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Pilsener Club
Also known as Engelse Reet (ask the bartender for a translation), this small, narrow and ramshackle place doesn't allow you to do anything but drink and talk, which is what a 'real' brown café is all about. It opened in 1893 and has hardly changed since. Beer comes straight from the kegs in the back, via the 'shortest pipes in Amsterdam' (most places have vats in a cellar or side room with long hoses to the bar); connoisseurs say they can taste the difference.
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Pilsvogel
The kitchen dispenses small plates (around €3 .50 to around €5 .50) and dagschotels (around €12 .50) to a 20-something crowd, but that's really secondary when you're sitting on De Pijp's loveliest, busiest corner. Watch the world go by, or at least its ambassadors.
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Prik
'Sexy snacks and liquids' is the motto of this peppy new retro bar with an 'I've just redone my loft' clientele of 20- to 30-somethings. Live DJs spin pop, house and dance discs.
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Proeflokaal De Ooievaar
Not much bigger than a vat of jenever , this magnificent little tasting house has been going since 1782. On offer are spirits of the De Ooievaar distillery, still located in the Jordaan. The house was built leaning over and has not subsided, as many people wrongly assume even before a shot of Old Dutch.
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Proeflokaal Wijnand Fockinck
This small tasting house (dating from 1679) has scores of jenevers and liqueurs - some quite expensive and potent. It's in an arcade behind Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky, and although there are no seats or stools, it is an intimate place to knock back a taste or two with a friend. We particularly enjoy the boswandeling ('walk in the woods'), a vivacious combination of young jenever, herb bitters and orange liqueur - the effect is like cloves.
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Proust
Next door to Finch, this bar is sleek and hip with mod colours, and the crowd changes as the hour does - families in the daytime, students (and older) at night. It's also known for its hot chocolate.
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Queen's Head
A beautifully decorated, canal-view, old-world-style café once run by legendary drag queen Dusty. The place has toned down a bit - there are still drag shows on Tuesday, but the crowd is more mixed, and even straights are welcome.
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Rokerij
Behind this black hole of an entrance you'll find Eastern décor 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). Another branch is at Elandsgracht 53 in Jordaan.
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Sappho
A new, arty lesbian bar, Sappho plays host to a mixed bag of customers - of every persuasion - for most of the week, but it is restricted to women-only events every Friday. Presenting events like regular poetry readings and art shows, this is a great place to sit back and soak up the cultural atmosphere.
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Sarphaat
Grab an outdoor table by the Sarphatipark, tuck into a slice of Boston cheesecake and a coffee, and see if you don't feel like a local.
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Soho
Pure kitsch - imagine an old-world English library on the Titanic - this huge, two-storey bar pumps with a young and ridiculously pretty clientele, drinking and flirting around the bar or on the upstairs Chesterfield sofas.
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Star Ferry
It's practically a commandment nowadays that any newly built performing space worth the name has to have a flash café, and the café at the new Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ is hard to beat for location and views. Several storeys of glass give you an IJ's-eye perspective.
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Suzy Wong
This sure-to-impress bar bustles with Dutch trendies and actors. The look? Victorian drawing room on speed, with red velveteen wallpaper and a bamboo garden; a photo of Andy Warhol observes. A worthy place to fortify yourself before heading out for a night on the town.
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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 Irish stew, and beef and Guinness pie (mains around €11 .50 to Euro13.50).
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Thermos Day Sauna
Thermos is a sprawling, popular place for sexual contacts, with porn movies, private (or not so private) darkrooms, roof deck, hair salon and restaurant. Thermos' night-owl brother, Thermos Night Sauna (Kerkstraat 58-60, Ph: 62349036), is the place to let it all hang out after the clubs close. It's similar to the day sauna, except there's no restaurant roof deck or hair salon.
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To Night
In keeping with the club's name, each night is different - everything from dance classics to salsa. The interior is magnificent, the chapel of a one-time orphanage.
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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.
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Vakzuid
A glamorous club-restaurant at the 1928 Olympic Stadium, Vakzuid has a large dance floor and loads of comfortable lounges to pose on. There's a lot of house, with some '80s and disco thrown in for good measure.
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Van Puffelen
Popular with the cashed-up professional crowd, Van Puffelen is one of Amsterdam's largest and busiest brown cafes. It's divided into a range of cosy nooks and romantic alcoves, an arrangement that manages to make its two huge rooms feel quite intimate despite their size. The lunchtime tapas are delicious.
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Vivelavie
Just off Rembrandtplein, this lively place is probably Amsterdam's most popular lesbian café for its flirty girls, good-natured staff, loud music and large windows. In summer the outdoor terrace buzzes.
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Vrankrijk
'Boom!' says the colourful cartoon-poster of a façade, till the early '80s a familiar sound in this squatter's pad, once the scene of scuffles with police in riot gear. It's mellowed a bit but is still active, but more with social-support groups than protests. Monday is Queer Night, and on Thursdays there's 'consultation' for squatters. The interior is still suitably grubby, mainly out of solidarity.
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Web
Cruisey, well-established leather and clone bar with darkrooms and 'bear nights'. No, the pit below the grate in the floor is not a real loo.
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Weber
We love this buzzy bar for its loud indie music, retro décor and unpretentious local vibe. Cheap drinks and friendly service are an added incentive to head here on a Saturday night - if you can squeeze in!
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Westergasterras
This cool, postindustrial, indoor-outdoor space is screamingly popular on Fridays for theme nights such as 'Tropical', and the pace hardly slows the rest of the week. Make an evening of it: dinner or a movie at the Westergasfabriek, and then hit the club.
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Wildschut
A real gathering place for the Old South. When the weather's warm, pretty much everyone heads to the terrace, with views of the Amsterdam School buildings. And when the weather's not great, soak up the atmosphere in the Art Deco interior.
