Jordaan & the West
In this grungy all-ages dive bar, the 'Old Masters' are the Ramones and Black Sabbath. Somehow a handful of pool tables, 1980s and '90s pinball machines,…
Must-see nightlife in Amsterdam
De Pijp
High up in the skyscraping Hotel Okura Amsterdam, Twenty Third Bar has sweeping views to the west and south. The adjacent twin-Michelin-starred kitchen of…
Jordaan & the West
The plain industrial exterior doesn't give much away but the Houthavens location (opened 2019) of the socially minded Brouwerij De Prael has a stunning,…
Southern Canal Ring
Nicknamed 'Amsterdam's living room', this splendid art nouveau 1902 grand café is in the Amsterdam American Hotel. Its huge stained-glass windows overlook…
Amsterdam
Set in a historic 1917 brick building with stunning tilework and a retro colour scheme of pale green and pink, KHL's bar opens to a vine-shaded terrace…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
A frieze of Delft blue-and-white tiles – the world's largest Delft-tile tableau – wraps around the walls above beautiful wood panelling at this exquisite…
De Pijp
Wine is a serious business at this vintage-style bar named for the two Scottish chemists who discovered that oxygen is lighter than argon gas, which R&R…
Jordaan & the West
Small, unassuming and unmistakably old (1665), Café Pieper features stained-glass windows, antique beer mugs hanging from the bar and a working Belgian…
Amsterdam
In a former technical school, with a tuck shop serving food, this 500-capacity club has three darkened stages (the main one is in the old bike storage…
Amsterdam
'Islanders' love this hidden-away waterfront place, a lovely spot for Dutch and Belgian beers, cocktails or a glass of wine. There's a fab terrace…
Jordaan & the West
With Delft Blue tiles and a central stove, this bruin café (brown cafe; pub) is a 1642 gem. The name, 'Papists' Island', goes back to the Reformation,…
Amsterdam
A local favourite for generations, the Green Elephant is 19th-century elegance meets modern bohemian, with tiled floors, dark bentwood chairs and leaf…
Jordaan & the West
This luxe bar's location on a low-key stretch of Jordaanian shops and businesses gives it a certain mystique. Its martinis will coax out your inner James…
Amsterdam
Between the Artis Royal Zoo and the Hollandsche Schouwburg, Koosje has a lovely location, where you can perch at the window or on the terrace and sup wine…
Southern Canal Ring
This buzzing choice has designer chandeliers and a lively, laid-back vibe. It's on the neighbourhood's main gay street and is favoured by a mixed crowd.
Amsterdam Noord
Oedipus began with four friends trying out some experimental brewing methods, and its brightly labelled bottles are now an Amsterdam institution. This…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Watch the Amstel flow by from the balcony and waterside terraces of this very grand two-level café with soaring ceilings, streaming natural light and…
Amsterdam
Speciality roasters White Label Coffee likes its customers to feel at home. Among the Persian rugs, comfy floor cushions, light wooden furniture and…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
BeerTemple’s taps, with 35 rotating draught beers, feature mainly American varieties that you’ll be hard-pushed to find elsewhere in the Dutch capital, as…
Jordaan & the West
Toki's interior is minimalist and then some, with painted concrete floors and a terrazzo sitting area. Take a seat in the window and watch the bikes whizz…
Amsterdam
Café Bédier is a post-work favourite with a terrace out the front that is often so crowded on a summer evening that it looks like a street party in full…
Amsterdam
From your morning caffeine fix to an evening tipple, hip cafe-bar 4850 has you covered. It turns out a great coffee along with an impressive selection of…
De Pijp
Natural, all-organic, additive-free wines are the stock-in-trade of this convivial neighbourhood wine bar in a rustic stained-glass-framed shop, where the…
Southern Canal Ring
The team behind Bocca Coffee knows its stuff, having sourced beans from Ethiopia to sell to cafes across the city for more than 15 years. It's now serving…
Amsterdam
Close to the Vondelpark, Café Schinkelhaven's hugely popular candle-topped terrace tables make an irresistible pit stop before heading along…
Western Canal Ring
Sip top-notch tea and Spanish-roasted coffee while nibbling homemade Valrhona-chocolate pralines and pastries at this beautiful little Negen Straatjes …
Amsterdam
This perennially hip, two-level bar attracts a young professional crowd that spills out onto the pavement. It does great cocktails and doubles as a Thai…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Its location by the IJ at the northern end of Centraal Station makes this beer specialist ideal while waiting for a train or to pick up bottles to drink…
Amsterdam Noord
In an out-of-the-way industrial area, tiny Walhalla is a relaxed microbrewery that has quickly gained a reputation for its excellent beer. There are a few…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Inside the landmark 15th-century Schreierstoren, this atmospheric café (pub) has a historical interior with hefty timber beams and a canal-side terrace…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Plastered with posters and vinyl records, the subterranean Poolbar is an easy-going place to shoot pool at its eight tables, or play table shuffleboard or…
Amsterdam
On rapidly gentrifying Javastraat, Walter Woodbury’s Javanese-inspired, plant-filled and wooden interior has chesterfield lounges perfect for cosying into…
Amsterdam
Craft beer fans are spoilt for choice, with no fewer than 40 beers from around the world on rotating taps and hundreds more by the bottle. Try one of the…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Tucked down an alleyway off Grimburgwal, this site has assumed many guises throughout the centuries: a cloister during the 14th, a horse-carriage…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
A hummingbird by Brazilian street artist L7matrix covers one wall of this hip cafe, with local art also for sale. Small-batch roasts (London's Kiss the…
Western Canal Ring
Fresh-squeezed juices, smoothies and 'warm shakes' (such as pumpkin spice syrup, espresso, stroopwafel, cinnamon and whipped cream) are the standout…
Western Canal Ring
By day, this updated brown cafe is full of people catching the afternoon sun on the terrace. By night the atmosphere turns quietly romantic, with low…
Western Canal Ring
This koffiehuis (espresso bar; not to be confused with a coffeeshop selling cannabis) is one of the best places in the city to get an old-fashioned coffee…
Amsterdam
Art deco lights, floral wallpaper, chesterfields and waistcoated mixologists-as-alchemists behind the bar set the scene at the sophisticated yet cosy HPS …
Jordaan & the West
In a landmark contemporary residential building, Hoogendam has a vast timber-floored interior with a copper-green bar. But the number-one drawcard is the…
