Entertainment in Amsterdam
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Café Cuba
This place maintains fidelity to Fidel, Che and ’50s Cuba, with low lighting, indoor palms, faux faded elegance, rum posters, and cane chairs and tables. Try Papa Hemingway’s favourite cocktail, the caipirinha, and the ubiquitous mojito. The outdoor seating is right on Nieuwmarkt.
reviewed
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Rokerij
Behind this black hole of an entrance you’ll find Asian decor and candlelight for those tired of the Rastafarian vibe. Staff at this flagship branch have a reputation for friendliness, explaining why outlets have shot up like weed(s), but this is the cosiest location by far.
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Café Het Schuim
Schuim means ‘foam’ (on beer) and this grungy, arty bar is extraordinarily popular with beer-swilling locals – it gets packed any time of day or night. While the people-watching can be distracting, it’s wise to keep one eye on your belongings.
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Café Zilt
This classy little dive is where the corpus delicti shudders to a halt after a night of glorious excess. There’s a great selection of seasonal beers (why go easy at this stage?) and bar snacks such as gehaktbal (spicy hamburger balls) to buoy the blood sugar.
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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.
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Amsterdam ArenA
Matches usually take place on Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon during the season (early September to early June). The ArenA conducts a one-hour guided stadium tour that includes a walk on the hallowed turf and entry to the Ajax museum.
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Hill Street Blues
It feels more like a lounge bar than a coffeeshop, with jazzy music, an in-the-groove vibe and an international swath of visitors. Firm beanbag stools and comfy benches make great stations for watching the life forms on busy Nieuwmarkt while sipping a blended fruit-and-yogurt smoothie or one of the phenomenal shakes. For a grungier vibe, check out its location at Warmoesstraat 52, where graffiti covers every inch of the space and furniture.
reviewed
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Podium Mozaiëk
‘West is the new Centrum’ boasts Club 8, a bare-bones club in the area west of the Jordaan. We wouldn’t write off the city centre anytime soon, but we can say that this and other grassroots nightspots here are worth a look: De Nieuwe Anita, a living-room-like art lounge; Zaal 100, which hosts a Tuesday jam session; and the multicultural arts space Podium Mozaiëk.
reviewed
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Zaal 100
‘West is the new Centrum’ boasts Club 8, a bare-bones club in the area west of the Jordaan. We wouldn’t write off the city centre anytime soon, but we can say that this and other grassroots nightspots here are worth a look: De Nieuwe Anita, a living-room-like art lounge; Zaal 100, which hosts a Tuesday jam session; and the multicultural arts space Podium Mozaiëk.
reviewed
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't Mandje
Amsterdam’s - and perhaps the world’s - oldest gay bar opened in 1927, then shut in 1982, when the Zeedijk grew too seedy. But its trinket-covered interior was lovingly dusted every week until it reopened in 2008. The devoted bartenders can tell you stories about the bar’s brassy lesbian founder, and there’s live jazz and a retro DJ who spins 78s on a Victrola. One of the most gezellig places in the Centrum, gay or straight.
reviewed
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Di’Vino Wijnbar
Finally, a dedicated wine bar in the Jordaan. It serves only quality Italian wines (glasses €4 to €6, bottles €19 to €55), plus divine charcuterie and cheese plates (€6.50 to €17.50). The polished wood bar, flickering candles and lofty corner windows beckon you in – though the snuggle-into-me blankets strewn about the tables and chairs outside are equally inviting. Choices, choices.
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Minibar
If Homer Simpson went glam, this would be his palace. Present an ID at the counter; choose a fully stocked beer, champagne or mixed fridge; and grab your key to your own self-service minibar (more maxi than mini, actually). Select your tipple and sip in the mod-lounge setting, zoning out on the computerised light show; on our visit, plump white raindrops cascaded down a solid black wall. DJs spin a few nights a week too.
