Best Bars in Amsterdam

If you ask us, one of Amsterdam’s most enticing attractions is a good old-fashioned bar crawl. The Dutch capital is famous for raucous partying and over-the-top nightlife—but the pubs here beat out the clubs just about every time. This is largely thanks to bruin cafés (brown cafes), traditional taverns that have been at the heart of Dutch drinking culture for centuries and which are still loved by locals today.

Creative speakeasies around the city center, outdoor shipyard bars in the Noord district, and other modern spots also take inspiration from the city’s rich heritage of bar-going. These watering holes make up our selection of the best bars in Amsterdam.

Amsterdam Roest

Best Beach Bar

Truly unique to Amsterdam, this happening beach bar just shouldn’t be missed. At Amsterdam Roest, a former industrial shipyard now plays home to a sandy stretch for boogying and lounging around on tire swings and ropes. You’ll also find a warehouse club and restaurant where parties are often organized by Roest’s artist collective.

In’t Aepjen

Best bruin café

One of Amsterdam’s oldest bruin cafés, In’t Aepjen has been a rendezvous point for Jack Sparrow types since 1519. It was originally an inn for sailors who traded monkeys for accommodation, explained by the monkey memorabilia everywhere. Today, regulars continue the tradition by sipping jenever (Dutch gin) and listening to jazz in the lively space.

Cut Throat

Cut Throat combines a barber shop with a restaurant and bar. Trims and shaves are carried out in a classy 1930s-style space with arched brick and chandeliers while the dining area features Caribbean-inspired street food and cocktails such as jerk burgers and spiked coladas. Reservations from the barber shop to brunch are strongly recommended.

Hoppe

Best Bar for Students

Getting a buzz is a form of creative expression at Amsterdam institution Hoppe. At this bruin café, local carousers have been twirling on the barstools and downing after-work pints since 1670. On sunny weekends, the young crowds get so rowdy inside that the crowd spills out onto the Spui.

Duke of Tokyo

Best Karaoke Bar

Located on Amsterdam’s favorite gay lane, Duke of Tokyo transports revelers to the karaoke havens of Harajuku. With unique private singing booths featuring flashy neon, graffiti, and anime art, you can enjoy stiff cocktails, sake, and a robust wine list to help you belt out those tunes.

De Ysbreeker

Old effortlessly meets new at revamped bruin café De Ysbreeker. First opened in 1702, it has been updated with stylish industrial spotlights and a long marble bar. Fancy drinkers tuck away in elegant booths, while a small canal-side terrace is perfect for sipping rosé and watching riverboats glide by.

SkyLounge

Best Rooftop Bar

SkyLounge presents an elegant vibe with breathtaking views. The rooftop bar offers a 360-degree panorama from atop a hotel near Centraal Station. During the summer, the outdoor SkyTerrace attracts crowds with bubbles, uptempo DJ beats, and stylishly dressed visitors.

Door 74

Best Speakeasy

Door 74 is a Prohibition-style speakeasy where pretentious vibes get checked at the (unmarked) door. In an art deco setting, young bartenders create new spins on classic cocktails using antique barware. To enter, find the seemingly empty, vine-covered shopfront and ring the bell.

Tales & Spirits

Inside this atmospheric multi-story house bar in Amsterdam, Tales & Spirits serves daring cocktails created from house-infused ingredients and unique syrups, then presented in vintage and one-of-a-kind glasses.

Café de Ceuvel

Transformed from a former shipyard, Café de Ceuvel boasts an outdoor watering hole with a spirited vibe and sustainable practices. It’s built with recycled materials, serving local craft beers and homemade soda, attracting crowds for indie music concerts, fermentation workshops, and other creative events.

Rosalie’s Menagerie

This charming cocktail bar with a cozy tea-room feel, Rosalie’s Menagerie is filled with eccentric decor and baroque upholstery. The bar evokes nostalgia and heritage through cocktails made with local ingredients such as jenever and herbs.

Café de Dokter

Sized at just under 200 sq ft, de Dokter is known as Amsterdam’s smallest pub. Run by the same family for six generations, the ambiance remains unchanged—flickering candles, vintage jazz vinyl, and a rich, cozy atmosphere. Whiskey and gerookte runderworst (smoked beef sausage) are the house specialties.

De Drie Fleschjes

Dating back to 1650, De Drie Fleschjes specializes in liqueurs, including its signature almond-flavored bitterkoekje (Dutch macaroon) liqueur. The best seats in the house are by the bar, next to shipbuilder-made barrels and unique bottles with hand-painted portraits of former mayors.

Wynand Fockink

On cold days, this cozy standing pub in an arcade is perfect for warming up with a shot of jenever or liqueur. During weekends, Wynand Fockink offers 45-minute tours and tastings of the distillery, which has been operating since 1679.

’t Smalle

Best Bar in Jordaan

Located in a former jenever distillery from 1786, Smalle is one of Amsterdam’s buzziest brown cafes. Its canal-side terrace is a favorite for locals and visitors, who enjoy beer and bitterballen as the boats pass. During inclement weather, the upstairs area offers a cozy ambiance.

Brouwerij Troost Westergas

Best Brewery Bar

Westergasfabriek, a glorious industrial gasworks complex turned cultural park, is a must-see in Amsterdam. While you’re there, visit Brouwerij Troost Westergas. The craft brewery offers a range of light beers and distills its own gin, creating a casual vibe along with live jazz music.

Brouwerij de Prael

Best Bar in the Red Light District

This somewhat hidden taproom in the Red Light District serves organic beers for a good cause. The De Prael brewery, founded by two psychiatric nurses, employs people with a history of mental illness. Comfy couches and live music create a relaxing environment.

t’ Arendsnest

Best Bar for Beer

At this bespoke bruin café, t’ Arendsnest, you can taste-test a variety of Dutch beers to your heart’s desire. Nestled on high barstools, try to choose from over 100 varieties, including many from small breweries, with about half rotating on tap.

Canvas

The Volkshotel’s seventh-floor bar promises a laid-back atmosphere alongside lovely views of Amsterdam. Popular among digital nomads and the tech scene, the bar offers a cool, friendly crowd most nights.