Amsterdam has always rewarded the curious — especially after dark. Pity the visitor deterred by a plain-looking door or disinclined to take a ferry across the IJ River; in the Dutch capital, the best nights out are stumbled upon. The city’s appetite for the unexpected runs deep. Centuries of global trade brought exotic spices, botanicals and spirits from far-flung corners to Amsterdam. That history is complex — shaped as much by exploitation as by exchange — but its legacy still flows through every jenever pour, cocktail garnish and spice-infused Old Fashioned.
Today, traditional brown cafés sit comfortably beside experimental breweries and even the city’s first winery, all testament to Amsterdam’s restless taste for discovery. However inventive things get, though, there’s always a place for a cold beer and a plate of bitterballen, the deep-fried drinking snack that’s pure Amsterdam. These are the spots worth raising a glass to.
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1. Door 74, Centrum
£££ | BOOK AHEAD | Best for date-night drinks
Don’t be fooled by the inconspicuous black door — the line of walk-in hopefuls outside gives this not-so-secret speakeasy away. Open for more than 17 years, Door 74 channels Prohibition-era glamour through its art deco interior: all polished wood, low lighting and slowly whirring ceiling fans that lend a romantic air to evening cocktails. Slip into leather seats or perch at the bar to watch the bartenders at work whipping up innovative pours packed with bold flavours. Playful variations on classic cocktails dominate; expect a menu of clever, seasonal twists that use house-made infusions and elegant garnishes.
finddoor74.com
2. Proeflokaal A.v. Wees, Jordaan
@suaturayphotography
£ | BAR MENU | Best for traditional Dutch spirits
The Van Wees family have been distilling jenevers since 1782 and their rustic, barrel-lined proeflokaal, or tasting room, is one of the Dutch capital’s most famous. More than 17 varieties are available to try, and staff are on hand to guide you through the range, from malty oude (old) offerings to lighter, smoother jonge (young) styles. Brave drinkers should order a kopstoot (headbutt), the Classic Dutch combo of a glass of beer with a neat jenever on the side. Dark-wood interiors and old barrels on high give the space a pleasingly timeworn feel.
proeflokaalvanwees.nl
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3. Flying Dutchmen Cocktails, Centrum
£££ | BOOK AHEAD | Best for spirit aficionados
This late-night drinking den, owned by Tess Posthumus, Alina Lucia and Rosa Moolenaar, is open from 5pm to 4am, making it a no-brainer for night owls seeking a sophisticated nightcap. Located within a protected 17th-century building, complete with stained glass windows and historic ceiling frescos by artist Nicolaas de Heldt Stockage, the bar has a 900-strong bottle collection — likely one of the largest in the Netherlands. Posthumus puts them to use reimagining 400-year-old recipes for the modern palate, crafting some of the city’s most refined and technically brilliant drinks in an educational menu that charts the evolution of classic pours. A standout is the signature, local-leaning cocktail: a jenever-based tipple infused with speculaas-gum syrup and orange bitters.
flyingdutchmencocktails.shop
4. Café ‘t Sluisje, Amsterdam Noord
Koen Smilde Photography
£ | BAR MENU | Best for old-school conviviality
Amsterdam is crammed with bruine kroegen (brown cafés) — the wood-panelled, once nicotine-stained bars that serve as the Dutch equivalent of a classic British pub. One of the best is Café ‘t Sluisje, a community-owned spot across the IJ in Nieuwendam. Popular with cyclists en route to Waterland for a weekend ride, this century-old spot offers lashings of gezelligheid, an untranslatable Dutch term that captures a feeling of cosiness, conviviality and fun. Pair a frothy Dutch beer with local snacks like bitterballen — the deep-fried meatballs found in nearly every Amsterdam bar — or the bar’s legendary apple tart. The prime perch around here? A table on the lockside terrace.
cafehetsluisje.nl
5. Brouwerij ‘t IJ, Amsterdam Oost
David Stenega
£ | BAR MENU | Best for alfresco afternoons
Set beside the De Gooyer windmill, Brouwerij ‘t IJ is one of Amsterdam’s most distinctive beer spots. Founded in 1985, the brand has three locations, but this tasting room attached to the original brewery, with its large terrace beneath the windmill, is the best for sunny afternoons. Work through the regular roster of organic beers or sample more experimental seasonal brews. The beer flights are a good way to try several at once. There’s a menu of traditional bar snacks and the brewery, housed in a converted bathhouse beside the windmill, also hosts English language tours three times a week.
