96 Best Bars in Amsterdam, Netherlands

An adventurous and diverse program of entertainment includes DJs, live bands, and even theater. When it comes to music, hip-hop, Afro beats, Latin, indie pop, and soul share the spotlight.

Perched next to a windmill on the eastern outskirts of the city center is an evocative microbrewery where organic home brews can be enjoyed on the large terrace, weather permitting. Or head to the brewery's other tasting room in Vondelpark (Proeflokaal 't Blauwe Theehuis, Vondelpark 5).

As the name suggests, this welcoming little café right behind Nieuwe Kerk offers over 50 Belgian beers, including eight on tap.

This popular neighborhood café is warm and cozy inside with a street-side corner terrace that's great for people-watching while sipping the house IPA (there are also cocktail pitchers and gin and tonics, as well as spritz and wine). Simple bar food and snacks and a welcoming staff complete the package.

In between the Vijzelgracht and Leidseplein is this German bar with an infinitesimal number of improbable brews, including a smoked Franconian lager that tastes of bacon. The decor will make you feel like you've entered your grandmother's living room or a hip retro bar in Berlin—all the more perfect to strike up a conversation (in a variety of languages) with other patrons.

On the edge of the Red Light District sits this neighborhood institution, which dates back to the 1940s. For better or worse, cracks have started to appear in its jazzy foundation, as the programming has become dominated by karaoke and DJ sets. Open until 4 am on weekends it's a good late night bet.

Having a drink at this corner café is reminiscent of the Golden Age, which makes sense since this quaint bar has been pouring beverages since 1624, making it the oldest bar in the Jordaan. The historic interior features stained-glass windows and a wooden ceiling decorated with old ceramic pints.

This always-lively Nieuwmarkt mainstay serves relatively cheap cocktails and with a jazzy electronic sound track. On sunny days you can enjoy your drink on the terrace overlooking the square.

This light and airy multilevel café offers reasonably priced food and a lovely terrace overlooking the Amstel. It is popular with a big cross section of the population, from students and pensioners to artists and businesspeople.

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.

This mainstay along the Prinsengracht is blessed with a canalside patio and a perfect view of the Westerkerk tower and adjacent canal. While a bruincafé atmosphere prevails, their modern kitchen serves well-priced snacks and meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

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.

Quite popular with students and locals, this well-known brown café near Dam Square has far too many beers to try in one go. In fact, there are more than 250 bottled beers and 14 on tap, mostly from the Netherlands and Belgium. One of six Gollem cafés in Amsterdam, there is also a bar and restaurant, Proeflokaal Gollem ( Overtoom 160--161), with beer tastings and, on some nights, pub quizzes. The latest addition, Biercafé Gollem aan het Water ( Entrepotdok 64), offers waterside views of the ARTIS zoo.

Occupying a 17th-century canalside warehouse, this beam-ceilinged bar with a large terrace serves beers, cocktails, and meals from morning until the wee hours 365 days a year.

This nacht café, or night café, is the place where the revelry continues after other haunts have closed. It fills up with partiers from all walks of life looking for a few more rounds and a little eclectic music before the morning light. It's open until 3 am (and until 4 am on weekends).

This kitschy gay pub attracts an outgoing, all-ages crowd, who stop in for a drink and perhaps a sing-along before heading out to the club.

A family business since 1966, Café Nol has a cozy living room feel where four generations of owners have welcomed guests for a biertje and the lively sounds of native Jordaaners singing folk songs while having the time of their lives. Looking for live music? Stop by on a Thursday evening.

The fourth generation of Oosterlings still runs this corner brown café with its original 1735 stone floor and barrels of jenever way up high. Popular with locals of all stripes, Oosterling also sells all its bottles to-go, which can come in handy when you're in a fix.

Open to all “queer minded” people but catering mostly to lesbians, this traditional bruincafé has a modern interior, complete with pool tables, where plenty of drinks flow along with the music and conversation.

Sitting outside by the canal in front of Tabac with a beer in hand and a plate of bitterballen (Dutch meatballs) just may be the quintessential Amsterdam experience. If hunger strikes, there’s also a cozy if cramped indoor area that serves up more substantial Indonesian dishes.

This café in the Jordaan commands the scenic corner between Brouwersgracht and Prinsengracht. The staff are friendly, have a funky taste in music, and serve Indonesian-inspired dishes for lunch, dinner, and borreltijd. It's packed at night but is also the perfect place to enjoy an afternoon drink outdoors with a canalside view.

Housed in the Volkshotel, Canvas offers splendid views over the city from its seventh-floor perch. The restaurant and bar are satisfactory but the space really comes into its own during sunny weather when you can enjoy the rooftop terrace. Meanwhile, Canvas Nights (Friday and Saturday) is known for its relaxed vibe and progressive programming of live jazz, experimental house, hip-hop, indie, and so forth.

Not far from Westerpark and just across the main canal bordering the Jordaan, Checkpoint Charlie is a favored neighborhood bar well-known for hosting a range of live music on Thursday through Sunday. With a full bar and some 24 beers on rotation, there's plenty to drink. The kitchen serves excellent, locally produced bar snacks like bitterballen and savory filled Dutch tostis (toasted sandwiches), with vegetarian-friendly options available, too.

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.

Located within the University of Amsterdam's city campus, this hidden gem of a café housed in a former diamond-cutting factory has been converted into a warm modern space with big windows and a huge canalside terrace. Think cheap and cheerful: affordably priced homemade soups, sandwiches, and beverages satisfy not only the multitude of students but the older crowd, too. During the academic year, there are regular open-mike nights, improv shows, and other cultural happenings here.

Back in 1984, this bar was so leather-lined it put San Francisco's Folsom Street to shame. Today it attracts a more diverse crowd, many of whom find their way to what's rumored to be one of the biggest dark rooms in Europe.

In this small sawdusted and kitsch-strewn haven, students, late night revelers and alternative types don't mind yelling over the latest in loud guitars and funky beats. They also enjoy a pool tournament every now and then.

Wine and whiskey are just what patrons of De Dokter (The Doctor) have been ordering for centuries. According to local lore it was founded by a surgeon in 1798 to serve the doctors and medical students from the nearby university. However, historians recently discovered that the city's smallest pub dates back even further (to 1706), making it one of Amsterdam's three oldest. Either way, it is still run by the Beems family many generations later.