier, mosaic floor and big terrace, this cafe looks suitably restrained. You may be surprised then by the pumping music inside; all those students munching on tasty sandwiches don’t seem to mind.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
U
Café de Pels
The action at this appealingly shabby traditional brown cafe – attracting a mix of students, academics and creative types – is focused on drinking. It’s also a Sunday morning breakfast fave.
reviewed
-
V
Oporto
This tiny brown cafe is worth visiting just for the inlaid woodwork behind the bar (check out the Zodiac signs). Its wrought-iron-and-parchment lighting fixtures are said to have been the same for 60 years.
reviewed
-
W
Café ’T Monumentje
Diagonally opposite Café Nol, this slightly scruffy cafe with sand on the floor is always heaving with local barflies. It’s a good spot for a beer and a snack after shopping at the Westermarkt.
reviewed
-
X
De Pieper
The interior of this 1665 brown cafe features stained-glass windows, antique Delft beer mugs hanging from the bar and a working, 19th-century Belgian beer pump. It’s a sweet place for a nightcap.
reviewed
-
Y
Lokaal ’T Loosje
With its beautiful etched-glass windows and tile tableaux on the walls, this is one of the oldest and prettiest cafes in the Nieuwmarkt area. It attracts a vibrant mix of students, locals and tourists.
reviewed