brouwerijhetij.nl
6. Café De Dokter, Centrum
£ | BAR MENU | Best for a historic drinking den
Amsterdam’s smallest bar, founded in 1798, was opened by a surgeon from a nearby hospital as a refuge for doctors and medical students in need of a stiff drink. Now run by the seventh generation of the same family, it’s as much a curiosity cabinet as a watering hole, crammed with strange artefacts, dusty bric-a-brac and well-worn tables. Jazz records, an old birdcage, vintage lamps and oversized chandeliers crowd the tiny space which, at just 18 square metres, offers an intimate atmosphere in which to clink glasses with locals and soak up some city history. Order the Dokters Recpt jenever for a house twist on a traditional city spirit or keep it simple with a Dutch beer.
@cafededokter1798
7. Glouglou, De Pijp
££ | BAR MENU | Best for natural wine lovers
Amsterdam’s first dedicated natural wine bar remains one of its best. Tucked into a cosy corner of bohemian De Pijp, Glouglou is as much about atmosphere as about what’s in the glass. The space has a friendly, neighbourhood feel with no-nonsense wooden tables, jazzily tiled flooring and typographic posters on the walls. Arrive early if you want a seat: locals tend to pack in for cheese and cold cuts paired with a chilled red. The team pour a changing selection of low-intervention wines sourced from across Europe and are more than happy to guide newcomers through funkier bottles. For a modish alternative, Bar Centraal on Ten Katestraat is owned by the same team.
glouglou.nl
8. Bordello Aperitivo, Centrum
££ | BAR MENU | Best for vinyl and vermouth
Tucked along Zeedijk just steps from the Bordello A Parigi record shop, this cosy bar opened in 2019 as an extension of a music label of the same name’s 10th anniversary. From Thursday through to Saturday, it serves aperitivo-style cocktails and sets the mood for the weekend with a vinyl soundtrack and occasional live sets. If you’re looking for where the hospitality crowd heads of an evening, you’ll find them here: popping in for a martini and a dance under the disco ball as DJs spin soulful Italo funk. There’s an undoubted underground feel to it all, but it remains inviting for first timers.
bordelloaperitivo.com
9. REM Rooftop, Houthavens
£££ | BAR MENU | Best for a rooftop rendezvous
In a city of spires, rather than skyscrapers, rooftops with a view are rare. Once perched nine kilometres out in the North Sea, this red-and-white tower started life as a pirate radio and TV station, broadcasting illicit commercial shows to Dutch audiences. The industrial tower now rises 22 metres high in Houthavens, housing one of Amsterdam’s few cloud-tickling cocktail spots. There’s both a restaurant and indoor bar inside, but it’s the hammock-strung, DJ-soundtracked rooftop that steals the show on summer evenings. Expect a kaleidoscope of fruit-infused cocktails and a buzzy, sundowner crowd. Seeking sunset views with a less glitzy atmosphere? Try the (artificial) beach bar, Pllek, across the IJ.
rem.amsterdam
10. Chateau Amsterdam, Amsterdam Noord
££ | BAR MENU | Best for local bottles
An urban winery in the Netherlands might sound improbable, but Chateau Amsterdam makes it work. Located in a vast, yellow-fronted warehouse is the city’s hip Noord neighbourhood, this pioneering operation imports grapes from family-run vineyards across Europe to be crushed, blended and bottled on site, creating vintages proudly labelled “Made in Amsterdam”. The industrial setting adds to the appeal, with barrels, winemaking equipment and ample seating contributing to a lively atmosphere. Visitors can enjoy a glass of red amid the fermenters or book a tasting and tour to learn more about the process. There’s a menu of Italian dishes available, too.
chateau.amsterdam
11. Super Lyan, Centrum
Ashkan Mortezapour Photography
£££ | BAR MENU | Best for cutting-edge cocktails
From the team behind London’s acclaimed Dandelyan and Lyaness, this Blade Runner-worthy bar in central Amsterdam brings high-concept mixology to a historic, 17th-century Dutch house. Interiors are anything but traditional, with three distinct spaces: a neon-lit, horseshoe bar; the laid-back Super Lyan Living Room; and a sunny terrace serving Campari-led crowd-pleasers during the summer months. Expect playful, inventive cocktails with tongue-in-cheek names and unusual ingredients. You’ll find “kimchi’d yoghurt” in a sour and a “North Sea Boulevardier” made with, according to the menu, “heaps of invasive plants”. It’s fun, experimental and unpretentious.
superlyan.com
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