11 Best Bars in Leidseplein, Amsterdam

Eyeglasses peek over books and tablets as a well-read and socially conscious crowd fills the café-bar of this center for art, culture, and politics. This is an ideal spot for an affordable meal, drinks with friends, or date night. The English-language program includes film screenings and lectures, too.

This intimate pub just around the corner from Leidseplein is a local favorite. With a name that translates to "the drunk" in Flemish, the pub is aptly titled: there are more than 100 Belgian beers available and plenty of Dutch brews, too. Balance out all that beer with a hearty meal or thick slices of bread and cheese on the side.

Hear top-notch local ensembles in the jam-packed and ultra-intimate environment of one of Amsterdam's oldest jazz joints. Along with live jazz every night, a little Latin, funk, and salsa can also be enjoyed here.

The legendary "Milk Way" features live performances, DJs, and club nights covering everything from hip-hop to punk to world music. A former milk factory, this space began as a hippie squat in the 1960s. Today it's a slick multimedia center equipped with two concert halls, a theater, cinema, gallery, and café-restaurant.

This former church—vaulted ceilings and stained glass still intact—has become the country's most famous "pop temple," an epic venue for legendary musicians, new bands, and club nights. Paradiso also has a sister location, Tolhuistin, in Amsterdam Noord, just across the river from Centraal Station.

Hardly bovine in any sense, the Cow's Café is still a fine place to chew the cud or graze a little, and it's a special favorite of local musicians and students. There's an extensive beer menu and, downstairs, a restaurant that's popular for a bite before a show at one of the many venues nearby.

One of the few authentic pubs around Leidseplein has a genuinely friendly staff, an extensive beer list, and acoustic music sessions, all of which provide an oasis of authenticity among the noisy tourist traps in the area.

Three floors of play-and-dance space offer changing theme nights six times a week. If you're looking to cruise, this is a good bet.

An intimate little shoebox of a venue shares some of its amenities with members-only artists' society De Kring. As a result, arty house parties and banging electro nights attract a hip crowd that's sometimes sprinkled with puzzled tourists in search of a dive bar.

Thursday through Sunday, this is probably the hottest club in town for the rich and famous and their wannabes. The urban grooves are funky, and the sound system not too shabby.

A fantastic 1960s feel and an attractive young crowd, namely local students, keep it lively at this small Marnixstraat pub, a great spot for a nightcap after a live show in nearby Leidseplein. Next door, its sister location, Bar Weber, serves cocktails and bar snacks with a punky vibe.