Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Not much bigger than a vat of jenever (Dutch gin), this magnificent little tasting house has been going strong since 1782. On offer are 14 jenevers and…
Must-see nightlife in The Netherlands
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Sample organic beers (Scotch ale, IPA, barley wine and many more varieties) from the socially minded De Prael brewery, known for employing people with a…
Amsterdam
With wow-factor views whatever the weather, this bar offers a 360-degree panorama of Amsterdam from the 11th floor of the DoubleTree Amsterdam Centraal…
Utrecht
Located unpromisingly beside the ugly Hoog Catharijne building is this blessed beer heaven, an astonishingly slick yet super-characterful reworking of a…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Candles flicker on the tables, old jazz records play in the background, and chandeliers and a birdcage hang from the ceiling at atmospheric de Dokter,…
Haarlem
From the ground, it looks like any other multistorey car park, but taking the lift to the 6th floor brings you out at this fabulous rooftop with a…
Southern Canal Ring
By the Amstel, Café Langereis is a recreation of a brown cafe (traditional Dutch pub), a look the friendly young owner so admires that she scoured the…
Jordaan & the West
Overlooking reed-filled ponds and a weir, the massive decked terrace here is hotly contested on sunny afternoons, but the soaring brick-and-steel post…
Amsterdam
In an industrial estate at Sloterdijk, this warehouse's four enormous halls with phenomenal lighting and sound systems accommodate up to 2500 clubbers,…
Den Haag
The owners and staff at this cafe are passionate cyclists, and operate a workshop at the rear where they repair racing bikes in between serving excellent…
Rotterdam
Situated on the top floor of the iconic and monolithic Groothandelsgebouw building, this rooftop bar is where the beau monde comes to mingle. Expect…
Leiden
The Giesen W6 roaster in the window signals that this hip cafe is serious about its coffee, and its baristas deliver on this promise. There's also a small…
Rotterdam
A sun-bleached labyrinth of wooden tables, brightly painted stairs, exotic foliage and low-slung festoon lighting, the Biergarten throngs with thirsty…
Southern Canal Ring
You'll need to send a text or WhatsApp for a reservation to gain entry to this speakeasy behind an unmarked door. Some of Amsterdam's most amazing…
De Pijp
At this bare-brick space, the 30 taps feature a rotating range of obscure brews such as New Zealand Yeastie Boys, Austrian Bevog, Spanish Naparbier and…
Southern Canal Ring
It's easy to lose track of time in this ultra-cool neighbourhood cafe with teal walls and exposed light bulbs and wood shelves hanging on ropes. Back to…
Groningen
Step back to the 1920s at this cosy Belgian bar where the selection of beer and jenever (Dutch gin) reads like an encyclopaedia. Its long wooden bar and…
Utrecht
A full-sized Madonna statue seems to be almost fainting with passion in welcoming beer-lovers into paradise. The merrily rough-edged bar's 20 Benelux…
Southern Canal Ring
In this large industrial space, watch from up close as bakers knead dough and work the wood-fired oven. Benches provide ample space for coffee dates or…
Noord Brabant
Unlike many male-dominated beer specialists, this is a big, hip yet family-friendly place with lots of low-lit atmosphere and decent international food…
Noord Brabant
Brewed in the leafy surroundings of Koeningshoeven Monastery on the outskirts of Tilburg, La Trappe was, until 2012, the world's only non-Belgian Trappist…
Maastricht
Right on a sunny Vrijthof corner, this classic brown bar features swords, medals and portraits of 1950s patrons on the dark panelled walls. Seven draft…
Gelderland
Make a beeline for this huge, up-to-the-minute beer bar with 100 beers and 80 wines on tap in the former post office, a magnificent red-brick building on…
Noord Brabant
The Beyerd is a superb, traditional-style beer cafe with more than 120 brews including six of its own. Most popular is the reincarnated Breda classic,…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Bierfabriek's Pure pilsner, Nero porter and Rosso ruby ale (plus a seasonally changing variety) are brewed in these raw-concrete surrounds and best…
Amsterdam Noord
The original Café Noorderlicht was in a boat, which burned down. Safely ensconced in a soaring greenhouse, with grassy waterside lawns outside and a…
Jordaan & the West
Kegs above the bar at Brouwerij Troost's Bilderdijkstraat outpost deliver fresh beer to its 15 taps. Rotating varieties might include Honingblond (brewed…
Groningen
Yet another trendy hang-out zone confirming Groningen's creative, innovative spirit: find this spacious and airy cafe-bar with St-Tropez-style summer…
Texel
At the island's northern tip, this rustic beach bar has a wind-buffering, glass-walled terrace overlooking the sand and the sea beyond. Its vast timber…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
Inside the Beurs van Berlage cultural centre, with a massive vintage movie camera in its foyer, this spectacular café with soaring vaulted-brick ceilings…
Medieval Centre & Red Light District
The drinks list at this elegant bar in the NH Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky pays homage to AW Krasnapolsky, a tailor who moved from Germany to Amsterdam in…
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,…
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…
Groningen
A student favourite that never seems to lose its appeal, this vintage bar is known for its fantastic choice of bottled beers (more than 160 types) and…
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…
Overijssel
Cafe, bar, cultural centre, concert venue, theatre, exhibition space and hip shop rolled into one, De Hip is Deventer's after-dark hot spot. Its canteen…
