Café 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.
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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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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.
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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.
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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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Sanementereng
Way back when, Amsterdam coffeeshops were merely regular shops that also sold marijuana alongside their other wares. Bursting to the brim with secondhand everything (part junk, part antique), the dusty old Sanementereng is one of the last of these. Don’t expect friendly service but do come for the stillness and to experience an old-school original.
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Herberg Hooghoudt
Situated on lovely Reguliersgracht, this venerable cafe-restaurant 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, and fill up on exceptional tapas or mains – the homemade prawn croquettes (€5.50) are to die for.
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KHL
Proof of how far this district has come, KHL is a one-time squatter cafe gone legit. Next to the Lloyd Hotel, it’s a historic brick building with great tilework, and the garden is worth a glass or two. There’s live music every Sunday evening – everything from Latin to pop to klezmer (traditional Jewish music).
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Crea Café
Crea Café Walking along Grimburgwal, you can’t help but notice the prime cafe chairs across the canal. They’re part of the University of Amsterdam’s cultural centre, a laid-back spot that’s superb for sipping well-priced beers while watching boats manoeuvre under the nearby bridge.
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Dulac
This former bank building is outrageously decked out in a kooky, but kind of spooky, mixture of styles (think Turkish, art nouveau and Amsterdam School, with a few Gothic accents). It has a pool table and an amiable mix of students, older folks and Americans. Definitely come for the decor and the drinks, but avoid the food.
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Kadinsky
On the surface this could be an actual coffee shop - there’s no trace of hippy grunge, just sleek minimalist furniture, cool electronica in the background, and good java and hot chocolate. Three levels offer various cosy nooks. Two much smaller branches are at Langebrugsteeg 7a and Zoutsteeg 14.
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Dutch Flowers
Were it not for this shop’s main wares, you’d be hard pressed to distinguish it from a brown cafe, with the game on TV and a lovely view of the Singel. It all means that you needn’t slum it with the college kids or feel as if you’ve gone to Jamaica or India in order to enjoy a toke.
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Tweede Kamer
The original location of the Dampkring chain of coffeeshops feels more like a brown cafe than a coffeeshop, but don’t let that fool you. Space may be tight, but the selection is vast (this chain is known for its detailed, informative menus). The Sativa is highly recommended for a special happy high.
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Greenhouse
Nope, the pot hasn’t gone to your head (yet) – that stretch of the floor is glass and there really are koi swimming underfoot in this modern lounge-cum-coffeeshop. Once you tire of the fish action, peer into the microscope to see THC crystals or contemplate one of the pies spinning in the display case.
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De Kroon
A popular venue for media events and movie-premiere parties, with high ceilings, velvet chairs, and the chance to wave at the Little People below on Rembrandtplein. There is a lift to get up the two storeys, but climb the two flights instead and you’ll be rewarded with an art deco tiled staircase.
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Abraxas
The Abraxas management knows what stoners want: mellow music, comfy sofas, rooms with different energy levels and thick milkshakes. The considerate staff and laid-back clientele make this a great place for coffee-shop newbies, who can get stoned and send strange emails from the computers.
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Baba
Not the cheapest weed in town, but it packs a punch and is sure to get you walloped to another plane. Pick up a bag of Silver Haze, plant yourself at the front window and watch the colourful types all run together along Warmoesstraat. The hash brownies have mother’s special touch.
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NEL
The new owners of NEL (formerly called Janvier) have spruced up the inside with a mellow brasserie on one side and a stylish bar on the other, but on a sunny afternoon there’s nothing better than to sit under the shady canopy of trees and lazily contemplate the quiet surrounding square.
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Latei
Don’t worry, the cool staff at this tiny cafe won’t sell the Formica-top table out from under you - though it, and every other piece of mod decor here, is for sale. A steady stream of neighbourhood residents pops in for koffie verkeerd (milky coffee) .
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Café de Vergulde Gaper
Decorated with old chemists’ bottles and vintage posters, this former pharmacy has amiable staff and a terrace that catches the sun. It gets busy late in the afternoon, with all kinds of people meeting for after-work drinks and big plates of fried snacks or salads for dinner.
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Kapitein Zeppo’s
This site, off Grimburgwal, has assumed many guises over the centuries: a cloister during the 15th, a horse-carriage storehouse in the 17th and a cigar factory in the 19th. These days it’s festive, attractive and almost romantic, with a beautiful garden and Belgian brews.
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Café-Restaurant Dantzig
Located in the Stopera building, Dantzig doesn’t have the history of some of the other cafes in town, but that doesn’t make it any less appealing. The great Amstel-side terrace is always busy in summer, with excellent views over the water and lots of sunlight.
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Café Dante
This huge art deco space is quiet as auntie’s back garden during the day, but after 5pm weeknights it transforms into a lively bar for the downtown business crowd. Plus, you get your choice of outside views: the busy Spui out front or the lovely Singel in the back.
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De Koffie Salon
Stay in and sip your coffee in this split-level lounge (there’s a big couch section upstairs) or take it to go, a relative rarity in this city. The baristas are cheerful and friendly, and there are stroopwafels and other goodies from Lanskroon.
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Wildschut
This is 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. When the weather’s not great, soak up the atmosphere in the art deco interior.
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