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Felix Meritis Café
Join the city’s cultural cognoscenti imbibing in this high-ceilinged, quietly refined (think theatrical lighting) cafe in the Felix Meritis Building. Huge windows and clever outdoor seating (you’ll see) overlooking the canal make it a stylish spot for a coffee or cocktail. Sit and ponder the society’s motto carved above the entrance: ‘Happiness through Achievement’.
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Tara
This expat meeting place combines Irish folksiness with Amsterdam chic. In its maze of rooms (the one-time home of German expressionist Max Beckmann) you’ll find warm fireplaces, a cool bar, gorgeous wall carvings and seats salvaged from an old Irish church. Catch frequent musical happenings and sports on the telly. Meals include burgers, and beef and Guinness pie (mains €12.50 to €15.50).
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De Drie Fleschjes
Behind the Nieuwe Kerk, the distiller Bootz’ tasting room dates from 1650. It is dominated by 52 vats that are rented out to businesses that entertain clients here. It specialises in liqueurs (although you can also get jenevers ) – the macaroon liqueur is quite nice. Take a peek at the collection of kalkoentjes, small bottles with hand-painted portraits of former mayors.
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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.
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Casablanca
Split-personality Casablanca once had a hot reputation for jazz (combos still take the stage early in the week), but now it’s better known as a karaoke madhouse on the weekends. Next door at No 26 is Casablanca Varieté, an intimate cabaret-style theatre where Dutch drag queens, magicians and more take the stage every night but Monday, for just a €5 cover charge.
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Amstel Bar & Brasserie
So you need to entertain a client. She’s very high powered and you can’t leave things to chance. The bar at the Amstel Intercontinental Hotel is dignified and appropriately clubby, and its river-view location is the power spot in town. We expect you’ll get that contract you wanted and you may even rub elbows with famous financiers for your next deal.
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Mulligans
This is probably the most ‘authentic’ Irish pub, at least music-wise. There’s a congenial atmosphere, Guinness on tap, live Irish music most nights from 9.30pm or 10pm (no cover charge) and a tobacco-smoking room (which usually closes about an hour before last call). Sunday sesiàns let you participate. BYOI (instrument) and T (talent).
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Twins Backstage
The twins Greg and Gary Christmas once had a song-and-dance act, and in the 1970s they opened this café as a sideline. Greg passed away several years ago, and Gary keeps things going with substantial help from the neighbours. Don't expect crisp service or top-notch food, but do expect encompassing kitsch, from mannequins in crocheted shawls to flower power decals.
reviewed
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Kamer 401
One of several happening bars along Marnixstraat, attracting gorgeous-looking, cocktail-drinking young locals who pack the place till late. With DJs providing a funky soundtrack, it’s perfect for preclubbing drinks. If you can’t breathe or move, see if you can snag a corner at Lux next door – it’s a similar scene, though equally popular.
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Muziekgebouw aan ‘t Ij
This magnificent, mod building plays host to everything from the Holland Symfonia (which typically backs the National Ballet) to the prestigious Metropole Orkest, which does smart arrangements of jazz and pop. Free lunchtime concerts are normally held in the main hall once a month on different weekdays from September to May – check the website for details.
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To Night
Hotel Arena’s club hosts radically different nights from one evening to the next, from salsa to ‘90s hits. It’s a bit out of the centre, but definitely worth a hike, as your €15-or-less ticket gets you entry into one of the most beautiful spaces in Amsterdam - a marble-trimmed chapel. As an added bonus, the drinks are relatively cheap.
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Dampkring
You saw it in Ocean’s Twelve; now see it up close. Consistently a winner of the Cannabis Cup, Dampkring is darkish, youngish and decorated rather hobbitish. Its name means the ring of the Earth’s atmosphere where smaller items combust. Dampkring is known for having the most comprehensive menu in town, including details about smell, taste and effect.
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Proeflokaal Wijnand Fockink
This wee tasting house (dating from 1679) serves scores of jenevers and liqueurs in an arcade behind Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky. Although there are no seats, it’s an intimate place to knock back a taste or two with a friend. The barkeep will pour your drink to the brim, so do like the locals to prevent spillage: lean over it and sip without lifting.
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