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Grey Area
Owned by a couple of laid-back American guys, this tiny shop introduced the extra-sticky, flavoursome 'Double Bubble Gum' weed to the city's smokers. It also keeps up the wonderful American tradition of coffee refills (it's organic). It keeps shorter hours than most coffeeshops.
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Herberg Hooghoudt
Situated on lovely Reguliersgracht, this venerable café still bears the hallmarks of the Hooghoudt Distillery founded in Groningen in the late 19th century. You can try a gamut of jenevers , liqueurs and vodkas, or warm up with a korenwijn right out of a barrel on the bar. Note the earthenware pots still used to give the firewater its special flavour.
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Het Groot Melkhuis
Kind of a Goldilocks apparition, this huge thatched house at the forest's edge inviting you in. The huge dining forecourt, playground and amazing selection of chewing gum machines cater to family and all kidlike guests.
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Het Papeneiland
You won't be the only tourist visiting this café, but that doesn't make it any less worthwhile. It's a 1642 gem with Delft-blue tiles and a central stove. The name, 'Papists' Island', goes back to the Reformation when there was a clandestine Catholic church on the north side of the canal. By some accounts you got there via a secret tunnel from the top of the stairs.
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Hill Street Blues
Feels more like a lounge bar than a coffeeshop, with jazz lounge music, an in-the-groove vibe and an international swathe of visitors. Firm bean-bag stools and comfy benches make great stations for watching the life forms on busy Nieuwmarkt. Once you've settled in on the terrace, try a blended smoothie with yoghurt or fresh fruit, or one of its phenomenal chocolate shakes, a perfect antidote to the munchies.
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Homegrown Fantasy
Quality Dutch-grown product, pleasant staff, good tunes and famous space cakes make this popular with backpackers from nearby hostels. Patrons make use of the 3m-long glass bongs to smoke hydroponic weed.
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Hoppe
The constantly-packed brown cafe known only as Hoppe has been serving its patrons for more than 300 years and is a place where some serious drinking gets done: Hoppe has the city's highest beer turnover (250,000 litres a year). With its beer barrels and recycled church pews for seats, this dark bar has a cosy ambience.
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In 'T Aepjen
This funny little bar, one of the oldest in Amsterdam, got its name 'In the Monkey' from the lice-carrying beasts kept by the original owner; sailors lodging here left with an itch they could scratch. The story goes that a customer couldn't pay his bill and settled the debt with a monkey. The place is stuffed with old toys and advertising signs.
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In De Wildeman
This former distillery tasting house has been transformed into an atmospheric yet quiet beer café with over 200 bottled beers, 18 varieties on tap and a smokefree area. Locals rave about the choice of Trappist ales, the huge selection from Belgium and the Netherlands, and the potent French 'Belzebuth' (13% alcohol!).
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Kamer 401
This glamorous bar glows at night, as do the gorgeous-looking cocktail-drinking young locals who pack the place til late. With DJs providing a funky soundtrack, it's perfect for pre-clubbing drinks.
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Kandinsky
Those not into the grungy, hippy feel of most Amsterdam coffeeshops love Kadinsky for its clean, contemporary style, funky music, friendly service and infamous space cakes. Alcohol is no longer available (it's the new coffeeshop law, folks) but is readily sold at its café opposite.
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La Tertulia
A backpackers' favourite, this mother-and-daughter-run coffeeshop has a greenhouse feel. You can either sit outside by the Van Gogh-inspired murals, play some board games, or take in those Jurassic-sized crystals by the counter.
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Lellebel
This hole-in-the wall just off Rembrandtplein has karaoke, singing and comedy shows that bring out the best in any girl's wardrobe. It can get bitchy, but always in the funniest possible way.
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Lime
Small but perfectly formed Lime, with its ever-changing, kitsch-cool interior and upbeat grooves, is the perfect pre-club pit stop. The DJs and cocktails might just keep you there till morn.
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Lisboa
At weekends, this restaurant-club boat moored behind the C1000 supermarket hosts jazz artists such as trumpeter Saskia Laroo and Brazilian samba bands.
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Lokaal 'T Loosje
With its beautiful etched-glass windows and tile tableaux on the walls, this is one of the oldest and prettiest cafés in the Nieuwmarkt area. It attracts a vibrant mix of students, locals and tourists.
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Lux
One of several happening bars along this street, attracting beautiful young Amsterdammers and expats-in-the-know - good DJs keep the crowds happy and the bar staff very, very, busy.
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Luxembourg
Join gaggles of glam locals and tourists at this permanently busy café. Grab a paper (from the reading table or the Athenaeum newsagency across the square), procure a sunny seat on the terrace, order the 'Royale' snack platter (bread, cured meats, Dutch cheese and deep-fried croquettes) and watch the world go by. Inside are parquet floors, a marble bar and an Art Deco stained-glass skylight.
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Montmartre
Regarded by many as the Benelux's best gay bar, and a busy weekend will show why. Patrons sing along, or more like scream along, to recordings of Dutch ballads and old top-40 hits. It's like a campy Eurovision song contest.
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Mulligans
This is probably the most 'authentic' pub, at least music-wise. There's a congenial atmosphere, Guinness on tap and live Irish music most nights from (no cover charge). Sunday sesiàns let you participate. BYOI (instrument) and T (talent).
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Odeon
This historic venue from the 1660s was given a top-to-toe glam renovation in 2005, complete with murals of glam models. Club nights and concerts are held in the grand hall upstairs.
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Oosterling
Opened in the 1700s as a tea and coffee outlet for the United 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 from the bank across the square and is one of the very few cafes that has a bottle-shop (liquor-store) permit.
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Oporto
This tiny little brown cafe is worth visiting just to get a load of the amazing inlaid woodwork behind the bar (check out the Zodiac signs). Oporto's wrought-iron and parchment lighting fixtures are said to have remained the same for 60 years. Thursdays and Fridays after work are the busiest times here.
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Other Side
This coffeeshop has grass from Jamaica, very strong Dutch super-skunk, hash from Central Asia and more. Many tokers here are on a time-out from clubs like Arc.
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Panama
The Eastern Harbour's first grown-up restaurant has an enormous, sleek dining room, Mondrian colour scheme and steel light fixtures; it's a good place to fortify yourself before hitting the nightclub on the same premises. Gucci-garbed couples splurge on oysters (in season) and a weekly changing menu of pastas and grills. Wash it down with the - wait for it - Panamartini (vodka, crema ciocolata, espresso).
