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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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Maloe Melo
This is the altar of Amsterdam's tiny blues scene, just a few blocks from Leidseplein. There's everything from Cajun zydeco and swing to Texas blues and rockabilly.
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Melkweg
The Milky Way - housed in a former dairy - must be Amsterdam's coolest club-gallery-cinema-cafe-concert hall. It has a vibrant and varied program of events, from international DJ club nights to live Brazilian jazz.
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Molly Malone's
Regularly packed with loads and loads of Irish folk out for a good craic, the notorious Molly Malone's, decorated in dark and woody colours, often finds itself holding spontaneous folk music sessions. If you fancy diving in and strutting your musical stuff, bring your own guitar with you when you come.
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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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Movies
Indie features alongside mainstream at this beautiful Art Deco cinema. Treat yourself to a meal in the restaurant (the three-course 'dinner and a movie' costs a reasonable around €29 ).
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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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Muziektheater
This swanky Stopera theatre is home to the Netherlands Opera, National Ballet and Netherlands Ballet Orchestra. International dance troupes such as Merce Cunningham and Martha Graham also perform here.
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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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Openluchttheater
From June to August the park hosts free concerts in its intimate open-air theatre, and it's a fantastic experience to share with others. Expect world music, dance, children's theatre and more. Also known as the Vondelpark Open Air Theatre.
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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).
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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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Rialto Cinema
This great old cinema near Sarphatipark focuses on premieres and gets eclectic art-house fare from around the world.
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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.
